Guild Wars 2

Retek.5869:

I REALLY hope that it stays (They get a trading agreement between Lion’s Arch and the ship or something similar) They even placed it on a location on the map (with waypoints) so it would be shame in my opinion to take it away from like 2 weeks or a month. I’ve had more fun on that map today than I have in the entire game for over a month (even if I play every day and I normally hate Jumping Puzzles) I can live with bi-weekly updates to replace an expansion if its fun and adds stuff to the game but PLEASE don’t take it away all the time! Just take off the rewards we got during the event if you want to keep the special feeling players can get by being there during the event.

Current indications point to the Labyrinthine Cliffs disappearing after 4 weeks, but due to story reasons, it will make periodic returns to Tyria, similar to how SAB will return at an unspecified point in the future.

Jaga.2084:

Why do I have to do stuff I don’t want to do for the personal quartz node? I don’t like the minigames and JPs are just annoying. It’s tedious and boring!

Basic quartz is tradable on the TP, so if you really, really can’t stand the Bazaar content (and don’t mind missing out on achievements), you can just skip it, and buy quartz instead with gold you earn from elsewhere in the game.

Zaxares.5419:

Just wondering… Do you need to have the recipe for Celestial Orichalcum Inscriptions/Gossamer Insignia, AND a recipe for the finished product too? I’m asking because I’ve seen recipes for each individual finished item on GW2Spidy, but past experience has been that once you have the inscription/insignia, you can discover the recipes yourself.

So basically, are Celestial weapons/armor discoverable too? Or do you have to purchase the recipe separately?

Anyone has any light to shed on this?

Sieg.8439:

As for the Quartz, has anyone seen if you can join a friend in a home instance and mine their Quartz if you don’t have one in your own?

That’s actually a very good question, Sieg! Would like to know if this is possible too.

I have no opinion either way on whether the Leaderboards stay or go. I honestly never even look at it. XD

As someone with about 40+ HoM points, I guess I can’t complain about getting a massive boost in AP. I do understand why people who didn’t play GW1 are feeling left out though. Still, the option is still there to return to GW1 and gain points. Think of it as more incentive to get your Fiery Dragon Sword or Black Widow pet.

Also note that since Exotics tend to sell for a good amount of money, unless the Rune/Sigil on the Exotic is especially valuable, you’re generally better off selling the Exotic directly on the Trading Post rather than salvaging it for Ectos. (You get a maximum of 5 Ectos, but this is quite rare. You can get anything from 0 – 5 Ectos for salvaging an Exotic.)

I’m on TC myself, and I heartily recommend it. We’re one of the most populated servers, so you will almost certainly find people in every map at any time of the day. We’re also pretty good in WvW, hovering around the Tier 2 range, I believe. As Alice mentions, we’re also the unofficial NA roleplay server, so you’ll see some people engaging in roleplay from time to time. It really does help fill the world and bring it to life.

… What? That HAS to be a bug or a mistake.

I just want the Starcake recipe to be tradable so I can buy one for my Chef. I don’t even plan on MAKING any darn Starcakes; I just want to know how to make them!

Very, very interesting revelation, Scott! So if the Uncategorized Fractal takes place in the past, that suggests that the Asura did indeed once live upon Tyria’s surface, before they moved underground, perhaps after whatever cataclysm caused the first destruction of Rata Sum.

This must have occured a very long time ago, if the Asura were not part of the 6 Elder Races that confronted the Elder Dragons during their last rise.

Yep, same stuff as the vendors.

On the bright side, it’s at least one convenient location to buy karma cooking mats without having to run to the respective Heart NPCs. I took advantage of it to stock up on some ingredients whose Hearts I hadn’t completed yet.

Just wondering… Do you need to have the recipe for Celestial Orichalcum Inscriptions/Gossamer Insignia, AND a recipe for the finished product too? I’m asking because I’ve seen recipes for each individual finished item on GW2Spidy, but past experience has been that once you have the inscription/insignia, you can discover the recipes yourself.

So basically, are Celestial weapons/armor discoverable too? Or do you have to purchase the recipe separately?

Indeed. I’m not sure what the drop rates of Kite Fortunes are like from mobs, but it may turn out that it’s easier to just farm them from monsters. You could even end up swimming in them by the end of the event, for all we know.

Supported. I’m fairly good at JP’s and hardly ever fall, but I agree that making the WP’s free in Labyrinthine Caves would be a nice gesture towards the playerbase who aren’t.

Sieg.8439:

Can someone tell me more about this token system? Is it that you get tokens for winning the dash or something, and you can buy the armor skins with the tokens? I know about the weapons with achievements, but I’m still confused on the armor skins.
Sorry, I’m a little out of the loop on this event xD;;

You need Fortune Scraps to trade for the new backpieces/helms. You get Fortune Scraps by opening Kite Fortunes. Kite Fortunes, in turn, are obtained from killing monsters, from opening the Kite Baskets scattered throughout the world, and from buying them from the gem store.

You can also sometimes get a Golden Fortune Scrap which you can trade directly for a skin of your choice, as opposed to having to collect enough normal Fortune Scraps.

^ That’s what I imagine will happen. We establish permanent trading ties with the Zephyrites as part of the Living Story, and after that, like the SAB, the Labyrinthine Cliffs will make periodic returns to Tyria to allow players to do Sanctum Sprint, harvest Quartz etc.

Just curious. When you unlock Signature Skills, does it unlock account-wide? Or does each character have to learn the skills themselves?

I certainly hope that unlimited Belcher’s Bluff kit isn’t character-bound!

While the new skins have not caught my interest in the slightest, I just want to say, “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!” to ANet for using a token system for them and not making them locked behind RNG as before.

Please stick with this system going forward!

^ What Miflett said. I managed to complete the achievements eventually with the help of some very awesome people from my guild, but it was honestly more stress than fun. >.< Especially that Gods-forsaken Personal Space achievement.

Isn’t Speedy Reader a removed achievement? Or did the latest patch put it back in?

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Zaxares.5419:

While I do like the Hellfire aesthetics, I agree that these new armor skins are intended more for the players who like to mix and match their armor.

I don’t know where you get this from – I am one of those players who always mix and match, and the fact that the new armour pieces can’t be dyed other colours makes them totally useless to me…

Do you never go the other direction and re-dye your armor to match the new pieces?

It was a little odd seeing dark skinned Norns in GW2 after every single Norn you encounter in GW1 is Caucasian, but eh, I’m not fussed about it. Maybe they were all off lurking where we couldn’t see them, like female Charr.

Avatar Yirachi.7162:

That one is done within 5 minutes of WvW on an ele XD

I’m sure it would. XD Reminds me of the time I was doing the Instigator farm run on Southsun. Throw up one Healing Rain on the culling mob, and BOOM! Condition Remover completed instantly.

You’re remembering incorrectly, Psychol. The Moa Races never awarded additional money. You got tokens for coming in 1st, 2nd or 3rd, and you traded those tokens for the coin reward (1.2g, 60s and 40s, as you stated). Moa Racing was never intended to be a source of profit for players; it is, in fact, a cleverly disguised gold sink, since over the long term you WILL lose more money on it than you gain, unless you’re smart and quit while you’re ahead.

The rule of thumb when selling an item is to only sell when you are happy with the price you could get for an item, and then do not regret your decision. If you constantly look back and agonise over “if only’s”, you will be a very unhappy guy/girl for the rest of your life.

Any one of those items can be traded for a box. So:

- 500 Rawhide = 1 box
- 75 Wool = 1 box
- 30 Cotton = 1 box

So if you had 500 Rawhide, 75 Wool and 30 Cotton and traded all of them, you’d end up with 3 boxes.

Oh, I don’t really use the TP as a money maker, aside from using it to sell loot at a higher price than I’d get at the vendor for it. But observing how people make decisions to buy and sell and understanding the psychology behind it all is quite fascinating.

I usually explore and go adventuring alone, as I like the freedom to complete Hearts and events my own way, as well as take the time to harvest everything and poke my nose into every nook and cranny. That said, I do enjoy teaming up with fellow roleplayers for Personal Stories, and being part of a huge zerg in Guild Missions is fun too.

Khisanth.2948:

Too bad Reckless Haste is no longer around. :P

I used to love putting Empathy, Price of Failure, Spiteful Spirit and Reckless Haste on Shiro (plus Blind for good measure) and just watch him kill himself with Impossible Odds. XD

I never thought I’d say this, but watching the market move and trying to predict trends and acting on it is actually quite fun. XD

Hmm, you could be right, of course. Still, I find it hard to imagine that a Norn would call someone “the light of his life” unless he was in love with her.

If the slow accumulation of Fractal relics/Laurels/Guild Commendations is any indication, I’d say we CAN expect Ascended armor/weapon crafting recipes to be acquired in this manner.

Also, you also need Exotic recipes to craft any of the Celestial items, similar to other T6 crafting recipes. These are only obtained from Fortunes/Supply Boxes, I believe. (Fortunately, the recipes are also tradable.)

While using the Chop-It-All Axe on my Norn yesterday, I noticed that the backswing on the axe for the 2nd and 3rd swings looks rather choppy, a bit like a a wind-up toy stuttering. This effect can also be observed on my Human and Asura, although it’s less obvious the smaller the character is.

Has anyone else noticed this on their characters? If this is an actual bug, ANet, can you please look into fixing it? It’s a minor issue, but it really sets my teeth on edge for some reason. XD

Herd mentality. People remember Silk as being dirt cheap, see the price shooting up, and quickly jump on the bandwagon to join the rush without considering that they could get the same for cheaper using different materials.

Or maybe people have an incorrect assumption that using more expensive mats for the Supply Boxes will give them a better chance at better items.

I’m certain that dulfy and other players who are part of the test server krewe have signed non-disclosure agreements that forbids them from revealing what they know to players who are NOT part of the test server, at the risk of getting their accounts banned. I’m unsure if they’re also forbidden from acting on the knowledge they have by stocking up on materials like Silk/Thick Leather before patches hit, but I imagine they are too. Even the devs are forbidden from using their insider knowledge to profit from it (or by just using their admin access to spawn items for themselves).

The recent change where information about the new content is being released one day prior to the actual release is new though, but given the fact that the info is released to the entire public at the same time, fortune favours those who are quicker on the grapevine and act faster on information, just as it does in real life.

As for me, I’m selling my personal stash of Silk and Thick Leather the moment I get home while the price is up.

Gotta hand it to ANet. They solved the problem of the glut of Silk/Thick Leather on the TP verrrry nicely.

Shame that the Supply Box vendor isn’t a permanent addition, or this could be a nice way of making sure there’s always demand for unwanted basic crafting materials. (At least until people get tired of the shinies from the Zephyrites.)

I ran across Gulik Oddson at Killeen’s grave in Fields of Ruin the other day. I haven’t read the GW2 novels, but his dialogue heavily implies that he was romantically involved with Killeen, making it a Norn-Sylvari relationship.

You can also encounter ghostly cows in one Charr Personal Story. Seriously. XD

Heh, that reminds me of the “Defend the Queen” Personal Story event for Humans. If you picked the Vigil route, you defend Queen Jennah from a bunch of Risen, with the aid of Countess Anise, Logan Thackeray, a Veteran Vigil member, and a bunch of other Vigil and Shining Blade NPCs.

Ironically, Jennah and Anise are both Champions, and can quite easily mop up the entire Risen force by themselves. Meanwhile, poor Logan and the rest of the defenders took a dirt nap early on from a couple of exploding Risen, leaving me and the two ladies to do all the work. XD

Quartz is used to craft weapons, armor and trinkets with Celestial stats (an all-stats bonus similar to Runes of Divinity). Raw Quartz is tradable, so even players that miss out on BotFW can still obtain it via the TP, but in order to use it for crafting, you will need to “refine” the quartz by bringing it to a Place of Power. This takes 25 Quartz Crystals, and can only be done once per day per account.

I honestly don’t know whether Celestial items will have strong enough demand to make Quartz mining profitable, given that most players prefer to stack their stats towards damage via Berserker or Rampager stats.

I just hope there’s a bank tab for Charged Quartz!

I’m disappointed that it’ll be disappearing after the event, but I take some consolation in that it may return again someday.

Raw Quartz is tradable, so you’ll be able to get it from other players who do have their own personal quartz nodes. However, I agree that there should be additional options for players who come late to the game to obtain Quartz.

You continue to get 1% magic find/gold/karma boost every 500 points. So it slowly accumulates the more achievement points you have, but you don’t get such a HUGE boost that the veteran players have a massive advantage over new players. I think it’s a fair arrangement.

According to dulfy’s preview, the new skins are unlimited use like HoM’s, although you can only generate a copy of each skin once per day. (Why this was done, I’m not sure. Still, waiting a few days to get enough skins for all your alts isn’t too bad.)

While I do like the Hellfire aesthetics, I agree that these new armor skins are intended more for the players who like to mix and match their armor. (Then again, we also did get the Aetherblade armor sets recently, so I think ANet has been quite fair in giving options to all players.)

According to dulfy’s guide, the Labyrinthine Cliffs will disappear at the end of 4 weeks, but will return again at some point in the future. Of course, barring an official announcement by a dev, take that with a grain of salt.

This means that, if you’re an achievement hunter like me, we’ve got a month to complete all of the achievements (barring any surprise new addition in 2 weeks). In particular, make sure to complete the Belcher’s Bluff content, since the Grandmaster of Om is in the new map and I’m not sure if he’ll still be available to collect his special skill from after BotFW goes away.

After seeing the preview for how the achievement reward system works, I’m pretty happy with the implementation. If you really had your heart set on getting one of the Zenith weapons, 1000 achievement points isn’t that difficult to get. It’s also a great way to help out players with a boost of gold/laurels to purchase things like trait books as they level.

Thanks for the excellent preview, dulfy!