Join the Phamily! discord.gg/JGdQ6Hjny9 ShinyMeta's 2024 drop rate Research: www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/1f1ybno/data_new_information_regarding_black_lion_chests/ / Video: kzitem.info/news/bejne/o7CHqptvp6ZpdZw hinyMeta's 2021 drop rate Research: www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/wylu92/psadata_a_guide_to_black_lion_chests/
@Hekk.
17 сағат бұрын
So what I got from this video is.. that Blissful Skirt is currently on the gem store.
@NuohDraftLeague
15 сағат бұрын
Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I bought it.
@ChaiLatte13
13 сағат бұрын
😂
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
I didn’t realize how different I must be from the typical GW2 player when it comes to buying gems and items from the gem store. I buy a few gems about two or three times per year just as a way to support the Arenanet studio and I have no problem with being tempted to buy more gems than that. It’s so easy to make gold in the game and convert it into gems, I don’t understand why anyone would get into a bad habit of buying gems monthly and over spending? I don’t mind spending about $80 to $100 per year on gems to support GW2 development.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP!
@shawn14isme
17 сағат бұрын
You arent the target audience. ArenaNet and NCsoft are fishing for people with bad habits or really bad habits.
@melinnamba
17 сағат бұрын
I don't think you are that different from the typical player. I know a lot of players, like myself, who don't spend any money on gems. Some of my guildies spend 5 or 10 bucks every month or so, mostly, like you, to support ArenaNet as a sort of voluntary subscription. I know of one person who occasionally buys gems for specific items in the gem store. He doesn't have much free time and a well paying job. Spending 20 bucks on a griffon skin is his equivalent of going to see a movie. Which can easily cost you the same, if not more. As a casual player I also don't see a need to get any more bag slots or bank storage expansions. Like, sure those would be nice to have, but I can do without. I don't have the time to learn 9 different builds for the 4 classes I enjoy switching between, so I don't need equipment templates either. I can see how someone with really poor financial management skills might fall into some of these traps, but most gem store items are just not that tempting. And I think it's mostly people with money to spare, who don't need to think about their spending habits, who are going to spend more than they intended.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
Yeah, exactly. I never had any issue charging a little every now and then since the time of GW1 because I did not mind to support them in this way. Especially being aware of how much friends spent for games or "actual hobbies". Getting a few gems now and then is just a tiny fraction of what others are spending.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
@@shawn14isme No worries, there is a place in the game for people like you too. :)
@visoroverwatch3247
22 сағат бұрын
Compared to the last game i played, Black Desert Online, this game is a saint. This is why GW2 will always be among the top 3 MMO's next to FFXIV and WoW.
@kesamek8537
19 сағат бұрын
If I'm spending more than a dollar an hour on gaming then I take a hard look at it, a useful guide for me.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHomp!!
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
13 сағат бұрын
I agree, GW2 is about the experience, you are awarded for doing anything and everything, all game-modes lead to the best gear acquirement 'Legendary', play the game how you like, when you want. BiS gear from 2012 is BiS in 2024. There's no sub fee, not even an optional one like in ESO and BDO. In my opinion GW2 is the best jump in and jump out MMO on the market. While also being the best MMO to respect your time.
@Ponifex
21 сағат бұрын
This was admittedly a minor (but necessary) point in the video, but there seriously needs to be something done to alleviate the undeniable awkwardness surrounding the pricing model of the Living World seasons for new arrivals. Trying to explain to a newcomer that their ~$40-100 purchase of GW2 somehow *doesn't* include the crucial "connecting tissue" between major, boxed expansions - and that they'll need to pay for every single individual zone within them separately AFTER all the money they've already spent - is such an abhorrently predatory look for anyone coming in blind. I've personally had friends who were turned-off trying GW2 largely because of it. No other MMO on the market cuts its essential content up like this, and it's an especially awkward roadblock for someone wanting to play through the game's narrative chronologically, as one would naturally expect for someone truly fresh to the title. Sure, an incredibly dedicated newcomer could farm RIBA for months on-end to scrape up enough scratch to finally unlock Bitterfrost (or wherever else) via the Gold-to-Gems exchange, but it's still such a brazen barrier of entry which other MMOs simply don't have to worry about whatsoever.
@RosaKaraline
21 сағат бұрын
That's also a great point too. I had been around for LS1 and 2 but when I left and came back after 5-6 years it was a pain to not only buy the expansions but also the living world. They really need to package everything up in one purchase maybe at a slight discount for buying all of it at once to make it more appealing. Especially for new players who don't understand how it is set up in the game. It is pretty ridiculous how it is now.
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
I'd also argue that in terms of value that missing some of those episodes is so annoying. It might be minor, but the roller beetle is one, or the easy of access to ascended trinkets with Bitterfrost Frontier and Bjora Marches. If I could hope for one change, it'd be that they include those for everyone. Wouldn't benefit me, but I like the game, so I'd rather everyone get that top experience.
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
@@RosaKaraline I have to disagree. There IS a bundle that includes the first three expansions plus all of the Living World seasons and the Icebrood Saga for a one time purchase of $99. And I think it was incredibly generous of Anet to give players who were continually playing the game the Living World and Icebrood Saga for free, because every other studio would have charged for them. The amount of content included in those free expansions is insane to expect that the developers would always give it away for free, but they did offer it for free TWICE! The second time was during the pre End of Dragons expansion run up. I think expecting Anet to NOT charge for that content is ridiculous. The fact that they allow players to obtain it for free to this day just by playing the game and converting gold to gems is more than generous enough!
@kesamek8537
19 сағат бұрын
it's time HoT includes Season 2 and 3, PoF includes season 4 and EoD includes Icebrood Saga. The only problem ANet has then is how to adequately compensate all the players who already bought Living World and Icebrood. My guess is that is why they hesitate.
@traveling.down.the.road56
19 сағат бұрын
@@kesamek8537 Why should the Living World seasons and the Icebrood Saga be included free to anyone who wasn’t playing GW2 when they originally were released? Getting them free was the reward for playing at that time and logging in at least once every few weeks when a new chapter came out. Anet doesn’t owe anyone anything for the players who bought those episodes with gems later. This thinking is crazy.
@asatsuki9250
11 сағат бұрын
i like the gem store because it's basically a store of "legendary" items. The skins, the infinite gathering or salvaging tools, those are on par with the infinite use of a Legendary item. Gold becomes kind of pointless once you have all the legendary items, so the gem store provides a use for it and a really good reward for the cost in gold. and the people who support the game with real money allow me to continue playing this game at minimal cost (just buying expansions), so i'm thankful for my fellow gamers
@mayam.3240
11 сағат бұрын
Exactly.👍😄
@kesamek8537
19 сағат бұрын
I am not a defender of mmo monetization however it is an important part of the picture to divide the mentioned example of $6000 over 12 years and then by the number of hours played in a year, to get an idea of entertainment value. Works out dead cheap compared to most other paid entertainment options if you ask me.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Very fair point!
@eruiluvatar6688
4 сағат бұрын
Only fools equate watching 1 hour of LOTR/your favourite movie with 1 hour of doing the same shit over and over in gw2
@ChaiLatte13
18 сағат бұрын
That infinite fishing lure was definitely worth it for me. I bought the Thousand Seas pass just for the fishing vendor that had every bait on it at one place. lol I haven't regretted any of my purchases in this game. It is pretty cheap entertainment compared to going out to eat or bar every week.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Or a movie ticker! Saw the price of those recently... I'd also rather put that towards gems instead. I keep telling myself I'll fish more, but then I get lost in my Janthir Dailies, gathering, daily clears, and before I know it, it's back to bed.
@ChaiLatte13
15 сағат бұрын
@@phandrel Yeah seeing a movie or going to a concert/festival is ridiculous these days. Fishing definitely isn't for everyone. My husband hates it! hah! I haven't done as much fishing since Soto. Fishing in Soto was terrible.
@Wakajce
14 сағат бұрын
I tallied it up and I spent about €1600 on the game... however, it's literally been 12 years. That makes it a super cheap hobby if you average out the money spent and hours spent. Don't regret a single cent
@mayam.3240
11 сағат бұрын
Yeah, compared to any common activity a few gems here and there are really no big deal. Especially with the super cheap expansions and 0 subscription. As long as it stays in healthy levels I do not see any issue with that. Oh yeah... according to a friend the infinite fishing lure + thousand seas pass were a "lifesafer" to him. When he was stuck in some (mostly useless, too long) meetings during the forced home office months the fishing helped him to keep his focus and stay productive this way. 😅
@Notsram77
18 сағат бұрын
Phandrel: "Let's say you're casually browsing the gem store, and decide you need 6,000 inventory slots. Well, now you've just depressed your local economy, and ANet doesn't want you to know this. They were hoping to destabilize your region, and take your family's farm. That was always the plan." Me: Yeah, I can see why he's not going to make it to ANet Partner.
@DredZach
19 сағат бұрын
GW2 is a form of entertainment that costs money, and like most forms of entertainment, you can OPTIONALLY upgrade your level of entertainment by spending more money. Just like movie theatres sell popcorn but you don't have to buy it. That is NOT predatory. Predatory is you go to the movie theatre and instead of a movie screen it is a 65 inch TV. Predatory is you buy the GW2 expansion, but you max out at level 70 unless you pay to raise your level cap. What GW2 offers is upgrades at a fair price. Some of those upgrades aren't worth it to you but they are worth it to other types of players in different circumstances than you. If you go to the theatre and don't want popcorn just don't buy it. How is having popcorn available predatory?
@kesamek8537
19 сағат бұрын
I agree with what you wrote but I would add the 'trap items' surely are predatory and should be removed from the gemstore.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
Exactly. I experienced it in some other games that I just simply could not progess without certain additional expenses. Or that you were basically pushed to charge because you otherwise would not be able to keep up with other players because the diffrence in the power levels have been so massive on a low budget version.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
@@kesamek8537 I agree that these are trap items. Especially because they look similar to what is mandatory in other games. New players may think they are essential when they are not. I do not think they are a big issue through since most players learn quickly about these, so barely anyone spends insane amounts this way.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
If you are a player that has a perma debuff to predatorial impulse manipulation you can create your own mental stop/Buff by deleting your credit card information after every purchase.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
If it's a joint account, you can even have a guard that prevents you from spending 😀
@critical-thinker666
15 сағат бұрын
Only predatory shit they doing is making bundles of items you dont want with items you want (you cant buy skirt without boots) so they selling it for 800. theres also plenty noob traps in gemstore and all templates are deliberately named similary to confuse ppl which ending up buying template for slots above weapon swap which are utterly useless and i dont know single person which understands how they work.
@ArturoGonzalez-st7xj
22 сағат бұрын
From My experience with MMOs in the past 19 years the Anet cash shop is the most consumer friendly cash shop out there due to the ability to convert gold to gems. Ever since wow introduced $25 horses (back in 2010 to a game you had to buy + multiple expansion+ pay subscription to play) most MMOs have been racing to the bottom how to squeeze the most $ out of their playerbase. Now that GW2 went from B2P to F2P I can forgive more aggressive monetization on the cash shop given how much of the game can be played without spending a single dollar.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
There is no such thing as a "consumer friendly cash shop"
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP!
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
13 сағат бұрын
@@DeltatechActual He said the most consumer friendly as opposed to all the alternatives. There's no such thing as a free live service game. Don't forget, game companies are business first and foremost. What you're comparing and calling for is but a blissful yet fleeting dream.
@swells1
22 сағат бұрын
I’m cheap. I write builds down on post-it notes and manually swap.
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
I think Blish HUD even had a notepad, which will let you copy-paste them. Won't help with the equipment templates, but it's basically infinite builds.
@Ham68229
17 сағат бұрын
I bookmark builds, then make the build fast like.
@oldnoobgamer90
9 сағат бұрын
My two cents. I like the game. I earn gold by playing because I like the game. I use the gold to exchange the exact amount of gems I need to buy anything I want from the gem store. I did not pay for any gems. I bought all my living world content using gems exchanged from gold since I only started playing 2 years ago. All 20 characters in my account are bought with exchanged gems. The same with infinite gathering tools, lures, salvage kits, mount skins, outfits, passes etc. The only money I spent on the game are the expansions because I like the game and support the devs this way.
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
13 сағат бұрын
In regards to GW2 being P2W and predatory. Using 'Currency' in exchange for actual $ is a practice used by all games, which I do agree can blind the player to how much they are actually spending. Remember similar practices can be dated back even before gaming such as pricing a product as $4.99, to make people think they are spending $4, instead of $5. Going back to GW2, Gold & Gems conversions go both ways. A free to play player can in fact purchase anything short of expansions. Let's not forget, when compared to every Triple A MMO, GW2 has the cheapest prices when it comes to expansion costs. In regards to buying level boosts. The game literally showers you with Knowledge Tomes and special Tomes that level a new character straight to 20, these are rewarded for playing the game, where-by a long term player can level multiple alts to 80 for free. In regards to buying Legendary gear. Apart from 'Fashion' and 'QOL' what are you really winning? Ascended and Legendary rarity have the 'Exact' same stats. A player can farm a whole set of Ascended within a week or two. Meanwhile selling Legendary's is another huge source of income for players and most importantly free-to-play players to get gold, to convert to gems to purchase from the store. There's no sub fee, not even an optional sub fee like BDO and ESO have. In my opinion GW2 is the game that most respects your time and money.
@mayam.3240
10 сағат бұрын
Absolutly correct. 👍 Btw, I actually met more people than I expected that were happy to make use of things like Lvl80-Boost, the hero point scroll and waypoint unlock. These were people who were really in love with the game, but had just very, very limited time because of very busy lifes. After talking to them I had to ask myself who I was to tell them how to spend their time in the game?
@Buran01
20 сағат бұрын
I've been playing the game since the release and I spent ~350 € in total including the expansions. I have 21 characters but only one is maxed out in slots for gear and templates, and most of the others remain in 3/2 except a few exceptions which got extra slots through Astral rewards. I don't spent much real money in the game since all the gold I make is turned into legendaries or used to puchase gems for convenience and skins, thou I consider my account (wich iks valued over 121k) pretty much finished since aside from Vision (which I'm ending) and a few legendary weapons I have all my characters in full legendaries.
@GiraffeWars2
13 сағат бұрын
I don't really see anything predatory about the Gem store. You did a pretty good job outlining of the store works and what items people like to buy from it, but you didn't claim that certain practices are predatory or define what predatory means to you. Your examples of purchases are ok, but I feel like there are a lot of assumptions carried with them. I don't think most players are buying all of these items for every character or even at all. Plus some items like the build templates can be gotten from the wizards vault, meaning a player would never need to buy that from the gem store. I think your point about boosters and inaccurate drop chances were the strongest. Everything else comes down to "if you want this right away, spend money for it, if you can wait, then wait for sales, use gold, or acquire a different way" which does not seem predatory to me.
@phandrel
7 сағат бұрын
I should've focused a bit more at the start on the BEUC statements I linked, which is on me. Good lesson for a future video, though. Basically what is seen as predatory, even though it is an industry standard now, is the use of premium currency and/or misaligned prices in the story vs the packs you can buy.
@PP3DUK
17 сағат бұрын
Not really sure I understand the point of this video. At absolutely best case, you put off people from purchasing gems, which hurts the game. You don't want skins or QoL, that's fine, you don't have to buy them. This negativity is ultimately only going to hurt the game and it's longevity.
@PrypeciowyHovnozer
13 сағат бұрын
Not really sure I understand the point of this comment. It's a video game, a business, not a religion or a local animal shelter - it doesn't need nor deserves unconditional support. Anet's cash shop is predatory - I don't believe there's any other word that can describe noob traps better tbh. Also - criticism of monetisation practices hurts the quality of the game and it's longevity - wtf is that statement, where did you pull that from. Name me a single game that straight up collapsed due to some people rising voice against their cash shop.
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
13 сағат бұрын
@@PrypeciowyHovnozer In regards to GW2 being P2W and predatory. Using 'Currency' in exchange for actual $ is a practice used by all games, which I do agree can blind the player to how much they are actually spending. Remember similar practices can be dated back even before gaming such as pricing a product as $4.99, to make people think they are spending 4$, instead of $5. So by that logic, you should say ['Insert any Triple A MMO's Company Name' Cash shop is predatory]. Going back to GW2, Gold & Gems conversions go both ways. A free to play player can in fact purchase anything short of expansions. Let's not forget, when compared to every Triple A MMO, GW2 has the cheapest prices when it comes to expansion costs. In regards to buying level boosts. The game literally showers you with Knowledge Tomes and special Tomes that level a new character straight to 20, these are rewarded for playing the game, where-by a long term player can level multiple alts to 80 for free. In regards to buying Legendary gear. Apart from 'Fashion' and 'QOL' what are you really winning? Ascended and Legendary rarity have the 'Exact' same stats. A player can farm a whole set of Ascended within a week or two. Meanwhile selling Legendary's is another huge source of income for players and most importantly free-to-play players to get gold, to convert to gems to purchase from the store. There's no sub fee, not even an optional sub fee like BDO and ESO have. In my opinion GW2 is the game that most respects your time and money.
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
12 сағат бұрын
@@PrypeciowyHovnozer There's no such thing as a free live service game. Don't forget, game companies are business first and foremost. What you're comparing and calling for is but a blissful yet fleeting dream. In my humble opinion, GW2 is the most time respecting and cheapest MMO on the market, due to the fact that there's no sub, no optional sub like ESO and BDO and no battle passes. While the expansion cost are the cheapest among all the Triple A mmos on the market, feel free to search this up for confirmation. Remember gems and gold conversions go both ways. You can buy anything short of expansions from the store as a free player. I absolutely love GW2, I hope it will be here to stay for a long time.
@Arrow333
6 сағат бұрын
I don't think of the practices as much predatory for two reasons: 1) This still is much more consumer friendly than most of other MMORPGs I know. A sub-fee ads up, an pricing in other f2p options with shops is often worse. Especially as here at least in some cases you have matching options to the gem bundles. 2) I already know and practice some of the suggestions you make, like converting the gem price to real money price (for my currency) and sharing equipment slots among builds + using additional characters instead of maxing out their build options. But these are good tips for those who don't yet. I would add, that if you play long enough you will basically showered in experience scrolls and might also have several level 80 boost sitting around. RIght now I could basically boost 5 more characters to 80 (if I had the slots for doing so). This might actually be a tactic to give us the incentive of buying new slots, instead of boosts.
@jrafel1707
20 сағат бұрын
I don't see this as predatory at all. Its a buy the game with no sub fee so you don't pay a monthly. 25.00 for GW2 latest expansion no monthly fee. 50$ for WOW's latest expansion and 13.00 a month just to play the game AFTER you bought the game. (So you REALLY didn't buy the game for 50.00, you bought the game for 50.00 + monthly fees which adds up to 128.00 to play it for 6 months. ) If I spent that much on GW2, I'd have enough for the latest expansion PLUS 8,000 gems. And you get nothing for the money you'd be able to buy gems with in WOW except the priviledge of playing a game you already bought. As a way of Maintaining a game and coming up with new content and making a profit so they stay in business, This is extremely innocent compared to other games that in order to make any real progression, you have to buy the items on the gem store.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
Exactly.
@critical-thinker666
15 сағат бұрын
i dont get why ppl talking about wow vs gw 2 . wow have 100x more content than gw 2. what you get in exp in gw 2 is week of content, no raids/strikes/fractals and nothing to grind for... you are done. payed MMOs getting 8 raids/dungeons + plenty of new guests large zones etc. just stop its not comparable.
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
13 сағат бұрын
@@critical-thinker666 In a nutshell, GW2 is about the experience, you are awarded for doing anything and everything, all game-modes lead to the best gear acquirement 'Legendary', play the game how you like, when you want. BiS gear from 2012 is BiS in 2024. There's no sub fee, not even an optional one like in ESO and BDO. In my opinion GW2 is the best jump in and jump out MMO on the market. While also being the best MMO to respect your time. Wow is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead you're on a treadmill. It's content rich, but everything and anything you do is most likely glossed over and not appreciated due to gear progression. WoW's story, maps, instances, literally everything isn't appreciated because players are blinded by that 'Item Level' number. To acquire the best gear you need to do higher level instance content or competitive PvP. WoW doesn't give you an abundance of choices in that regard, hence funneling people into the same Mythic +, Raids and Arena. Wow is more like a chore than a fun game. Don't get me wrong, the few WoW players who don't care about their item level and experience WoW for what it is, are truly living their best lives as a MMO gamer. Sadly those players are few and far between. Meanwhile GW2 doesn't have the budget of Blizzard, hence our content drops aren't often and as large as WoW, but our players are spoilt in a way that we enjoy the game for what it is, rather than blindly following an arbitrary number, which increases every expansion.
@critical-thinker666
Сағат бұрын
@@Royal.Grand.Majesty sooo after you finish legendary weapons and armor... you do what exactly? getting 50 maps with weapon sets as rewards (which are utterly useless for you at that point) or you wait for some cool gemstore skin... thats your gw2 gameplay. your *rewarded* for everything you do means that you get trash loot which you can then sell for pennies on TP and THAN you buy what you want.
@Royal.Grand.Majesty
Сағат бұрын
@@critical-thinker666 Your mindset is already biased towards attaining better gear, hence your ideal game would be a vertical progression one. Feel free to head back to WoW or FF14, once you get tired of the treadmill, if you ever do, then give GW2 a try. GW2 becomes more appealing when you've grown numb to the endless treadmill. When all you do is focus on improving a single number [Item Level], you ignore everything else. Those of us who hate the idea of losing all the hard earnt gear and upgrades every expansion, truly appreciate GW2 for what it is. I myself am glad that I've escaped the endless gear grind hell, the game is now a game for me, rather than a chore.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
No, dear Phandrel, you cannot view these issues in isolation to other games. Not just that the expansions (+living world, even if you have to pay for it) are absolutly ridiculously cheap compared to other games. Also, absolutly nothing is mandatory and the few things that give a massive QoL boost you can EASILY get by cover by converting gold to gems. Which totally invaldiates the argument that anet would force us to spend money - unlike MOST other games. You have the freedom to chose if you want to invest time to farm the gold or if you lack the time and want to charge. Especially of you consider this game's demographic this makes a lot of sense. And if one still complains about the monetary aspect, just take a moment and think how much time you spend in the game, how much entertainment you get. And now reflect it to the costs of whatever average hobby. Compared to most studios anet might be one of the absoltly fairest for every type of player in their game. Sure, you can always criticise the unneccesary noob traps in the gem store (e.g. the boosters), but the positive outshines the negative by sooooo many times. There is a solution to most QoL issues. It's basically part of the game. Just because there is the expensive option to go for a perfect solution, it does not mean you have to. I get that you mentioned all these aspects at some point. But all what is getting across is a kinda pretty unfair drama by complaining on a very high level. Especially considering how much of your content is about farming, it's weird that you make it sound like you are dependant to spend money. I do like you, I do like your content, but this video is a miss.
@rossjamestobitt
19 сағат бұрын
From the perspective of someone who only came back to the game recently (last played 2013). Navigating the store and learning the "traps" has been the only true anti-consumer experience so far (thankyou to content creators like yourself for helping me navigate the pitfalls). Compared to a subscription based MMO like WoW or FF I think it does reward careful planning and research which I kind of like, but that is not everyone's cup of tea. The worst part in my humble opinion is the set amount of gems for sale. Not being able to buy specific amounts for the things you need feels like the most scummy move but you can clearly see why they do it, as it is a tried and true method of squeezing more out of people. Without millions of subs to pay the bills, can I blame them? 🤷
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Yeah, the European Consumer Organisation basically stated the use of premium currency and price mismatching as 2 out of 4 factors they deem predatory. I tend to agree with their assessment. At the same time, I understand this is now an industry standard, and therefore, I see why any company would do these things. Overall, I'm a huge ANet fan, and I want them to make enough to keep the lights on and then some so they can take care of the devs. It's the tradeoff of today's world, I guess.
@shamanoty8115
19 сағат бұрын
Some nice numbers : 12 years * 12 months * 12 $ = 1728 $ = 138,240 Gems
@Jmvars
8 сағат бұрын
Not gonna lie, the only thing I got from this video is the gem store is actually benign as hell and since I've never actually bought gems with real money and I still have max build/gear templates on two characters and a bunch extra on my other alts, two sets of infinite gathering tools, a full set of extra bag slots on my main and a few spare on others, all salvage-o-matics, both the halloween and winstersday gobblers and even a few cosmetic skin upgrades tells me it's nowhere near as bad as it seems. This is BEFORE I get into the things I bought with the Chak Egg Sac gold I lucked out on.
@Thakkii
19 сағат бұрын
Gw2 is one of those games i always comeback to it , but then i scratch my head thinking why i quitted in first place and then quit again🤣
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
I've been I that boat in the past! It's a cliché at this point, but finding goals to work towards really helped me stick around (and want me to put most of my free time into the game). For me, the catalysts were legendaries. After the "free" necklace that snowball got rolling, and has kept me busy for the past years.
@AltonDemiurge
16 сағат бұрын
Did yall realy think Arena Net is surviving off of just selling dlcs? Arena Net has to make money somehow, and honestly this far a better method, than some other things I have seen other game companies do like Studio Wildcard did with Ark Survival Ascended with overpowered dinos that were only accessible if you bought a dlc. It completely ruined the pvp in that game. Arena Net is simply providing quality of life and skins on the gemstore sure maybe some changes would be nice but, it isn't like you will have a disadvantage in the game if you don't buy these things. Personally, I have no problem with this.
@SimonPeel
21 сағат бұрын
I agree with everything that you said in principle. But you do need to include the fact that Janet's got to keep the lights on. With no monlthy sub fee they have to make money somewhere. I do with that wasnt by milking newbies with boosters, or with the problem-solvers. I'm happy to buy good lookign skins to the value that i think is worth it every month, but those take the mick.
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
Definitely, they shouldn't even only need to keep the lights on, but a solid profit too. They're a company after all. Despite being a bit more critical than I usually am, I wouldn't continue playing the game (and talking about it to others), if I wasn't in favor of the overal package.
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
@@phandrel If that’s how you really feel, then why do you use the word “predatory” when describing the business model of GW2’s gem store? I see it as the least predatory monetary system of any MMORPG.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
Circling!
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
@@traveling.down.the.road56 CHOMP!
@phandrel
7 сағат бұрын
@@traveling.down.the.road56 I should've read this out loud in the video, instead of putting it on screen. But the use of gems and price mismatching are both defined as predatory by the European Consumer Organisations (the BEUC document I showed at the start, and which is linked in the pinned comment). That's on me. First time making a video like this, so there's bound to be hiccups. I always aim to do better in the next one, though.
@omglolwaffle
21 сағат бұрын
Thank you for making this video. Very important that someone highlight these kinds of business practices. I love Anet and GW2, but I wish the gemstore was a bit more fair.
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
Games like GW2 don’t get developed for free! Show me any other game that has a business model that is more fair to the players than GW2’s, unless it’s some phone game that’s full of advertisements.
@kessy628
19 сағат бұрын
@@traveling.down.the.road56 Any single player game that is a one and done purchase? In all seriousness, you can recognize that GW2 has one of the better cash shop and real money in-game purchase models while also recognizing that the model still has flaws/takes advantage of certain things. Yes, if they wanted to make more money they could be a lot more predatory, but that doesn't mean they're the best model possible or have 0 flaws.
@HamletTwin
19 сағат бұрын
It is pretty fair if you ask me. What other mmo out there allows you to convert in-game gold to premium currency, and allows you to purchase cash shop items? Plus a lot of the items in the TP are mainly cosmetic or optional purchases (minus the LW seasons, but that's a whole other can of worms that should be addressed)
@traveling.down.the.road56
18 сағат бұрын
@@HamletTwin Exactly! There’s no comparison between GW2’s monetization model and that of other MMORPG games. Anet has to make money to continue development of GW2 and I believe that their business model is the best for players who have a brain and aren’t irresponsible children who have borrowed their parents credit cards.
@kessy628
18 сағат бұрын
@@HamletTwin Do you want the list in chronological or alphabetical order? It's extremely common lmao.Just a couple examples: * WoW lets you purchase tokens for in game gold, which can either be used for game time (aka, paying your sub) or bnet balance for purchasing pretty much anything on bnet. * EVE Online lets you convert between ISK and PLEX * Throne and Liberty lets you sell items on the in-game auction house for lucent, the premium currency There's probably tens of more examples I can find if this isn't enough. But It's extremely common nowadays for you to be able to convert both ways from in game currency to premium currency and vice versa.
@dragonfangalexander
12 сағат бұрын
Pay to win is a yes or no question. Yes, the game is pay to win, no, u don't belive in euphemisms as pay for convinience, pay to progress, etc, microtransactions are just that, pay to win an advantage, as marginal as it is. Then, you can compare how much pay to win a game is compared to others. But ArenaNet is as predatory, at least using the same schemes as any other compajy out there.
@phandrel
7 сағат бұрын
It's an industry at this point, indeed. I also believe it'll continue evolving (both for better and worse).
@JoseValdeolivar
18 сағат бұрын
You are not really talking about the real cost. $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, nah, pennies on the dollar, son. I have about 10 k hours in the game since release. I get $25 an hour working, if instead i worked those hours... I'll let you do the math.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
I'm nearing 10k hours myself. This is an eye-opener. At the same time, a lot of my time spent in game is some of the happiest time I spent, so I wouldn't take it back either.
@tomasscernyy
16 сағат бұрын
Great video. I bought gems only once (800) and then twice for deluxe version of an expansion but just cause I wanted to support Anet. But I learned how to make a lot of golds with very little effort, right now arround 600-800g a day just from the investments so I dont even have to log in every day. Took a while of course but I can buy everything I want without spending real money.
@Wakajce
14 сағат бұрын
The gems probably make it possible to spend in-game money to buy them without associating a real-world value to it. Also it's worth giving Anet some credit for not giving more gems per dollar/euro spent on the larger bundles, which a lot of games tend to do to encourage larger spending. Overall I am reasonably happy with the gem store considering they don't sell play power, only convenience, and its absolutely fair for a game company to have a store in a subscription free game with pretty cheap expansions, although I agree that they do create a lot of problems and solve them with the gem store, and "noob traps" are straight up unethical in my opinion.
@DreiSchwerterZorro
5 сағат бұрын
I definitely wouldn't have thought that a mount skin is that expensive! 1600 is quite a lot, but yeah, I could imagine playing that at some point. But 20 bucks? Now way! Though I only get my gems from the big expansion packages and from converting gold. So my perception might be different from other players
@ChimpOnComputer
22 сағат бұрын
My first main game was Warframe. Loved it and played it for thousands of hours, and then got into GW2. It's so reminiscent with their practices, although there's a few little wittle "cmon bruh" things for gems, but are in no way necessary at all. It's pretty good.
@WidsithQuill
12 сағат бұрын
Good on you Phandrel, an excellent video that lays out real problems in an informative way without overly apologizing or sensationalizing it. I realize that it might not be for everyone, but I think that a lot of people read "horizontal progression" as "no progression". Progression is still part of the game, it's just (mostly) permanent quality of life and cosmetic advances. So if you slowly progress through gem store upgrades as part of your goals for the game, it cuts down the price tag and adds more meaning to the content, at least for me. Not to say I don't appreciate all those who contribute more than me for supporting the game!
@mayam.3240
10 сағат бұрын
That's actually a good point to include the QoL into the horizontal progression. 👍
@YarnellCrew
9 сағат бұрын
Besides buying the expansions I have not spent any RL money in this game. There is simply no reason you have to. I guess I don't understand videos about cash shops in any game. If you have to use the cash shop to advance in the game then I would never play it, if everything is cosmetic and/or things that make your life easier then I am good with it but don't use it. I have bought some things with gems when I have a little extra gold and convert it to gems but, as I said before there is no reason you would ever "need" to spend money in the cash shop.
@kessy628
18 сағат бұрын
It's crazy how people feel the need to defend a corporation that is doing what are objectively shady business practices. You can call out a company for bad practices while praising them for good practices lmao. It doesn't matter that they aren't as shady as other competitors (whataboutism), that it could be worse (either/or fallacy), or any other defenses you can think of - it doesn't make the bad practices good, it just makes the overall picture less bad. Anet needs to make money and keep the lights on, fair. Using that to excuse predatory tactics is just running defense for a corporation that doesn't need it. Corporations aren't your friends, they exist to make money, and every decision (good or bad) is in that mindset.
@mayam.3240
17 сағат бұрын
Well no, it's not "whataboutism", because unlike most of the other actual predarory games anet does give you a lot of options around these tactics. It were the experiences with anet that made me quit a couple of games quickly once I seen these shady tactics which were not possible to evade and you just HAD to spend money. Noone is thinking of corporations as their friends. And as much as I myself criticise anet, I have to admit that they are still way more truthworthy than most others.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Definitely, and to me personally, there's much more good than bad, that's why I keep making the content about the game that I make. But at the same time, I agree that it's still good to review both sides of the coin every now and then.
@traveling.down.the.road56
14 сағат бұрын
@@kessy628 I’m one of the biggest hater’s of corporations and their greed and irresponsibility, but I strongly disagree that Anet is using predatory practices in their business model with one exception, and that is the Black Lion Chest loot boxes. I personally don’t have any problem with them and I don’t know anyone who is a victim of that item, so I don’t think about it at all. Considering everything else, I think Anet is the least predatory studio of any MMORPG game.
@kessy628
12 сағат бұрын
@@traveling.down.the.road56 I mean Phandrel literally detailed multiple predatory practices in the gem store. Objectively, they are. I will 100% agree compared to other companies in the space they're one of the least predatory, but it is just factually wrong to say they are not using any predatory practices outside of black lion chests.
@kessy628
12 сағат бұрын
@@mayam.3240"It's not about whataboutism" the literal next words is "unlike most of the other actual predatory games anet does give you a lot of options around these tactics", which is literally the equivalent of "what about other games that don't give you options around these tactics" . You can 100% argue (correctly) that anet is not as bad as many other companies in the space. But to say objectively that they are not engaged in any predatory practices is factually incorrect, as Phandrel pointed out. In terms of trustworthiness, I trust a corporation as far as I can throw it, which considering it's an abstract construct means 0. I "trust" anet in regards to being willing to give them money based on what they provide in a transactional exchange, which is just as much as they trust me. I don't "trust" them in regards to assuming that they are doing things soley for player benefit/out of the goodness of their heart or for any other reason that even has a hint of emotional attachment in it.
@madmagus7693
16 сағат бұрын
I've played the game for about 5 years now and have everything I need for all 9 characters that I have. I have not spent a single real dollar during that time. I only buy something once I gather enough gold. People who spend RL money are those who must have everything right now and have no patience.
@DreiSchwerterZorro
5 сағат бұрын
No patience, not much time to play or want to support the devs :)
@gabrielmarques2622
21 сағат бұрын
Thank you for making this video , i always found pretty weird how people get defensive about the gemstore on gw2 . Just because there are worse companies doesn't mean that these predatory practices are okay . People are too used to getting ripped off.
@DeltatechActual
19 сағат бұрын
People/actual customers don't get defensive bots and shills do.
@SheenaMalfoy
19 сағат бұрын
...do people not have self control? I have, outside of buying the Ultimate edition for all expacs, bought gems exactly once. Ever. I only purchase items when they're on sale or bundled with other things to make it worth it, and if I want more I make it happen with gold to gems. Not my credit card. You can get plenty far in this game by... Playing the game. Its not that hard. Also nobody needs max bag slots. One extra if you're being generous, but thats more than enough. Learn to manage your inventory, don't pay for space you don't need.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Absolutely true. The bag slots I noticed as soon as I unlocked them (almost) all on a single character. Unless I'm mass identifying gear, only about half get used. Having material storage space does help for that, though.
@MatLinnett1
15 сағат бұрын
They use a lot of the same tricks casinos use to erode self control. GW2 may be "better" than the rest, but ask yourself this: If Phandrel's country made the purchase of loot boxes illegal in a game you made, wouldn't you fess up and change it for ALL players in all regions instead of just that one? You know, as a human being who has been caught doing something distasteful? Here, they know they've been been caught doing something wrong, they've complied with one country's law, yet they continue that same practice is other countries, rather than doing the honorable thing and getting rid of loot boxes full-stop. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the EU follows suit, and it's going to make them look increasingly bad. Nevermind which, all of these quality-of-life things don't even have to be sold. Every player could have the ability to open their bank wherever, or have all nine build templates available, or change their haircut whenever they like, etcetera, etcetera. ANet have developed the technology to do it, then split it off for the sole purpose of selling it back to players. THAT'S predatory. The worst though is the Legendary Economy. I think it's fair to say that the entire economy revolves around creating legendaries. Back when the game came out, and Exotic was the highest tier of gear (before ANet attempted to woo players from other MMOs buy adding a new tier to grind for), the only legendary items available were weapons. And they had set stats. In something I've come to regret, I suggested in the forums that legendaries needed something more than just cosmetics, and that while increased stats was out of the quesiton, how about they make it so that players can choose the stats on them whenever they like? My intention was to make it more like the original Guild Wars or other (non-MMO) RPGs out there, in that players would have complete build flexibility. After all, GW1 was built on that idea, and GW2 felt restrictive by comparison. I doubt it would have made any difference at the time, but in hindsight I should have suggested that Exotic gear could change stats on the fly, while legendaries could change appearance (thereby hewing more closely to the "Only Cosmetics" model that is a lot more palatable.) Fast forward to where we are now, in a situation where if a balance patch doesn't go your way, unless you have ALL legendaries, you're going to have to spend some gold, or convert cash-to-gems-to-gold to change 1 or more pieces of gear. And so the subtle nudge towards building a Legendary arsenal starts. Of course, if you don't have the time to play all day every day, chances are, your gold and material reserves are going to be piffling, and the amounts required to craft any Legendary are beyond the means of most casual players. But then you realise that you can buy Gen 1 legendaries on the TP for gold. So you buy an entire armoury. Then you realise that the grindy, dull parts of legendary armours and trinkets (those horribly expensive "Gifts" of crafting materials) can ALSO be bypassed with gold. And then, it becomes very easy to spend a lot of money very quickly, especially if you have the disposable income on hand. That's how they get you.
@hyzaku
14 сағат бұрын
There's a reason these business tactics are called "predatory practices". It may shock you to find out that yes, different people have different tolerances and susceptibilities to psychological tactics designed to influence human behavior. Even absences the presence of such manipulative tactics there are plenty of people who demonstrate little to no self control.
@wallacetrottier3654
16 сағат бұрын
Honestly, I have not watched the full video yet. but I will say with as good as the game is and as nice as the player base is, I know I can play and earn in the long run Gems but with as much actual fun I am having I will happily spend random amounts here and there.
@Rabidconscience
15 сағат бұрын
XD. Anet should have accepted your application
@phandrel
7 сағат бұрын
I was always gonna start with a joke. If I was in the program, it'd be "well, maybe not for long". People read a bit too much into that one, good lesson for myself for a future video, though.
@Buran01
20 сағат бұрын
I would also add that I find out that there's a point in which extra character slots are a waste, and for me the limit is around 13-15. I did things as purchasing (with gold) the Candy and Snow Gobblers and Ialmost never use them. To be honest there's very few quality of life items in GW2 which are really usefull.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
There's an argument to be made for maxing out alts to park them near chests, but that's one of the few activities that's lost on me. I already consistently forget to log in on the 2 or 3 that I have parked somewhere, adding a couple is a fool's errand in my case.
@Buran01
14 сағат бұрын
@@phandrel My bad, I was thinking about shared inventory slots and not character slots. I find out character slots usefull since deliver tons of space and if you run full legendaries you can specialize them on the fly for different task (I think that 10 to 20 characters is the optimal), but for shared inventory slots after 13-14 i'm finding that I do't have that many items worth to use with everyone. Usually I put a couple of limitless harvesting tools of each kind (2 sickles, 2 axes and 2 picks), and access to the WvW Battleground sanctuary, a tome with teleports to each region, a fast teleport device and a stack of teleports to a friend... And that's pretty much it. I have Gobblers but I rarely use them and only in a couple of characters, I have a portable mystic forge but I don't use it oftenly and that's all. I think that the game can be played with very little spent in the gem store, and I always hated loot boxes. I don't farm the weekly keys despite one of my 21 characters is a deletable slot I use sometimes to experiment leveling ups or new weapons...
@DreiSchwerterZorro
5 сағат бұрын
@@phandrel Well it depends - if ALL of your characters are parked somewhere, you don't have to remember logging in two or three and which onces they were. Just login one after the other one till you are done (as long as you don't mind this activity) I even have a character I login first thing every day (the one collecting my black lion delivery) and every character which wasn't logged in yet (as it's on the right side of my starting character) can be seen easily when swapping characters. So when I conclude a GW2 day I can see whether I finished the daily logins
@thekaimurai4146
14 сағат бұрын
The gem store is awesome. I get to look as schmexy as I want and save time by buying legendaries with real cash.
@wanya6046
5 сағат бұрын
with the wizzards vault stuff like build templates are on the same level as transmutation charges - just a noob trap that really is my main issue with the gemstore there is some stuff in there that should have a big information tag on where to get it directly ingame too
@RosaKaraline
22 сағат бұрын
I've been playing off and on since beta and I've probably spent more than I realize. But I've also been pretty conservative about it, and try to off balance it with gold to gems too. You're not wrong though. Some of it can be "creating problems to sell the solution". All things considered I think gw2 is one of the less egregious games in that regard. Despite its long lifespan it never stooped to selling pay to win kind of stuff. It respects the player's time for the most part. It's still to me probably the best and most well rounded mmo on the market for those reasons. I do wish the balancing was better but what can ya do. That tends to be an issue in most games too. edit: typo
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
I've been on both ends. In the early years of the game, I had disposable income. I didn't mind spending on the game, while the latter have been the other way around. For that alone, I'm ever so grateful for the gold to gems conversions. The balance changes are indeed sometimes a bit of a fickle thing, especially when they try to balance specs around multiple modes. Bit of a downside, but at the same time, it's good that they communicate them as much as they do as well, in my opinion.
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
@@phandrelThe balancing of GW2 is the main complaint I have with the game. It is one of the very few things that I complain about often.
@ColdMystery
20 сағат бұрын
I've only fully upgraded one character yet and I doubt that I will continue indefinitely
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
I got my 9 mostly done (bar the 9th tabs and the newest bag slots), mostly through gold > gems. While it might not directly add something such as a legendary would, it was a very fun project that took me quite a bit of time. Happy I did it that way.
@dennispalacio6317
15 сағат бұрын
I am not sure with your thumbnail, predatory? Compared to other games this is the best system that I've played. Sure they will offer items for you to buy, but that is also a way for the game to earn and continue to develop the game.
@hypersonicblabla
10 сағат бұрын
its true but anet boot lickers says otherwise.. i have 2 account with 1 having 3 expac and another (steam) all expac upto date. anet is predatory in its own way
@johnreesekl6249
17 сағат бұрын
I wonder as part of Phandrel's application, if he included "I am gonna go nuclear on you, if you don't accept me as a partnership application" =P I like Phandrel, but you can't start a video by saying "I applied, and got rejected, now...lets get nasty" and expect sympathy. I am guessing, this video DOESN'T reach the air if you had been selected as partner. But, whatever, your content is generally positive about gw2, and I not really gonna take a stand on GW2 in game store practices. It's shady, it is what it is. They need to generate money some how (and it now looks like they found another model with faster release cycles -- for less content that we got before). I don't know, it is what it is. I don't buy gems very much at all (I did break down and bought some gems back a year or so ago when I got my Griffin). But, even now, I know it is a scam. I did buy the deluxe expansion pack with the 4000 gems, and I vow to not spend them, unless I absolutely have to =P So far so good. I do want some equipment templates on some toons, but I will *ONLY* buy them on sale. I just gotta wait now, and I am aware, that even the "sales" are a scam, they just rotate around to make people feel good about actually buying something.
@phandrel
16 сағат бұрын
The partner jib was more of a lighthearted way for me to start off the video. Didn't actually mean it as a "let's go nuclear" comment. It was a fun intro to a heavier subject for me. I'm also aware of how difficult it is and how long it can take to become a partner. I don't actually expect them to reply back, especially with how new I still am as a creator. As for the practices, yeah. They're industry standard at this point. Most of them I understand, but at the same time, I felt like reviewing them was an interesting exercise I wanted to share with everyone.
@Paelmoon
14 сағат бұрын
I just bought alt accounts (like 20 of them) back when anet sold $6 core accounts - for like 2 days - before HOT dropped. I make so much free gold from them that I haven't spent any "real" money in the game outside of buying xpacs. If I want an item I just convert some gold to gems and get it. Also, the items pricing is interesting. But then I thought about how its costs like $150 to take the family to see a new movie - tickets, snack, travel, etc - and that a few hours. But you buy a thing in game for $20 that lasts as long as the game does. I dunno. Maybe its not that bad.
@shogenx
11 сағат бұрын
i dont spend much on this game >.> its called just having restraint
@Halak014
19 сағат бұрын
Only times is have gotten gems is with Delux expansions, Achievements and gold to gem. But oh have i sunken in time in this game. Why?, had some problem swiping card as in the payment method didn't work for me. Time out or what ever happen, for years so I never got the habit to swipe for gems in-game and stopped trying, could only buy on the home page and the expansions where the main thing to buy there. Sure they have changed after that but I have the habit of farming gold and converting so that's my gameplay, have almost all Account bag slots now after Janthir's Delux version. Overall they have a good system, If you can resist whaling up your lifesaving's.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
The gold to gems is definitely an aspect I appreciate so much as well. Don't think I'd have been able to get that many upgrades without.
@Ham68229
17 сағат бұрын
Except not many take in consideration of the tax that is added if you purchase the smaller gem packs over purchasing the $35 gem pack. So, choose your pack(s) wisely and what you're willing to spend at any given time. Gem store is QOL (quality of life) only and it's always best to keep an eye on it daily because, Anet DOES have some really good "sales". Black Lion chests and keys... man, I used to save these up and open when I had a bunch saved in inventory... not anymore. Noticed the drop rates aren't really that great and to me, not worth it. So, I save up a bunch, then post on the TP. I can make more gold that way than by opening them. I know my luck with all this... never have I had one of those "jackpot" type of drops, never and I've opened thousands of these chests.
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
I actually had the Endless Upgrade Extractor drop from a key I got for exploring Bloodstone Fen. I hate using it, but love that I could test it out for another video I made. If you hoard your keys, try and look out for events that reward you with a good guaranteed drop. 4 winds was a good one, as you basically got a junk item worth some silver or gold with every chest. I prefer that over dyes.
@DreiSchwerterZorro
4 сағат бұрын
I like to wait for extra stattuets or a black Lion ticket scraps, but the first one is a bit more niche for getting skins
@Dribsy
Сағат бұрын
tbh the gemstore is the reason I keep playing this game. It's not predatory at all, almost like they don't even care about making money.
@jetah50
15 сағат бұрын
never save your payment info. too easy for that info to be taken.. er copied.. from the business.
@BonkMachine
22 сағат бұрын
name me one mmo that does it better !
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP!
@FlaxiEverafter
15 сағат бұрын
GW2 is one of the least predatory games when it comes to the gem store.
@michaelreed2700
Сағат бұрын
Been playing since launch. Think I’ve spent around 200$ in total so far, outside of expansion packs and core games. This is for 2 accounts. I crafted my own asc armor and weapons, never made a single leggy until it got affordable. Have 20 alts per account, they all have asc armor/weapons minimum. I have my favorite armor sets per weight, so even if the piece is leggy (nearly have all 3 weights completed thanks to SOTO) it will be transmuted into a skin I got for free…. But since I’ve finally experienced the convenience of leggy armor, I’m highly considering just buying one of every type of leggy weapon…. Don’t care about the skins, just want the convenience of stat changing. From my perspective the time it takes for me to earn 80$ in real life is much much much less than the time spent grinding to craft.. at an 800 gem per 250G conversion rate, it’s in the neighborhood of 60-80$ average per leggy weapon. Times 2 accounts… Maybe I’ll just stick with ascended, and make one legendary from the vault kits every 3 months….
@Manirus
22 сағат бұрын
Important and interesting video!
@Modsognir
17 сағат бұрын
I know this is prob not the place to ask, but did you stop streaming becuase of not getting a response to the Anet partner program?
@phandrel
17 сағат бұрын
Not at all! It's for health reasons, I'll probably be back either next week or the week after at the latest. The partner jib was just a bit of fun, I never expected to get in, and neither did I expect them to reply to me. I'll keep making GW2 content regardless. It was more of a lighthearted way (for myself) to start what is a bit more of a serious video.
@SilhouetteGaming1
20 сағат бұрын
Ah my boy has become a man.
@EmmaRose-yk2qc
21 сағат бұрын
I'm not sure about this one. I love your content but this one just sounds like bitterness. I've played the game daily for over 10 years without paying for a single cent other than the expansions and never felt locked out of any content. Sure, I needed to be more discerning with inventory space and took me a minute or 2 to change builds but never did I feel forced to use the gem store at all. Yes, there's a lot of pay-to-skip in there but that's what makes it okay, in my opinion. As you said, nothing is necessary. Sure, these last 2 years I've spent a ton of money on gem store because I could and wanted to support ANet but never did I feel cheated or deceived. It's 2024 and everyone knows games have wikis. If you don't consult them first before purchasing the items, that's on you. If you can't control your spending impulses and don't save the gems between purchases, that's on you...if you lose track of how much you spent on the store, then I'm happy for you; it means you have enough money left over after paying bills to afford not keeping track. It also felt a bit sneaky of you to fail to mention how many systems in-game are now present that reduce the need for gem store (wizard's vault being one of them). The only thing I cannot speak for is the look boxes, since in 12 years I have never been tempted to buy a single key. I don't know, maybe I'm judging you too harshly, and I apologize if I am, but this video felt insincere.
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
I definitely didn't mean to make this a bitter video. I still recommend the game to anyone and help them past some caveats if need be. I felt like having a more critical look at things (for me personally) helped, as it gives me ideas about what areas of my guides to focus on. I'll definitely keep the balance between in mind for future ones, though.
@EmmaRose-yk2qc
20 сағат бұрын
@@phandrel And this is why I like your content. You're always willing to put in the work and rethink stuff as needed. That shows emotional maturity and that'll keep making your channel successful
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
@@phandrelI have to agree with @emmarose, you missed the mark on this video in my opinion. Like many other viewers, I think GW2 has many faults, but the gem store isn’t one of them.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!
@richardpurvis4532
22 сағат бұрын
great content Phan....I have always bought gems with in-game gold if I want anything off TP
@phandrel
21 сағат бұрын
Thanks! That's been my MO as well in the last few years (except for the ultimate packs when an expansion releases).
@traveling.down.the.road56
20 сағат бұрын
@@phandrelBuying the Ultimate packs is the only way to get gems at a discounted price AFAIK. Which makes them a decent value in my opinion.
@salmu4893
22 сағат бұрын
alot of assumptions in this one, but fun video
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP!
@TheChomskyhonk
21 сағат бұрын
Good on ya for this video! Great job
@kohtas
21 сағат бұрын
Stop blaming video games for your own impulse control issues. Comparing what Anet does with GW2 to how almost all other games monetize their game is like comparing a kid who stole a candy bar to a murderer. This video feels like retaliation for not making it into their creator program more than anything, whether it is or not. Anet fails in a lot of aspects as far as GW2 goes but monetization isn't one of them.
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
Ya, stop blaming video games, they just hire Psychologists to manipulate your brain and dopamine levels to attempt to swindle people into buying things they wouldn't normally buy. There is nothing unethical about that is there! This video feels like an honest person getting something off his chest!
@DeltatechActual
18 сағат бұрын
CHOMP!
@BennytheMenace
Сағат бұрын
This is a joke right ? You do know this just makes you appear like a fool, butt hurt they didn't choose you, nobody is forcing anybody to throw real money in said store you're complaint about , isn't it your job to teach people how to get these items without using $$$ ? Arenanet have put blatant systems in place to allow us to do it 😂 you're just backing up there possible decision not to make you a partner
@jurionov5358
8 сағат бұрын
This video is so unnecessary and unrealistic aswell, i dont know a single person who instantly maxes out all that shit when making an alt… yes the option is there if you like it, but is it needed? Not at all. Plus, achieving all of what u said(more builds, more space etc) can be done as simple as getting anither character slot on discount that costs nothing and you can buy it with gold without even farming but just by playing the game. This video honestly seems like a ragebait for comments and forums bcs we all know damn well that you know all of this 💁
@McPilch
20 сағат бұрын
Predatory..?! You're reeeeeally stretching that definition..... 👎
@DreiSchwerterZorro
3 сағат бұрын
Funny, that you mention the definition. As the middle-currency is part of the definition of predatory practices as well as not being able to buy the exact amount of gems you need to be able to buy the stuff you want. Anet does a great job compared to other MMOS, but even they still use predatory practices.
@corrinlex1359
4 сағат бұрын
U got rejected so now ur bitter. GW2 cash shop is the tamest ive seen. Source: Ive played tons of asian mmos. Get well soon.
@sunnydlite-t8b
12 сағат бұрын
"I didnt get my way so im going to complain". Yikes, this isnt the way lad.
@mayam.3240
10 сағат бұрын
I doubt he meant it that way. 😅 Especially when knowing his usual content I think he might just went a little too hard into clickbaits and sensational dramatising. 😅 He even tries to relativate his views a couple of times, even through it's not what sticks in the end. I still wish him to become partner, he's doing a good job.
@phandrel
7 сағат бұрын
It was indeed meant as a joke. I wrote this under another comment, but if I would've been a partner, I would've said "well maybe not for long". I know to be a bit more careful for future videos on opening with a joke when the video is a bit more critical, as people seem to get stuck on those first 8 sec.
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