Guild Wars 2

Simply put, let’s make more use of karma. It’s the universally acquired resource in the game and yet it’s uses are so limited! I’m made a similar suggestion elsewhere to use karma for the purchase of crafting materials (excluding natural resources, i.e. ore, scraps). It seems to me that the karma system is the thing that allowed Anet to pursue the “play your way” campaign, because no matter where you went in the world or what you did (for the most part), you earned karma, and it scales quite well with level as you progress lvl 1-80, but then also when you venture back to lower level content after achieving 80. As more currencies have been introduced and karma uses have remained limited, it seems like the players are being forced into specific content to earn appropriate currency to achieve a particular goal, rather than continuing to engage in the game world more generally, according to what they find most enjoyable.

After a few months on one my toons I was able to spend 600k+ that I had earned throughout the world during that time, on onyx shards, and I was happy to do it. On the other hand, if I want ascended gear, or certain tier mats (just two examples) and want to make the most of my time towards achieving those goals, I need to spend my time playing specific content, which feels more like a chore (after enough time). Then my options become 1. suck it up and push on until you’ve accomplished your original goal even if you don’t enjoy it. 2. give up on your goal. 3. spend your time alternating between working towards your goal and….not working towards my goal, just because I’m tired of the same content.

The bottom line, as far as I’m concerned, is that the karma system is a robust one, and an effective one that allows for the freedom of gameplay that I think Anet intended from the start. With recent updates that freedom has dwindled away and been replaced by content specific currency and rewards. I’d love to see the game get back to utilizing one of the most revolutionary and innovative elements of the game, Karma!

Admittedly, my “suggestions” for further use of karma are limited, but I’d like to hear from the community how they would like to see it used. And possibly issues I’m overlooking with a more versatile karma system?

Mine are currently, Ascended gear and materials (minus natural resources that are “gathered” via tools) similar to how you can purchase food items (individually or in bulk).

I agree with the OP that trust is an issue, but more fundamentally than the playerbase being unable to trust Anet, I feel like Anet’s choices reflect a lack of trust in their playerbase. I’m beginning to feel like I’m being treated like a child in this game with regard to my decision making. When I want to run the same dungeon path more than once a day, or farm the same region for an extended period of time, or defeat the same dragon twice in a day, Anet treats me like the child who wants to eat cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner by telling me “silly boy, as much as you might enjoy that, as your parents it’s our responsibility to discourage you from making that decision.” Then when someone argues that they are old enough to make their own choices they are treated with the good ‘ole Jedi mind trick "You don’t want to eat cake". Yes I do Anet, yes I do. And please, trust me enough to make my own decisions and seek rewards in ways that satisfy my play style.

I just do not understand why I’m being discouraged (i.e. eliminating rewards) from playing the way that I want. Again, I feel like I’m left with Anet’s parental stance of “because we said so.”

So, can we get back to being adults and sharing mutual respect and trust? I sure hope so, because Anet is very capable of creating a great game and great content, when they’re willing to trust the playerbase to engage with it in ways that are naturally gratifying.

I was just thinking about this myself. I’m glad to see this suggestion has already been raised. As I thought about it, I was thinking that of all things, karma probably scales the best across the whole game in terms of acquisition, so to provide materials purchasable via karma I think it would free people up from feeling like they have to farm orr/frostgorge to gather the mats or dungeons to farm the gold to buy the mats. Instead, you’d have a playerbase that was free to “play the way they want,” where they want in the world of Tyria, being at peace about the fact that they’re earning karma which they’ll be able to use later to work towards long term goals. (Skins are the first thing that come to my mind). Personally, I would feel much better working with a system like this instead of feeling trapped farming the same zones or dungeons for mats/money. For such a robust system, the karma system needs more utility, and I think this would be a great place to start. (oh, and please no RNG like those little chests you can now buy from orr karma merchants. that just feels like an abuse of the time I invested in earning the karma in the first place)