Guild Wars 2

I stress “possible”, and will point out that due to the activity on the long lost thread on this subject, that there are at least some who feel there needs to be a solution.

the problem that some see: The watchwork mining pick has an advantage over other infinite mining picks. It is seen as “unfair” or such, in spite of being able to grind gold to buy gems to buy one.

A solution: Give infinite harvesting tools a special sigil slot that holds a special class of sigil. An example sigil would be the watchwork sigil, which when fitted to an infinite tool, gives a chance at harvesting watchwork sprockets with each use.
Other sigils could produce similar things. Candy Corn, Geodes, Bandit Crests, etc.

All current watchwork mining picks would automatically get the sigil for watchwork sprockets, but all other infinite tools would then have the ability to have such a sigil fitted to them.

Again, just an idea that would resolve the issues some people have in a manner that doesn’t demand that people who bought the watchwork pick lose out.

I’d pay gems to buy the Azurite sigil. =P (Because cash-money, yo)

Or maybe a Sickle sigil that can farm Mystic Clovers.

I can see potential in this idea.

Not a bad suggestion but i think its bad design unless infinite tools will be a possible reward in game and not only available in the gem store.

That’s an interesting thought. But where would the sigils come from? The gem store? How much would they cost to buy or craft? Would they drop in the open world as a rare drop and be account bound? Tradeable? (probably for a lot of gold).

Not expecting you to know this of course but it’s something ANet would have to decide on.

Yeah, really no need to implement such a thing. If you want the watchwork sprockets, buy the watchwork pickax. If not, then use whichever pickax you want and don’t be jealous of what others have. :/

Wanze.8410:

Not a bad suggestion but i think its bad design unless infinite tools will be a possible reward in game and not only available in the gem store.

But aren’t they pseudo-available in game via gold-to-gem purchase? I mean, yes, they aren’t available as drops, but I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. If you do not mind, please expand a bit further on that.

It’s simpler to have skins and effects separate.

In the equipment panel you put the mining tool with the effect you want, and in the outfit panel you pick the appearance you want for any pick in that slot.

The skin select will replace the appearance.

If the various sigils are common enough that most people are using them on their permanent tools then they might collapse those markets, just like the snowflake market collapsed and now you can’t even give the T1 snowflakes away.

While that’s good for the buyers it means that the first users may not recoup their costs of getting the sigils and it’s useless for later users.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If the various sigils are common enough that most people are using them on their permanent tools then they might collapse those markets, just like the snowflake market collapsed and now you can’t even give the T1 snowflakes away.

While that’s good for the buyers it means that the first users may not recoup their costs of getting the sigils and it’s useless for later users.

I have to disagree here based on the current prices of watchwork sprockets. The existence of the mining pick hasn’t caused their price to plummet. In fact they still go for a decent amount.
I suppose that if everyone and their mini had a full set of sigils to choose from for their infinite tools that it might affect the price, but, as you said earlier, it would be up to Anet to figure out how to control when and where sigils were obtained.

Neural.1824:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If the various sigils are common enough that most people are using them on their permanent tools then they might collapse those markets, just like the snowflake market collapsed and now you can’t even give the T1 snowflakes away.

While that’s good for the buyers it means that the first users may not recoup their costs of getting the sigils and it’s useless for later users.

I have to disagree here based on the current prices of watchwork sprockets. The existence of the mining pick hasn’t caused their price to plummet. In fact they still go for a decent amount.
I suppose that if everyone and their mini had a full set of sigils to choose from for their infinite tools that it might affect the price, but, as you said earlier, it would be up to Anet to figure out how to control when and where sigils were obtained.

Yah, but the watchwork mining pick was only for sale 3 times. This means the sprockets from it are limited to how many bought the 1000 gem pick during those times and who are still playing.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Watchwork_Mining_Pick
Has been available in the Gem Store three times:
From January 28 to February 24, 2014.
From June 28 to July 3, 2014
From August 29 to 31, 2014, as a part of the 2nd anniversary sale.

Sigils that are continuously available, and presumably for less than 1000 gems, are going to affect the markets in a manner much closer to the much cheaper snowflake tools. Sigils available for all people will collapse the markets unless ANet puts in new recipes that consume large numbers of all the items these sigils produce.

Or the sigils need to be so expensive or rare that most won’t have them. And then, why bother doing the work of remaking the tools and making the sigils if few have them?

Ehrm.. no? It’s still for sale for 1000gems. Just checked to make sure. It’s been there for a few months at least.

Neural.1824:

Ehrm.. no? It’s still for sale for 1000gems. Just checked to make sure. It’s been there for a few months at least.

Really? I never look at the tools.

Ok, I was going by the wiki that said it wasn’t for sale except for those times.

Neural.1824:

Ehrm.. no? It’s still for sale for 1000gems. Just checked to make sure. It’s been there for a few months at least.

Ayup. Still there. The price of my sweet, sweet gold mine (literally?) has held mostly steady though continues to drop over time.
I am woe. ;_\\

Shaogin.2679:

Yeah, really no need to implement such a thing. If you want the watchwork sprockets, buy the watchwork pickax. If not, then use whichever pickax you want and don’t be jealous of what others have. :/

Well, you see, when they first implemented the infinite tools, the watchwork pick didn’t exist, and there were assurances that the molten pick wasn’t going to be displaced as the top tier of mining picks. So… many of us did not have that option.

Guhracie.3419:

Shaogin.2679:

Yeah, really no need to implement such a thing. If you want the watchwork sprockets, buy the watchwork pickax. If not, then use whichever pickax you want and don’t be jealous of what others have. :/

Well, you see, when they first implemented the infinite tools, the watchwork pick didn’t exist, and there were assurances that the molten pick wasn’t going to be displaced as the top tier of mining picks. So… many of us did not have that option.

Exactly. Basically, we trusted Anet on those assurances, and (not the first time) found our trust misplaced.

Gear progression anywhere is bad, but gemstore is likely the worst possible place for it.

Wanze.8410:

Not a bad suggestion but i think its bad design unless infinite tools will be a possible reward in game and not only available in the gem store.

I agree: the problem I have the watchwork pick is that it offers a feature that can only be purchased with gems; there is absolutely no way within the game to obtain sprockets at the same.

I think it might be fair if such harvesting ‘sigils’ were available for laurels only. That would give people an interesting choice when deciding whether to spend laurels on T6 mats.

Not this again. If you want it then go buy it. There is no need for a solution because there is no problem.

Actually, no. It wasn’t ever stated as being any kind of ‘top tier pick’ ever b/fc that wasn’t even a thing and the Watch work is still the same ‘tier’ of infinite gathering tools. What it was promised as is “Introducing: The last pick you will ever need!” and they stuck to that. There hasn’t been a single Ore Node introduced since then that the Molten Pick can’t harvest. “Want” or “be interested in” were never stated a single time or even implied.

Tman.6349:

Actually, no. It wasn’t ever stated as being any kind of ‘top tier pick’ ever b/fc that wasn’t even a thing and the Watch work is still the same ‘tier’ of infinite gathering tools. What it was promised as is “Introducing: The last pick you will ever need!” and they stuck to that. There hasn’t been a single Ore Node introduced since then that the Molten Pick can’t harvest. “Want” or “be interested in” were never stated a single time or even implied.

Yeah, because watchwork pick is not strictly better than Molten one…
Oh wait.

if this is introduced, i think the sigils should be dropped by monters in the world with a semi rare droprate. You should also be able to apply them to a regular pick as well. When the pick is destroyed, the sigil is as well (thus infinite picks are better, but anyone can use the sigil if they wanted to). The frost mining picks (or w/e the snowflake droppers are called) currently set the stage for this idea.

The sigils i see them adding could do the following:

• Addition of an ore to the mining chance (mithril sigil dropping mithril as well as w/e you’re mining)
• Chance to get a specific gem type (ruby orb sigil anyone?)
• Holiday themed items (Candy Corn, Snowflakes, skulls/nougat/plastic teeth)

After this initial introduction, they could do the same for axes and sickles as well (with restrictions applied to the sigils so you cant harvest mithril from trees or find bell peppers in iron veins etc).

After this rollout they could get even more zealous and add cloth generating sigils or even fine/rare material sigils!

Regardless, i like the proposed solution

I like this suggestion.

It would really make the permanent mining pick useful and in the same time make them all equal.

It’s also a very good idea to allow player to access now unavailable event related items through mining.

These items could include tokens or festive materials : https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Token
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Festive_material

Instead of Sigil it could be called Seal to distinguish it from weapon sigils.

Here are some ideas of seals that could be made:

• Seal Name (Common Drop, Rare Drop)
• Watchwork Seal (Watchwork Sprockets, Blade Shard) (already exists)
• Sweet Seal (Piece of Candy Corn, Trick-or-Treat Bag)
• Dragon Seal (Piece of Zhaitaffy, Coffer)
• 8-bit Seal (Bauble, Bauble Bubbles)
• Zephyrite Seal (Fortune Scrap, Kite Basket Supplies)
• Consortium Seal (Karka Shell, Supply Crate)
• Wintersday Seal (Flawless Snowflake, Small Wintersday Gift)
• Sand Seal (Pile of Silky Sand, Lump of Raw Ambrite)
• Azurite Seal (Azurite Crystal (rare), Azurite Orb (very rare))
• Lunar Seal (Red Festival Lantern, Homemade Lucky Envelope)
• Queen’s Seal (Festival Token, Gauntlet Chance)

Of course it doesn’t have to be exactly like this, but it’s out there for discussion.

+1

The suggestion is not a bad one, but there is nothing about the Watchwork pick that needs a “solution”. Everyone can obtain one at any time they want now, so there IS a current solution available to all players.