calling all GW millionaires! - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

dr love

...is in denial

Join Date: Sep 2006

Hyperion

starcraft 2

P/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 08:44 - 1

So i'm coming up on my first million, after plenty of selling to merchs and players, but nothing over 100k. It makes me wonder how guys have the cash to throw around to bid on items at like 500 ectos and such!

To my understanding there have been a few key moments in game where people have amassed huge sums of money, or created very valuable items. I'll start the list, but I'm sure there are plenty more going back in the history of guild wars.

1. that fateful day when all material prices were reset to 100g. I wish I could have been there. (I'm thinking this is #1 for guys with riches comin out of their ears)

2. invention of the 55 monk and solo farming in the early days
3. farming greens when they first came out in sorrows furnace
4. invention of the droks run!! though i don't know the prices it started off at
5. bringing back post-sear items to pre
6. grinding it out 2 man style in FoW for months on end.
7. finding a titan gem from domain of anguish
8. finding a crystalline sword
9. finding an elemental sword

what else can you add?

Tactical-Dillusions

Desert Nomad

Join Date: May 2005

Grimsby, UK

R/

05 Dec 2006 at 08:53 - 2

Farming superior runes from ettins, once had 3 from 4 kills. Was a definite money spinner until it got nerfed.

FelixCarter

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2006

Mo/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 09:09 - 3

Resisting Aaron Sorkin's mind control powers... Oh wait.

Scratch that.

Mini-pets. Bone-Dragon specifically, but this includes Kuunavang, Shiro, and Rurik.

Oh, and that damn Varesh that nobody and their mom wants anymore.

Lag Hell

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 09:17 - 4

1. Stand in LA 24/7
2. Post in ventaris sell
3. Profit

Mystic-

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

05 Dec 2006 at 09:19 - 5

HoD Swords

conjurer

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2005

Team Chaos Theory [hent]

Mo/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 09:36 - 6

hoh chest drops

Carth`

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2006

05 Dec 2006 at 09:41 - 7

I knew someone who one day had no more than about 2K, then got 4 birthdays on his characters and got 4 Bone Dragons and sold them all and was stinking rich.

FelixCarter

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2006

Mo/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 09:44 - 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carth`

I knew someone who one day had no more than about 2K, then got 4 birthdays on his characters and got 4 Bone Dragons and sold them all and was stinking rich.

Those kinda people turn into the larvae form of Bill Gates.

Scf Blacknight

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2006

Causing rage in your Tombz

Bears With Benefits [Dong]

W/R

05 Dec 2006 at 09:45 - 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carth`

I knew someone who one day had no more than about 2K, then got 4 birthdays on his characters and got 4 Bone Dragons and sold them all and was stinking rich.

Proof?

zankoku

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2005

Teh Academy [PhD]

05 Dec 2006 at 09:48 - 10

- Early Ettin rune farming (when superior runes were anywhere from 30k-100k).
- Drake run farming.
- Rare material arbitrage (back when it was possible to buy low from the merchant at Time A and sell back for more at Time B later in the day) (still possible today among players).
- Buying low, selling high in LA1.
- Merchant reset (picked up a few stacks of ectos and shards).
- Selling novelty items when they're still novelties (i.e., minipets).
- Rubies and sapphires (it was a gamble and it paid off).
- Basically, be aware of market trends and anticipate them.
- Chest runs.
- UW, minotaur and troll farming.

Ghost Recon

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

Mo/

05 Dec 2006 at 09:57 - 11

Most people who are rich either got there buy.

Very early UW farming
Chest running in Dreadnought's Drift
The Rare material trader reset (The first one not the second time as we got a server roll back the second time)
HoD swords

They were probably one of the easiest ways to get the cash before all got the nerf bat. With the exception of the rare material trader thing which was just a mess up by anet.

jackie

/retired

Join Date: Dec 2005

On the Beach

05 Dec 2006 at 10:09 - 12

Power Trading

Gli

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 10:12 - 13

I got my first taste of riches farming for Icy Dragon Swords. I made 800k off them in the early days of their emergence. I even used 2 territory changes to sell them in the US because prices were better there. That got me into solo farming, whereas I hadn't much cared about gold before that.

Lag Hell

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 10:15 - 14

actually, there isnt really 1 easy way, all the methods require a certain amount of work, (except maybe the 100g ecto, bone dragon or 15>50 crystalline hoh ppl). Say if u ask all the multi millionaires to do a /age most (90%) will have around 5000 hours under their belt, so just play the game, and ull get the hang of it. And i remember this from sum1s Avatar text.. Fun>Loot

Taurus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Oct 2005

Mexico

Go for the eyes [jizz]

W/Mo

05 Dec 2006 at 10:15 - 15

Quote:

Originally Posted by conjurer

hoh chest drops

My friend got a crystal sword there and bump, went from 100k to millionare in a sec.

Carth`

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2006

05 Dec 2006 at 10:39 - 16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scf Blacknight

Proof?

It was just someone I met once, and he gave free stuff away. I don't know if he was telling the truth. But statistically I'm sure there are quite a few people out there who got lucky with their birthday presents.

Sophitia Leafblade

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

Dragon Slayer Guild [DSG]

R/

05 Dec 2006 at 10:39 - 17

I know a friend whos super rich who has doen it all; Farming Solo, Dual & Team, trading, chest running, Running(Missions and Between towns)

Personally ive tried all of these and been successful on each of them aside from 1 minor problem i have the worst luck known to man and i never get anythign good drop wise. Ive only ever found 1 Sup vigor in the 19+ months ive been on gw and i found that during the period when Vigor had dropped below 20k (due to all the Ettin farmers of the time) and considering all teh questing and exploring i do ive never had the farming code activate against me and yet i still get no good things

dr love

...is in denial

Join Date: Sep 2006

Hyperion

starcraft 2

P/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 11:35 - 18

these are some fantastic posts! all kinds of neat little things.
i've been semi interested in making a spreadsheet of values of stuff in gw and then turning it into a fun project like a business section in the newspaper.

i.e. whats goin up, whats goin down, market trends, maybe have inflation rate

i think it'd be an interesting read for ppl. i check the traders almost everyday just out of interest.

icedwhitemocha

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2006

Ancestral/Grenz

[CneX]

W/

05 Dec 2006 at 11:37 - 19

A person I didn't know gave me ~700k worth of stuff in one trade window because I PC'd his crystalline on a forum (he was a retired drok's runner; essentially done with the game... but still)

not joking either

So I think you can add Karma to your list

Ninna

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2005

Northeast USA

Guilded Rose

Me/

05 Dec 2006 at 11:40 - 20

Factions release,
Amber was initially selling to people for 5-6k each

I made over 300k the 1st month of Factions, only selling amber

Knightsaber Sith

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Aug 2006

Few Fallen Heroes [FFH]

W/E

05 Dec 2006 at 11:45 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbulger

1. that fateful day when all material prices were reset to 100g. I wish I could have been there. (I'm thinking this is #1 for guys with riches comin out of their ears)

No one kept their "riches" from that. They did a complete server rollback that day so everyone lost everything they had done in the last hour or two. I remember having to redo the sf quests with my necro >_<

Malice Black

Site Legend

Join Date: Oct 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 11:49 - 22

Making 1mill is easy. Turning that 1mill into double figures is the way you need to go.

Buy/sell ecto (needs to be done in mass quantity's to make it worth doing)
Use to farm Ettins but quit when prices went through.
FoW spider runs
Dual Underworld
Solo FoW forest runs
Solo UW runs
Chest run Dreadnoughts
Chest run RoF/FoW/Shiverpeaks
Trading

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightsaber Sith

No one kept their "riches" from that. They did a complete server rollback that day so everyone lost everything they had done in the last hour or two. I remember having to redo the sf quests with my necro >_<

This trader reset was longgg before SF came out. Anet never rerolled.

X of Thulcandra

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2005

Sector 001

N/A

W/

05 Dec 2006 at 11:52 - 23

My friend got around 5 mil from a friend of his that quit. Then he goes and gets a perfect crystalline sword from the Halls, and becomes many times richer. Yeah, I was jealous.

Knightsaber Sith

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Aug 2006

Few Fallen Heroes [FFH]

W/E

05 Dec 2006 at 11:54 - 24

Well it did happen once after sf was out too; and they did rollback that one.

Anarkii

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

-None-

R/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 12:04 - 25

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie

Power Trading

That.

Lag Hell

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 12:10 - 26

^yea, still the most effective way, play the market on new items and check the trade forums often, u never kno when ull come across a cheap b/o. eventually ull get to the point of being very familiar with prices and making 20-30 ectos per trade

M1h4iL

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Perth, Australia

05 Dec 2006 at 13:05 - 27

No one has mentioned eBay...
Good HA people are generally rich too because they win HoH a lot getting many good drops, crystalline swords drop in HoH.
A lot of people made a lot with the hod swords, I know I did, also chest runs, buy/sell and getting a nice lucky drop would make many rich.

makosi

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

"Pre-nerf" is incorrect. It's pre-buff.

Requirement Begins With R [notQ]

Me/

05 Dec 2006 at 13:17 - 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lag Hell

^yea, still the most effective way, play the market on new items and check the trade forums often, u never kno when ull come across a cheap b/o. eventually ull get to the point of being very familiar with prices and making 20-30 ectos per trade

Buying stuff from people then selling it for more right under their noses is lame. If you're gonna power trade, at least be somewhat dignified in the process if you want to build up trading relations with people which then turn in to prosperity.

Although power trading isn't breaking any rules it is exploiting the ignorant and nothing to be proud of.

Anyway, the best way of earning that I've encountered was by farming the Kaolin Domination and Accursed staff during the Canthan 3x Green drops weekend. These staves sold for 60k~ prior to the event so I farmed them ecsessively and sold them for 15-25k eachwhen I have a three or four in my bag. My guildy farmed Sunreach and did the same thing and we both earned over 1.1 million each in a weekend.

Zamochit

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2006

N/A

05 Dec 2006 at 13:38 - 29

First, grind your ass of to get rich :-

FoW solo beach and forest

UW solo/dual (when spiritbond worked for instance this was fast shizzle)

Green farming (only for the first week or so of each new chapter when greens are worth something)

Dumb Luck :-: WTS:-:Chaos axe Req 8 15^50 (when they were worth 500K+)

Chestrunning:-:Usually pays for itself in the end and then some.

Then its all about buying and selling

Exploit the market (rubys and saphires for instance) got about a hundred or so of each for a bout a 400k in total pre nightfall. Sold them all off for a huge profit (around 1.5 million). I know several players who have done this. Ectos can be treated in this fashion too if you have sufficient start up capital. If you can buy ectos in bulk for 6k each at any point you know they will go back up in value to at least 6.5k soon after.

Know your skins :
Watch the trends:
and my favourite piece of advice regarding new skins is this:
Never hang onto a rare item for more than a week or two unless you want to keep it.
There are exceptions to this rule of course, but just because something is rare now doesnt mean the forum wont be flooded in a weeks time with similar items. If you can make a small fast profit take it, its better than holding out in many cases as invariably hot items get cold and you may find yourself selling at a loss.

Ghost Recon

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

Mo/

05 Dec 2006 at 13:49 - 30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightsaber Sith

Well it did happen once after sf was out too; and they did rollback that one.

There has been two of which i know about and only 1 got rolled back. They noramly happen very late at night so most people never know.

Justis Guy

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2006

W/E

05 Dec 2006 at 13:55 - 31

yep, buy and sell is good. it is speculation or the GWW stock market LOL
you get a good drop . . dont need it . . so sell it when you get to town . . it maybe worth 25k . . but you only ask say 10k for it . . it will get snatched up quick . . now they have to worry about getting current market for it, and you are 10k richer
mostly it is lucky chests and drops for me
farming is/was boring
interesting thread this one, like the idea of the spread sheet

quickmonty

Ancient Windbreaker

Join Date: May 2005

05 Dec 2006 at 13:56 - 32

Ettin farming during last year's Wintersday event, when superior vigor and absorbtion were dropping like flies, and the price was still high. Made about half a mil.

King's Spectre

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2005

Syracuse, NY, USA

The Amazon Basin (AB)

W/

05 Dec 2006 at 14:40 - 33

Etting farming? Young wipper-snappers. I made 100's of plat from Tengu rune farming back in the day. 55hp farming with a warrior - a thing of beauty.

*waits for the old giant and zealot farmers to jump in*

Kaane

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Seattle, WA

I Righteous Indignation I [RI]

W/A

05 Dec 2006 at 14:52 - 34

Quote:

Originally Posted by King's Spectre

Etting farming? Young wipper-snappers. I made 100's of plat from Tengu rune farming back in the day. 55hp farming with a warrior - a thing of beauty.

*waits for the old giant and zealot farmers to jump in*

I never got very rich (I've never been very lucky in this game, drops-wise) but I used to do solo giant farming in Riverside Province. My best drop was a Superior Fire Rune, which doesn't sound like much until you realize I got 50k for it.

Jecht Scye

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Lucky Crickets[Luck]

N/Me

05 Dec 2006 at 15:04 - 35

Endlessly trying to farm Victos Axe in TopK only to realize you made more money in Sorrow's Furnace :P

Cyan The Archer

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2005

Denmark

R/

05 Dec 2006 at 15:10 - 36

Being one of the first who found an Icy Dragon Sword(DAMN, i wish i had actually sold it..)

Stockholm

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

Censored

R/

05 Dec 2006 at 15:11 - 37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightsaber Sith

Well it did happen once after sf was out too; and they did rollback that one.

That was the rune trader reset.

Racthoh, what is your secret way of getting rich? lol

Senator Tom

Banned

Join Date: Aug 2005

California

[Dark]

W/

05 Dec 2006 at 15:17 - 38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyan The Archer

Being one of the first who found an Icy Dragon Sword(DAMN, i wish i had actually sold it..)

Got two in my first solo run a few hours after it came out

and racthoh isnt rich

MithranArkanere

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Nov 2006

wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigo

Heraldos de la Llama Oscura [HLO]

E/

05 Dec 2006 at 15:21 - 39

I never farmed before, but with the upcoming of Nightfall and seeing I was missing all Mesmer, Warrior and Ranger skills, I made a Warrior/Ranger, learned all the free skills in Prophecies and went farming some Verming in Cantha, earned 100k in a couple of days only to get skills...

And When Nightfall came up, I found that I was earning enough cash just by questing that I had no need of the Verming farmed cash... well... now I have some emergency spare cash...

wolfmane

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

Currently Looking...

W/Rt

05 Dec 2006 at 15:42 - 40

For me it has been Sorrow's - When Rago's was the only good fire staff in the game.

I remember when Brohn reared his ugly head. I farmed that excessively, then spammed the hell out of Drok's. Each drop i had sold for around 40-50k.

Ah, the good old ettin's. Probably the only time i have really messed up. I was doing ok, even after the initial nerf as sup healing still used to drop quite often. until i had a nice stash of Sup Absorb's (then worth still quite a bit) and didn't sell them. Went offline for a week or so and bam...all my nice runes are worthless!

The main thing with making good money is don't waste your cash. Look into the prices, don't waste money on armour, get your materials from players, never buy expensive dye from a trader (same with ecto and the like).

I was a millionaire once, but now i'm penniless again due to losing track of prices and new char's etc. Oh and buying pretty much all the Guild Hall NPC's for my guild