Guild Wars 2

Teq’s mama sooooooooo stoopit…I SAID, Teq’s mama sooooooo STOOPIT that when Thackery said, “Look at Horrogos!”, she said, “Goes where?”

Tachyon.5897:

I love how the entire contingent of Destiny’s Edge and the entire combined armed forces of Tyria just stand around doing sweet-FA but watching you do everything alone?

Need to block giant’s attacks, keep to an eye out for undead and defeat any incursions? OK, you do that whilst we’ll just chill here inside the airship out of harm’s way.

Have to kill Zhaitan with the Glory of Tyria’s vast gun batteries? That’s OK, I’m sure you alone can sprint up and down the entire length of the ship while we and the gunners just watch you.

And of course, there’s whatshisface (the Human guy whose name I can’t remember at the moment) GLORIOUSLY popping up out of nowhere and essentially say, “AHAHAHAHAH NUBS! U THOT I WUZ DED! TROLOLOLOLOL!” Of course, I always get a kick out of that.

Maybe I’m wrong here but I think nerfing Victory or Death makes sense. Look at it from this perspective:

You’re a new player and hit this ‘wall’ in the Personal Story. Now, you’ve leveled up all the way from 1-80 and now you need to finish this particular portion to advance the storyline. Yet all your buddies are busy with HoT content and can’t be bothered to help at the moment. What do you do?

So making it soloable (while disappointing, I’m sure to the long term players) will ultimately help the newer players get to where they CAN enjoy the ‘current content’.

Tigaseye.2047:

Huggywuggles.2814:

Michael Henninger.7451:

telimo.7201:

Michael Henninger.7451:

Neural.1824:

I don’t see a red tag on your name.

I’ve got one!!

You should block the account and then make no further attempt to interact with them directly or through a 3rd party (i.e. having a friend send an in-game mail).

If they continue to harass you submit a support ticket with as much detail as you can provide.

But this is no solution if a person put you on friend or blocklist and always knows when and where you are online. Why I’m not being displayed for a blocked person as always offline? The blocked person could not see my online status and also not the place where I am. Please change this

I agree that this is in need of a fix and we’ve asked for one. In the meantime; let me hunt ’em down for you. >=)

I have to say THIS is why I like GW2 (and Anet) so much. Not only are they vocal in hunting down scum but they seem to truly enjoy their job and understand their EULA/ToS and want to enforce it.

By comparison, I played another game where people would have blatantly offensive names. I would report them and put them on my friend list (out of curiosity). One went four years with a particularly offensive name without repercussion. The response from the GM I received after repeatedly reporting this player was, “You can’t expect us to get everyone, can you? Now stop bothering us or I’ll permanently ban you for harassing company staff.”

No, you can’t expect them to “get everyone”, but you should be able to expect them to get the ones reported to them and acknowledged by them.

Clearly, the GM in question didn’t agree with his company’s rules in this case, otherwise why on earth didn’t he just deal with the issue, instead of wasting his time arguing with you?

Can I ask which game this was, BTW?

World of Warcraft. They’ve really developed (at least from a player’s eyes) an attitude of ‘we don’t care’. But I was as surprised by the reply as I was the attitude. Who’d ever think that reporting a player in violation of the EULA/ToS could get a person banned.

SkullProX.7083:

Well at the end it become Crimson Fear… (a thief with a red hair..) its lame but i didnt have any more time to try the names so yeah… and i used Skullprox for my hunter :’D

If you like the name, it’s not lame.
It’s a name you like, a name you love.
Now go out and punch some Skritt
And reign death down upon them from above.

You could try looking to literature for inspiration. I have a Sylvari Ranger named Vertu La Fleur (inspired by the prologue from Canterbury Tales).

“Of which vertu engendred is the flour” which, when translated from Olde English is "To generate therein and sire the flower; " and seems to have a bit of significance for Sylvari

Michael Henninger.7451:

telimo.7201:

Michael Henninger.7451:

Neural.1824:

I don’t see a red tag on your name.

I’ve got one!!

You should block the account and then make no further attempt to interact with them directly or through a 3rd party (i.e. having a friend send an in-game mail).

If they continue to harass you submit a support ticket with as much detail as you can provide.

But this is no solution if a person put you on friend or blocklist and always knows when and where you are online. Why I’m not being displayed for a blocked person as always offline? The blocked person could not see my online status and also not the place where I am. Please change this

I agree that this is in need of a fix and we’ve asked for one. In the meantime; let me hunt ’em down for you. >=)

I have to say THIS is why I like GW2 (and Anet) so much. Not only are they vocal in hunting down scum but they seem to truly enjoy their job and understand their EULA/ToS and want to enforce it.

By comparison, I played another game where people would have blatantly offensive names. I would report them and put them on my friend list (out of curiosity). One went four years with a particularly offensive name without repercussion. The response from the GM I received after repeatedly reporting this player was, “You can’t expect us to get everyone, can you? Now stop bothering us or I’ll permanently ban you for harassing company staff.”

Of course, my main Huggy Wuggles comes directly from my WoW Gnome main character. To me, there is nothing more profoundly fun than playing a diminutive, smartalecy, whirling ball of doom (unless I’m in PvP in which case everyone BUT me specifically is totally OP and needs to be nerfed regardless of class).

But recently, I rolled a Sylvari Ranger and was at an absolute loss as to what to name her. And I thought, and thought and then thought some more, but it seems as if naming new characters feels like too much of a chore.

And as I created and deleted, and struggled for names, I remembered fondly my love of AP High School English class and the best paper I’d ever written.

It was about Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and as I thought back to how I’d struggled with memorizing the prelude in Olde English (and modern English-they really REALLY need to nerf that thing!), I was going over it in my mind.

And what I could remember stuck out to me. Particularly this line.

“Of which vertu engendred is the flour;” which translates to "To generate therein and sire the flower; " and knowing what little I know of Sylvari lore, it hit me like a ton of bricks. And thus, Vertu la Fleur (I know, not exactly Olde English but it seemed right) was born. Of course, that’s the extent of my character’s cleverness as I intend to name each and every one of my pets after salad dressings or salad dressing ingredients…

But aaaaaaaaaaaaaanywho…what are some of your cool, odd character names and where did you get the inspiration for them?

Dyvim.8293:

Vayne.8563:

I’m sorry but this is a ridiculous point.

The people against marriage equality aren’t speaking. or themselves. They’re saying those people over there, a group I’m not part of, can’t do something.

The people in that group aren’t saying that the first group can’t. One side is speaking for the other. That’s the issue here.

Your oversimplification is amusing. What some people for traditional marriage are saying is that you should not REDEFINE marriage. That redefinition affects everyone. Profoundly. How small to think it doesn’t affect everyone and everything.

Marriage equality as a term is about as accurate and meaningful as climate change. The left realized global warming was a loser, so they had to change it…except that the climate always changes and has historically been both warmer and colder before man came on the scene. So in a similar fashion, the left rebranded gay marriage as marriage equality. The playbook is always the same, redefine terms in order to cheat in any subsequent debate in order to dishonestly claim the high ground.

The gay marriage advocates are demanding that society redefine roles, traditions, and relationships that are based in moral and biological imperatives that are millennia old…or older. They aren’t simply asking for new rights, they are demanding that everyone accept their definition of an institution that many people have very strong feelings about. Some would label that a clear case of tyranny by a tiny minority.

Most people are fair minded. So having couples get equal treatment under the law is beneficial. But no one should kid themselves into thinking gay marriage is marriage. It is fundamentally something else, no matter how many times people want to pull Orwellian rabbits out of their hat and play word games. Certain biological truths cannot be redefined away. Marriage is about bringing together two FUNDAMENTALLY different genders that have fundamentally different roles and capabilities.

Why shouldn’t three people be allowed to marry? Or four? Why not allow bigamy, polygamy? Where does marriage equality end? It’s a laughable notion, as laughable as the current notion of tolerance and political correctness, which demands conformity to whatever daily wind is blowing about what might offend some group somewhere. Who cares. No one has a right to not be offended.

As a very non-interested in ‘social justice’ type, I’m sad to say that your religous objections are wrong.

Remember Christ? He was that guy in that book that threw the gold exchangers in the Temple out because charging people for worshipping was an affront to God because they were using His name to gain personal wealth and power; the same thing these pastors, preachers, priests and politicians are doing .

In addition, Christ’s ministry was all about defending the rights of those who were oppressed by the Roman government and those who were disenfranchised by societal norms. Sounds familiar doesn’t it considering gay men and women have been fighting for equal legal recognition for decades. And as far as I can tell, the Government hasn’t stepped up and told the various Christian sects that they cannot practice their faith as they choose provided that they do not abuse their freedom of expression by deliberately interfering with another’s right to express themselves-in this case, that freedom of expression being two consenting adults being free to fully express their love for one another via the celebration of a legal union called marriage.

And I won’t go into all the HISTORICAL reasons the Bible is thoroughly misinterpreted and misunderstood where it regards same-sex marriage.

Magicus.4302:

I’m referring to this: https://twitter.com/GuildWars2/status/614560129573351424

Please remember that a very large portion of your player base doesn’t agree with the court’s decision today.

There have been same-sex couples/relationships in this game (I would presume since the beginning). In fact, my sylvari has encountered two. One between Eldon amd some other male sylvari. Caithe and Faolin are another. There’s a third in LS2 where one female Sylvari loses her “friend” who sacrifices herself to blow up a Risen Giant Generator.

My surprise, coming from WoW where the only nod to same-sex relationships is tenuous at best, was how well their portrayals were so well written and performed. Anet obviously has been a supporter of same-sex relationships for quite some time. I’m just grateful that they were portrayed so well.

So it would make perfect sense for Anet to support yesterday’s SCOTUS ruling.

Guhracie.3419:

What is the question here? Excelsior is one word.

Sigh. I know. I was joking.

I need MORE options!

Look, I enjoy playing Asura. In fact, I am Huggy Wuggles, Tyria’s most fearsome and terrifying Asura Warrior. However, I am a Warrior in need of options.

As one might know, Asura like to say Excelsi or…a LOT.

But what else?

I ask of you, Excelsi or WHAT?

If you’re ever in trouble, just call on Zap Rosdower. He’s the Canadian Chuck Norris.

StinVec.3621:

Eastern time will likely be about 3PM as we’re 3 hours ahead of Pacific. It could be up to 5 or 6PM Eastern if they run into some last second delays, but they mainly put it out between noon and 2 their time.

Gotcha, thanks!

So forgive me if this has already been asked and answered. But what time does the patch drop Eastern Time for the U.S.?

Wow. After the debacle that Blizzard put me and numerous other players through, it’s ENTIRELY refreshing to see a company not only face the music, so to speak, but address the issue in a very timely and professional manner which benefits everyone moving forward.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here, again. I’m danged glad to be a part of this community and I’m proud to be an Anet fan.

Personally, as someone who’s playing an Asura main, I prefer the green Mohawk look simply because it reminds me of my old WoW main’s “SGF” (Sexy Green Fauxhawk) which is, incidentally, a hairstyle I’d LOVE to see in game-the fauxhawk.

On the opening day of the new L.A
Scarlet’s missing twin evil sister appears and attacks
L.A with an army of mutated zombies.
In the end we save the city with the help of King Kong
Godzilla and Flipper the Dolphin.

As long as it’s the most recent Godzilla and not that abomination that was in the movie alongside Matthew Broderick, as long as it’s the King Kong from the original movie and not the Jack Black version and as long as it’s the 70’s Flipper, I’d be TOTALLY cool with that.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

It probably is not so much on the back burner, as never made it into the kitchen. Lol.

On the other hand, there is that suspicious sole Karka Hatchling lurking in the I-beams. ; )

I thought that was a C.H.U.D.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Nothing like the destruction which was part of the Living Story. At least, nothing that we know of. There may be player-sponsored ‘events’, though.

I think this patch is more about the new features, etc., than story. I’m sure there will be some new dialogue from new, of course, NPCs, and probably from some of the older ones, as well.

Good luck.

Cool. I was kind of hoping for something like a ‘Grand Re-Opening Event’ or some such thing, but I can easily get that with a new expansion on the horizon, the time that Beta testing requires and incoming bug reports/fixes…something like that will easily be put on the back burner.

When people have been given three years of nothing but FREE updates and content and turn around and claim that they are OWED for their ‘loyalty’ when a product update is launched and costs money…I think the word (in the negative connotation) ‘entitlement’ is entirely deserved.

I don’t recall seeing anything about what I’m about to ask so forgive me if it’s already been stated or asked.

My friends have talked a great deal about the Destruction of LA and the event that surrounded it with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Is there going to be an event for the re-opening of LA as well?

Odyssey.2613:

My empathy for you ends when you are trying your best to separate my money from my wallet.

Because…that’s how businesses work? Funny. I suppose you have some amazing, world changing business model that doesn’t rely on turning a profit, then?

The irony in this statement is that when coupled with the overwhelming sentiment that Anet ‘owes veteran players for loyalty’, you are flat out denying the company that has provided quite a HUGE amount of content over three years for free the same sense of ‘loyalty’.

Acrisor.8097:

If I buy GW2 Heroic box now from my local store in my city, will I get HoT included, or I will have to also buy HoT (with core game included)?

From what I understand, yes you will.

My best guess (and I could be wrong here) would be to purchase HoT (pre-order, since you already have an account, it seems) and then buy the upgrade for the basic account via the gem store though all that does is give you some non-essential goodies like ONE set of veteran armor skins and some boosters and a pet (I think).

Ardenwolfe.8590:

CureForLiving.5360:

And this is where OPs argument comes in. Veteran players have already gotten their value for money out of the core game. OP views this “veteran players have to be rewarded” as being entitled. I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it, I do feel however that ANet doesn’t really owe veteran players anything since well veteran players paid for the game and they got the game. For me it’s similar to when someone buys the game and a year later it goes on sale and then veteran players complain about that (which is actually a thing that happened on these very forums).

Customer X stayed with a business since it opened. He’s bought various menu items in the store and praises the game. Then, one day, the owners push Customer X aside, after he just bought a big meal, to pamper a new customer who may or may not stick around. The owner now also wants Customer X to repay for a previous meal, or a meal he just bought a moment ago, if Customer X wants dessert. And it will cost twice as much if he wants silverwear.

Should Customer X be angry? What price does the business put on Customer X’s loyalty? Should Customer X suck it up and be happy because he got good service beforehand?

That’s the question ANet is asking its most loyal players. And it’s not one that should’ve been ever asked in the first place. It’s not entitlement.

It’s asking to be treated with respect as a paying, and loyal, customer.

Your analogy is all wrong. What you are describing (to use your example) is a long time customer coming into the restaurant, taking up a table, maaaaaaaaaybe buying a burger, some fries and a beer and finishing his/her supper and continuing to keep that table occupied while new and PAYING customers wait in line to be seated.

At some point, the restaurant will have to make a decision: upset the non-paying customer or accommodate the new customer. That’s what OP is saying. You’ve already paid and eaten your supper. Now you want to hold up the restaurant for a FREE dessert when they have the opportunity to make more money off a new customer.

It’s not shady. It’s not evil. It’s not disrespectful. It’s a matter of business.

darkdomino.9578:

The marketing department for Anet should be fired. No reprimand, no unpaid leave… Clean out your desk by the end of business hours.

The fact that anyone was allowed to market their game this way, with this pricing structure, is either malicious or incompetent… either way they have no business working for you.

Let me ask you this:

Do you think the car salesman who doesn’t give you full value for your used car when you want a newer, improved model three years later should likewise be fired?

Frankly, that’s what this ‘veteran player’ thing is coming across as. I get that people PERCEIVE that they’re being taken for a ride, but in actuality you’re not. Loyalty programs are few and far between in retail/gaming and with the daily log-in gifts rewarding you for…logging in each and every day and being a veteran, you now have more mats, the ability to power level a new revenant, etc. that newer players don’t.

DrMatt.9408:

So I’ve spent the past day raging on reddit and in game about the expansion price and ascended 5-10%, said anet is a joke and worse etc etc. However now I’m just tired of the whole thing and ashamed of the behaviour of myself and others. Truth is I love the game and want it to be success. I also respect the devs as people who love what they are doing and try their best. People should stop for a second and consider the effect their behaviour is having not only on morale at anet right now but on the future of the game itself. If people want to kill the game they are going about it the right way. Anet have made and continue to make mistakes sure, and I expect them to make amends in some way as they always do. But I think we all need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and start behaving like reasonable people. That goes both ways, radio silence from anet is no more acceptable than rage and insults from the community. I hope we can sort out this mess soon before permanent damage is done.

I think that long time players have EVERY right to be critical of the pricing structure, Ascended gear getting a boost, etc. But I’ve always maintained that it’s all about HOW you deliver the message, not the message itself.

That being said, I applaud you for putting aside the rage and taking a deep breath and apologizing, not for the message, but in the manner in which you delivered it.

Sunshine.5014:

The only xpac should be priced at $30. However, they cant really change the price now since it will create a logistics disaster of refund and other things.

The best option is this:

• If you are a new player, you will receive the base game for free, with the $50 purchase
• If you are an existing player, you will receive 1600 gems, which you can use to buy character slot.

That’s actually a pretty fair compromise. Some people may not need or even want a new character slot BUT giving them the ability to purchase what they DO need or want is a fair and equitable compromise.

Astralporing.1957:

What about someone that bought this game at the special discounts that happened regularly all through this year? Remember, they didn’t get anything you menationed.

That’s called “life”. It happens. Sometimes a person comes along at a later date and it just simply isn’t possible to have all the stuff people who came before them did.

Your argument can be offset simply by pointing out that those who DID purchase the game did so at a DISCOUNTED price therefore creating the argument that the discount offsets the things they missed out on.

But that is more about perceived value versus dollar value.

insanemaniac.2456:

the questions you need to ask yourself are:

will you most likely buy HoT anyways?
do you want in on the betas?
do you want some exclusive in game bling?
do you buy gems?

if the answer to all 4 is yes, the ultimate is really the only way to go. cuz of the gems.
if even one of those is a no, go with the basic or wait till after a couple of the betas before you decide, cuz youll be able to get the bling with gems if you really want it ( = in game gold).
if you arent even sure if you want HoT… well… then… wait till release at a minimum and ignore all the kittening on here and reddit cuz its just a bunch of kittening.

deluxe should prolly be ignored no matter what cuz of those gems on ultimate.

Exactly. There is a lot of perceived value in these expansions. But you get that with other MMO’s as well. If you’ve ever played WoW, you know you generally get an art book, maybe a CD and a mount/pet. None of these things have any intrinsic value beyond what they mean on a personal basis to an individual player.

Good call!

I’m going to double down and say this particular offer is targeted ENTIRELY at new players and I can see Anet possibly offering what I call a “fourth tier” option (maybe two which would make it fourth and fifth) that include the perks and no perks at reduced costs compared to what we see on the pre-order MINUS the base game…unless coding prevents separating the two.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

You know, pre-purchasing is usually cheaper than waiting. You might as well get on the train now, because /hype.

It depends. At the rate people are offering feedback on the pricing structure on the pre-orders, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Anet offer a “fourth tier” option with the physical edition which doesn’t include the base game.

But you do have a valid point in that the Ultimate pre-order is very much the best value per dollar.

Bomber.3872:

You should get your informations straight before you write wrong stuff

First you added the 50$ for the core game. We the player have the core game! So your total is wrong, actually it is 64.23$ for the ultimate edition. No player would complain about that price!!! (Of course the 100$ are fine for new player, but that are not 460.000! 460.000 have paid their 50$ already!)

Second, so it is a ripp-off to veterans.

Third, veterans have been able to purchase the extra charslot for 3 years??? Yes of course, but what does it matter if I paid 10$ 3 years ago for a revenant charslot or if I have to pay it again now? Revenant comes with HoT, so it should be price inclueded for all veterans that buy HoT and not cost another 10$.

Fourth point you said yourself. You accumulated 45 ToK in one week… So every new player buying HoT can play gw2 core game right after purchase and get enough ToK until HoT.

Fifth is crafting, well did you consider that veterans might have to get all the materials too? Where is there any advantage?

Sixt the daily log in rewards only exist since ~5 month and you only get them if you log in daily. Where the hell is that any advantage that has a value to ripping of 50$ from veterans (at ultimate edition).

Seriously I don’t get how you can have such a mindtwist…. there is NO reward for veteran loyality at all. But it are the veterans which paid and were loyal to gw2 so that people like you can still buy and play it after 3 years!

Wrong-o about the pricing structure (kind of).

Here’s the thing: This is the pricing for EVERYTHING (including the base game) that is included in the price. If Anet were to profit off of this than the marketing would be at least discounting the base game but still selling it. Therefore, the pricing stands though the cost is theoretical only.

Ergo: Regardless of what you already have, the TOTAL cost of all that is included in the Expansion is correct. Thus the Ultimate version is going to be sold at a loss to Anet.

Granted, it doesn’t make sense to sell it on it’s own (I haven’t looked at the base $50.00 expansion to see whether or not it includes the base game or not so it may be a moot point). However, this is why I suspect they’re selling in three tiers.

1) Base expansion, no frills

2) Medium expansion, some frills

3) Ultimate expansion get all the goodies.

It’s basic marketing. Using your reasoning, that would be like asking your local appliance retailer to knock off the washer upgrade you want because you already have a functioning washing machine. Life and retail doesn’t work that way.

Vorgryn.9145:

Uriel was a regular contributor in the necromancer forums (longtime Necro forum lurker here), so I’m wondering if this is more about the continued state of necromancer than HoT…

Sorry to see you go! Best of luck!

Gotcha. It is a shame to see contributors go. Hopefully, somewhere down the road OP will be able to come back with a whole heart and be a productive member of the community again.

To Uriel (one of my favorite poems, FYI), I leave you with this:

May the roads rise up to meet you,
May the winds be always at your back.
And should life ever find you thirsty,
May you find a juicebox close to hand.

Talon Silverhawk.3574:

Huggywuggles.2814:

Player loyalty
Coming from a long time gw player, while trying to grab new player is a good move but neglecting loyal/veteran player by giving them the shorter end of the deal is not. Those player are the one making the expansion possible by purchasing the gam years ago and supporting the game via gem purchase. Without them there won’t even be a expansion as the game would be consider a failure. Move and marketing like this will sent out a vibe that loyal supporter and player are not appreciated and will not bore well in helping the gw and arenanet branding in the future. MMO like WoW strive due to it’s loyal playerbase while company like EA and activision get bad rep for milking it’s player base with map pack and DLC galore. Which type does arenanet want to strive to be?

Daily rewards. PvP rewards. All of these things should also be considered as “loyalty rewards”. Why? Think about Tomes of Knowledge for a second. Many long term players who’ve been saving them/hoarding them are going to be able to put newly created characters DIRECTLY into the (pardon the pun) heart of the action. Want to level those professions? You’ll have access to crafting materials galore..not necessarily from farming them but simply from logging in each and every day.

You, as a long term player, have already been rewarded for your loyalty. You just took it for granted.

Thats what you get for playing the game? It’s not loyalty rewards, companies must love you.

This is like car insurance renewal, new customers get the special offers and deals, existing customers get the shaft.. It’s ANET taking its veterans for granted not the other way round.

Really? I wonder. Think about it for a second. IF you’ve been wise you’ve probably got a gajillion or more ToK stockpiled. That means if you choose to do so, your new Revenant can jump right into HoT content whereas a new player will have to spend the time leveling (and I’ve seen nothing regarding reducing the amount of exp needed for 1-80) to get where you are.

In addition, if you have been wise, you’ve been stockpiling those crafting materials and maybe already crafting Legendary/Ascended armor and weapons for your newly boosted Revenant. Again, this puts you (as a ‘veteran player’) WELL ahead of the curve compared to new players.

All those skill point scrolls you’ve got sitting around? Pretty sure those will come in handy as well whereas a new player won’t have those.

So yeah. Your point is all YOU’VE gotten are glorified discounts. And that’s true. But what do you think happens when you’re a long term customer? YOU get all the best deals. YOU get all the extras. YOU get all the ‘go to the head of the line’ type deals that newer customers do not get.

Sounds pretty darned rewarding if you ask me.

keramatzmode.1906:

Hold on to your money. I honestly from what they have shown and promised, it is worth 15-20. 50 dollars, I better preorder fallout 4. 50 dollars is beyond comprehension of what it’s worth.

Besides, the preorder is recommended for the new players getting in. But for the current players, hold on to your money. This is plain ridiculous. Unless you want the rytlock mini and the good gem deal, go get the ultimate if you can afford one.

Agreed 100%. This is the route I’ll be taking (most likely in two or three weeks) because the Ultimate Package is, far and away, the very best value. The estimated value of everything the Ultimate Package offers is (based on valuing a single gem at $1.00 U.S <rounded up> as well as average prices on the gem store of similar items) $114.23 U.S. which you will be paying $100.00 U.S. for.

Remember, there IS no rush to pre-order if you cannot afford it just at the moment. I can’t. But knowing where the real value for your dollar is will be extremely important in making the most informed decision that is right for you.

EDIT: I understand the frustration and perception that new players will get more than ‘veteran players’ for the same money. It’s fairly evident. However, do not be surprised to see an eventual “fourth tier” purchase option (possibly with the physical edition-if there is one) that will be priced possibly below the Basic pre-order that includes ONLY the expansion material. However, depending on how things are coded it may not be a possibility

So there’s been some back and forth as of yesterday regarding the pricing of the upcoming expansion and whether or not Anet is “ripping people off”. Many players are claiming that, yes Anet is ripping off people. But the math says otherwise.

So what do we know? We know that you can purchase a gem card with 2400 gems for $25.00 which pegs the cost of a SINGLE gem at roughly $1.00 U.S. (if you round up).

So where does this take us? Well, doing the math, it’s pretty interesting.

NOTE: all prices are in dollars U.S. and based on an average of similar items in the gem store

Let’s look at what we get with the fully upgraded version which is a cost of $99.99 U.S. ($100.00 U.S. rounded up):

We get 4000 gems which is a cost of $40.00 U.S.

We also receive an exclusive Mini which is (based on an average cost of the minis in the game store) $3.65

There’s also the glider skin (again, based off an average cost of skins in the gem store) which costs $5.40

The finisher which is $7.18

The Character Slot is worth $8.00

All of these goodies (and who doesn’t like those?) come up to a total of $64.23 U.S.

In addition, there is also the inclusion of the base game at a cost (presuming the cost is the same as the base expansion upon release) of $50.00 U.S.

That, friends, is a staggering total of $114.23 U.S. all of which we’re purchasing for $100.00 U.S.

Does that sound like a huge discount? Not really. But consider this for a second:
According to a Reddit from 06/25 it is speculated that GW2 has as many as 460,000 concurrent users (source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/29xuvj/how_big_is_the_player_base/)

Imagine that for a second. If you do the math (presuming everyone purchases the super awesome deluxe upgrade package), ANet takes a MASSIVE bath on this! Do the math yourself!

460,000 (presumed concurrent active playerbase) multiplied by 14.24(the difference between actual cost of extras and the cost off the expansion).

So is HoT a rip-off? Not even close.

However, there is also the issue of ‘legacy’ or ‘veteran players’ and rewards for them. This is a pretty easy one to answer though it’s also equally easy to overlook. For three years, people have been able to purchase all the character slots they need, thus the argument that players ‘deserve’ an extra character slot is rendered moot. After all, what happens if you’re already maxed out on those slots as of now? Bingo.

But more importantly there’s also the ease by which veteran players will be able to take their presumably brand new Revenant into the new content. To put some perspective on this: I’ve spent the past week playing Unrated Arena (the Balthazar track, which I finished last night; HOORAY FOR ME!). In doing this, I’ve accumulated 45 Tomes of Knowledge which is over HALFWAY to max level. Two more weeks or slightly under that, and I’ll have MORE than enough to auto-level my Revenant to max and jump right in. Newer players, by contrast will not have that advantage. So, for all intents and purposes, Veteran Players will be WELL ahead of the curve in terms of experiencing the newer stuff.

There’s also crafting to be considered as well. Though I haven’t even begun to touch it myself, I’ve seen players in Ascended armor already. You have the mats or the capability of obtaining those mats far more easily than the new player to fully gear out your newly leveled (by virtue of stockpiled ToK) in the best gear available in the game.

On top of that, you have the daily log in rewards which have been accumulating.

So to the Veterans you HAVE been rewarded and quite diligently at that (coming from the perspective of a still newb player). The problem as I see it is this: You just, perhaps, haven’t realized how well you’ve been rewarded because it doesn’t have “Veteran Reward!!!!” stamped on it in big, bold letters.

TL,DR: ANet is taking a massive bath on the expansion release; it’s the furthest thing FROM a rip-off. Regarding “Veteran Rewards”; you’ve already been rewarded for your loyalty to this game. A reward doesn’t need “Veteran Reward” stamped on it to make it such.

Player loyalty
Coming from a long time gw player, while trying to grab new player is a good move but neglecting loyal/veteran player by giving them the shorter end of the deal is not. Those player are the one making the expansion possible by purchasing the gam years ago and supporting the game via gem purchase. Without them there won’t even be a expansion as the game would be consider a failure. Move and marketing like this will sent out a vibe that loyal supporter and player are not appreciated and will not bore well in helping the gw and arenanet branding in the future. MMO like WoW strive due to it’s loyal playerbase while company like EA and activision get bad rep for milking it’s player base with map pack and DLC galore. Which type does arenanet want to strive to be?

Daily rewards. PvP rewards. All of these things should also be considered as “loyalty rewards”. Why? Think about Tomes of Knowledge for a second. Many long term players who’ve been saving them/hoarding them are going to be able to put newly created characters DIRECTLY into the (pardon the pun) heart of the action. Want to level those professions? You’ll have access to crafting materials galore..not necessarily from farming them but simply from logging in each and every day.

You, as a long term player, have already been rewarded for your loyalty. You just took it for granted.

Uriel.6310:

Long time loyal fan, ever since prophecies and since beta weekend 1-3.. It might not matter to most of those who cross this thread, but maybe it will ring a tone in someones ear at Arenanet that there are people in this game that care about it and that maybe they should be more considerate of their “already” player base. I have defended this game for so long, and even watched many friends leave this game only to adventure through this game alone. Sure, I had a guild but this game is even more enjoyable with friends that you have played with over a course of years. As a loyal fan, it saddens me to say that due to arenanet making decisions that is taking this game in a direction that I don’t clearly like right now, I am finally calling it quits myself.

I dont care to point out what these issues are, as too much can be said but I do hope that maybe the “New” players enjoy this awesome world that Areanenet has built for everyone to experience and I wish everyone the best.

For the times I did enjoy, Thanks Arenanet!

While I won’t question your personal decision to move on (your reasons are, after all YOUR reasons), I cannot fathom why someone would not want to leave feedback about a game they’ve obviously felt so passionate about.

CMM.6712:

bigbobpataki.4796:

Fermi.2409:

MoonStoneX.9245:

Lil Puppy.5216:

I just hope there’s an expansion price for people who already OWN the game, why they had a popup in-game for players who already have the game is beyond me, that one should have shown the expansion price (without the price for the full game since I already own it). This is just an expansion, like Eye of the North, EoTN didn’t include the base game, Factions did but it also had 2 character slots and 2 new professions. HoT is not that type of expansion, it’s a simple content expansion that simply adds the areas and a lot of features we had in gw1 maguuma area… I would have prepurchased at $30 but at $50 I’d rather get a full game and wait on HoT until it was on sale.

At this price I’ll be getting Fallout4 instead of an expansion.

$49.99 is the Price of just the Expansion. The Core Game is an extra bonus for new players and they get it for free. This was already verified by Anets Twitter.

It’s $50 for the game+expansion, or just the expansion of you paid for the game, no matter how you try to spin it. Basically, you get less for more if you’re a loyal customer. It’s a ripoff based on that alone.

So comparing veterans to newcomers, veterans paid $50 3 years earlier than new comers and thus had access to 3 years of gameplay that the newcomers missed out on. You paid $50 at launch for the base game and had access ever since. You will even have a leg up on them forever for anniversary stuff. What else do you want?

Minimum? A character slot to try the new profession.

Simple problem with a simpler solution:

Delete an underused alt. I did. Killed my mesmer today because I wanted that slot for the new profession.

If this were a sub-based game, I could understand the frustration. But it’s not. You buy the game and play. You have the option of using the gem store for things, but it IS an option.

Xenon.4537:

It’s not a good deal for veteran players. It’s awesome for new players, but it’s simply a lack of thought for veterans. Those of us who supported the game since launch deserve at least a character slot or a measly token mini or something.

As a relatively new player, it’s pretty obvious you have already been “considered” what with the years upon years of log-in “prizes”, and access to things newer players cannot gain access to.

Pickles.9436:

So, although people bought gw2 for cheap to get into the game, they could’ve waited this whole time to just buy the expansion and get the core game for free….

Just wow….

As for people who bought the game from the beginning, we basically are buying the whole game all over again.

I don’t think words can express how much of a rip off this is…

I can.

To put it simply: it’s not a rip-off and I’m saying this as one of those players who recently purchased the base game, paid for the platnium upgrade and will most likely buy the expansion pre-order.

But then again, I’m an adult. I understand intrinsically that when I make a purchase at any given time, I’m paying that price. Anet isn’t an “evil corporate entity” or anything of that sort for coming along later on and saying, “Hey new players, if you buy the expansion, you get the base game for free!” They’re smart for putting that promotion out there.

Of course, I’ve also worked over a decade in commission sales and canmot begin to tell you how disgusted I would get at peoe wanting price adjustments after six months because there just happened to be a better deal.

For me, it would DEFINITELY have to be Mount Maelstrom. I think that design was just so incredible with the massive volcano built into the center of the zone.

When I was going through the zone for map completion (and leveling, at the time) I had the best feeling running up the side of the volcano for the vista and then ..ummm…nobly jumping into the center for the missing POI. Nothing can express how hilarious it was to take a deadly faceplant in the center of an active volcano just because I could!

Suinz, I applaud you for ‘coming out’ of the depressive closet as it were. As a fellow depressive (either clinical or chronic depending on which hack you ask), I know the strength of character it takes to openly admit to depression because of the sweeping social stigma attached to it.

I cannot echo Wolfheart’s sentiment enough in that seeking professional help is EXTREMELY important. I know it may seem like a tough thing to do and I don’t know how badly it affects your real life (I am a suicide survivor myself) but I do know how bad it is possible for things to get.

If you do not know where to or cannot seek professional help (most states have a very decent system that’s reasonably priced which is worth looking into), I cannot recommend keeping the following link handy just in case:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

They are a fantastic resource just in case you ever need it, friend.

Stay strong, keep fighting the good fight, and keep up on creating and meeting your personal goals!

There are a few things I’ve found out that may help you, outside of the game, to deal with your depression:

1) Cooking. I discovered this ‘talent’ while caring for my terminally ill mother. Part of it’s allure is that I can be truly creative (I make a mean hamburger and a wicked good tuna fish salad!) plus the Food Channel is pretty entertaining if you can look past Guy Fieri always talking about ‘food lube’ (what the KITTEN?!) although they make up for it with Giada whatshername (hubba, hubba!).

2) Be creative in other ways. I personal prefer to write and am working on my first novella and starting on my second and write short stories as well. It may not be particularly lucrative but I personally find that being able to put whatever happens to be bothering me to pen and paper helps me better identify a particular issue as well as helping to deal with it in a more constructive manner as well.

3) The game (particularly GW2) is AWESOME, there is no doubt. But if possible, do not neglect the outdoors. I LOVE doing yardwork (mowing the lawn, trimming hedges, etc.) myself. I can lose my thoughts in hum of the motor and there are physical benefits as well; building serotonin levels in your brain to overcome a potential serotonin deficiency (which is a common factor in depression).

As a fellow depressive I’m proud of you my friend. Like I and Wolfheart said, stay strong. Fight the fight. We got your back.

/Asurafist
/Juicebox salute

Andraus.3874:

There are dance volumes that let you learn the dances you get from boxes of fun. Idk if they are planning to add new ones though. But with that item you can learn a new dance and invite others to dance with you just like with the box, except it’s an account bound item in your inventory that you click to use.

That’s the item I was referring to. We had a pretty sizeable dance party going on too which was a hoot. I think it’d be pretty nifty to learn new dances on a permanent basis though which is the main focus of my question.

Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.

Were ALL in for a world of hurt1

Outfits. Pattern.

I see what you did there!

Hidori.3472:

at least you got pushed from high places.
I usually get sweaty palms from fear of height and then to self-fulfill the prophecy, miss-jump to death.
my poor keyboard could tell you a thing or two about my outrage. :/

In real life, I have a terrific fear of heights myself. I can fall from a huge height in game and feel my stomach do loop de loops. The funny thing is, I’v found that jumping puzzles are kind of helping me address some of that fear.

Of course, as the old saying goes: it’s not the falling that’ll getcha, it’s the landing!

Forgive me if this is something that has been addressed but I was waiting on Teq last week and was fooling around with some Box Of Fun (I think) trick that allowed us to preform different dances than just our normal dances.

And I got to thinking (can you smell the smoke?).

Is it possible to maybe have/create an item that would let our characters permanently LEARN another, different dance? Obviously, character skeletons support the ability and I was just wondering if there was some reason we cannot permanently learn a new dance.

Two things:

1) I did the broken wall JP today all by my lonesome. I was proud.

2) On the subject of titles, I think a “King Faceplant” title is most definitely in order for the TOTALLY non-deliberate and TOTALLY un-reckless times I have been “pushed” from high places :P

Relair.1843:

Hmm weird. I have a sylvari named Carys in that spot. Is it based on your order choice or something? There’s all kinds of neat things in the home instance, I found a back alley full of skritt and the priestess of dwayna you meet when you wake up after the tutorial is there too, tending wounded soldiers.

It could be. I know (think, vaguely remember) an NPC named Carys who lost her dear friend who sacrificed herself so that we could nuke the area where the Risen Giants were being created.