Guild Wars 2

Proposal Overview
The implementation of some form of recognition (or prestige if you prefer) system.

What do I mean by this? Essentially a means for a small percentage of the playerbase to earn a special status that is visually distinct allowing recognition on sight.

Examples
There are three MMO examples of a similar system off the top of my head:
Jedi: From starwars galaxies (pre-NGE)
Royal Alchemists: Mabinogi
Deathknights: Gek

Goal of Proposal
The goals I’m trying to achieve are:
1. Create “characters” who will become known on their servers.
2. Implement an extremely long-term/ low likelihood goal for players to aim for.

I want to expand on point 1 a little, when royal alchemists/deathknights were implemented into their respective games it instantly did two things. Firstly it created a group of people that most people knew by name and could have a community form around them. Secondly it implemented a highly desirable long-term goal for veterans and new players alike (they wouldn’t have an equal opportunity but it still can act as a carrot). It was a great community boost and the games were better off for it (disclaimer I have never played SWG and I’m aware that due to the open PvP aspect that game had a different experience).

Proposal Functionality
To fit guildwars 2’s theme I believe calling them “Racial Hero’s” would be an appropriate term. I would set a limit of 100 per server which would be a total of 5200 people (may need to be adjusted down as that’s quite high). The advantages granted by the status are purely cosmetic and don’t really effect game play.

How do you become one?
1. To start you select a race to represent (does not have to be your own) and talk to the respective leader. (for this example we will assume Sylvari).

2.After talking to the pale tree you can select an option “pursue path of the hero” for this option to be visible you must first have 10,000 AP (Approx 50,000 players) or 15,000 AP (Approx 15,000 players) (essentially a high initial entry gate).

3.A MF recipe are now accessible and you must now forge a “Soul of the Hero” which will require items from all four major game types (all steps account bound).
-Fragment of war: Requires WvW rank 250+, 5000+ kills to be visible, costs 5000 badges to obtain.
-Fragment of Honor: Requires PvP rank 40+ and at least 2 mastery titles to be visible, awarded on completion of a special PvP track.
-Fragment of the depths: Requires dungeon master and fractal 50 to be visible, costs 180 of every token and 20 pristine fractal relics.
-Fragment of Tyria: Requires world completion, JP tab completion,Boss tab completion,Teq and Wurm tab completion to be visible, costs 500 SP + 100 Laurels.
4.Forge the soul and return it to the leader cutscene of soul fusing you are now eligible for Racial Hero status.
5. If there are less than 100 eligible people from your server you automatically gain the status and all of the goodies below, If there are more than 100 you are placed on a reserve list.
6. In the case of 100+ the status can be temporarily lost, simply speak to the racial rep to be placed on the reserve list again (no cost). Status can be lost in 100+ cases by:
-Not logging in for 1 month.
-Receiving an in game warning by a GM.
-Selecting stand down from the racial rep ( can then go back on the reserve if they choose).

What do you get?
On becoming a “Racial Hero” you gain several things:
-Racial title (Wyld Hunt Valiant, Shining Blade, Wolfborn etc)
-Unique stance (your character stands differently while idle)
-Special Star next to your name (like the world completion star
-Unique toggle-able aura
-“Heroic” title (this is permanent and shows you at some point were a Racial Hero)
-Access to the assistance system

Assistance system
Players under 1k AP or with no level 80 character can place a note requesting assistance/advice, any Racial Hero can then open a window and select a note to assist ( or it can be a blind service) once they click accept they are teleported to the player in question and can try to provide assistance.

This was an aspect of the Royal alchemist system from mabinogi and was great for the community so I thought it would fit nicely here.

Associated Risks
Jealously: This is always a risk with any high end system.

Veteran biased: A long term player has a significant advantage on the requirements, which is to be expected since it is a system for veteran players.

Reserved for Q and A:

Q: I notice there are no gold requirements:
A: Gold has no role in showing mastery of the game and as such was excluded.

Q: I only play for x a week I won’t be able to get this! why would I allow it?
A: This system is designed to be a high end prestige system it is meant to be desirable but unobtainable to the majority, the assistance system brings a benefit to the player-base at large while still rewarding extremely high end players.

Q:How did the other systems you mentioned work?
A: Royal alchemists essentially got most of the same bonuses with the addition of a unique outfit and the ability to enter a dungeon as an extra party member (I.e a 6th member in GW2’s case).

Death knights got special skills and a unique sword that gained more damage the more kills it caused with no upward cap (not appropriate for GW2).

Jedi: Were able to use lightsabers and had access to special powers but could also be hunted down and killed by players which I believe caused loss of the special class.

Q: I don’t play x gametype I shouldn’t be forced into x!
A: Mastery of a game requires playing every aspect of the game if this is a goal you are unwilling to pursue then don’t it is optional.

Not really keen on this idea. If players desire to be ‘known’, there are other ways of going about it. Again, maybe that’s just me, but this feels more like an ego-stroke than anything.

LFG pretty much covers the rest.

Edit: Besides, aren’t you considered a ‘racial hero’ with your faction once you at least kill Zhaitan anyway? Heck, you’re called the Hero of Shaemore or the Defeater of Whatever-that-Worm’s Name is with Norn, right off the bat.

What you are proposing does not sound fun at all. It comes off as elitist and as Arden mentioned, ego stroking.

Getting a ‘stronger’ weapon or a ‘unique’ skill that most players will be excluded from is just a bad idea all around. Most players will never get a precursor drop or a legendary weapon, but that doesn’t leave them at a playing disadvantage thanks to the lack of a ‘higher than best in slot’ mechanic like you are proposing.

If you want to stand out (good luck, the internet is shrouded in anonymity), there are other ways of doing it.

You can be helpful to other players (or in my case stand out as a cynic with a chip on his shoulder who doesn’t really have a filter and I’m okay with that), you can organize events with other players, you can be ‘that kitten’ that no one likes, you can never turn off your commander tag and be ‘that commander’, you can start a youtube channel for GW2 shenanigans (helps to be charismatic and funny).

Or realistically, get yourself at the top of the AP and/or sPvP leaderboards. Win tournaments. THAT is how you stand out.

But this ‘hero’ thing… it really does come off as just fluff. There is no real benefit to the overall game that I can see with this proposal. I’m trying to find some good in it (ok I admit, I love the idea of having my ego getting a happy ending), but I’m not really seeing it.

Not saying you’re a bad person for making this suggestion. All people seek approval and validation from other people, but this doesn’t really benefit the game.

And Arden, it’s Slayer of Issomir you were thinking of

I like the idea, but the problem I can’t ever shake off the tail of my intuition is… for one person to be a special snowflake, nobody else gets to be.

1 winner = a whole lot of losers.

And you know people’d look at it like a measuring stick contest.

I don’t think it’d leave the masses happy with a few unhappy outliers. I think it’d leave a lot of people going ‘Well, there’s that’ in very bitter to alienated to apathetic tones, and a few strutting around feeling like they were the champions of the world.

Let’s try to be constructive :
- Fragment of war seem to easy to gain add one 0 to the rank. Rank 2500+ would be much more accurate for “prestige”.
- Why do you go half pvp rank while full pve challenging stuff completion? Rank 80! nothing more nothing less (I assure you there are more then enough that are at this rank )
- What do you do about the fact that PvE in it’s whole is united in a megaserver? your “reward” lose automatically it’s prestige don’t you think?
- What happen to people that have a lot of character and use all of them equally? Will each character be a racial hero or just one? in case if it’s just one, will the time while the character ain’t played count as actual non connection?
- Lot’s of people pass from one server to another will they lose their statut?

Some unproductives thought :
I think you’ve got an idea that might be interesting, but at the same time you’re developping it in the wrong direction.
“Prestige” in guild wars 2 should most likely get through skin and maybe title. But PvE don’t fit the requirement for “server prestige”. Servers are here for WvW, everything else is megaserver.

Why i like your idea is because you can apply it with more depth in WvW. Sure, it won’t become a “mentor” like character but you can imagine each server being granted the possibility to chose at any moment a “warmaster” in wvw. This guy would have no real buff except maybe visual and grant more point to it’s server when he take tower/fort… At the same time, opponent would be granted wvw server point for the head of this “warmaster”.

To avoid exploit, it would have to be elected by at least 30 player and statut reset each time he leave wvw. Sure you can add some requirement like an actual minimum wvw rank or whatever.

PvE wise, I think it’s a bad idea.

PvP wise… I don’t think there is a real interest. Maybe you can add a glowing effect on players that are in the top 10…

Like always i’m totally against wasting developer ressources to create content just for a very small minority.

Something like this already exists in game if you can get the PvP tournament armor. Very very few people will have that.

naiasonod.9265:

I don’t think it’d leave the masses happy with a few unhappy outliers. I think it’d leave a lot of people going ‘Well, there’s that’ in very bitter to alienated to apathetic tones, and a few strutting around feeling like they were the champions of the world.

From my experience with the Royal Alchemist system people were always happy to see you, since you could potentially help them and understood it was a high end prestige, I never say anyone bitter about not being one. A few people did go “man I wish I could become one sigh” but then went on and did there own thing for goals within their reach.

Dadnir.5038:

Let’s try to be constructive :
- Fragment of war seem to easy to gain add one 0 to the rank. Rank 2500+ would be much more accurate for “prestige”.
- Why do you go half pvp rank while full pve challenging stuff completion? Rank 80! nothing more nothing less (I assure you there are more then enough that are at this rank )
- What do you do about the fact that PvE in it’s whole is united in a megaserver? your “reward” lose automatically it’s prestige don’t you think?
- What happen to people that have a lot of character and use all of them equally? Will each character be a racial hero or just one? in case if it’s just one, will the time while the character ain’t played count as actual non connection?
- Lot’s of people pass from one server to another will they lose their statut?

Some unproductives thought :
I think you’ve got an idea that might be interesting, but at the same time you’re developping it in the wrong direction.
“Prestige” in guild wars 2 should most likely get through skin and maybe title. But PvE don’t fit the requirement for “server prestige”. Servers are here for WvW, everything else is megaserver.

The server limitation is for the amount of players that can have the status, at 5200 I think it would be at a level where you’d see one per map at any given time. Changing server would cause you to lose the status and be placed on the reserve list for that server (unless they have less than 100 people in which case you retain it.)

The benefits are account wide but the title unlock is for the city you’re representing.

Believe it or not this is actually my compromise I was suggesting elite prestige skins but people kept complaining every time I did so this is my meeting them half way, no skins but you can clearly tell who they are.

Beldin.5498:

Like always i’m totally against wasting developer ressources to create content just for a very small minority.

Of an active player-base of around 300k , 5.2k is not that small. Additionally there has to be increasingly difficult and minority oriented goals otherwise there is nothing for the people at the top.
The luminescent armor might be the hardest thing someone at the 50th percentile has done but someone at the 90th percentile could breeze through it. Likewise someone at the 90th percentile might feel getting a legendary was hard or fractal 50 but someone at the 99th percentile might have half the set and find it relatively easy.

Zera Allimatti.2541:

Getting a ‘stronger’ weapon or a ‘unique’ skill that most players will be excluded from is just a bad idea all around. Most players will never get a precursor drop or a legendary weapon, but that doesn’t leave them at a playing disadvantage thanks to the lack of a ‘higher than best in slot’ mechanic like you are proposing.

If you read my proposal you’ll notice it offers absolutely no combat or stat advantage so I’m not quite sure what you’re on about.

Vayne.8563:

Something like this already exists in game if you can get the PvP tournament armor. Very very few people will have that.

Agreed, but that is PvP only, I’d like similar reward systems for the other four areas and a combined one that encompasses all areas of gameplay . Plus additional systems are always a plus.

Beldin.5498:

Like always i’m totally against wasting developer ressources to create content just for a very small minority.

I completely agree with this. Yes some people will get it, but it will mean nothing really in the grand scheme of things. Players are already racial hero’s. Hero of Shaymore(AP?) Commander of the Pact, Member of Destinys Edge, member of DE 2.0, slayer of Scarlet, also I have titles/skins from HoM that not everyone has. Look at how much of a special flower I am. I really don’t see any advantage or benefit from this system. Veteran players will look at this like every one running around with a Legendry, “oh look another one.” I personally would never go for this as it is nothing but an ego stroke. But that’s just my view on it.

Zera Allimatti.2541:

And Arden, it’s Slayer of Issomir you were thinking of

Oh yeah.

This sounds like something rather interesting, that I will never ever ever be able to experience if it’s going to be limited to the top players (which I am not).

I do kinda feel like GW2 doesn’t have a lot of prestige at present (although not sure if the suggestion is the answer). A lot of people have at least 1 legendary (heck even I’m half ways towards my first legendary), a lot of players have full ascended, a lot of players are dragon level in pvp etc. So I definitely think ANet needs to give us something else (the luminescent armor sort of does this, but it’s not really that prestigious and it’s only a matter of time until everyone’s gonna be wearing them).

Why stop there? There could be several tiers to this, including but not limited to:

“Devourer of Leisure”,
“Colossal Time-Waster”,
“Has Devoted More Time To This Than You Have To Your Actual Job”,
And who could forget,
“Does Literally Nothing All Day But Play This Game And Sometimes Sleep”

Personally, I don’t think I would want public recognition for effectively shredding my free time. You could say that’s just because I have aspirations beyond achieving fame in a fictitious universe based entirely on how much of my potential I’m willing to throw in the garbage in the name of pixels. And you’d be right.

I’m coming at this from a different direction. I don’t trust ANet to develop a system where this would work. Ultimately it would fall short and just as Legendaries are legion, so would this unique character modifier.

Andred.1087:

Why stop there? There could be several tiers to this, including but not limited to:

“Devourer of Leisure”,
“Colossal Time-Waster”,
“Has Devoted More Time To This Than You Have To Your Actual Job”,
And who could forget,
“Does Literally Nothing All Day But Play This Game And Sometimes Sleep”

Personally, I don’t think I would want public recognition for effectively shredding my free time. You could say that’s just because I have aspirations beyond achieving fame in a fictitious universe based entirely on how much of my potential I’m willing to throw in the garbage in the name of pixels. And you’d be right.

You appear to have a particular chip on your shoulder about time you spend playing the game. The outlined requirements are not really excessive and can be done by someone playing about 1 and a half hours a day (assuming they’ve played since release). I value my time spent in game at the same rate as time I spend at work. I also have real world aspirations I don’t see why having virtual aspirations is not possible at the same time as they are not mutually exclusive.

Lastly no matter how much time some one has spent in game if they think it was worth it, then it was and you have no place to belittle them for it.

Kal Spiro.9745:

I’m coming at this from a different direction. I don’t trust ANet to develop a system where this would work. Ultimately it would fall short and just as Legendaries are legion, so would this unique character modifier.

I have that concern too but I believe they’re slowly moving in the right direction, glorious hero armor was a good start and luminous armor fell short just due to the flaw of allowing parties to do the achievements which instantly opened it to buying and having someone else do it.

CureForLiving.5360:

I do kinda feel like GW2 doesn’t have a lot of prestige at present (although not sure if the suggestion is the answer). A lot of people have at least 1 legendary (heck even I’m half ways towards my first legendary), a lot of players have full ascended, a lot of players are dragon level in pvp etc. So I definitely think ANet needs to give us something else (the luminescent armor sort of does this, but it’s not really that prestigious and it’s only a matter of time until everyone’s gonna be wearing them).

I actually feel this quite keenly normally I never post on forums for games and don’t really mind how a game is developing, but there is just something about Guildwars 2 that’s making me feel this lack of prestiege systems in my daily gameplay. I’d actually put that close to my number one quibble.

Conski Deshan.2057:

Andred.1087:

Why stop there? There could be several tiers to this, including but not limited to:

“Devourer of Leisure”,
“Colossal Time-Waster”,
“Has Devoted More Time To This Than You Have To Your Actual Job”,
And who could forget,
“Does Literally Nothing All Day But Play This Game And Sometimes Sleep”

Personally, I don’t think I would want public recognition for effectively shredding my free time. You could say that’s just because I have aspirations beyond achieving fame in a fictitious universe based entirely on how much of my potential I’m willing to throw in the garbage in the name of pixels. And you’d be right.

You appear to have a particular chip on your shoulder about time you spend playing the game. The outlined requirements are not really excessive and can be done by someone playing about 1 and a half hours a day (assuming they’ve played since release). I value my time spent in game at the same rate as time I spend at work. I also have real world aspirations I don’t see why having virtual aspirations is not possible at the same time as they are not mutually exclusive.

Lastly no matter how much time some one has spent in game if they think it was worth it, then it was and you have no place to belittle them for it.

Kal Spiro.9745:

I’m coming at this from a different direction. I don’t trust ANet to develop a system where this would work. Ultimately it would fall short and just as Legendaries are legion, so would this unique character modifier.

I have that concern too but I believe they’re slowly moving in the right direction, glorious hero armor was a good start and luminous armor fell short just due to the flaw of allowing parties to do the achievements which instantly opened it to buying and having someone else do it.

CureForLiving.5360:

I do kinda feel like GW2 doesn’t have a lot of prestige at present (although not sure if the suggestion is the answer). A lot of people have at least 1 legendary (heck even I’m half ways towards my first legendary), a lot of players have full ascended, a lot of players are dragon level in pvp etc. So I definitely think ANet needs to give us something else (the luminescent armor sort of does this, but it’s not really that prestigious and it’s only a matter of time until everyone’s gonna be wearing them).

I actually feel this quite keenly normally I never post on forums for games and don’t really mind how a game is developing, but there is just something about Guildwars 2 that’s making me feel this lack of prestiege systems in my daily gameplay. I’d actually put that close to my number one quibble.

If you want something that is not easy to get in GW2. Guet GW1 and fill your HoM reward track. There are titles and skins you can not get any other way, also if you get the “God Walking Amongst Mere Mortals.” That carry’s over too. And I’ve not seen many people with that title. I my self have the title “Champion of the Mists” and people ask me a lot how to get it. Same with my Dragons Breath Sword.

This looks like a means for someone to feel special, like we didn’t have enough elitism.

You want something special? Ok, why not a “reward token” system where other players actually give you a token for being a helpful player? and at a certain amount of tokens, you get a title (“Tyrian mentor” or something like that) and that way new players and not-so-new players would know that “hey, look that is someone who can help me” and it would make you feel special enough. Not by boasting and bragging “omg I got 20kAP and I can clean out Arah in 3.5 minutes look at my Legendary”

Conski Deshan.2057:

naiasonod.9265:

I don’t think it’d leave the masses happy with a few unhappy outliers. I think it’d leave a lot of people going ‘Well, there’s that’ in very bitter to alienated to apathetic tones, and a few strutting around feeling like they were the champions of the world.

From my experience with the Royal Alchemist system people were always happy to see you, since you could potentially help them and understood it was a high end prestige, I never say anyone bitter about not being one. A few people did go “man I wish I could become one sigh” but then went on and did there own thing for goals within their reach.

Dadnir.5038:

Let’s try to be constructive :
- Fragment of war seem to easy to gain add one 0 to the rank. Rank 2500+ would be much more accurate for “prestige”.
- Why do you go half pvp rank while full pve challenging stuff completion? Rank 80! nothing more nothing less (I assure you there are more then enough that are at this rank )
- What do you do about the fact that PvE in it’s whole is united in a megaserver? your “reward” lose automatically it’s prestige don’t you think?
- What happen to people that have a lot of character and use all of them equally? Will each character be a racial hero or just one? in case if it’s just one, will the time while the character ain’t played count as actual non connection?
- Lot’s of people pass from one server to another will they lose their statut?

Some unproductives thought :
I think you’ve got an idea that might be interesting, but at the same time you’re developping it in the wrong direction.
“Prestige” in guild wars 2 should most likely get through skin and maybe title. But PvE don’t fit the requirement for “server prestige”. Servers are here for WvW, everything else is megaserver.

The server limitation is for the amount of players that can have the status, at 5200 I think it would be at a level where you’d see one per map at any given time. Changing server would cause you to lose the status and be placed on the reserve list for that server (unless they have less than 100 people in which case you retain it.)

The benefits are account wide but the title unlock is for the city you’re representing.

Believe it or not this is actually my compromise I was suggesting elite prestige skins but people kept complaining every time I did so this is my meeting them half way, no skins but you can clearly tell who they are.

Beldin.5498:

Like always i’m totally against wasting developer ressources to create content just for a very small minority.

Of an active player-base of around 300k , 5.2k is not that small. Additionally there has to be increasingly difficult and minority oriented goals otherwise there is nothing for the people at the top.
The luminescent armor might be the hardest thing someone at the 50th percentile has done but someone at the 90th percentile could breeze through it. Likewise someone at the 90th percentile might feel getting a legendary was hard or fractal 50 but someone at the 99th percentile might have half the set and find it relatively easy.

Zera Allimatti.2541:

Getting a ‘stronger’ weapon or a ‘unique’ skill that most players will be excluded from is just a bad idea all around. Most players will never get a precursor drop or a legendary weapon, but that doesn’t leave them at a playing disadvantage thanks to the lack of a ‘higher than best in slot’ mechanic like you are proposing.

If you read my proposal you’ll notice it offers absolutely no combat or stat advantage so I’m not quite sure what you’re on about.

Unless I’m confusing your post with one from someone else, you probably changed something in the post. I remember it being mentioned something about these ‘heroes’ being able to become a 6th party member for a dungeon and that they get a unique item that is a little stronger.

Zera Allimatti.2541:

Unless I’m confusing your post with one from someone else, you probably changed something in the post. I remember it being mentioned something about these ‘heroes’ being able to become a 6th party member for a dungeon and that they get a unique item that is a little stronger.

Nope didn’t change it, I suspect you read my question and answer post (question 3) which mentions what other games did with their hero systems because that’s an exact description of the Royal Alchemist. Which is not what I want to introduce to the game.

as far as i understood..i could get recognized only by the amount of my ap?

meh…not much of a hero character now is it?

Unless AP becomes character bound….