Guild Wars 2

Anet,

Can we get an estimated timeline for this? (i.e next few months, summer, next year). I know you guys don’t like to give exact dates since people get upset when those dates slip (which I get, it happens to the best of us), but since there was developer comments on the forums over a year ago stating that you guys thought the precursor prices were out of control at 200g, it might be nice to finally know when we can expect a solution. It was stated that by the end of 2013 there would be precursor crafting which hasn’t happened.

I’m just wondering if we can get a bone here? I don’t know whether to keep grinding to 913g for my dusk (at 700g right now with over 2.3k hours played) or if I should hold off a few more months and possible save a few hundred gold.

Thanks for any hints you can throw our way.

Sorry, but what IS precursor crafting actualy?

They stated that they would give us a way to craft a precursor weapon instead of having to grind for 900g to buy it on the TP or like me attempt to get it from the mystic forge and give up after wasting 200g.

The data mines have already shown that they have put some of the stuff in the DAT file (Seeking Dusk journal like item). Just not sure when they will release it.

Unless you are asking them to tell what will be involved, which I’m NOT asking them. I know they won’t answer that right now since they aren’t allowed to. I’m just looking for a vague estimate which they might be able to give as to the timing. It would go a long way to pacifying those of us that are frustrated with waiting.

you mean like this

Charak.9761:

you mean like this

Where did you get that?

^ This. Where on earth did you find that?!?!

I want to know how people got the impression that crafting a Precursor would be easier than grinding out the money to buy one…

There’s also been reasonable speculation that crafting Precursors would only allow crafting the precursors used to make the new set of Legendaries – that the value of the old ones would be protected.

In any case there are so many fine details in how they could do it, that I’m sure we won’t see an announcement until the system is essentially done and ready to promote to live servers.

AcidicVision.5498:

Precursor is a special weapon you need to craft a legendary. For example, you need the Lover’s shortbow to craft the legendary Dreamer in the mystic forge.

As far as crafting, don’t count on it dude. If/When it does come out, it likely will not be a lot less than just buying one now. I imagine it will be something along the lines of…

• Two crafts at level 500
• 250 ecto
• 250 of a new mat gained by forging an exotic of the weapon type, skill points, ascended mats.
• Item made of:
• 100 of an item that costs 1g+ each
• one super expensive sigil
• one super expensive recipe
• 250 of some ascended refined mat.

The moment the recipes are actually released the trading post barons are going to buy the bulk of the mandatory mats and relist them at super inflated prices.

Just go ahead and abandon any notion you have that they will launch the recipes and people will just be able to too-ra-loo-ra craft them. Whatever the system is, it will eat a good bit into the reserves you have saved to actually make the legendary and cause more frustration than farming the gold to buy one.

IMO players should be able to get one precursor, soulbound, per character, by completing a difficult and lengthy, weapon specific quest chain or scavenger hunt. Ala Black Moa Chick. That keeps precursors from flooding the market, it gives players the one they want, it can reward varied gameplay and it doesn’t demoralize players who look at this huge expensive list of stuff they have to collect or save and feel burnt out before they begin. Crafting precurors will be none of those things.

Well I’ve had every other piece of my legendary for almost 6 months already. So I’d spend the 700g I have right now to be able to craft my precursor. It still saves me the extra 200g I would need to buy it on the TP.

And in response to you Nike. I’m assuming it will be difficult, but it will be cheaper than buying on the TP. The reason I’m assuming this is because ANET is implementing this because they said that they are concerned with how inflated the prices of precursors have become. By that logic why would they make it take an equal amount of gold to craft it as it does to buy it?

AcidicVision.5498:

Precursor is a special weapon you need to craft a legendary. For example, you need the Lover’s shortbow to craft the legendary Dreamer in the mystic forge.

As far as crafting, don’t count on it dude. If/When it does come out, it likely will not be a lot less than just buying one now. I imagine it will be something along the lines of…

• Two crafts at level 500
• 250 ecto
• 250 of a new mat gained by forging an exotic of the weapon type, skill points, ascended mats.
• Item made of:
• 100 of an item that costs 1g+ each
• one super expensive sigil
• one super expensive recipe
• 250 of some ascended refined mat.

The moment the recipes are actually released the trading post barons are going to buy the bulk of the mandatory mats and relist them at super inflated prices.

Just go ahead and abandon any notion you have that they will launch the recipes and people will just be able to too-ra-loo-ra craft them. Whatever the system is, it will eat a good bit into the reserves you have saved to actually make the legendary and cause more frustration than farming the gold to buy one.

IMO players should be able to get one precursor, soulbound, per character, by completing a difficult and lengthy, weapon specific quest chain or scavenger hunt. Ala Black Moa Chick. That keeps precursors from flooding the market, it gives players the one they want, it can reward varied gameplay and it doesn’t demoralize players who look at this huge expensive list of stuff they have to collect or save and feel burnt out before they begin. Crafting precurors will be none of those things.

I don’t like this idea; it just costs much more gold. Would be nice if ANet could implement something that don’t forces me to grind dungeons even more.

eleshazar.6902:

And in response to you Nike. I’m assuming it will be difficult, but it will be cheaper than buying on the TP. The reason I’m assuming this is because ANET is implementing this because they said that they are concerned with how inflated the prices of precursors have become. By that logic why would they make it take an equal amount of gold to craft it as it does to buy it?

((Shrug)) I’ve watched them bend over backwards enough times to fold themselves into 16ths to not shock the economy. I still think the most likely outcome is that there will be a second set of precursors and we won’t be competing against people’s current investments at all. But if we do craft the current ones, I expect it’ll be at as close to the current prices as they can make it, and if they feel they have to err, it’ll be to the high side…

The point isn’t so much to make them cheaper as to add an additional path at all for those who don’t wish to participate in economic PvP. And you can satisfy that goal completely with a recipe-template that costs considerably more than the precursors do in the Trading Post.

Nick.6972:

Charak.9761:

you mean like this

Where did you get that?

Don’t fall for it. It’s an old screenshot, maybe more than thre months ago.

There is no confirmation that it is real or fake.

The one thing that it has going for it was the use of vision crystals. AFAIK, we had no knowledge of vision crystals when that picture came out.

Nike.2631:

I want to know how people got the impression that crafting a Precursor would be easier than grinding out the money to buy one…

There’s also been reasonable speculation that crafting Precursors would only allow crafting the precursors used to make the new set of Legendaries – that the value of the old ones would be protected.

In any case there are so many fine details in how they could do it, that I’m sure we won’t see an announcement until the system is essentially done and ready to promote to live servers.

I don’t think that would be reasonable speculation.

We know precursor crafting was supposed to come out in 2013 and was delayed. We also know that any new legendaries that were to come out, would be trinkets/rings/backpiece (as per Colin). So put 2 + 2 and you can say with confidence that precursor crafting would be involved with current legendaries. Otherwise, they would have to come out with new legendary weapons early this year.

The only reasonable speculation for precursor crafting is that it would still give purchasing a precursor as an alternative.

There is a good chance that it will diminish the value of a precursor slightly due to increased supply, but the price will definitely reflect the value people place on crafting it.

Nike.2631:

I want to know how people got the impression that crafting a Precursor would be easier than grinding out the money to buy one…

There’s also been reasonable speculation that crafting Precursors would only allow crafting the precursors used to make the new set of Legendaries – that the value of the old ones would be protected.

In any case there are so many fine details in how they could do it, that I’m sure we won’t see an announcement until the system is essentially done and ready to promote to live servers.

Some precursors are normailized around 500g which is okay. What’s NOT okay is that Dusk is 900g and there’s no stopping its inflation.

I think that the new craftable precursors should be account bound and the subsequent legendary (whether it be a new one or an old one, be account bound as well). That would prevent market shock of precursors while still giving people a chance to make their legendary.

AcidicVision.5498:

IMO players should be able to get precursor by completing a difficult and lengthy, weapon specific quest chain

Yes, it is the way it should have happened.

Currently there is NOTHING legendary about legendary weapons. Legendary TP flipping maybe or super grinder……….

But you know why it happened the way it did. ANet made SO much rl money from legendary/precursor weapons, by making precursors obtained in such stupid ways (RNG really?) that I have no doubt people simply bypassed the process and just bought them with rl money.

Charak.9761:

Some precursors are normailized around 500g which is okay. What’s NOT okay is that Dusk is 900g and there’s no stopping its inflation.

Your basically saying its not ok that people keep grinding gold and continue to race each other to a very limited number of goals.

I’d agree with the limited number of goals part, but if people think grinding gold to hand it over to other people who are luckier than them is the path they want to contribute to, I’m still largely in favor of allowing self-fleecing.

Vol.7601:

I don’t think that would be reasonable speculation.

We know precursor crafting was supposed to come out in 2013 and was delayed.

I really don’t remember them saying this, but lets take it as a given.

We also know that any new legendaries that were to come out, would be trinkets/rings/backpiece (as per Colin). So put 2 + 2 and you can say with confidence that precursor crafting would be involved with current legendaries. Otherwise, they would have to come out with new legendary weapons early this year.

We know that if Legendaries move into a new slot that slot would be trinkets/backpiece not armor. That its quite separate from doing a new round of weapons skins. I put 2 and 2 together to get “since the art for the weapons isn’t ready yet, we held off on the whole thing which is why it slipped to 2014” .

Charak.9761:

Nike.2631:

I want to know how people got the impression that crafting a Precursor would be easier than grinding out the money to buy one…

There’s also been reasonable speculation that crafting Precursors would only allow crafting the precursors used to make the new set of Legendaries – that the value of the old ones would be protected.

In any case there are so many fine details in how they could do it, that I’m sure we won’t see an announcement until the system is essentially done and ready to promote to live servers.

Some precursors are normailized around 500g which is okay. What’s NOT okay is that Dusk is 900g and there’s no stopping its inflation.

All precursors can be acquired at the same rate. From there, isn’t it safe to say that the price for Dusk is driven by demand?

Precursor crafting is going to happen, but Anet is going to be even more careful with telling you when it happens, since they were not able to finish it last year as they hoped for. The following quote is taken from this thread (https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Is-precursor-crafting-going-to-happen-or-not/first#post2981770):

ColinJohanson.2394:

You will absolutely see a way to create a precursor available in the future. As detailed in our plans for the second half of the year here:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/looking-ahead-guild-wars-2-in-2013/

As mentioned at the end of the blog, as always things are subject to change as test and prepare various systems. Most of the stuff covered in the blog you’ve already seen implemented, or steps towards being implemented, however the precursor building (and corresponding additional legendary items) is the one highest at risk to not make it this year.

It is still something we absolutely plan to do!

Think of the move to time gating recently. If any pre crafting does arrive, it will be time gated over such a large span of time and take so many mats that you would be better off just grinding the gold and buying it in the first place.

First of all, i dont think Anets intention for craftable pre cursors was to get their price down but to give players a more linear way of acquiring them. For that to happen, they would mostly have to use account bound materials that you gather through a variety of gameplay. I wouldnt even be surprised, if they will need an item bought with glory this time.

If the prices for the pre cursors go down due to a cheap way to craft them, it will affect alot more markets, first of all, prices of rare weapons will tank, then ectos and t5 fine mats and t6 dust.

As long as crafted pre cursors will need alot of tradeable goods and trigger an imbalance in the economy, i wouldnt expect them to introduce them before summer.

John Smith had a lengthy blogpost last august about anticipated disequilibrium in many markets in the following months due to ascended crafting about to be released.

Now we all know that we got 2 mayor patches for crafting last year, in september and in December, while jeweler and cook didnt make it into 2013 and got delayed just like pre cursor crafting.

One reason why those didnt make it into 2013 is obviously that they didnt have enough time to implement it but i also think that they delayed them due to economical reasons. Ascended weapon and armorcrafting were huge gold sinks and shook up alot of markets. For weapons it was mostly the cost of leveling to 500 compared to the daily time gated crafted and the involved mats for armor.

I am sure that they made a pretty good internal preview about those patches and their impact on the economy and decided to delay jeweler and cook si we wont “have” to lvl 5 professions to 500 at the same time.

As those patches were 3 months apart, i expect the next patch for jeweler and cook to be available in the same time frame, so we are looking at a release in march, which would align with their plans to focus on 4 LS patches before taking a short break in March and then release a mayor content update, including those 2 professions and the balance patch at least.

If they release pre cursor crafting at the same time will rely upon if it will be a major gold (through tradeable goods) or time sink (through account bound goods).

Nike.2631:

Vol.7601:

I don’t think that would be reasonable speculation.

We know precursor crafting was supposed to come out in 2013 and was delayed.

I really don’t remember them saying this, but lets take it as a given.

We also know that any new legendaries that were to come out, would be trinkets/rings/backpiece (as per Colin). So put 2 + 2 and you can say with confidence that precursor crafting would be involved with current legendaries. Otherwise, they would have to come out with new legendary weapons early this year.

We know that if Legendaries move into a new slot that slot would be trinkets/backpiece not armor. That its quite separate from doing a new round of weapons skins. I put 2 and 2 together to get “since the art for the weapons isn’t ready yet, we held off on the whole thing which is why it slipped to 2014” .

Someone posted above where they said that.

Also to point out I’m pretty sure that it was confirmed that precursors that are created via “crafting” will be account bound. So the only way that this will affect the market is when players take the time to figure out which is cheaper: buying a precursor or crafting one. The price will then normalize to slightly higher than crafting since the crafting will probably involve time-gating (and some people prefer to spend more rather than wait). True some mats might inflate a bit, or deflate, but I think overall the balance can be maintained by Anet on the economy even with the introduction of precursor crafting.