Guild Wars 2

Permanent convenience items like Molten Alliance Mining Pick and Royal Terrace Pass are really cool and useful but there is no point in buying more once you already have one of each.
For instance, I’d like to purchase a Mistlock Sanctuary Passkey but since I already have a Royal Terrace Pass I simply can’t justify spending the gems. Maybe this would be a good way to keep people buying new cosmetic or convenience items since they would get some value (e.g. half the gem value) for trading in old ones.

At least for me, there is a value to having more than one set of the harvesting tools. I assign a set of tools to a character to fit that character. Of my eleven characters, nine of them have full sets of the permanent harvesting tools that (for me) match up with the character’s profession and the picture I have of them in my mind. So it is sort of a cosmetic/role play thing.

While that might not be to everyone’s taste, it is a small part of what makes the character more complete for me. Plus, since I pick a character to play by how I am feeling at the time I log in, I do not have to mess with switching tools between characters or worrying that I forgot to bank the tools off the last character I played. Yes, I have all the shared slots unlocked but those spaces are filled with much more important items than switching harvesting tools.

Keller.3914:

Permanent convenience items like Molten Alliance Mining Pick and Royal Terrace Pass are really cool and useful but there is no point in buying more once you already have one of each.

Maybe there’s not point for you, but there is for others. People buy different everlasting tools for the skins, not just the utility.

Keller.3914:

For instance, I’d like to purchase a Mistlock Sanctuary Passkey but since I already have a Royal Terrace Pass I simply can’t justify spending the gems.

Although I had two port scrolls (from before Shared Inventory Slots), the Mistlock Sanctuary Pass is definitely worth it. First of all, I’ve gotten plenty of use out of the the Royal Terrace Pass already, so I feel it’s cost has been well amortized. Second, the Mistlock Sanctuary has several features worth the 1000 gem cost:

• Return to your previous location — no other VIP pass offers this (and, per developers, no other is likely to in the near or mid-term future). This alone makes it worth the cost for me.
• But wait, there’s more: there are additional features that are close to worthwhile, too:
  • Ports to fractal and to aerodrome.
  • Double-clicking the pass while in the instance takes you to spawn — big time saver.
  • Vendors/stations are much, much more conveniently located. Less time spent finding what you want.
  • Nova Launch & Low Gravity make it far, far faster to reach the services you want.
  • It’s the only instance to offer all the services.

In short, it’s by far & away the most useful and fun VIP area in the game.

Keller.3914:

Maybe this would be a good way to keep people buying new cosmetic or convenience items since they would get some value (e.g. half the gem value) for trading in old ones.

Or maybe it would be something that reduces the overall RL monies people spend on gems. Let’s say they reduce the price 50%, as you suggest. Then for every person like me (willing to pay full price without the discount), there would have to be at least one person like you that wouldn’t pay full price, but who would pay half price. That’s not typically true for consumers. Plus, at 500 gems, more people would be able to convert gold to gems rather than buying gems with RL cash.

In other words, it’s probably a loss for ANet.

Of course, neither of us can be sure which it is, since we’re both speculating without access to ANet’s data. The fact that ANet hasn’t offered discounts during the last five years — despite suggestions like this — suggests that they think it wouldn’t increase sales enough to make it worth the effort.

tl;dr it’s a great suggestion in terms of player convenience. It’s probably not realistic in terms of cost:benefit for ANet, so unlikely to happen.

You wouldn’t want to swap the royal terrace for mistlock if it weren’t for the fact that mistlock sanctuary is flat out superior for the same gem cost.

It’s what’s annoying about their practices, they introduce items that make the previous convenience items inferior.

Zenith.7301:

You wouldn’t want to swap the royal terrace for mistlock if it weren’t for the fact that mistlock sanctuary is flat out superior for the same gem cost.

It’s what’s annoying about their practices, they introduce items that make the previous convenience items inferior.

So how is that different than any other convenience items sold in the world? Aren’t they all marketed with New! Improved! features that your old version didn’t have?

But actually, when you get to specifics your argument breaks down. Does the new Elon Lounge have improved features? How about the Nobel’s Pass? Those only have a different location, not new features.

meh.. each of my characters has their own set of Collecting tools.. often themed to their class.

I agree with OP. Currently I have 1 set of everlasting gathering tools. The first ones of each tool that ANet released. They don’t build a set together and don’t fit any of my characters thematically.

I would like to buy a new set of gathering tools with nice effects, but I’m not going to pay 3 kgems just for new skins. I’m already using my 1 set on all my characters via shared inventory, so getting a second set doesn’t even add any utility for me.

Some option to trade my old tools + some amount of gems for a new set would be highly appreciated.