Guild Wars 2

A scenario: I have a character that full map completion, used quite a few skill scrolls, and currently has 20 skill points left. No points have been invested into any utility skills. How many skill shards will it have when the wallet comes out? How does the wallet know if that 20 skill points came from “world skills” or skill increase?

It doesn’t need to. You get as many Hero Points as you’ve earned via leveling to 80 and doing skill challenges. If you’ve done world completion, that alt is more than set. All skill points banked past those sources get turned into the spirit shard currency.

I can’t answer your first question, because they haven’t told us (post says “Tomes of knowledge will level you up if you are under level 80 and give one spirit shard if you’ve reached level 80.”, but it doesn’t definitively say our current # of skill points = # of spirit shards).

As for your second question, that’s simple:

The game will check the # of skill points you got from leveling to 80, a fixed number, and skill point maps, a finite number. That number will be converted to hero points (that’s the correct name, right?). The rest will be converted to shards.

Look at it this way:

Currently, skill points take the role of what should be two different things. Now, you get Hero Points from leveling up and doing skill challenges (you will have the absolute maximum if you are a level 80 with world completion) and anything else that gave you skill points gives you Spirit Shards instead.

They seem to be implying that the game knows which skill points came from up to 80 leveling and skill challenges, versus which skill points you got form post 80 leveling and tomes, scrolls, etc… And that those gotten from up to 80 leveling and skill challenges will be converted to hero points, whereas all other skill points will be converted to Spirit Shards.

The thing is they don’t have to know what came from where. Your level and your skill challenges completed are data already attached to the account, which is why you know what your level is and can see completed vs uncompleted challenges on the map. We’re not getting a conversion, we’re getting a replacement and it will be calculated on that data.

A concern does suddenly rise naggingly in my mind, however. Support told me in regards to the Portal snafu:
“I’ve heard back and the method we used to determine who received the portal stones was not 100% accurate. We used the game records to verify that the item was looted. However, it appears that those records are a bit inconsistent. While the error rate was very small, it did result in a few dozen accounts not being invited, one of which was yours.”

I have to hope the records of level and challenges done are not “inconsistent.”

The article doesn’t address that concern because it was addressed a while back in the article explaining the new system.

So, in that scenario, I’ve earned 187 skill points through world completion, and 63 skills points through leveling that’s totally to 250 skill points (amazing coincidence). These 250 points SHOULD have been hero points, but that character only have 20 skill points left. So you guys are saying I will get -230 shards from that character subtracted from the total of my account?

If that’s the case I might as well delete the character!

You won’t have shards subtracted. You will have 400 points from leveling and 187 points from challenges. Any skill points still banked on your alt past that will turn into spirit shards.

Stars.2179:

So, in that scenario, I’ve earned 187 skill points through world completion, and 63 skills points through leveling that’s totally to 250 skill points (amazing coincidence). These 250 points SHOULD have been hero points, but that character only have 20 skill points left. So you guys are saying I will get -230 shards from that character subtracted from the total of my account?

No. You will get as many shards as you currently have of skill points at the time of the update. Hero points will be awarded based on your level and the number of skill challenges completed.

<Oops, my reply was to stars – and I may be off, judging by the other replies>
No, you will have a certain number of Hero Points to use, based on your up to 80 leveling, and the skill challenges you have completed. Everything will be locked again, and you will unlock it again using your new Hero Points. Skill points not earned through up to 80 leveling or skill challenges will be translated to Spirit Shards, which are a currency use for obtaining mats.

Which means those 20 skill points will simply disappeared and won’t count toward shards? I might as well use those now? Is that that this implies?

The question still stands. It’s a yes or no question – will those 20 skill points count toward shards? That is the question which is the concern of the article!

Stars.2179:

Which means those 20 skill points will simply disappeared and won’t count toward shards? I might as well use those now? Is that that this implies?

The question still stands. It’s a yes or no question – will those 20 skill points count toward shards? That is the question which is the concern of the article!

Yes. The 20 existing skill points will be converted to shards just like today’s article stated.

@Ayrilana, where is it in the article that says “all existing skill points will be converted into shards”?

Stars.2179:

Which means those 20 skill points will simply disappeared and won’t count toward shards? I might as well use those now? Is that that this implies?

The question still stands. It’s a yes or no question – will those 20 skill points count toward shards? That is the question which is the concern of the article!

Yes. They will be shards. How is this confusing?

The real concern:

I have a guardian that I leveled to 80 with Pvp Tomes. The guardian did almost no skill challenges, but opened enough scrolls to unlock the skills and traits.

Will I lose stuff I have now because this character doesn’t have map completion?

Yes they will count towards shards if they are extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges. If they came from leveling and challenges and you just never spent them, then I think they won’t count.

I saw another poster make a suggestion that you spend such points on MF materials now if you are confident they didn’t come from post-80 levels or using scrolls. You should be able to do the math: X skill points from leveling + Y points from skill challenges = pool of skill points that won’t become shards. Compare that to the points already spent on traits. I could be off on this but it seems to me that if you have spent less on traits than you’ve earned via leveling and challenges, then that difference is the amount of skill points you have that won’t turn into spirit shards and that is how much you should preemptively spend if you really want to squeeze out every bit of value.

Stars.2179:

Which means those 20 skill points will simply disappeared and won’t count toward shards? I might as well use those now? Is that that this implies?

The question still stands. It’s a yes or no question – will those 20 skill points count toward shards? That is the question which is the concern of the article!

As I understand it, at level 80, with full map completion and 20 unspent skill points, you will get:
~465 hero points (whatever the maximum needed to unlock everything).
20 spirit shards

For the hero points, most will be for having reached level 80, and the rest from having skill challenges completed i.e. the number of skill challenges that shows for map completion, NOT the skill points you have unspent.

Stars.2179:

@Ayrilana, where is it in the article that says “all existing skill points will be converted into shards”?

Old skill points in excess of those earned by leveling and skill challenges will be converted into crafting materials for the Mystic Forge. Items and activities that were previously repeatable sources of skill points will now also provide that same crafting material.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-two-reward-tracks-and-elite-specializations/

nekretaal.6485:

The real concern:

I have a guardian that I leveled to 80 with Pvp Tomes. The guardian did almost no skill challenges, but opened enough scrolls to unlock the skills and traits.

Will I lose stuff I have now because this character doesn’t have map completion?

You don’t need completion, just the skill challenges. Unless ANet announces some miraculous way to grant unlocks to people that haven’t done the skill challenges without breaking the system that needs to give you only as many points as you can get from the challenges (so you can’t go “double up” and get more than max points by doing challenges later), then yes, you will be at less than full unlock though just being 80 will let you set up several builds.

I personally want full unlock because it looks to me like once you spend the Hero Points, they’re gone, so you can’t re-spec them. There’s no way I’ll know in advance which build I want to use so I want my options open.

Elden Arnaas.4870:

<Oops, my reply was to stars – and I may be off, judging by the other replies>
No, you will have a certain number of Hero Points to use, based on your up to 80 leveling, and the skill challenges you have completed. Everything will be locked again, and you will unlock it again using your new Hero Points. Skill points not earned through up to 80 leveling or skill challenges will be translated to Spirit Shards, which are a currency use for obtaining mats.

So basically, those of us that have absolutely no interest in searching for skill challenges that unlocked everything via scrolls are getting a swift kick in the junk.

This is confusing because – Aryilana and Guhracie say: “Yes they will be shards” but Donari says “Yes they will count towards shards if they are extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges. If they came from leveling and challenges and you just never spent them, then I think they won’t count.” Among your answers are disagreement! – That is why it is confusing!

How does it know if that 20 skill points are “extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges.”

A second scenario: I have a level 10 character that has 400 skill points by skill scrolls only (no tomes). Now I take that character and go around and grab 20 skill points from skill challenges and then buy an angur stone from Metani. It now still has 400 skill points. Will that character get back 400 skill shards? Or does it get 380 skill shards? I used 20 hero points for the angur stone, not my 400 skill points!

Julie Yann.5379:

So basically, those of us that have absolutely no interest in searching for skill challenges that unlocked everything via scrolls are getting a swift kick in the junk.

This was discussed at length in https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/Hero-Points-old-characters-breach-of-trust/first

You may want to review that thread and add any new concerns to it.

Stars.2179:

This is confusing because – Aryilana and Guhracie say: “Yes they will be shards” but Donari says “Yes they will count towards shards if they are extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges. If they came from leveling and challenges and you just never spent them, then I think they won’t count.” Among your answers are disagreement! – That is why it is confusing!

How does it know if that 20 skill points are “extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges.”

A second scenario: I have a level 10 character that has 400 skill points by skill scrolls only (no tomes). Now I take that character and go around and grab 20 skill points from skill challenges and then buy an angur stone from Metani. It now still has 400 skill points. Will that character get back 400 skill shards? Or does it get 380 skill shards? I used 20 hero points for the angur stone, not my 400 skill points!

Skill points, irregardless of the sources, are converted to shards. This does not affects skill points that have already been spent. Those ones are gone. Hero points are awarded based on your level and the number of skill challenges completed. If you currently have 65 skill challenges completed now, you’ll sit exactly where you are once the update hits.

I highly suggest reading the older article that explains all of this.

nekretaal.6485:

The real concern:

I have a guardian that I leveled to 80 with Pvp Tomes. The guardian did almost no skill challenges, but opened enough scrolls to unlock the skills and traits.

Will I lose stuff I have now because this character doesn’t have map completion?

Probably. If you have done no skill challenges at all you will not have enough points under the new system to unlock every single trait and skill. You will, however, get enough points to unlock most of them.

As mentioned you don’t need to do map completion, you just need to do about 65 skill points. That is the reported number necessary to unlock everything with a level 80 character. The rest, presumably, will get you through the elite specialization when it becomes a thing.

The devs never answered that thread nor answer that fundamental question in the new article.

Stars, I was only speculating as to what might count and what might not. But you’re overthinking this. The system does not need to know a darn thing about the source of what you currently have. It will do a new calculation using your level + world skill challenges, grant you Hero Points based on that, and anything that remains in your banked skill points will turn into shards. Likewise all the saved up scrolls will turn into shards.

Spending scrolls in advance won’t make any difference, they’ll turn into excess points that turn into shards.

The only thing that you might want to do in advance, and only if you can’t stand the thought of a single wasted penny, is figure out if you have any skill points gained from level + challenges that you haven’t used, and use them for forge mats before they turn into hero points. IF they are going to do so. I’m only deducing from what’s been said, I don’t care about min-maxing, and I’m just making sure I have enough skill challenges done on each alt to cover the core spec changes. I have all my 80’s at 100 challenges done. I’m set!

Stars.2179:

The devs never answered that thread nor answer that fundamental question in the new article.

They didn’t have to because they explained it in the article when they first announced this change.

Ayrilana.1396:

Skill points, irregardless of the sources, are converted to shards. This does not affects skill points that have already been spent. Those ones are gone. Hero points are awarded based on your level and the number of skill challenges completed. If you currently have 65 skill challenges completed now, you’ll sit exactly where you are once the update hits.

I highly suggest reading the older article that explains all of this.

I would like a confirmation of this from the devs.

But according to this on a 3rd scenario: I have a character that’s lv 80 with sitting on 300 skill points and done about 20 skill challenges. If I go and do 100 more skill challenges now it will have 400 skill points. Will all 400 be converted to shards?

I noticed the lack of any statement saying that the conversion will be 1 to 1.

I’d like to hear from Anet directly that the conversion is going to be 1 shard for 1 skill point/scroll, and that Mystic Forge prices aren’t going to be changed.

In that scenario you will have 400 points from being 80 and 120 challenges done. Those will be your hero points. Any skill points greater in number than you get from those will become shards.

Again, not a conversion when it comes to current traits → hero points available. Look at your level. Look at your challenges done. That is what you will have to spend on the new system. Excess will be a conversion, from skill points you spend at Miyani to spirit shards you spend at Miyani.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ayrilana.1396:

Stars.2179:

This is confusing because – Aryilana and Guhracie say: “Yes they will be shards” but Donari says “Yes they will count towards shards if they are extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges. If they came from leveling and challenges and you just never spent them, then I think they won’t count.” Among your answers are disagreement! – That is why it is confusing!

How does it know if that 20 skill points are “extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges.”

A second scenario: I have a level 10 character that has 400 skill points by skill scrolls only (no tomes). Now I take that character and go around and grab 20 skill points from skill challenges and then buy an angur stone from Metani. It now still has 400 skill points. Will that character get back 400 skill shards? Or does it get 380 skill shards? I used 20 hero points for the angur stone, not my 400 skill points!

Skill points, irregardless of the sources, are converted to shards. This does not affects skill points that have already been spent. Those ones are gone. Hero points are awarded based on your level and the number of skill challenges completed. If you currently have 65 skill challenges completed now, you’ll sit exactly where you are once the update hits.

I highly suggest reading the older article that explains all of this.

Regard: to pay attention. Regardless: the opposite of Regard, to ignore. Irregardless: Double negative, therefore must mean to pay attention again.

Irrespective: Similar meaning to Regardless. Use one of these words, because they mean what you intend them to mean.

Um ok? Are you going to argue against what I was saying or argue about grammar?

Donari.5237:

In that scenario you will have 400 points from being 80 and 120 challenges done. Those will be your hero points. Any skill points greater in number than you get from those will become shards.

Again, not a conversion when it comes to current traits -> hero points available. Look at your level. Look at your challenges done. That is what you will have to spend on the new system. Excess will be a conversion, from skill points you spend at Miyani to spirit shards you spend at Miyani.

So you’re saying I will completely lose all 400 skill points because these are not excess. Meaning I should be spending all these 400 skill points yes?

Stars.2179:

Ayrilana.1396:

Skill points, irregardless of the sources, are converted to shards. This does not affects skill points that have already been spent. Those ones are gone. Hero points are awarded based on your level and the number of skill challenges completed. If you currently have 65 skill challenges completed now, you’ll sit exactly where you are once the update hits.

I highly suggest reading the older article that explains all of this.

I would like a confirmation of this from the devs.

But according to this on a 3rd scenario: I have a character that’s lv 80 with sitting on 300 skill points and done about 20 skill challenges. If I go and do 100 more skill challenges now it will have 400 skill points. Will all 400 be converted to shards?

No, of course not.

This is not difficult to understand, and I don’t understand why you’re getting hung up on it.

You get a specific number of skill points earned through leveling up, this is a specific number based on the current system. You also have a specific number of skill points earned through skill challenges, it doesn’t matter what this number is. Add those two numbers together. That is your base character score.

Now, refund all the skill point spent on skills. Probably don’t refund skill point spent on traits. Since it was possible to get them without spending skill points you can assume those are a lose, no matter what. Take the refunded skill point total and add it to the number you currently have in storage. Take that total and subtract your base character score. Whatever is left will become spirit shards.

That’s all there is to it.

Donari.5237:

The thing is they don’t have to know what came from where. Your level and your skill challenges completed are data already attached to the account, which is why you know what your level is and can see completed vs uncompleted challenges on the map. We’re not getting a conversion, we’re getting a replacement and it will be calculated on that data.

A concern does suddenly rise naggingly in my mind, however. Support told me in regards to the Portal snafu:
“I’ve heard back and the method we used to determine who received the portal stones was not 100% accurate. We used the game records to verify that the item was looted. However, it appears that those records are a bit inconsistent. While the error rate was very small, it did result in a few dozen accounts not being invited, one of which was yours.”

I have to hope the records of level and challenges done are not “inconsistent.”

Have you ever heard of anyone having their completed skill challenges becoming undone? Outside of zone crashes anyway, I’ve had that rollback about 30 minutes of map completion and everything obtained in that time period.

Stars.2179:

Donari.5237:

In that scenario you will have 400 points from being 80 and 120 challenges done. Those will be your hero points. Any skill points greater in number than you get from those will become shards.

Again, not a conversion when it comes to current traits -> hero points available. Look at your level. Look at your challenges done. That is what you will have to spend on the new system. Excess will be a conversion, from skill points you spend at Miyani to spirit shards you spend at Miyani.

So you’re saying I will completely lose all 400 skill points because these are not excess. Meaning I should be spending all these 400 skill points yes?

Spend on what? Why do you NEED to spend them on anything? You aren’t going to lose them, they will continue serving the same purpose they have always served, they will just do it in a new form on a 1 to 1 basis.

Ok ok let me summarize this:

There are two arguments here. One from Donari and one from Ayrilana

Please Read before you answer:

A character with 400 skill points: 200 points from leveling and skill challenges and 200 points from skill scrolls.

In Ayrilana’s argument: ALL these 400 skill points will converted into shards. REGARDLESS of the sources. Ayrilana says you will get 400 shards after patch. You also get 200 hero points

In Donari’s argument: You get 200 hero points and ONLY 200 skill points from this pool becomes shards (which sounds more fair – but to this later)

I ask this question because the reaction to which the argument is correct IS IMPORTANT.
—-
If Ariyalana is correct, everyone should be contend – no need to do anything (which is more fair)

If Donari is correct, then you SHOULD be USING ALL of the 400 skill points. (convert to mats) – why? because you will LOSE 200 skill points. You can’t even just use 200 skill points because you will be awarded ZERO shards.

Stars.2179:

Ok ok let me summarize this:

There are two arguments here. One from Donari and one from Ayrilana

Please Read before you answer:

A character with 400 skill points: 200 points from leveling and skill challenges and 200 points from skill scrolls.

---

In Ayrilana’s argument: ALL these 400 skill points will converted into shards. REGARDLESS of the sources. Ayrilana says you will get 400 shards after patch. You also get 200 hero points

In Donari’s argument: You get 200 hero points and ONLY 200 skill points from this pool becomes shards (which sounds more fair – but to this later)

---

I ask this question because the reaction to which the argument is correct IS IMPORTANT.
—-
If Ariyalana is correct, everyone should be contend – no need to do anything (which is more fair)

If Donari is correct, then you SHOULD be USING ALL of the 400 skill points. (convert to mats) – why? because you will LOSE 200 skill points. You can’t even just use 200 skill points because you will be awarded ZERO shards.

Have you never purchased a single skill, or mat? I have something to the effect of 400 skill points in my pool. I will get that number worth of spirit shards and then some because I’m level 80, done all the skill points, and purchased every skill, and purchased mats. There is no chance that I have not gone well over capacity.

But, it seems that the answer is yes. It is possible in the current system to short yourself skill points. Only purchasing the bare minimum and using the rest to purchase mats. If you have done that and you consider the loss of those excess points to be a material loss, then spend them all immediately, so that you will be unable to lose them.

If you’re like me and don’t have unused points that are anything more than excess, then don’t worry about it, you’re not going to lose anything.

Stars.2179:

This is confusing because – Aryilana and Guhracie say: “Yes they will be shards” but Donari says “Yes they will count towards shards if they are extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges. If they came from leveling and challenges and you just never spent them, then I think they won’t count.” Among your answers are disagreement! – That is why it is confusing!

How does it know if that 20 skill points are “extra past your first time to level 80 + your 187 skill challenges.”

A second scenario: I have a level 10 character that has 400 skill points by skill scrolls only (no tomes). Now I take that character and go around and grab 20 skill points from skill challenges and then buy an angur stone from Metani. It now still has 400 skill points. Will that character get back 400 skill shards? Or does it get 380 skill shards? I used 20 hero points for the angur stone, not my 400 skill points!

It dont have to know it, it will take the total nr of skillpoints from what you have.

The ones gained from leveling 1-80 and the 187 skill challenges will be remade into hero points to unlock utility and elite skills with again.

The extra you got from leveling you say its 20 we dont know if it is since you may not have unlocked all the ultility elite skills on that alt already.
Those will be turned into 20 spirit shards

Elden Arnaas.4870:

They seem to be implying that the game knows which skill points came from up to 80 leveling and skill challenges, versus which skill points you got form post 80 leveling and tomes, scrolls, etc… And that those gotten from up to 80 leveling and skill challenges will be converted to hero points, whereas all other skill points will be converted to Spirit Shards.

I am confused. But where does the article say anything about touchinf or converting “used” skill scrolls?

Knighthonor.4061:

I am confused. But where does the article say anything about touchinf or converting “used” skill scrolls?

“Old skill points in excess of those earned by leveling and skill challenges will be converted into crafting materials for the Mystic Forge.”

From https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-two-reward-tracks-and-elite-specializations/

Which they have since refined to say they won’t directly become mats, they’ll become currency for mats.

Julie Yann.5379:

So basically, those of us that have absolutely no interest in searching for skill challenges that unlocked everything via scrolls are getting a swift kick in the junk.

Your implication and wording implies that Anet has intentionally looked for a way to cause injury to a specific set of players (that would be a rather small percentage I might add). Do you really think this is an intentional action to harm players that have not done Skill Challenges? Really? If so, why would you even consider continuing to play this game?

I’m not saying it’s not an unfortunate situation and you have no right to be upset, but why not wait to see what actually happens and then complain if you feel slighted by the actual update. If you really feel this is some personal attack by Anet against you personally, maybe you should look for other entertainment.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Stars.2179:

Ok ok let me summarize this:

There are two arguments here. One from Donari and one from Ayrilana

Please Read before you answer:

A character with 400 skill points: 200 points from leveling and skill challenges and 200 points from skill scrolls.

---

In Ayrilana’s argument: ALL these 400 skill points will converted into shards. REGARDLESS of the sources. Ayrilana says you will get 400 shards after patch. You also get 200 hero points

In Donari’s argument: You get 200 hero points and ONLY 200 skill points from this pool becomes shards (which sounds more fair – but to this later)

---

I ask this question because the reaction to which the argument is correct IS IMPORTANT.
—-
If Ariyalana is correct, everyone should be contend – no need to do anything (which is more fair)

If Donari is correct, then you SHOULD be USING ALL of the 400 skill points. (convert to mats) – why? because you will LOSE 200 skill points. You can’t even just use 200 skill points because you will be awarded ZERO shards.

Have you never purchased a single skill, or mat? I have something to the effect of 400 skill points in my pool. I will get that number worth of spirit shards and then some because I’m level 80, done all the skill points, and purchased every skill, and purchased mats. There is no chance that I have not gone well over capacity.

But, it seems that the answer is yes. It is possible in the current system to short yourself skill points. Only purchasing the bare minimum and using the rest to purchase mats. If you have done that and you consider the loss of those excess points to be a material loss, then spend them all immediately, so that you will be unable to lose them.

If you’re like me and don’t have unused points that are anything more than excess, then don’t worry about it, you’re not going to lose anything.

This is exactly the point. Yes I’ve spent skill points on mats, quite a few hundreds if not over a thousands. All 21 of my characters have full unlocked on all utility skills which is in the thousands of skill points spent and if Donari is correct which is likely, then I will lose about five thousand of supposed “excess” shards because they are not considered “excess” by the system.

And this applies to many people too not just me. If you, say have full world completion and level 80. Say you earned about 400 skill points total. And if you have 3 characters like this. You have 1200 skill points – which can be converted to money say 4 skill points = 1g (hypothetically). That’s 300g that will simply DISAPPEAR – if Donari’s interpretation of the situation is correct. Don’t you feel cheated by the system?

They aren’t disappearing. They are buying the exact same things from Miyani that they always have bought. If you could turn 4 skill points into 1 g then most likely you can turn 4 spirit shards into 1 g using the exact same process.

I doubt they would go the route of trying to figure out which skill points came from what source.

Currently, you get, what, 76 skill points from leveling? And I think you’re supposed to get 400 hero points from leveling in the reworked system? So the points from leveling don’t convert 1-for-1, but the points from skill challenges do. So, if they wanted to convert skill points into hero points, they have to subtract 76 skill points and convert that into 400 hero points, then subtract all of your completed skill challenges from your remaining skill points and convert those directly into hero points. And since you probably spent all the skill points you got leveling on skills, they’ll have to refund all your skill points from your skills first. And what if you leveled a character to 80 before the NPE? Now they need to subtract 79 skill points instead. And if a bug crops up that mistakes a post-NPE character for a pre-NPE one, you start cheating players out of spirit shards they earned. And if a player spent all their skill points on mystic forge items instead of buying skills, what do you do? Do they get negative spirit shards?

Frankly, that’s a lot of work that doesn’t really gain anyone anything. It would be a much easier solution to simply look at a character’s level and completed skill challenges, and give them the appropriate number of hero points. Then look at a character’s unspent skill points and unused scrolls of knowledge, and convert those all into spirit shards. Fewer calculations and less possibility for bugs to screw up how many spirit shards a given character should have since the two sets of points will be considered independently, and everyone has exactly how many spirit shards/skill points to spend on mystic forge items as they had before the update. The only question at that point is whether you refund skill points spent on skills.

If I were a software developer at ArenaNet, I know which solution I would have pushed for.

The skill points you spent on unlocking all your utility/elite skills are spent and its the same anmunt that you will have to spend again your not loseing anything.

You can argue you will lose gold only if you can untrain utility/elite skills and buy materials for them now mate.

glehmann.9586:

Frankly, that’s a lot of work that doesn’t really gain anyone anything. It would be a much easier solution to simply look at a character’s level and completed skill challenges, and give them the appropriate number of hero points. Then look at a character’s unspent skill points and unused scrolls of knowledge, and convert those all into spirit shards.

More than likely this is how it work and it’ll just add the skill points to the spirit shard pool and award individual hero points as you log into each character.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

glehmann.9586:

Frankly, that’s a lot of work that doesn’t really gain anyone anything. It would be a much easier solution to simply look at a character’s level and completed skill challenges, and give them the appropriate number of hero points. Then look at a character’s unspent skill points and unused scrolls of knowledge, and convert those all into spirit shards.

More than likely this is how it work and it’ll just add the skill points to the spirit shard pool and award individual hero points as you log into each character.

So we not losing skills/ utilities right? Thats my main issue with this confusion.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

glehmann.9586:

Frankly, that’s a lot of work that doesn’t really gain anyone anything. It would be a much easier solution to simply look at a character’s level and completed skill challenges, and give them the appropriate number of hero points. Then look at a character’s unspent skill points and unused scrolls of knowledge, and convert those all into spirit shards.

More than likely this is how it work and it’ll just add the skill points to the spirit shard pool and award individual hero points as you log into each character.

So we not losing skills/ utilities right? Thats my main issue with this confusion.

Knighthonor.4061:

So we not losing skills/ utilities right? Thats my main issue with this confusion.

Define “losing.” All of the current utilities and traits are being massively reworked and reorganized. We’re all losing all of them, essentially.

Then we get to buy the new versions. If we have level 80 + 65 skill challenges complete, we can buy the new ones right away, regardless of whether we had the old ones or not.