Guild Wars 2

I believe I am not the only one to be confused and have a lot of questions about transmutation and skins.

In my opinion the current system is not user friendly. I still don t know how to remove the wings I got from the AH and give them to another toon. There are no guides in game, there is no intuitive way to know how to do things with skins. How do the transmutation stones work? Do I need to use the mystic forge?

I would like to buy the new steampunk skin but I have no idea how it works and if I can share it with whatever that month my main is. Do I have to buy the skin for all my toons? How do you move a skin from one character to another?

Apparently I need a white item backpack in order to transmute the wings but there is no white backpack item unless you buy a backpack like the Quagan one. Which bring another question. Why isn t there a backpack item until level 33+?

I remember when I first bought the Quagan backpack I had no idea that there was a leather strap needed and my bag had a lot of stuff in them. I probably sold the thing or salvaged it to tell you the truth.

Wouldn t this whole process make much more sense to have a dedicated skin/appearance slot just like the color dyes? Click a skin tab, place the wings skin in there, pay whatever fee is necessary…then when you need to move the skin set to another toon you go to a npc and just like traits are able to reset them and the skins appear in your inventory account bound. Wouldn t that make more sense? At least to me it would.

Please make your skin system more user friendly.

The new armor skins can be transmuted onto any pieces of armor that match the set you purchase. For example medium set will only transmute onto medium armor pieces. To do so you double click the skin piece and it will open a transmute window with the skin showing in it. Then drag the armor piece into the window and select transmute.

As long as the armor piece you used is not soul bound it should stay account bound. If you transmute it onto a soul bound piece you will need to transmute the skin onto a white piece to make it account bound again if you want to use it on a different character. Then you will need to transmute that piece onto the armor you want the skin to be on.

If it is just account bound you do not need to transmute it onto a white item first in order to transmute it onto a new piece.

Do not throw your wings in the mystic forge.

tl:dr

To transmute you click the new skin piece and drop the armor you want the skin to be on into the window.
If you are transmuting a soul bound you will need to place it on a white item first.
Don’t throw your wings into the mystic forge.

Hope this helps.

This game really needs a proper costume/appearance system. The system we have in place now, with transmutation stones, etc., is terrible. LotRO got this right years ago, you’d think GW2 could put together something better than what we have. Even GW1 did a better job of making costume items user friendly. This is a big, big reason why I don’t buy any cosmetic items from the gem shop.

You can’t switch back pieces across characters, because there are no default white back pieces..

Dante.1508:

You can’t switch back pieces across characters, because there are no default white back pieces..

True but you can buy the cosmetic backpack kits, not just the cover, from TP. Transmuting onto the backstrap will make it account bound.

the skin system is like this so ncsoft can profit from the gem store sales.

The entire transmutation system needs to be scrapped and replaced by a proper wardrobe system. If the game is going to have cosmetic progression then at least do it right. What we have now is horrible. Look at how DCUO handled it and just copy that system. It will make a lot more people inclined to buy skins from the cash shop.

JustTrogdor.7892:

Dante.1508:

You can’t switch back pieces across characters, because there are no default white back pieces..

True but you can buy the cosmetic backpack kits, not just the cover, from TP. Transmuting onto the backstrap will make it account bound.

Yes true but that requires cash shop, other items do not.

Yep it’s not. I prefered LOTRO’s system honestly. They had a couple of outfits available others were more store bought to have more. You took the items and placed them in the slots on the pane for the outfitter and then you right clicked on your toons icon to change them out. It was a simple design. That way you could have all of your outfits in one place. They had a total of something like 9 outfits to use and the items never took up space in your inventory or bank, the outfit slot took the item and held it there permanently until you removed it and did something with it. No fuss no messy cleanup.

sigh I miss that.

Fungalfoot.7213:

The entire transmutation system needs to be scrapped and replaced by a proper wardrobe system. If the game is going to have cosmetic progression then at least do it right. What we have now is horrible. Look at how DCUO handled it and just copy that system. It will make a lot more people inclined to buy skins from the cash shop.

This. DCUO’s system was awesome and should be copied by more mmos. If not this, then at least appearance slots would obviously be a far superior system for the user. I suppose anet knows this already though, so the only reason why we have the awful transmutation stone system is that it is an efficient money grab, and won’t be changed because of this.

Dante.1508:

JustTrogdor.7892:

Dante.1508:

You can’t switch back pieces across characters, because there are no default white back pieces..

True but you can buy the cosmetic backpack kits, not just the cover, from TP. Transmuting onto the backstrap will make it account bound.

Yes true but that requires cash shop, other items do not.

Not true. I got mine from the TP.

I bought my friend a rare back item off the TP (to put his Dragon Wings skin on) for 3 silver. There was a Masterwork one for 1 silver and change. It’s not that expensive to get something to transmute back items onto. =)

edit: This one: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Charred_Back_Warmer

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

I bought my friend a rare back item off the TP (to put his Dragon Wings skin on) for 3 silver. There was a Masterwork one for 1 silver and change. It’s not that expensive to get something to transmute back items onto. =)

edit: This one: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Charred_Back_Warmer

Yes this too as well as spineguards. I opted for cosmetic only because I didn’t want to put them on anything with stats. I wanted them account bound no level requirements to wear so all my low level alts can get a chance to try them on as well.

Edit: I put the shattered wings on a piece with stats for my main. The holo ones I put on a no stat strap from a kit so everyone on my team can share.

I would like to keep the skin replaced. That is, it remains stored on a “collection of skins”. In fact I think this would increase the use of tranmutacion stones.

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

the skin system is like this so ncsoft can profit from the gem store sales.

In games with much more flexible costume systems, I’ve found myself much more willing to buy skins. I also have purchased multiple copies of the same skin for alts, just to avoid the inconvenience of trading them around among characters.

You might be right that it’s their reason, but I think it’s a completely flawed reason.