Guild Wars 2

1) Why ???

2) WHY ???

3) What are your plans with those Weapon Skins, that you remove from the sale?

Please don’t tell us, that you just out of a sudden want to remove those weapon skins completely out of the game, letting it totally become impossible to receive any new skins from these weapons.

I could understand the removal, if its just done to create new space for some upcoming new Weapon Skin Sets in the future, because the Sale NPC hasn’t infinite space basically
Howeve,r an easier Solution for this would be, just to implement a new Weapon Sale NPC basically for Season 2.

I’d like to hear hear some official words from an Anet emplyee, that they were thinking with that removal.
What please is the SENSE behind that removal ???
I don’t seriously understand it, why on heavens earth you implement those weapon skins, when you then remove them later again, making it impossible for other, literally new players to receive those weapons.

What is then also again the sense in having an account based skin wardrobe, when you remove later all the options to receive the skins !!! Its totally pointless.

Are there any plans to offer those weapon skins, that you remove now from the black lion ticket sale npc in any other ways???

Examples:

Will we see for example instead in the future those Weapon Skins as Direct Buys in the Gem Story for Gems instead of those silly Black Lion Tickets ???

Or will we finally get also a way ingame to EARN those removed weapon skins by doing something in the game that rewards us perhaps with those weapon skins.

For example:

Putting all the Sclero Weapon Skins into the World Boss Loot Chest as a chance to get for defeating the karka Queen???

Why? Because it weould make a hell of a SENSE to do that, it would revitalize the Southsun Cove Map, if we could earn the Sclero Weapon Skins exactly in that Map, where they should belong to as unique rewards, that you should be able to earn only on that map

Why those Wintersday Weapons should be earnable rewards that you could get on Wintersday…
——

Seriously Anet, you can’t just simply remove content out of the game, without explaining first, why you do it and whats the deeper sense behind of that change.
So please, tell us, whats the reason for that decision and what your plans are with those removed skins, how people in the future should be able to earn and unlock these in regard of the wardrobe system.

because if you offer here no alternative ways to earn these skins somehow, this will be litterally like a middle finger up to all newer players and those, that are working on getting these skins and and just have yet not enough tickets or gold to get them…

Not sure if they removed any skins lately but see my answer more in the general sense.

Maybe the plan is to get you to next time better make sure you do get the keys before they are gone. Even if that means you need to buy gems for it. You do need to have that feeling of limited time availability. Buy it now our miss out forever.

For as long as they make money with cash-shop in stead of expansions they will to try to get you to buy items.

That cheap sales tactics sure works for alot of people, but has Anet really somethign like that neccessary?
I say no, because they sit so or so at the powerful lever to put into the game whenever they want new gemstore content with that they can always make new money, so that it is absolutely not needed for them to draw out permanenetly in regard of everything, the antisocial “we create willingly artificial rareness-card”.

However, by knowing who stands behind of Anet as a company, I’ve nothing said here …
But we are not talking about the Gemstore here now, even when the tickets are something, that you can get out of those RNG chests that you can buy from the gemstore.

ANet plans to remove the sale for those 2 weapon skin sets soon, you can read it on the website front page here

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/incredible-new-items-in-the-gem-store-4/

Quote:

Sclerite and Winter’s Weapons

In just three weeks, my Black Lion Weapon Specialists will stop carrying the Sclerite and Winter’s weapon skins. Don’t miss out on these lovely weapons! Remember, these weapons are bought with special claim tickets found in Black Lion Chests.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/Weapon-Skins-Going-away/page/2#post4012541

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

PS:

What I mean..
would it really hurt Anet/NCSoft, when they would just remove the Sclirite and Winters Weapons to make up space for some new weapon skin sets in the future and make the removed weapon skins earnable in the game in spots, and at times, where it would make the most sense, like on Wintersday and on the Southsun Cove as new Karka Queen Chest loot ???

No, it wouldn’t hurt Anet anything at all, that move would actually be really SMART, because it would help in revitalizing the Southsun Cove definetely, if the Karka Queen would get with the Sclerite Weapon Set some new good loot that unique for that World Boss, just like Tequatl and the 3 Headed Wurm have their own Weapon Sets as loot, the Sclerite Weapons in my humble opinino should become the Karka Queen’s uniqe loot.

That would be the most intelligent win/win move, that ANet could make here really.
HWen they remove Weapon Skins from the BLT- Sale NPC, anet can always put into the offer new weapon skin sets for that people need to collect tickets for quite some time to get the weapons with them in an easier ways, than to work for them ingame huntign down world bosses or doing something at specific holiday events ect. ect.

PPS: ah, there was already a Thread for it ok, Mod Time, let the merge begin

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

They will be back I’m sure.

nekretaal.6485:

They will be back I’m sure.

I hope so to and the annual stuff so far all did return I think. But you do have this problem for much of the temporary LS stuff. And that so far did not return. (to stay forever)

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

It’s the classic MMO cash shop scheme. Players have been conditioned to believe Anet is different than the other MMO developers, but they’re really not. They avoided some of the more obvious pitfalls of the cash shop, but in the end, it’s still all about them getting more money, and leaving the items in the shop indefinitely doesn’t sell them as much as putting a deadline on them does. And they will always be coming out with new stuff people will want, so they really lose nothing for taking stuff away.

Andred.1087:

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

It’s the classic MMO cash shop scheme. Players have been conditioned to believe Anet is different than the other MMO developers, but they’re really not. They avoided some of the more obvious pitfalls of the cash shop, but in the end, it’s still all about them getting more money, and leaving the items in the shop indefinitely doesn’t sell them as much as putting a deadline on them does. And they will always be coming out with new stuff people will want, so they really lose nothing for taking stuff away.

Biggest problem here is that I signed up for a B2P game.. You know a game that focuses on selling expansions in stead of focusing on the cash-shop. All those items in the cash-shop should be in the game providing game-play. And then we pay for it by buying expansions.

Devata.6589:

Andred.1087:

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

It’s the classic MMO cash shop scheme. Players have been conditioned to believe Anet is different than the other MMO developers, but they’re really not. They avoided some of the more obvious pitfalls of the cash shop, but in the end, it’s still all about them getting more money, and leaving the items in the shop indefinitely doesn’t sell them as much as putting a deadline on them does. And they will always be coming out with new stuff people will want, so they really lose nothing for taking stuff away.

Biggest problem here is that I signed up for a B2P game.. You know a game that focuses on selling expansions in stead of focusing on the cash-shop. All those items in the cash-shop should be in the game providing game-play. And then we pay for it by buying expansions.

Factions came out a year after Prophecies. Here we are creeping up on 2 years since release and no hint of another campaign, or even an expansion, in sight. The Anet we used to know is gone, replaced by a publisher-appeasing, Living World machine.

Alright, that’s a bit harsh. I have no idea what they have planned. But I really hope they’re thinking about at least an expansion. There’s something about GW1 I really loved that GW2 has yet to capture, and I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s how horizontal the game was (once all the campaigns came out). You had 3 relatively lengthy stories to play, replete with missions and secondary objectives, and a decently-sized expansion, before you could say you finished the story. What does GW2 have so far? The same 8 chapters of content repackaged for each race.

Maybe GW1 just has a classic feel in my mind because it’s been so long, and back then the bar wasn’t set so high for MMO’s. But I also feel like Anet are the ones who set the bar for GW2, and they’re having trouble clearing it after 2 years of the same game.

Well that was a longer goose chase than I intended. Anyway, cash shops do bad things to good games, peace out.

I guess that’s what you get from a B2P game, and it seems they’re working towards this very same action for several years to come.

this is really kittenty. sclerite are among my favourite weapon skins in the game, i love the weird/creepy look of them but i never got to get any because…. they’re locked behind the lottery game of tickets

i guess i’m not going to be able to get a skin before they disappear forever. this is stupid and i’m legitimately upset

oh well I guess no one else seems to like sclerite so my opinion does not matter

Personally I won’t miss either of those types of skins. The Sclerite skins look hideous and rather unappealing, and the Wintersday skins weren’t much cop to start off with. They were rather bland and again, unappealing.

Of course this is just my opinion, you can either agree or take it with a grain of salt, I don’t care. If they remove these and put in some more visually appealing skins in their place, I’ll be happy.

I take that, since they’re removing Sclerite and Windersday weapons, they’re not choosing in respect to how “old” they are (Fused are waaay older). It must be they’re just ugly to most, or something to do with what content is prohibited in China (but that wouldn’t make sense since they’ve changed a lot of armor there).

Oh well, the truth is that most of us hate losing a source of obtaining something other than LS which’s meant to be in that way.

They will still be available via the TP. Honestly, if you’re spending real money on gems for black lion keys to roll the RNG dice, just save yourself some money and time and convert the gems into gold and buy them off the TP directly.

Edit: Just checked the spidy and there’s not many left for sale. If you can’t live without them, you may want to hurry.

I hopefully CAN live without them.

Valento.9852:

I guess that’s what you get from a B2P game, and it seems they’re working towards this very same action for several years to come.

It should be what you get from a F2P or cash-shop game. It should not be what you get from a B2P game. However in the current state GW2 is a cash-shop game, not a B2P game. Yeah you still have to buy it but there payment model is about making money mainly with the cash-shop.

Valento.9852:

I take that, since they’re removing Sclerite and Windersday weapons, they’re not choosing in respect to how “old” they are (Fused are waaay older). It must be they’re just ugly to most, or something to do with what content is prohibited in China (but that wouldn’t make sense since they’ve changed a lot of armor there).

Oh well, the truth is that most of us hate losing a source of obtaining something other than LS which’s meant to be in that way.

Small correction – Winter’s weapon skins were the first among this group (Dec ’12). Fused came after these at the end of the Flame and Frost LS (May ’13) and Sclerite after those.

Edit: hang on, which do they mean? Winter weapons (the dark wooden type skins that had a bit of frost animation on them) or the ones where people traded ugly sock, hats, sweaters for them (the skins like the popgun and slingshot, etc.) ?

It was likely done to free up some tab space, and because these weapons are the most unpopular and they want to try and get some more sales going.

I think it was done in a manner that displeases and alienates consumers though. People generally hate pushy salespeople, and this sort of “BUY NOW! NOW!!! Or you can’t get it again!” behaviour reeks of it. I would instead have done the following:

1. If space is an issue, then condense the weapon skins. Change all the weapon skins to a single Weapon Box. (Open the box, choose the skin you want.) Next, sort the Weapon Boxes by year or Season. So all of the 12 BL weapon sets so far get condensed into a single tab.

2. Reduce prices. This is where Steam’s strategy has been so successful. People like to feel that they are getting a good deal. Their weekly sales result in massive take-up, yet previous studies have shown that the vast majority of gamers do not actually complete the games they buy. But they don’t mind, because they feel they “got a bargain”.

Supply shot up the last time the BL Weapons got their price slashed, so obviously there are lots of players willing to buy, but a big hindrance back then was that players didn’t have anywhere to store their weapons. Now that the Wardrobe is here, that problem has been eliminated.

So the Winter/Sclerite weapons aren’t moving? Slash their price down to 1 Black Lion Ticket each, and I guarantee they’ll move a lot more. It’s not like ANet is losing money by putting them on sale either; digital items are created with the click of a button and have no creation cost. It costs ANet nothing to leave these skins up, but players feel that they have more and more choice.

Andred.1087:

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

It’s the classic MMO cash shop scheme. Players have been conditioned to believe Anet is different than the other MMO developers, but they’re really not. They avoided some of the more obvious pitfalls of the cash shop, but in the end, it’s still all about them getting more money, and leaving the items in the shop indefinitely doesn’t sell them as much as putting a deadline on them does. And they will always be coming out with new stuff people will want, so they really lose nothing for taking stuff away.

Quoted for Absolute Truth. Not that I hold it against them or anything (they are a business), its just that Arenanet is not that unique among MMO developers based on their actions alone.

If you don’t want them, then this change doesn’t affect you. Stop worrying if you are.

If you are among the poorer/casual players, and were saving up the 50-100 gold to get a Sclerite weapon skin, I feel sorry for you. Those things were past 200 gold last I checked, and this stunt pulled by Anet made the price of all ticket weapons go up, (except for the Dragon’s Jade weapons which use a different claim ticket, and may or may not go up depending on if there is a dragon bash next month). Its unfortunate that you can’t actually play your way, and that you are literally forced to be an early adopter, or succumb to the market speculators, but, that’s life….(literally, just look at real world Tesla stock for example. It tripled in the last year. You’re probably regretting not investing in that stock now if that’s your thing)

People never like seeing how retail works. While this sort of digital product isn’t quite the same it can still leave a poor taste in the mouth for the uninitiated.

Yep, its all about the gem store and making you buy gems, its quite sad actually.

I am complaining about the cash-shop focus for over a year now. I got my worries when they said that if they did it right they would not need expansions. As that simply means ‘our business model is focusing on the cash-shop’. By then the first signs where already noticeable.

The game got released with mini’s in the cash-shop in stead of in the game but except for that all seemed fine. Then we did get temporary items with Halloween en Wintersday but heey that retuns next year.. right? We also got dyes based on the season (winter, summer) but heey that also returns next year? Spring mini’s. Well there is another spring next year.

So while not the best (especially having all mini’s in he cash-shop in stead of in the game and maybe those few spring seasonal in the cash-shop) it all seemed acceptable. But pretty much the moment they announced the LS focus (= cash-shop focus) we did see negative stuff increase and much of the annual stuff did not come back (well not in a reasonable way to obtain). Things became even more of a gold-grind but heey you can also buy gold with gems.

When I started my complains and worries about this (over a year ago) I did get a lot of negative feedback. I should not complain because at least the cash-shop was not P2W (with that they mean P2Kill) and besides you could grind gold to buy gems anyway (that’s in fact one of the ways the cash-shop focus does influence the game, turning everything into a gold-grind.)

I said I preferred them using expansions. Then I did hear that Anet would be able to put in expansion-like content with the LS and I was just shallow-minded for thinking they could not. Well first of all I do think they can do that (alto they didn’t in LS S1, while they said they would) but the problem for me was and is that if they make money with the cash-shop it influences the game in one way (every decision is also based on the questions, how do we get people to buy gems) while if they generate most money with expansion it influences the game in another way. And I think the expansion-like influence is much better for the quality of the game itself.

For one there was no need for all the negatives people are talking about in this forum. Those skins or the tickets could simply be in the game itself and they could simply return every year making it less of a (time-limited) gold-grind.

Anyway, I am happy to see that now more people seem to notice the negative influence of the cash-shop. Hopefully this also triggers people to ask for expansions, stop buying gems and are willing to spend money for those expansions. (buying a CE is a good sign if Anet would make the turn back to a real B2P model).

In the end it’s the money that talks. Buying gems is what helped to get GW2 is the state it is now, and imho that’s not a good state.

Devata, I’m willing to bet you’re still getting negative feedback but a lot of it may end up directed at computer screens. There’s only so much arguing most normal people can manage.

People don’t have to grind gold for gems but that’s their choice. Good for them if that’s what they want to do. If its the only choice they have then they have to wear it.

There should be more skins available throughout the game. Some as drops for a chance at “prestige” skins , and maybe even some crafted from particular recipes. Not absurd crafting either but skins that can crafted at a variety of levels.

zenleto.6179:

There should be more skins available throughout the game. Some as drops for a chance at “prestige” skins , and maybe even some crafted from particular recipes. Not absurd crafting either but skins that can crafted at a variety of levels.

Fractal weapons.

Also, they’re being removed because the sclerite weapons were introduced with the southsun LS chapter (I think?), and the Wintersday weapons because it’s… well, no longer winter.

zenleto.6179:

Devata, I’m willing to bet you’re still getting negative feedback but a lot of it may end up directed at computer screens. There’s only so much arguing most normal people can manage.

People don’t have to grind gold for gems but that’s their choice. Good for them if that’s what they want to do. If its the only choice they have then they have to wear it.

There should be more skins available throughout the game. Some as drops for a chance at “prestige” skins , and maybe even some crafted from particular recipes. Not absurd crafting either but skins that can crafted at a variety of levels.

In fact lately many complains on the forum I see say the same and no haven’t gotten a lot of negative feedback, mostly agreeing feedback. Also see the comments in this thread.

No people don’t so much choose to grind it, then people would not complain so much about it. Because the items are not in the game (dropped by a mob or a boss or a dungeon or as quest / event/ hearth reward) in many cases it’s the only way to get that item (or buy with cash of course). So if they like it they will have to grind gold to be able to get it. The idea is they should play the game to get it (that’s why it’s a game), not grind gold to be able to buy it. (you know like a job)

Devata.6589:

zenleto.6179:

Devata, I’m willing to bet you’re still getting negative feedback but a lot of it may end up directed at computer screens. There’s only so much arguing most normal people can manage.

People don’t have to grind gold for gems but that’s their choice. Good for them if that’s what they want to do. If its the only choice they have then they have to wear it.

There should be more skins available throughout the game. Some as drops for a chance at “prestige” skins , and maybe even some crafted from particular recipes. Not absurd crafting either but skins that can crafted at a variety of levels.

In fact lately many complains on the forum I see say the same and no haven’t gotten a lot of negative feedback, mostly agreeing feedback. Also see the comments in this thread.

No people don’t so much choose to grind it, then people would not complain so much about it. Because the items are not in the game (dropped by a mob or a boss or a dungeon or as quest / event/ hearth reward) in many cases it’s the only way to get that item (or buy with cash of course). So if they like it they will have to grind gold to be able to get it. The idea is they should play the game to get it (that’s why it’s a game), not grind gold to be able to buy it. (you know like a job)

Well, at least it wasn’t an essay.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/Weapon-Skins-Going-away/page/2#post4012541

Basically shared my opinions in here. Pretty much I don’t like it.

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

People keep forgetting that analogies to real world examples breaks apart because we’re dealing with 1s and 0s. There is no reason to do this except for sales.

nekretaal.6485:

They will be back I’m sure.

Until there’s official word, I’ll just go on ranting though.

Devata.6589:

Biggest problem here is that I signed up for a B2P game.. You know a game that focuses on selling expansions in stead of focusing on the cash-shop. All those items in the cash-shop should be in the game providing game-play. And then we pay for it by buying expansions.

I’m a bit less bothered by the cash shop, servers and people do cost money and I’m sure the box-sale-profit was used up long ago. The cash shop is there to help provide a source of money for the running costs. The lack of expansion however does lean toward a situation where the cash shop becomes the only source of revenue meaning that we start seeing bad-sales-tactics like this.
I’ve never really been the one to call for expansions, but if this is the sort of things ANet needs to do to make some extra cash, I’d rather they fork over a expansion every now and then and stop with sales gimmicks in the cash-shop.

Kiriwar.7382:

i guess i’m not going to be able to get a skin before they disappear forever. this is stupid and i’m legitimately upset

oh well I guess no one else seems to like sclerite so my opinion does not matter

Actually I like them too, and I’m unhappy about not being able to get them aswell.

Zaxares.5419:

2. Reduce prices. This is where Steam’s strategy has been so successful. People like to feel that they are getting a good deal. Their weekly sales result in massive take-up, yet previous studies have shown that the vast majority of gamers do not actually complete the games they buy. But they don’t mind, because they feel they “got a bargain”.

Overall useful advise, but I’ll point out the issue with reducing prices, that you still have to play the lotto to get the tickets. Reducing ticket costs doesn’t help when the price of getting those tickets is completely random.

CureForLiving.5360:

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/Weapon-Skins-Going-away/page/2#post4012541

Basically shared my opinions in here. Pretty much I don’t like it.

Devata.6589:

Azrael.4960:

It’s basically a way to get you to buy BL keys instead of buying the skins directly. Players were given the opportunity to get the skins for a very long time. Sclerites dated from the other Southsun Cove event series from last year after all. It’s like any business. You don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise forever, you need to continually revamp your merchandise to keep people buying stuff.

Granted, this stuff is virtual but the concept holds the same

No it doesn’t because the reason you don’t keep a stock of dated merchandise is because it’s not useful anymore (outdated) and because the room cost money and so can better be used for other stuff that does sell.

Both are not true for this.

It’s more the ACTION!!! Only now!!! sort of stuff where you compare this with.

Only problem is that people want to play a game, not a commercial.

Do those ACTIONS just when selling expansions.

People keep forgetting that analogies to real world examples breaks apart because we’re dealing with 1s and 0s. There is no reason to do this except for sales.

nekretaal.6485:

They will be back I’m sure.

Until there’s official word, I’ll just go on ranting though.

Devata.6589:

Biggest problem here is that I signed up for a B2P game.. You know a game that focuses on selling expansions in stead of focusing on the cash-shop. All those items in the cash-shop should be in the game providing game-play. And then we pay for it by buying expansions.

I’m a bit less bothered by the cash shop, servers and people do cost money and I’m sure the box-sale-profit was used up long ago. The cash shop is there to help provide a source of money for the running costs. The lack of expansion however does lean toward a situation where the cash shop becomes the only source of revenue meaning that we start seeing bad-sales-tactics like this.
I’ve never really been the one to call for expansions, but if this is the sort of things ANet needs to do to make some extra cash, I’d rather they fork over a expansion every now and then and stop with sales gimmicks in the cash-shop.

Kiriwar.7382:

i guess i’m not going to be able to get a skin before they disappear forever. this is stupid and i’m legitimately upset

oh well I guess no one else seems to like sclerite so my opinion does not matter

Actually I like them too, and I’m unhappy about not being able to get them aswell.

Zaxares.5419:

2. Reduce prices. This is where Steam’s strategy has been so successful. People like to feel that they are getting a good deal. Their weekly sales result in massive take-up, yet previous studies have shown that the vast majority of gamers do not actually complete the games they buy. But they don’t mind, because they feel they “got a bargain”.

Overall useful advise, but I’ll point out the issue with reducing prices, that you still have to play the lotto to get the tickets. Reducing ticket costs doesn’t help when the price of getting those tickets is completely random.

Lets not forget that most (non-mmo) gaming company’s work like that, so why would they have to have run out of money? Maybe they would not have the bigger profit many MMO’s get vs non-MMO’s but good sales should provide enough money for development of the expansion + profit. That is how all those non-MMO’s work. However indeed they would likely not have much left by now. That’s why I expect a real B2P game to release an expansion at least every year to maximum 1,5 year. That’s also the main reason I want expansion so they can focus on expansions for income in stead of the cash-shop. Even if they would give us the expansion-like content ‘for free’ it would mean they where making money mainly with the cash-shop resulting in this sort of things.

99% off all items in the cash-hop belong in the game. It’s not ‘ok’ because it are just skins. Working for skins in the game is a huge part of the game-play for many people. By putting it in the cash-shop they effectively take that game-play out of the game or at least turn it all into a gold-grind.

They throw away a fundamental part of a RPG: itemization. It seems to me they don’t care about item rarity, or whatever systems it’s tied with.

Valento.9852:

They throw away a fundamental part of a RPG: itemization. It seems to me they don’t care about item rarity, or whatever systems it’s tied with.

Well they monetize it and by doing so effectively removing it from the game-play mechanic.

One could say that temporary items are even more rare. On the other hand, specific skins behind specific hard content can also be very rare. Difference is that if a player wants to go for that rare item he skill can.. and not just by grinding gold but by working directly for that item by doing the content that (can) reward that item.

Now it’s ‘not available any-more’ or grind gold. The excuse is then ‘you can earn gold in many ways so you can play the way you want’. However you can not work directly for the item and the value of the item is lower from a personal viewpoint (getting it as a reward for doing that content adds value). Also if you go for an item and there are multiple ways to earn the money it’s likely you would at least take the route that go’s the fasted. So the ’ play the way you want excuse’ is really that, an excuse.

1. To generate outrage posts like this one…..
2. TO GENERATE OUTRAGE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE…..
3. …so “panic” sets in within the “general” playerbase to obtain them NOW!!!!
4. Increasing BL key sales (and these were also on sale recently…..go figure).

Brilliant marketing…. You can call it sleazy if you want, but one of their only revenue source to keep the game running is RL $ Gem sales and I for one would rather see them obtain that revenue from completionist collectors and dress-up addicts than me. (sorry if the truth huts).

Brother Grimm.5176:

1. To generate outrage posts like this one…..
2. TO GENERATE OUTRAGE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE…..
3. …so “panic” sets in within the “general” playerbase to obtain them NOW!!!!
4. Increasing BL key sales (and these were also on sale recently…..go figure).

Brilliant marketing…. You can call it sleazy if you want, but one of their only revenue source to keep the game running is RL $ Gem sales and I for one would rather see them obtain that revenue from completionist collectors and dress-up addicts than me. (sorry if the truth huts).

The problem is that (at this point) the gem-store is there main revenue source to keep the game running.

And they won’t get me to buy gems this way. But it does hurt my preferred game-play.

Devata.6589:

When I started my complains and worries about this (over a year ago) I did get a lot of negative feedback. I should not complain because at least the cash-shop was not P2W (with that they mean P2Kill) and besides you could grind gold to buy gems anyway (that’s in fact one of the ways the cash-shop focus does influence the game, turning everything into a gold-grind.)

Well, negative responses or not, I would have to say that the game is Pay to Win…., in a way. Just look at the prohibitively high costs of Ascended Gear. Some of the more zealous among us like to argue that the stat increase is so minimal, you don’t need it, but I would argue that even the >10% overall increase in stats from ascended gear does make a difference in places where it would actually matter, like getting dungeon speed runs done that much faster, or WvW. Just because the actual, hyper balanced competitive aspect of Guild Wars 2 (PvP) isn’t influenced by the gem store doesn’t mean that the rest of the game isn’t.

In an MMO like this, there are multiple ways to ‘win’, and its according to the person actually playing the game. In this case, the gem store (and exchanging gems for gold), can most certainly become pay to win.

Devata.6589:

I am complaining about the cash-shop focus for over a year now. I got my worries when they said that if they did it right they would not need expansions. As that simply means ‘our business model is focusing on the cash-shop’. By then the first signs where already noticeable.

The game got released with mini’s in the cash-shop in stead of in the game but except for that all seemed fine. Then we did get temporary items with Halloween en Wintersday but heey that retuns next year.. right? We also got dyes based on the season (winter, summer) but heey that also returns next year? Spring mini’s. Well there is another spring next year.

So while not the best (especially having all mini’s in he cash-shop in stead of in the game and maybe those few spring seasonal in the cash-shop) it all seemed acceptable. But pretty much the moment they announced the LS focus (= cash-shop focus) we did see negative stuff increase and much of the annual stuff did not come back (well not in a reasonable way to obtain). Things became even more of a gold-grind but heey you can also buy gold with gems.

When I started my complains and worries about this (over a year ago) I did get a lot of negative feedback. I should not complain because at least the cash-shop was not P2W (with that they mean P2Kill) and besides you could grind gold to buy gems anyway (that’s in fact one of the ways the cash-shop focus does influence the game, turning everything into a gold-grind.)

I said I preferred them using expansions. Then I did hear that Anet would be able to put in expansion-like content with the LS and I was just shallow-minded for thinking they could not. Well first of all I do think they can do that (alto they didn’t in LS S1, while they said they would) but the problem for me was and is that if they make money with the cash-shop it influences the game in one way (every decision is also based on the questions, how do we get people to buy gems) while if they generate most money with expansion it influences the game in another way. And I think the expansion-like influence is much better for the quality of the game itself.

For one there was no need for all the negatives people are talking about in this forum. Those skins or the tickets could simply be in the game itself and they could simply return every year making it less of a (time-limited) gold-grind.

Anyway, I am happy to see that now more people seem to notice the negative influence of the cash-shop. Hopefully this also triggers people to ask for expansions, stop buying gems and are willing to spend money for those expansions. (buying a CE is a good sign if Anet would make the turn back to a real B2P model).

In the end it’s the money that talks. Buying gems is what helped to get GW2 is the state it is now, and imho that’s not a good state.

You might be interested in reading this:
Living World Content Considered Harmful

Scroll up if it doesn’t put you at the first post for whatever reason

Chrispy.5641:

Devata.6589:

When I started my complains and worries about this (over a year ago) I did get a lot of negative feedback. I should not complain because at least the cash-shop was not P2W (with that they mean P2Kill) and besides you could grind gold to buy gems anyway (that’s in fact one of the ways the cash-shop focus does influence the game, turning everything into a gold-grind.)

Well, negative responses or not, I would have to say that the game is Pay to Win…., in a way. Just look at the prohibitively high costs of Ascended Gear. Some of the more zealous among us like to argue that the stat increase is so minimal, you don’t need it, but I would argue that even the >10% overall increase in stats from ascended gear does make a difference in places where it would actually matter, like getting dungeon speed runs done that much faster, or WvW. Just because the actual, hyper balanced competitive aspect of Guild Wars 2 (PvP) isn’t influenced by the gem store doesn’t mean that the rest of the game isn’t.

In an MMO like this, there are multiple ways to ‘win’, and its according to the person actually playing the game. In this case, the gem store (and exchanging gems for gold), can most certainly become pay to win.

Especially when “winning” in PvE is really just having the best stuff, and you can get the best stuff much more quickly if you sink real-world money into getting it.

I am honestly tired of how the black lion weapons are handled. I would never buy black lion keys cause of all the chests I have opened with free keys I have never seen even a weapon ticket fragment drop. Keys are such a huge waste of money that it boggles my mind that anyone even buys them.

When will ANet move away from black lion ticket weapons and just sell us the weapon skins for 500-800 gems each in the Gem store? I might actually start purchasing them instead of just thinking “oh look, more weapon skins locked forever behind RNG”. And no, I am not going to waste $25+ dollars or more on keys just to get one weapon skin (even it would even turn out to be that cheap).

The point is, when Sclerite and Winter Weapons just don’t sell well and ANet has decided to remove them now to repalce these two sets with new Weapon Set Skins that will most likely sell alot better, if Anet is smart enough to design some awesome looking sets or to reintroduce some old GW1 weapon sets, like they did with Zodiac and Tormented (theres still one other weapon set missing from GW1, Celestial Weapons)

Once they make new Sets , would it really freaking hurt Anet to move the removed weapon skins somewhere into the game to make them earnable???

No, financially this wouldn’t hurt ANet in no way, because net is always at the lever to add more stuff into the store, if the sales are subsiding to the point, that the incoming profits get too low and they need something, that lets them make lots of money for a while again.

People who bought the removed sets with tickets already had their own personal profits from turnign their tickets for those skins in, because most people did that anyway rather for making just some quick good amount of gold with those weapons, than to keep them anyway, especially with those skins of the sets, that sell very high…

Aslike I have said – it would be the absolute most smartest move of anet, if they would just put the Sclerite Weapon Set for example into the World Boss Loot Chest of the Karka Queen.
Then it would become alot more interestign to go beat the crap out of that world boss, when it would receive out of a sudden a chance to obtain randomly one of thsoe Sclerite Weapon Skins from it, because the weapon set skin of the Sclerite Weapons just simply belongs to the Southsun Cove map.
Its basically just predestine to be a map unique reward there, as the weapon set is clearly alot inspired and designed after the Karkas and the weapons got also introduced with the Patch, that brought the Southsun Cove Map…. so both thigns are obviously linked together and this should stay so definetely.
Before Anet put that weapon ticket sale NPC into Lions Arch, there even was a Ticket Sale NPC in the Southsun Cove Map in the past and if I remember right, that NPC is even STILL THERE (being useless there, as he wants something, that isn’t in the game anymore)

I’ve personally enough of this kind of cheese hole game design, where stuff that gets implemented gets shreddered later into pieces, where the result at the end has then no hand and no feet anymore, where useless things remain in the game, looking like being completely forgotten that they were once there…

Part 2 follows:

Part 2:

If Anet needs to recycle some things of the game, that brigns in no money anymore, whould it really hurt anet to rework the stuff into the game, so that players can earn those things somehow in the game then as a kind of permanent content that fits somehow in the game, where the content literally belongs to, like Scerite Weapons as rewards in the Southsun Cove Map, liek Winter Weapons as rewards somehow when it is Winderstday ???

I don’t get it, whats the sense behind this removal, when it would make alot more sense for anet also as a part of “fan/customer service” to keep the content so that they just don’t upset the community unneccessarely with such mindless changes.

If Anet could come up one day with the idea, to remove the pyro weapons, which were the first weapon set of ticket weapons they implemented, wouldn’t you also think about it, that it would be a much better decision by Anet to not completely remove that weapon set, but instead to move that set into the Fiery Alliance Fractals as rare rewards there from the Fractal Reward Chests to keep that content as permanent content and to boost with that chance the interest maybe of alot of players to do those Fractals ???

Thats in my opnion smart game design, that if you see, that somethign doesn’t make enough money for you anymore, that you then change the content at least into something, that improves the game permanently and makes players HAPPY, instead of ANGRY for never ever having again a chance on gettign the content.

Because the gemstore is the ANet’s neverendign 24/7 virtual money production machine, that needs just to be kept full of new things for sale.
Theres no need for anet basically to come up permanently with antisocial marketing strategies to milk us out like cows to get all our mony by psychological tricks caused through artificial created rareness in the shop or with in this case NPCs that sell something for tickets that you again get only through either unendless grind of keys from millions of created starter characters or again from the store with real money.

So we can juts guess that this is just only the beginning.
The other weapon ticket skins surely will follow sooner or later and that is really just a very sad thing, that Anet basically justs wastes all their hard work, if they just remove everything they added to the game, only because it didn’t make enough money for them anymore after some time, when they have anyway always the option to add somethign new simply to make with new content always more than enough new money until they finally come up with expansions as a kind of money making bridge, until they start finally with the real deal..

PS<.>
But that would naturally require first the effort to improve first again the UI design of the Gem Store by adding a new Section perhaps for “Weapons”, unless we wouldn’t consider Weapons also as “Style”

lockheedlight.5910:

I am honestly tired of how the black lion weapons are handled. I would never buy black lion keys cause of all the chests I have opened with free keys I have never seen even a weapon ticket fragment drop. Keys are such a huge waste of money that it boggles my mind that anyone even buys them.

When will ANet move away from black lion ticket weapons and just sell us the weapon skins for 500-800 gems each in the Gem store? I might actually start purchasing them instead of just thinking “oh look, more weapon skins locked forever behind RNG”. And no, I am not going to waste $25+ dollars or more on keys just to get one weapon skin (even it would even turn out to be that cheap).

I think one reason is that buying a weapon directly through the gem store isn’t possible (except for special cases) is because it floods the Style tab. Each weapon set has 20 pieces, and that’s would be half of the style tab. Navigating through that single list would be a nightmare as far as trying to find what you want.

Yes, I understand that argument is stupid, because it makes more sense to just list a single weapon chest for every weapon set, then choose the weapon you want from a list. (They would obviously be account bound this way, and unsellable so that way the only factor in gold to gem conversion is through the exchange on the gem store.)

Its more likely that the Casino Style RNG that the Black Lion chests are famous for, means that, on average, people spend more money getting a weapon claim ticket than the weapon would actually be worth if bought individually with gems. Not only that, but once put on the Trading post (since this way, the weapons are not account bound), the price can soar quite high, meaning that people who want it bad enough, will buy the gems and trade for gold to get the weapon. And often, the gold cost means that people actually again, buy more gems than the weapon would actually be worth if bought individually.

This means that for every weapon skin in the game, Anet gets money for them twice. once for the black lion keys (though yes, some are acquired for free through regular gameplay), and once through gold sales (though in many cases, the gold is acquired through regular gameplay). This also means that Anet can potentially get a lot more money for any individual weapon skin than if sold individually through the gem store. (@Orpheal, this is why Anet isn’t just going to recycle them in the game for free without thinking very hard about why they are doing it, and it will (or not) bring them more business in the future)

I don’t fault Anet for it. Like I said earlier, they are a business, and they are in it to make money (even if that means making more money by catering to only certain kinds of customers instead of all of them).

I don’t pretend to understand any of Anet’s business model, but I have more than enough experience playing other games with cash shops to make an educated guess.

It’s like this because there’s more profit this way

But you don’t make any profit with something, that you permanently remove out of the game…

If they just change those two Ticket Weapon Set Skins over into the Gemstore to enable us to buy them directly just with Gems, then would make ANet more profit for a short while.

Even if just for time gated short moments only. The only thign that would require is to put these sets up into the store under a “Box Item”, that when you buy it lets you get a weapon out of your choice, to reduce the amount of things that have to be put into the Store just to 1 Item per Weapon Skin Set Items.
and these Weapon Skin Boxes could be put then udner sale either under the Style Section, or anet could slightly tweak the Gemstore UI and add a new Section of “Weapons” for those Weapon Set-Box Items they could sell then directly in the Shop for example 800 Gems or so most likely.

Now think of it, what that would mean for someone, who wants to have a full set of Sclerite Weapons now for example.

16*800 Gems = 12800 Gems that it would take that one player under this example, to get a full Sclerite Set just via Gems only

There needs to be found a solution for the future. Just removing permanently all those skins is simply unacceptable, when you consider that Anet can at any given time add new content to the shop whenever they want to make more profits.

I know, turnign that kind of content into free earnable rewards might be too much of wish thinking, but in relationship of fan/customer service it would be simpyl the smartest move Anet could do to make the community happy and to improve the game by revitalizing the maps, like Southsun Cove through giving those maps interestign map bound unique rewards that are a good reason for keeping on visiting those maps for a long time…

To go for that patrh would be the much more healthier decision for the whole game, than to just think always only about, hot to make best the quickest profits always only.
Yes, Anet has to make money, we all know that fully well.
But Anet just can’t be so desperate on making money, that they simply waste all of their selfmade hard work and efforts instantly, only because something brings in no money anymore.

Or wouldn’t you also decide rather to recycle things in a game, that are of no use for you anymore to improve the game for all its players, than to just remove game content just only to create simply space for something new, with that you want to make more money.
A move, that you could do so or so anywhen, whenever you want or need to do that, regardless if you changed some old content now into free to earn content, so that some older places in the game become more interestign to be played on, that you introduced earlier and are basically currently dead maps, unless theres no world boss currently in it rampaging …

According to the Devs, they aren’t (probably) permanently being removed.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/Weapon-Skins-Going-away/page/3#post4025907

Well, that’s at least some comfort. I don’t mind if the BL weapons are somewhat seasonal (e.g. the Winter’s weapons go on sale every Wintersday, but are removed when the festival ends), because then at least players know when it’s coming back and can make appropriate preparations for it.

Orpheal had a really neat idea though. Why not make it so the Sclerite weapons are extremely rare drops from the Karka Queen or extremely, extremely rare drops from mobs in Southsun Cove? It could be a good way to increase interest in the map, which tends to be abandoned whenever it’s not Queenie-spawning time.

lockheedlight.5910:

I am honestly tired of how the black lion weapons are handled. I would never buy black lion keys cause of all the chests I have opened with free keys I have never seen even a weapon ticket fragment drop. Keys are such a huge waste of money that it boggles my mind that anyone even buys them.

When will ANet move away from black lion ticket weapons and just sell us the weapon skins for 500-800 gems each in the Gem store? I might actually start purchasing them instead of just thinking “oh look, more weapon skins locked forever behind RNG”. And no, I am not going to waste $25+ dollars or more on keys just to get one weapon skin (even it would even turn out to be that cheap).

But you are going to waste 5 to 10 dollar on a single skin? How about spending 60 dollar on an expansions and then expecting to find all those sort of skins in the world.

At least you then also have the game-play of acquiring the skins.

Or don’t you buy a game to play it but buy a game so you can then buy skins for the character in that game? Then maybe I have a strange way of how I look at games.

Orpheal.8263:

~
No, financially this wouldn’t hurt ANet in no way, because net is always at the lever to add more stuff into the store, if the sales are subsiding to the point, that the incoming profits get too low and they need something, that lets them make lots of money for a while again.

People who bought the removed sets with tickets already had their own personal profits from turnign their tickets for those skins in, because most people did that anyway rather for making just some quick good amount of gold with those weapons, than to keep them anyway, especially with those skins of the sets, that sell very high…

Aslike I have said – it would be the absolute most smartest move of anet, if they would just put the Sclerite Weapon Set for example into the World Boss Loot Chest of the Karka Queen.
Then it would become alot more interestign to go beat the crap out of that world boss, when it would receive out of a sudden a chance to obtain randomly one of thsoe Sclerite Weapon Skins from it, because the weapon set skin of the Sclerite Weapons just simply belongs to the Southsun Cove map.
Its basically just predestine to be a map unique reward there, as the weapon set is clearly alot inspired and designed after the Karkas and the weapons got also introduced with the Patch, that brought the Southsun Cove Map…. so both thigns are obviously linked together and this should stay so definetely.
Before Anet put that weapon ticket sale NPC into Lions Arch, there even was a Ticket Sale NPC in the Southsun Cove Map in the past and if I remember right, that NPC is even STILL THERE (being useless there, as he wants something, that isn’t in the game anymore)

I’ve personally enough of this kind of cheese hole game design, where stuff that gets implemented gets shreddered later into pieces, where the result at the end has then no hand and no feet anymore, where useless things remain in the game, looking like being completely forgotten that they were once there…

Part 2 follows:

In fact it would hurt them. The hole reason for removing them is a marketing trick. Create the feeling time pressure. People need to buy it now or lose it out forever. Many people who did buy stuff would have never both it if it was not temporary.

If the cash-shop was basically only a way to get it sooner (would still not be great because it would also be a way to get it more easy so devalue the item form a game-viewpoint. But would indeed be less of a problem) then those people would not buy it in the first place and some other might wait for it to be in the game. So as long as ArenaNet uses the cash-shop to generate most of it’s money you will keep this sort of marketings trick. And even if they move on from one it’s only because the last one did not work (dyes soul-bound is an example of that) or they will likely introduce another.

So yeah they would lose sales with that and as long as they focus on the cash-shop that is a problem. Only solution would be generating money with expansions so they would need less money out of the cash-shop. (they could also try both but then the number of players would drop very fast so that is (luckily) not a real option).

Lastly if you put items in the world they should be put in more specific. Not ’ ow in that map it can drop’ because then people can still not work directly for the item they want. That means the map will just become a place for grinding gold (get drops you don’t want, sell it and use the gold to buy what you want. Exactly the way the game already is. The price of those weapons will also drop. See some of the exotic weapon drops at this moment). But yeah, kill that boss for the change to get that one 1 weapon and kill another mob for another weapon works great.

Not saying that you could also have some map-specific drops. But the most wanted items should be behind specific content (then it really adds game-play), not just in a map.

Orpheal.8263:

But you don’t make any profit with something, that you permanently remove out of the game…

Actually, Anet still would make some money.

Since these weapons will be (even if temporarily) removed from the rotation, the price will shoot way up, meaning that some people who want them bad enough, will still buy gems and trade for the gold to buy them, which as I explained, can be more expensive than just buying the weapon directly for gems, or for the cost of the black lion keys to open a chest to get the claim ticket to begin with.

Its still a business decision. These unpopular weapons suddenly became very popular in demand, and worth more, meaning that no matter how you look at it, it will temporarily increase revenue (even a tiny amount) for Anet.

Indeed.

When a game focuses on a cash-shop to generate it’s money the game will become a marketplace / marketing device, commercial for the company and that hurts the game-value and the quality of the game itself.

F2P / cash-shop games don’t suddenly become better just because they don’t provide B2W (whatever that mean, as getting a cool skin is my win). I rather have the marketing before I buy the game, not as game.

This is just as true for DLC nonsense you see now more and more in single-player games btw.