Guild Wars 2

Are we ever going to get quests to obtain the legendary precursors or is this just a rumor from months back?

I haven’t been playing the game and today I considered logging in to finish my map completion as a step towards the legendary, but I won’t bother unless there’s hope for me on the horizon. In their current form, I am simply too lazy to acquire a legendary. Yes, you can go ahead and make fun of me all you want. I will not spend the hundreds of hours required farming nonstop. I understand that only a small percentage of GW2’s population is expected to own legendaries, and if I’m not one of them, that’s cool. I just wanna know if I should quit now, because I doubt I’ll ever have the precursor and the trading post prices are scandalous.

Did you ever consider not farming for the legendary? You know just kinda going about w/e you where doing while simply reserving anything for a legendary.

The Quest is way down the pipeline, either save the gold or use the MF.

Seriously, in your situation I’d buy gems, convert to gold and buy it off the TP. Else this thing will be a constant irritation and you’ll most likely quit because of it (seen it a number of times).

If you cant (or wont) buy gems, farm or save up (over many, many months) then a legendary is not for you.

Oh, and the mystic forge… you may be lucky. You probably won’t be. Know the risks.

I’ll just come back if/when they announce the precursor quests. No biggie. Game has no sub.

omg I support this idea 100%!

I hadn’t heard anyone talk about this, but it absolutely has to be done!

I’m simply not going for legendary, because of the precursor. When I was reading about legends I was like “Whoa, thats a lot of farming… but hey, if you focus on fun and just put things aside for it slowly, that should be fine, right?”

Then I found out about the precursor situation. Sorry, not happening.

And besides which, surely completing some epic quest would be more heroic than farming coin for endless hours? It’d be better in every way, imo.

This reminds me of a small child on a long drive… “are we there yet?” every five minutes…

When they have something to say, there will be an announcement. Posting about it will not make an announcement come, if they learned anything from their “manifesto” and comments about grinding and progression, it’s DO NOT SAY A SINGLE WORD UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN!

If someone from Anet were to say “we hope to have news for you in six months” then people will interpret that as “we promise there will be an alternate method to acquire legendary precursors in six months or less,” and will complain unendingly when it doesn’t happen.

Just look at how many times this same question pops up, after a simple, vague statement that they’ll maybe look into doing something about that, someday.

If anyone from Anet were to say a single word about this, posters on the forums would spend so much time ripping that word apart, putting it back together, and studying it frontwards, backwards and sideways that you simply cannot miss it.

You don’t need to keep bringing it up.

tolunart.2095:

This reminds me of a small child on a long drive… “are we there yet?” every five minutes…

Condescension ~ the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior.

Sorry OP, those quests have been put in the back burner, and they’re not being actively worked on. Sucks if you ask me.

I’d like to see some really long and involved quest lines in this game. I’m not wanting the traditional questing model, mind you, but one of the biggest flaws in Guild Wars 2 to me is the immediacy of everything.

Even in the personal story, everything feels separate instead of one continuous story. They did better on this in Guild Wars 1.

I’d much rather see precusor quests in the game than RNG.

Sleepless.1906:

omg I support this idea 100%!

I hadn’t heard anyone talk about this, but it absolutely has to be done!

I’m simply not going for legendary, because of the precursor. When I was reading about legends I was like “Whoa, thats a lot of farming… but hey, if you focus on fun and just put things aside for it slowly, that should be fine, right?”

Then I found out about the precursor situation. Sorry, not happening.

And besides which, surely completing some epic quest would be more heroic than farming coin for endless hours? It’d be better in every way, imo.

Well, the main problem is intent vs. reality.

Anet’s intent is that a Legendary weapon is the result of many months of dedicated playing by the minority of serious gamers who enjoy chasing such things. The reality is that most of the people who want one also want to find the shortest route to getting one instead of spending many months chasing the goal.

Currently, the shortest route is to “farm” or buy (through legit means or not) gold and purchase the weapon directly. Lacking the gold to do that, the next best thing is to purchase the precursor and at least some of the other materials needed. Some things, like 100% map completion can’t be shortened, so crafting it will take some time no matter what. The least desirable method, if you don’t have the time/patience/cash to farm gold is to play the Mystic RNG engine. It has the potential to be the fastest route, but more often ends up taking more time and gold than other methods.

Basically Anet is in a no-win situation. They WANT the weapons to be special, and to take a long time and dedication to get. But they also allowed them to be sold on the TP, which creates a shortcut to getting them and reduces the prestige factor because anyone with enough gold can get one pretty easily.

So if the “scavenger hunt” that may or may not be in development is as easy and fast as buying a precursor/legendary from the TP then it will please the “I want it now” crowd but further erode the prestige of owning one, because it’s now even easier to get one.

If it takes longer than current methods but is more reliable than playing the RNG, then people who can’t afford to buy it will be pleased, but the impatient ones will dismiss it as being just another boring grind.

And if it takes TOO LONG or is not guaranteed to at least reward a random precursor then no one will do it and everyone will complain about it.

Basically, no matter what happens people will be disappointed and complain, and it will probably reduce the social value (such as it is) of owning a Legendary weapon in the first place. So no matter what happens, Anet loses.

SadieDeAtreia.8912:

tolunart.2095:

This reminds me of a small child on a long drive… “are we there yet?” every five minutes…

Condescension ~ the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior.

Thanx, I always wondered what that word meant.

Vayne.8563:

Sorry OP, those quests have been put in the back burner, and they’re not being actively worked on. Sucks if you ask me.

I’d like to see some really long and involved quest lines in this game. I’m not wanting the traditional questing model, mind you, but one of the biggest flaws in Guild Wars 2 to me is the immediacy of everything.

Even in the personal story, everything feels separate instead of one continuous story. They did better on this in Guild Wars 1.

I’d much rather see precusor quests in the game than RNG.

That’s a shame. I’m at 94% world completion right now and I really wanted to try and go for a Legendary.

tolunart.2095:

Sleepless.1906:

omg I support this idea 100%!

I hadn’t heard anyone talk about this, but it absolutely has to be done!

I’m simply not going for legendary, because of the precursor. When I was reading about legends I was like “Whoa, thats a lot of farming… but hey, if you focus on fun and just put things aside for it slowly, that should be fine, right?”

Then I found out about the precursor situation. Sorry, not happening.

And besides which, surely completing some epic quest would be more heroic than farming coin for endless hours? It’d be better in every way, imo.

Well, the main problem is intent vs. reality.

Anet’s intent is that a Legendary weapon is the result of many months of dedicated playing by the minority of serious gamers who enjoy chasing such things. The reality is that most of the people who want one also want to find the shortest route to getting one instead of spending many months chasing the goal.

Currently, the shortest route is to “farm” or buy (through legit means or not) gold and purchase the weapon directly. Lacking the gold to do that, the next best thing is to purchase the precursor and at least some of the other materials needed. Some things, like 100% map completion can’t be shortened, so crafting it will take some time no matter what. The least desirable method, if you don’t have the time/patience/cash to farm gold is to play the Mystic RNG engine. It has the potential to be the fastest route, but more often ends up taking more time and gold than other methods.

Basically Anet is in a no-win situation. They WANT the weapons to be special, and to take a long time and dedication to get. But they also allowed them to be sold on the TP, which creates a shortcut to getting them and reduces the prestige factor because anyone with enough gold can get one pretty easily.

So if the “scavenger hunt” that may or may not be in development is as easy and fast as buying a precursor/legendary from the TP then it will please the “I want it now” crowd but further erode the prestige of owning one, because it’s now even easier to get one.

If it takes longer than current methods but is more reliable than playing the RNG, then people who can’t afford to buy it will be pleased, but the impatient ones will dismiss it as being just another boring grind.

And if it takes TOO LONG or is not guaranteed to at least reward a random precursor then no one will do it and everyone will complain about it.

Basically, no matter what happens people will be disappointed and complain, and it will probably reduce the social value (such as it is) of owning a Legendary weapon in the first place. So no matter what happens, Anet loses.

Im curious: you say “no matter what happens, Anet loses”.
They created this scenario and, because they initially stated that precursor prices are getting out of reach of some players, they also created the expectation of “fixing” the situation by whatever means they deemed necessary (read: karka event, scavenger hunt). So, in light of this expectation they themselves created, do you still think its unfair for the players to query progress on the fix? …or expect the solution at all?

Yeah, pretty much.

Space Cow.2431:

Vayne.8563:

Sorry OP, those quests have been put in the back burner, and they’re not being actively worked on. Sucks if you ask me.

I’d like to see some really long and involved quest lines in this game. I’m not wanting the traditional questing model, mind you, but one of the biggest flaws in Guild Wars 2 to me is the immediacy of everything.

Even in the personal story, everything feels separate instead of one continuous story. They did better on this in Guild Wars 1.

I’d much rather see precusor quests in the game than RNG.

That’s a shame. I’m at 94% world completion right now and I really wanted to try and go for a Legendary.

I enjoy playing this game. The legendary isn’t that important to me. I’m getting one because I had a precusor drop. I’m actually getting a second after that because the precusor for it (krait kin) was like 29 gold on the trading post. Anyone can farm that.

But if you don’t want specifically an underwater legendary, precusors are a lot more.

If you’re focused on a precusor, you won’t enjoy the game. I play the game and eventually I’ll have my legendary. I’m not in a rush. It’s not that important. It’ll get here when it gets here.

This works for me, but doesn’t work for everyone.

tolunart.2095:

SadieDeAtreia.8912:

tolunart.2095:

This reminds me of a small child on a long drive… “are we there yet?” every five minutes…

Condescension ~ the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior.

Thanx, I always wondered what that word meant.

Glad it was educational. Now you have a word you can use to define what is obviously your default attitude towards forum members.

Vayne.8563:

If you’re focused on a precusor, you won’t enjoy the game. I play the game and eventually I’ll have my legendary. I’m not in a rush. It’s not that important. It’ll get here when it gets here.

This works for me, but doesn’t work for everyone.

Like I said, the process was intended to take a long time. Anet has been pretty open with their anti-farming stance so it’s not intended to be something you pick up within a month. And I think people will be disappointed, should they every announce a new way to obtain precursors, because it’s not going to be as easy as “talk to a few NPCs and kill a dozen trolls.”

They’re only real mistake was not making precursors/legendaries account bound. By selling them on the TP it creates a shortcut to getting them, if you have X gold then much of the work (or all, if you can buy the legendary itself) is done for you.

It’s likely that any alternate system may be more reliable than “throw stuff into the Mystic Forge and cross your fingers,” but it almost certainly will not be as easy as buying a precursor from the TP. And thus it will be disappointing to anyone who wants to get one quick and cheap.

SadieDeAtreia.8912:

Glad it was educational. Now you have a word you can use to define what is obviously your default attitude towards forum members.

Respect is earned, not given.

tolunart.2095:

SadieDeAtreia.8912:

Glad it was educational. Now you have a word you can use to define what is obviously your default attitude towards forum members.

Respect is earned, not given.

lol… allrighty then. ;-)

I apologize if I somehow gave the impression I give a kitten.

tolunart.2095:

I apologize if I somehow gave the impression I give a kitten.

Apology accepted.

tolunart.2095:

Well, the main problem is intent vs. reality.

Anet’s intent is that a Legendary weapon is the result of many months of dedicated playing by the minority of serious gamers who enjoy chasing such things. The reality is that most of the people who want one also want to find the shortest route to getting one instead of spending many months chasing the goal.

Currently, the shortest route is to “farm” or buy (through legit means or not) gold and purchase the weapon directly. Lacking the gold to do that, the next best thing is to purchase the precursor and at least some of the other materials needed. Some things, like 100% map completion can’t be shortened, so crafting it will take some time no matter what. The least desirable method, if you don’t have the time/patience/cash to farm gold is to play the Mystic RNG engine. It has the potential to be the fastest route, but more often ends up taking more time and gold than other methods.

Basically Anet is in a no-win situation. They WANT the weapons to be special, and to take a long time and dedication to get. But they also allowed them to be sold on the TP, which creates a shortcut to getting them and reduces the prestige factor because anyone with enough gold can get one pretty easily.

So if the “scavenger hunt” that may or may not be in development is as easy and fast as buying a precursor/legendary from the TP then it will please the “I want it now” crowd but further erode the prestige of owning one, because it’s now even easier to get one.

If it takes longer than current methods but is more reliable than playing the RNG, then people who can’t afford to buy it will be pleased, but the impatient ones will dismiss it as being just another boring grind.

And if it takes TOO LONG or is not guaranteed to at least reward a random precursor then no one will do it and everyone will complain about it.

Basically, no matter what happens people will be disappointed and complain, and it will probably reduce the social value (such as it is) of owning a Legendary weapon in the first place. So no matter what happens, Anet loses.

I agree that making them sold on the TP really created a part of the problem with the prestige. I’ve said it before, they failed to sell people the idea behind legendaries if they can be purchased directly without putting forth the ‘effort’ to create it. I say these two terms in conjunction because there is some measure of effort involve to obtain gold in game and cash out of game but it’s not the same. It isn’t the only one (there’s a hole list of them) but a major one as the magic essentially fails.

Regarding precursors however I think they failed the moment they made that integral part RNG. There’s already a RNG block (Gift of luck) plus smaller RNG blocks (ectos & T6 mats + whatever specific mats for the legendaries i.e. Bifrost’s 250 unidentified dyes) and it just a lot of artificial blocks that create the problem and now they’re trying to solve it which ends in a lose/lose situation for Anet. At this point there is no going back, unfortunately, there’s too many problems they’ve created that may have looked good on paper but doesn’t translate well in reality. So even if it is a lose/lose situation for them they still need to work on it and people should continue to ask about it so that they don’t ignore it just because it is harder to solve than other issues.

What I’d like to see in such a quest is hard to obtain unique materials that are for creating the precursor (what legendaries should have been). Make them account bound before and after the precursor is made so that people have to put that ‘effort’ into creating their reward instead of circumventing it through a different effort that is easier/less challenging. And no RNG. Seriously that is the one thing that ruins all great ideas.

I understand the RNG.

The thing is, the devs already know that people will tend towards the path of least resistance (work) to get what they want. See CoF p1 farming. If CoF p1 wasn’t the easiest dungeon route to memorize and rush through, it would be something else. It’s one of those things that can’t be fixed because the problem isn’t in the computer, it’s in the player.

The RNG factor allows them to make the precursor sellable because there is no reliable “Do A – Do B – Get Precursor – Sell for $” route. But apparently a bug just after release allowed a large number of precursors to be circulated, diminishing the effect of RNG on the precursor market. People who got away with it made a lot of money for little effort, where RNG is designed to require a lot more effort for relatively little reward.

RNG-based systems, therefore, keep the quantity of precursors relatively small and Legendary weapons are more rare and special, while guaranteed precursors mean that it’s just a matter of following the steps and Legendary weapons become more common and less special.

Their best bet would be to abandon the system they have now and create a new wave or precursor/Legendary weapons that are obtained through a different means and are soul/account bound so they can’t be sold on the TP. Changing the system too much, though, will anger the players who have parts of the current system finished but perhaps just need a precursor.

So in the end, whatever Anet decides to do, they lose.

Don’t get me wrong, RNG has it’s place but it shouldn’t be incorporated as much as it currently is. 77 lucky clovers, from what I understand, is very difficult to obtain and then add in precursors plus the other smaller RNGs… well that just makes the process unbearable than an interesting goal to achieve.

I too thought that they should abandon the system and start a new one but like you said its tricky and can make a lot of people mad on both sides. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to them because it seems the less fruitful overall but a new system can be incorporated into the quest for the precursors. Which can allow Anet to win in some aspects even if they lose overall as long as they don’t make the same mistakes with creating the legendaries. This gives players more options while at the same time respecting those who have or are close to legendaries time/effort/etc. They can also re-gain prestige and sell the idea of a legendary with this new system for precursors. Will people be mad? Yes unfortunately however I think Anet will win more in smaller battles than overall which is not so bad.

RoChan.1926:

Don’t get me wrong, RNG has it’s place but it shouldn’t be incorporated as much as it currently is. 77 lucky clovers, from what I understand, is very difficult to obtain and then add in precursors plus the other smaller RNGs… well that just makes the process unbearable than an interesting goal to achieve.

The clover just looks bad, what people dont realize is a majority of the time you end up getting tier 6 materials which you need for another gift. In large sums to if you do the x10 recipe (like x44 Armored Scales) .

The Only real pain in the kitten kitten is the juggernaut silver doubloons as there is no recipe for upgrading copper to silver yet there is recipes to upgrade gold to plat etc. Hell there isnt even enough on the market to make the gift.

RoChan.1926:

Don’t get me wrong, RNG has it’s place but it shouldn’t be incorporated as much as it currently is. 77 lucky clovers, from what I understand, is very difficult to obtain and then add in precursors plus the other smaller RNGs… well that just makes the process unbearable than an interesting goal to achieve..

Have you considered the system as it stands now was not designed for your play style?

There are people who will happily spend all day sitting at a slot machine putting tokens into it and pulling the lever. I don’t because I don’t find the activity rewarding, but some people actually like the thrill of not knowing what will happen or when they will hit the jackpot.

Anyway, designing an entirely new system or even adapting the current system to a new series of precursors and Legendaries is a monumental task. The OP’s problem seems to stem from frustration that the issue has not been dealt with within a very short span of time. If done correctly, and at least trying to avoid some of the bugs and problems that exist with the current system, it will indeed be a long time before they have anything to say on the subject.

Whatever happens, I wouldn’t expect to see anything about it until shortly before the 1st anniversary date, at the very earliest, and probably not until quite a while after.

You might see an official post in three months or so. But to expect an update on something that, last I heard, was not even being discussed strikes me as a bit foolish and whiny. And people have been doing it ever since the last comment was made about it, something to the effect of “we’ll consider talking about making plans to look into this someday.”

Just make the precursor the last thing that you do. There is SO much other stuff to get for the legendary that there’s no sense in worrying about it right now. I want to have the 3/4 items I need and maybe by that time I will have saved enough money for a precursor, possibly have gotten one by chance from a chest drop, or maybe they will have implemented this precursor quest deal.

The Onyx Lodestones right now are the biggest headache. It used to be Ectos but I seem to have a decent system for getting those so eventually I’ll be set. But lodestones holy smokes.

For the record, when I first started playing the game (and before there were so few Legendaries in the game world that seeing one was a big deal) I thought about making one as a long term goal, but upon discovering the amount of “stuff” involved, it just didn’t seem like the reward was worth the effort.

Beyond standing around Lion’s Arch watching people go “ooooh sparkly!” there isn’t really any benefit to having one. I play the game on my terms and refuse to farm or grind, so spending weeks at a time doing activities I don’t find fun in order to impress strangers I don’t care about just isn’t going to happen.

If a precursor drops into my hands, I will decide whether to sell it or craft it, but I’m not going to actively seek it out.

YMMV.

As soon as there is a quest within the game for a legendary then everyone will feel that they are entitled to complete the quest and entitled to get a legendary. The whole point of legendaries is that players are not entitled to them and they are not owned by everyone. The trading post already creates an entitlement culture since players can put time into CoF mining and expect to buy a legendary and this does diminish the status of legendary weapons.

tolunart.2095:

Have you considered the system as it stands now was not designed for your play style?

There are people who will happily spend all day sitting at a slot machine putting tokens into it and pulling the lever. I don’t because I don’t find the activity rewarding, but some people actually like the thrill of not knowing what will happen or when they will hit the jackpot.

Anyway, designing an entirely new system or even adapting the current system to a new series of precursors and Legendaries is a monumental task. The OP’s problem seems to stem from frustration that the issue has not been dealt with within a very short span of time. If done correctly, and at least trying to avoid some of the bugs and problems that exist with the current system, it will indeed be a long time before they have anything to say on the subject.

Whatever happens, I wouldn’t expect to see anything about it until shortly before the 1st anniversary date, at the very earliest, and probably not until quite a while after.

You might see an official post in three months or so. But to expect an update on something that, last I heard, was not even being discussed strikes me as a bit foolish and whiny. And people have been doing it ever since the last comment was made about it, something to the effect of “we’ll consider talking about making plans to look into this someday.”

I think you’re over contextualizing it but lets go ahead with your point. As I said RNG has it’s place and the system was clearly designed to incorporate many different things, RNG, PvP, Dungeons, Exploration, PVE etc so to completely remove RNG is a bad idea however when we compare all the other aspects of the current system RNG out weighs a lot of it.

RNG for a recreation is good. RNG for a goal is bad. Those who play the lottery or the slots aren’t trying to do so pay their bills. That’s the hopeful result but not the end goal (not to mention we already view as a society those that do so as having unhealthy addictions). It’s mostly to have fun, enjoy the trip, or just to throw a penny into a wishing well in our routine filled lives. But it is not a means to an end and should not be used so heavily to create milestones.

Human do not like having things out of their control and it really frustrates them when it is not recreational. In the context of the game a legendary, by Anet’s concepts, is something to ‘work’ towards i.e. not a recreational task. Can it be fun? Sure. I’m having loads of fun and many others have shared the same sentiments. On the flip side many share opposite sentiments for it not being fun for many different reasons too. But don’t confuse working towards a goal as being an entertainment it’s not. The game is an entertainment, the legendary is an extra, but it is still a personal goal to achieve. The semantics are important on this aspect. However that’s enough real life juxtaposition as in the end this is still a game and the end result is to have fun.

So even if the system is or isn’t made for my playstyle is irrelevant. What is relevant is how much one system out weighs the other. Currently RNG has it’s fingers in many steps which can be frustrating. It’s a good block but if done in excess it’s an artificial block due to lazy design.

While MMOs are special in that developers continue to work on the game after release, it does help to keep prodding them every once in a while reminding them that there are still issues/concerns/requests to be filled. And while communication can be taken out of context or held as the final word, it’s still appreciated to the consumer that just wants more open conversation/transparency. There is nothing wrong with asking for those things in relation to individual concerns. I too don’t expect to see the quest system any time soon but hey who knows they might surprise us or move it to more priority state if people keep asking about it.

Warruz.8096:

RoChan.1926:

Don’t get me wrong, RNG has it’s place but it shouldn’t be incorporated as much as it currently is. 77 lucky clovers, from what I understand, is very difficult to obtain and then add in precursors plus the other smaller RNGs… well that just makes the process unbearable than an interesting goal to achieve.

The clover just looks bad, what people dont realize is a majority of the time you end up getting tier 6 materials which you need for another gift. In large sums to if you do the x10 recipe (like x44 Armored Scales) .

The Only real pain in the kitten kitten is the juggernaut silver doubloons as there is no recipe for upgrading copper to silver yet there is recipes to upgrade gold to plat etc. Hell there isnt even enough on the market to make the gift.

Really? I’ve asked people how they went about it and any advice and the ones that get repeated the most are: leave your precursor for last and the clovers for second to last. T6 mats are such a pain for me right now because I don’t farm Orr at all so I might just go ahead and venture forth on the clovers if it helps me achieve the other gifts as well.

Hmm.. that DOES sound terrible and that’s fully RNG. Sorry to hear about that. I’d try starting a suggestion thread to request a recipe that allows the upgrade from copper to silver or any other variant to craft them. I don’t even know if there’s a reliable way to get copper doubloons at all either. I’ve only ever gotten them from chests… randomly.

Because so much of the process is based on RNG, I assume that this was intentional in order to prevent people from figuring out which zones/activities would produce the fastest results and then everyone who wants a precursor just does these things. It backfired on them, yes, but go to Las Vegas and ask a few casino owners if people don’t like activities based around random chance.

Legendaries are GW2’s ultimate luxury items, and are not at all necessary to enjoy the game. It’s the virtual equivalent of a trip to Vegas. If you don’t want to gamble, don’t go there.

Just the popularity of Black Lion Chests and their RNG-based rewards tells you players will support this system.

Do your Mystic Clovers early I’d say. If you fail to get Clovers from the recipe it can give a chance to give 20-50 (with the x10 recipe) of any T6 mat or other item (I got 20 ectos from one last night. This will help to knock out a good chunk of those T6 mats. Odds are you will get all 77 of the Clovers you need before getting 250 of each T6 mat, but I can tell you that getting 50-100 of each T6 mat while trying to get Mystic Clovers certainly helped a ton.

The last response we got on this was a while back…so no one can say with any certainty that it is on the “back burner” or “not currently being worked on”.

They said they would not officially reply to this because it would “shock the market”. I think it will come sooner rather than later.