It depends on the actual result. There are players selling a solo Arah run for gold. However, those players and others like them are not representative of a majority of the customers of Anet and GW2. If a majority of players can complete the event and experience a challenge with exotic gear, then it isn’t a requirement. If they can not, it is one.
One of two things is happening here:
- You REALLY like to argue with people over just about any topic one can imagine, or;
- You don’t understand the concept of endgame content.
Assuming the latter, this is standard operating procedure for endgame content. It typically helps to have the best gear, because it’s supposed to be the most challenging content.
You see, there are people who play this game – a lot of them, actually – who are here to be challenged. They want difficult content, and are willing to acquire the gear and skills necessary to meet those challenges. For those who don’t care to wait, there’s the option of buying kittenpiles of gold (I’m starting to rather like the employment of the term “kitten” as a minced oath) and speeding up that whole process.
Now, if the ONLY way to get that gear were to be the Gem Store, then yes, I’d agree with you that this game is “pay to win”. However, since all of that stuff can be acquired simply by playing the game, it’s more “pay to be impatient”.
Of course, if your only reason for voicing these concerns is the former – that you just like arguing – then it would be super fantastic if you would simply state so for the benefit of others. Your constant posting on these topics across multiple threads can be misconstrued as the actions of someone who actually gives a kitten about the topic. -Sid
I’ve actually played Anet games since the GW1 beta. Bought each one at release an was always greatly impressed by not only their game design, but also by their company’s general principles of always giving a fantastic game for a decent price. Similarly, I pre-purchased both GW2 and HoT.
During that time, I’ve watched the entire industry grow and shrink and change according to the times.
Since the beginning, I was a fan of the company not just their games. Their philosphy of breaking the subscription model was a refreshing and exciting break from sub based games like WoW. When they released GW 1, I was amazed. They made a great and massive game and didn’t charge a fee. When they released their first sequel, I had some trepidation because sequels are rarely good. It also cost the same as GW1. I thought, along with all the pundits and media writers, that they were just trying to capitalize on the success of guild wars. Then they surprised everyone again. Cantha was the basis for an entirely new campaign and a FULL GAME. on an equal or greater scope than the original release. All during the same time, they continued supporting GW1 and we saw lots of interesting additions and enhancements. They didn’t just settle for giving another character class, like other game companies, they went full out and made a product worthy of the price tag. That really cemented my loyalty as a customer. Then time passed and the game lost players as it got older. So Anet announced Nightfall. Even with lagging player numbers, they not only made another full campaign with new character classes, they added in heroes. It was epic. Another big win for customers. They now had a reputation as a company that nt only makes great games, but oe that innovates and gives you a great amount of product for your money.
Then came EotN. From the day of announcement, Anet made clear it was only an expansion. However they were honest enough to tell customers that they knew an expansion with limited gameplay innovations or additions. They even kept up their reputation for respecting their players by pricing it at a lower rate. Not only that they gave us a bunch of new heroes and more character slots. As well as bonus rewards for those who would purchase GW2 when it was finally released.
Now we are in the modern era. The release of GW2 was in line with Anet’s earned reputation. The game is massive and the gameplay is above and beyond any other MMO in release. Black desert may steal their gameplay title next year, but for now it is still the best (I’ve played so many…) but the company just turned 180 degrees after release.
Even with the phenomenal success of sales, Anet instead of beomig more generous, or even maintaining their “You get more than what you pay for” philosophy, made the game a pay to win system. They gave up on the living world stories almost immediately after beginning. Then instead of making them fee, players had to spend around 20 bucks a piece in gems to play them.
Then they announced HoT. After a decade of being a loyal Anet fan and customer imagine my disappointment when they decided to change their philosophy of game design and release. You’d get a partially completed smaller campaign, only one character class, and by the way we’ll charge the same amount a full new game would cost.
Not only that, the idea of skill based gaming, and a game earning its value through the quality and quantity of game they are selling, has completely gone out the window.
Their games didn’t used to be about “oh, you guys have nothing left to do? umm I suppose we can add in some more pointless grinding to do” they used to be about, “You’ll buy this game/expansion, because it is freakin awesome in and of itself”
That means both player groups, hardcore players who had every armor and weapon in the game and did every mission to mind numbing complacency, as well as casual players alike would be excited and get their money’s worth.
I appreciate the need for some end game things to give something for hardcore players, but a hard mode and better AI in addition to an exciting campaign and new gameplay mechanics would be more appropriate than a higher tier of gear that you needed inordinate amounts of grinding to obtain.
