Guild Wars 2

I know…this outfit is meant for us veterans and all…but it doesn’t feel right thinking that newer players who get into the game will never get a chance at it later, even if they spend enough time in the game eventually to become veterans themselves.

I do hope that sometime later on, it will be made available for anyone to get proper, be it via the Gem Store or as an in-game reward.

Thoughts/feedback please.

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

I’m against it, the whole point of these outfits/items is that they are timed/limited.

I agree with PopeUrban. Normally I don’t see any reason to have cutoffs on availability of skins. But when they are a thank you or a reward based on meeting certain parameters of dedication to the game (got HoM points, prepurchased the original game, bought the game before knowing it would be play for free, did really super well in PvP) then they should remain accessible only to those who met the requirements.

Now, RNG like the jetpack or ghastly shield? Or short term gem store availability not tied to doing in-game stuff, like, say, the bunny ears or aviator sunglasses? Having those isn’t a statement of anything, and they certainly should be brought back.

(I have the ears and the glasses, would have liked the jetpack if it had ever dropped for me, and have zero interest in the shield).

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

You can’t have everything. That’s life.

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

Actually, yeah, other people not having stuff is the very definition of what makes things special. its up to you whether you care about exclusivity or rarity or not, but scarcity is what creates value and rarity at a basic conceptual level.

Ah, I meant to expand on my point a bit.

So long as new cool things keep coming, new players will have their own “I was there” items and get braided into the community as part of the process.

My guild had a fairly fun, long RP plot in the first months of the game. Some of the repercussions of that storyline affect the characters to this day. We’ve had newer members join the guild and bemoan that they didn’t get to be part of that tale. I keep telling them hey, the story is ongoing, you’ll be part of it from here on forward and in a year there’ll be someone else new wishing they’d been part of your plot.

That’s a microcosm of the game. And of life, really. Unless you are born as a twin, there is no one you will meet who has gone through the same path of life as you. They’ll have their own stories, their own mementos of things you didn’t get to see, their own sets of friends from before you met. Go on forward, make new memories together, don’t regret the inevitable gaps in your shared histories.

More cool things are coming. Enjoy!

PopeUrban.2578:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

Actually, yeah, other people not having stuff is the very definition of what makes things special. its up to you whether you care about exclusivity or rarity or not, but scarcity is what creates value and rarity at a basic conceptual level.

That is kind of sad.

I would rather have it as an exclusive. There are a TONNE of things people who didn’t play consistently since launch have missed out on. But, I mean…they weren’t here. I think of it like the Guild Wars legacy rewards. It was something that you worked for, but also a nice throw back/send off sort of thing. Guild Wars is a fairly dynamic experience, things change, things evolve and come and go. If it becomes purchasable or something in the future it’s gonna feel a kitteneap.

I have never felt the need to be a special snowflake based on some limited exclusivity. I am not a fan at all of the timed kind of exclusivity, which pretty much means nothing in terms of how dedicated you are. They aren’t prestigious at all. I will much rather have rewards that everyone can obtain at their own pace, but that requires some hard work / dedication / skill to obtain. Heart of Thorns seems to be bringing just that.

- sPvP Legendary Backpack (higher sPvP League ladder ranks)
- Fractals Legendary Backpack (higher Fractal levels)
- Legendary Armors (challenging Raids)
- New Legendary weapons (Masteries and various in-game mini achievements)

The Luminescent set is far more prestigious to me than some of things which I have that are for whatever reason no longer obtainable by newer players (e.g., my Selfless- and Thoughtless Potions, two items I hope to see put on the event vendor for future / current players to obtain). Luminescent’s a set of equipment (skins) that requires dedication. And while it’s not all too hard to create, the very notion of collecting every piece of Carapace armor, for every weight class, etc., makes it something that not everyone will want to pursue. Just like a Legendary.

On the notion of Legendary weapons, sure, they may feel rather common these days, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still items a majority of players look at with desire. There are more have nots, than haves, when it comes to the Legendary weapons. I feel there’s plenty of prestige and crazed dedication shining through on my Mesmer, when I can with pride wear every single weapon it can carry as a Legendary. They may not be uncommon to see these days, but it’s uncommon to have as many as I carry. Even my Twice-Told Legend title is prestigious, irregardless if someone wants to reason that it’s not worth it to pursue it. It’s still an option for everyone to pursue after the fact, but nonetheless I have a very uncommon title under my character name. Again, a display of my dedication and perhaps stupidity to some.

Royal Guard does not make me feel prestigious. I don’t need it to stay exclusive to us “Veterans”. You could have owned the game a single day, less than 24 hours, for less than 1 hour even, and still get it, as long as you owned a core game copy prior to it becoming Free to Play. It’s no indication of being a Veteran when you think about it. I am more than happy with having gotten an outfit for free, even if it is made available through the Gem Store at a later date for everyone to have. Keep in mind that over 5 million people have the Royal Guard outfit, going by their statement that more than 5 million copies of Guild Wars 2 has been sold to date. It’s not uncommon either.

I find it a bit silly to be obsessed about having timed exclusive things. Because, at some point, you, nor anyone else will really care. Do you care that I used to have a ghost tiger mount in WoW? Arguably, at least for a good long while (—I think by now they’ve made them available again, I dunno, haven’t played it for over half a decade), it was the hardest to obtain and most valuable thing in that game, as it was from a very limited print of a TCG tie-in that became unavailable? No? Exactly, neither do I.

Personally, I don’t ever feel like starting to play a MMO if I weren’t there throughout its release. Why? Because I hate being left behind everyone else with their timed exclusive event items and all that jazz which I may want, but are unable to obtain. I am quite certain I am not the only person who hates feeling that way, in fact I know I’m not, as I’ve seen comments such as “I’ll be so far behind everyone else” being used as an excuse to not play games, including Guild Wars 2, time and time again.

I want Guild Wars 2 to challenge that tradition and be a better MMORPG for it, a game open and welcoming to new players, without them needing to feel as if they’ve missed out on oh-so-much stuff. It’s why I want Season 1 of the Living World re-playable. And I want new players as well as current, to be able to obtain everything someone else has obtained (and I’ve obtained pretty much everything there is to obtain that’s time limited), as long as they go through the same hoops the haves had to go through, so that they can join their ranks from the have nots.

Astra Lux.2846:

I think of it like the Guild Wars legacy rewards. It was something that you worked for, but also a nice throw back/send off sort of thing

A perfect example. You can to this day still go play Guild Wars, and unlock these rewards. It simply requires the dedication and will to do so. This is not time limited. You are perfectly able to buy the Guild Wars Trilogy and Eye of the North expansion, and unlock your HoM rewards in Guild Wars 2 today. In fact, I recommend any Guild Wars 2 fan that never played Guild Wars to do so at some point. Guild Wars is still a great game.

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

Actually, yeah, other people not having stuff is the very definition of what makes things special. its up to you whether you care about exclusivity or rarity or not, but scarcity is what creates value and rarity at a basic conceptual level.

That is kind of sad.

It’s human nature. The scarcity or not of an item defines how special we think something is.

Think about when smart phones first came out. They were something special weren’t they? Not everyone had one. People ooo’ed and ahhh’ed them. Now, they aren’t so special. Everyone pretty much has one.

Seera.5916:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

Actually, yeah, other people not having stuff is the very definition of what makes things special. its up to you whether you care about exclusivity or rarity or not, but scarcity is what creates value and rarity at a basic conceptual level.

That is kind of sad.

It’s human nature. The scarcity or not of an item defines how special we think something is.

Think about when smart phones first came out. They were something special weren’t they? Not everyone had one. People ooo’ed and ahhh’ed them. Now, they aren’t so special. Everyone pretty much has one.

They were just phones, and over priced at that, not special in any way.

I suppose I’m just an aberration then, as I find that mindset pretty inane. If I have it, and others have it, we just have one more thing in common.

So they give the outfit to all existing GW2 accounts as a special boon… Then its supposed to be available later? What was the point then? I think the outfit should remain locked with old accounts. Same reason why all the HoM awards arent available in the gemstore.

Donari.5237:

I agree with PopeUrban. Normally I don’t see any reason to have cutoffs on availability of skins. But when they are a thank you or a reward based on meeting certain parameters of dedication to the game (got HoM points, prepurchased the original game, bought the game before knowing it would be play for free, did really super well in PvP) then they should remain accessible only to those who met the requirements.

Now, RNG like the jetpack or ghastly shield? Or short term gem store availability not tied to doing in-game stuff, like, say, the bunny ears or aviator sunglasses? Having those isn’t a statement of anything, and they certainly should be brought back.

(I have the ears and the glasses, would have liked the jetpack if it had ever dropped for me, and have zero interest in the shield).

Agree with this one.

Pockets.3201:

Seera.5916:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

Pockets.3201:

PopeUrban.2578:

There are lots of things that are “time sensitive” rewards. That’s what makes them special and worth having. by the next expansion they’ll probably put out another thank you skin for people that have been around since HoT.

The game needs more things that eventually leave circulation and become unobtainable, not less. Those are the skins and items that become worth cherishing and add value to having “been there”

Other people not having things them special?

Things are special to me because I want them, for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t care less if one other person or one million other people have them as well. It has no bearing of my enjoyment of them.

Actually, yeah, other people not having stuff is the very definition of what makes things special. its up to you whether you care about exclusivity or rarity or not, but scarcity is what creates value and rarity at a basic conceptual level.

That is kind of sad.

It’s human nature. The scarcity or not of an item defines how special we think something is.

Think about when smart phones first came out. They were something special weren’t they? Not everyone had one. People ooo’ed and ahhh’ed them. Now, they aren’t so special. Everyone pretty much has one.

They were just phones, and over priced at that, not special in any way.

I suppose I’m just an aberration then, as I find that mindset pretty inane. If I have it, and others have it, we just have one more thing in common.

I didn’t think they were all that special myself. But it’s still human nature to attach special value to things that are rare due to any number of reasons. Being new technology or a limited time only thing.

Dawdler.8521:

Same reason why all the HoM awards arent available in the gemstore.

I’ll say it again, you can buy the Guild Wars Trilogy and Eye of the North expansion, play and enjoy it, while you unlock every Hall of Monuments reward, even today. There is no time limitation on the ability to do so. I’ll even recommend people who like GW2 to do so, you’ll likely grow more fond of the universe and it’s lore.

inb4 LFG parties requiring the Royal Guard Outfit so they know you’re not a f2p user

Next thing you know, people will want the baseball cap that we got at launch of GW2. No this is a thank you from ANet to the people who have supported them for the last 3 years. New players will not get it. This is a sign that you didn’t come late to the party. It is what it is. Deal with it.

Don’t you think that your whole idea would defeat the purpose of the outfit in the first place? It was given to somewhat lessen the effect of the f2p announcement. Something like this: “we know you paid for the game and now we are giving it away for free, but here, have this outfit”.

Personally I’m hoping that the guard outfit is given to any new player who buys the game.

I think exclusivity just breeds elitism. People need to learn to share their toys. So what if everyone else has the outfit? If you like it, use it, if not, carry on as you were.

It’s a nice little gift from ArenaNet; I just hope everyone gets to enjoy it if they want to.

I don’t believe in e-bragging rights (foolish, but then I am not competitive and am my own person, as I assume many of you are), but there’s nothing wrong in unobtainable, skins. There should be a bit of those along the history of the game. I would be the last person to feel “exclusive” or “better” for having said outfit, for instance, and I still feel it’s a nice thank you gift, and if it ends up being unobtainable later on, one of the very few skins that are.

If GW2 is around 3 years from now, I believe it’s plausible that the now new players will also be rewarded with something of at least more value than a Queen Jenna mini.

I’m completely in favour of everyone being able to earn items they want, but I do think it should take the same effort for everyone.

Technically that would mean giving the outfit to anyone with a paid account, since people could have bought the game the day before the announcement and they’d get it. But I suspect that would make a lot of people unhappy.

What if they made it a 3rd, or 4th birthday gift for people with paid accounts? That way they have to have been playing for at least as long as the oldest of the ‘veteran’ players before they can get it.

I think it should be available for the new players at some point, in 1,5 – 2 years seems like a long enough time.
items that exist for a limited time is never fun, okay if you get to have the skin as one of few for half a year, but then it just gets boring. New players will only see a list of “can’t get this , not this one, nope can’t ever get this item either…” and to me, that is one of the worst parts of an MMO.

If you wanna feel superior, go do something in the real world instead

I think you misunderstood the whole thing. Nobody in their right mind would brag about this awful outfit. The point is that Arenanet provided this to people who bought their game as some kind of appreciation.

So if they would make it accessible to others, it wouldn’t really fulfill its purpose anymore.

It needs to be limited. The community needs to show it’s lineage by having certain items and outfits that were only available at that time. It shows the history of GW2.

Its the same as having antiques in real life, like an old classic muscle car out of production, decades old. It’s rare to see, and when you do you truly are awed by it.

It doesn’t feel right getting something new players won’t get? Why? You were a veteran when they added F2P, they were not. That’s pretty much all there is to it. They will live.

Going to have to disagree with the OP. There are certain time exclusive items that I do think should be added back into the game at some point, however this outfit isn’t one of them. They specifically designed it for the people who bought the game before it went free to play. Making it available to people down the line would fundamentally demean the very sentiment with which they made the outfit. To thank those of us who were there. So no, I don’t think it should be

As the philosopher Jagger once said…

These threads are genuinely getting ridiculous.

Anet gives gift to group A, group B cries.
Anet gives gift to group B, group A cries.
AND NOW
Anet gives gift to group A, group A cries…

Can we just please be thankful for the gift and not make a massive deal out of it.

To be honest. i got in too late to receive this out fit and i am sad because it was so nice, but i was happy for the players who were loyal and stayed for so long. they were rewarded for that and it’s so cool Anet cared enough to do that for players! i am just sad that a year later the new players that stuck around as well as old received nothing.

I’d give you mine if I could. I never use it. The only character it looks ok on is my asuran guardian and she has all the actual armour skins to choose from so there’s no reason to use it.

As I said before I think it should be added to the 4th birthday gift. That’s not really the equivalent of how “veteran” players got it because it was given to every single person with a paid account at the time free accounts came out. You could have bought the game the day before, or bought it 6 months before and logged in once and you’d get it.

But adding it to the 4th birthday gift means new players have to wait for the absolute maximum amount of time people who already have it waited, so I can’t see that anyone could reasonably complain about it.