Zaishen Chest

Infanta

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2010

I always thought chest running was a really cool and unique little aspect of guild wars. Something that could provide a unique sort of a challenge and a chance to make some money, and the fun and excitement of not know what you're going to get.

Old fow chest runs were always a lot of fun, and then in factions it was common for people to do chest runs in imperial sanctum. Somehow though, the Zaishen Chest seems kind of a bastard chest, in the sense that it really made chest running, other than for the title perhaps, rather pointless. I was kind of surprised that they would just stick a chest that dropped excellent loot in a location anyone could just walk up to... somehow it feels like half the fun of chest running was the chance of dying halfway through and the fun of running around like mad through mobs of... well mobs. Then of course there was the HA chest for the pvper's, but either way, part of the excitement was the fact that you couldn't just walk up to the chest and start "farming" it basically.

I think it is just another example of how the philosophy of the game design changed quite a bit after EoTN. Anyone else have feelings on this topic?

Jinkies

Jinkies

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2008

Korea

Peace And Harmony [PnH] War Machine [WM]

Somehow I never thought of Creme Brulees or Flasks of Firewater as excellent loot, nor the price of a Zaishen key to get that firewater an excellent price.

The only connection I see between the 2 different types is the fact they both have "chest" in the name and both have potential to advance your wisdom title track.

The point of chests has always, and still is a means of working on your treasure hunter, lucky and unlucky titles. Most chests, especially factions and EotN chests have the potential to drop very nice items. (Such as uninscrib canthan weapons and r8 darkwings etc)

Yawgmoth

Yawgmoth

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2005

Many things were far better in the early days of the game than later. I absolutely loved chest runs back in 2005-06 when it was a group activity and really good loot came from it. Many horrible nerfs killed it -
1st, they made chests random for everyone so running in groups became completely pointless, fun ruined.
2nd, they introduced inscription system which made all drops practically equally perfect and equally worthless. This combined with Hard Mode absurd gold item drop rates and loot scaling reducing the gold on the market to pay for the drops has completely ruined the profit making possibility out of chestrunning.
So after all this horrible changes running chests is reduced to being a dumb gold sink + time sink, only worthwhile if you absolutely want to work on that title...

Zaishen Chest is something completely different, but they screwed it up badly aswell. Originally it was a great PvP rewarding tool AND the way to GAMBLE in this game. The market value of Z-Keys was based on the value of drops and nothing else.
But they added a stupid title with dumb emotes and HoM statue so Z-Keys became worth much more but the gambling aspect got practically removed - what sane person would gamble at something with EV like 20% of cost?

Bad updates ruin the fun.

Darcy

Darcy

Never Too Old

Join Date: Jul 2006

Rhode Island where there are no GW contests

Order of First

W/R

The Zaishen Chest does NOT add to your Treasure Hunter title. It only adds 5 points for each use to your Zaishen title. Which is why it has no effect on chest-running. Chest-running is not only more fun, but it adds to four titles - Treasure Hunter, Wisdom, Lucky & Unlucky.

The Zaishen Chest was added mostly to give the PvPers something to do with their Balthazar Faction after they unlocked everything. As usual, the community went off on a tangent and changed things by putting a price on the keys.

Daesu

Daesu

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2008

The tough part is getting the ZaiShen keys to open the chest, not running to the chest itself.

Bleiken

Bleiken

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2007

Horsens, Denmark

Ragnarok Of Primordus [RoP]

W/Mo

btw which drops from zchest are good ?

EL tonics, Voltaic Spear, elite tomes and ?

I feel kind of stupid selling all my unid golds, not knowing the value of the drops.

Tiara

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2010

Underground Metagame [UnDr]

N/

you can drop eblade, obby edge and crysta too.
(el beetle, el transmo, el yuletide)

Terrible Surgeon

Terrible Surgeon

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2009

hopper

A/

ROFL....wow either you are a pure pve player or a complete moron for posting this thread. Number one, people have to earn the balthazar faction to get a key...which takes longer than running CoF. Number two, the drop usually sucks unless you love creme and/or fire water.

Oooooooooo 5k for a Zkey and i got a firewater....ima drink it here on isle of the nameless and party like its 1999.

/unsigned/unsigned/unsigned

Sankt Hallvard

Guest

Join Date: Dec 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanta View Post
I think it is just another example of how the philosophy of the game design changed quite a bit after EoTN. Anyone else have feelings on this topic?
You are new, aren't you? Chest design changed quite a bit a long time before eotn. At one point none of the chests required keys at all, they were scattered randomly throughout the wilderness and missions. It was a lot of fun having everyone(we were all human players at the time) opening the chest comparing imperfect loot(there weren't greens or perfect weapons at the time). Now if you happen to find a couple of players that are actually willing to substitute loyal and dependable heroes with shitty players you will have to watch the 1 or 2 rich hot shots open the chest by themselves.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrible Surgeon View Post
Oooooooooo 5k for a Zkey and i got a firewater....ima drink it here on isle of the nameless and party like its 1999.
Yea baby!!!1! Party like its 1999! LOL, spot on.

Fusylum

Fusylum

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2007

Michigan

Reign of Judgement [RoJ]

Zashen Chest Is A Purchaseable Title In The Game... With Time or Money That Is ALL It Is

Skye Marin

Skye Marin

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2006

The Seraphim Knights [TSK]

E/A

The Chest and Keys were a fantastic addition for adding great in-game gold rewards for PvP players, by allowing PvPers to sell them to PvEers, without flooding the economy with more gold.

If you feel buying a key from another player isn't a good deal, then don't buy it. Pretty simple.

Infanta

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2010

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrible Surgeon View Post
ROFL....wow either you are a pure pve player or a complete moron for posting this thread. Number one, people have to earn the balthazar faction to get a key...which takes longer than running CoF. Number two, the drop usually sucks unless you love creme and/or fire water.

Oooooooooo 5k for a Zkey and i got a firewater....ima drink it here on isle of the nameless and party like its 1999.

/unsigned/unsigned/unsigned
First of all, it's just my opinion - don't get your panties in a bunch. The fact that the keys are worth 5k obviously means the chest drops valuable loot, or people wouldn't waste their gold on the keys to begin with.

Second of all, I'm not suggesting the chest be removed, all I've said was I think it really took away from the game a fun aspect that doesn't really exist anymore, so I don't know what it is you're "unsigning".

Third of all, Balth faction isn't really something you "earn", you just get it for pvping anywhere. Since when was pvping about grinding faction to make money from? HA chest gave money reward, but that was only for the best of the best, for everyone else there was no carrot on a stick to pvp - you did it for fun. I think this is still the case for most people, except perhaps a few like yourself.

Quote:
You are new, aren't you? Chest design changed quite a bit a long time before eotn. At one point none of the chests required keys at all, they were scattered randomly throughout the wilderness and missions. It was a lot of fun having everyone(we were all human players at the time) opening the chest comparing imperfect loot(there weren't greens or perfect weapons at the time). Now if you happen to find a couple of players that are actually willing to substitute loyal and dependable heroes with shitty players you will have to watch the 1 or 2 rich hot shots open the chest by themselves.
I started playing in 2006, so no I don't consider myself new. I don't know what you mean by "Now if you happen to find a couple of players that are actually willing to substitute loyal and dependable heroes with shitty players you will have to watch the 1 or 2 rich hot shots open the chest by themselves." but for someone with such an elitist attitude you sure do seem to think 1.5k for a lockpick is a lot of money...

Skyy High

Skyy High

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: May 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanta View Post
I always thought chest running was a really cool and unique little aspect of guild wars. Something that could provide a unique sort of a challenge and a chance to make some money, and the fun and excitement of not know what you're going to get.

Old fow chest runs were always a lot of fun, and then in factions it was common for people to do chest runs in imperial sanctum. Somehow though, the Zaishen Chest seems kind of a bastard chest, in the sense that it really made chest running, other than for the title perhaps, rather pointless. I was kind of surprised that they would just stick a chest that dropped excellent loot in a location anyone could just walk up to... somehow it feels like half the fun of chest running was the chance of dying halfway through and the fun of running around like mad through mobs of... well mobs. Then of course there was the HA chest for the pvper's, but either way, part of the excitement was the fact that you couldn't just walk up to the chest and start "farming" it basically.

I think it is just another example of how the philosophy of the game design changed quite a bit after EoTN. Anyone else have feelings on this topic?
I too used to love chest-running groups in FoW, but they were dead long before ANet added the Zaishen chest. Basically, once the market had a decent supply of chaos axes and shadow staves and the like, the number of chest drops that you could sell for a reasonable profit dropped substantially. Add in inscribables in NF, and the fact that if you're chest hunting for the title there were way easier + faster places to rack up chests (also, you could do them alone), AND factor in the fact that people who still ran chests in FoW could do it with a perma much safer (and farm too if they wanted) and alone....yeah, there were plenty of reasons the old chest runs died. Too bad, but you can't blame the Zaishen chest for it.

[edit]Can't believe I forgot the most important reason chest running died: ANet changed the way chests spawn loot. It used to be that if one gold dropped, you knew that everyone in the group would get a gold from the chest. Now, it's randomly gold or purple. That was why people started chest running in the first place: to spread the cost of keys out, so that you would (mostly) open chests with golds in them.

End

End

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2008

Rubbing Potassium on water fountains.

LF guild that teaches MTSC (did it long ago before gw2 came out and I quit...but I barely remember)

N/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanta View Post
First of all, it's just my opinion - don't get your panties in a bunch. The fact that the keys are worth 5k obviously means the chest drops valuable loot, or people wouldn't waste their gold on the keys to begin with.
No you really do loose money look at the price of keys before they added the title...




Quote:
Second of all, I'm not suggesting the chest be removed, all I've said was I think it really took away from the game a fun aspect that doesn't really exist anymore, so I don't know what it is you're "unsigning".
Could care less about this part

Quote:
Third of all, Balth faction isn't really something you "earn", you just get it for pvping anywhere. Since when was pvping about grinding faction to make money from?
Sooo the only way you should be able to make money is PvE? If that were so there never would have been a halls chest.Now onto that.

Quote:
HA chest gave money reward, but that was only for the best of the best,
Are you suggesting top 100 GvG is easy? Ok for some it is...but personally I've won in halls...I couldn't imagine coming close to winning in high ranked GvG...Soo this point here is invalid...


Quote:
for everyone else there was no carrot on a stick to pvp - you did it for fun. I think this is still the case for most people, except perhaps a few like yourself.
Yet your PvE fun also makes you money? Hm...Seems a bit unfair to me...



Quote:
I started playing in 2006, so no I don't consider myself new. I don't know what you mean by "Now if you happen to find a couple of players that are actually willing to substitute loyal and dependable heroes with shitty players you will have to watch the 1 or 2 rich hot shots open the chest by themselves." but for someone with such an elitist attitude you sure do seem to think 1.5k for a lockpick is a lot of money...
When you consider that if your going for the title and have to use a few thousand of them it does indeed start to add up...

chaosincarnate87

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2006

Behind You ;)

DPR

the whole point of chest running is/was for the title... i dont know anyone that ever just ran chests for the hell of it (in the past 3-4 years at least)... would be one hell of a waste of time. the amount of connection between chest runs and zchest is insignificant, it doesnt stop or even hinder anyone from chest running...

they spend 5k for the zaishen title... not for the loot, anyone who has wasted 5000+ zkeys on that damn chest will tell you that... im half way to r10 and ive gotten maybe 6 or 7 noteworthy drops. few everlastings, eternal blade (before they fixed the drop rate AND even added the title track), and a couple VS and CC hardly enough to make up for 1/10 of what i spent on it... so its really the anti-farming and a great gold sink if its anything.

now there would be a problem if it gave treasure hunter points... but thats not the case... although i'd be a happy RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOer at r7 treasure hunter ...

Skyy High

Skyy High

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: May 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by chaosincarnate87 View Post
the whole point of chest running is/was for the title... i dont know anyone that ever just ran chests for the hell of it (in the past 3-4 years at least)
That's the key right there, because people did used to run chests, either "just for the hell of it" or to make a profit, long before the title came out.

Sankt Hallvard

Guest

Join Date: Dec 2006

Titles are magic. If an activity gets boring just add a title track and it becomes more fun than ever before!

lehua768

Banned

Join Date: Apr 2010

Me/Rt

1st, they made chests random for everyone so running in groups became completely pointless, fun ruined.
2nd, they introduced inscription system which made all drops practically equally perfect and equally worthless. This combined with Hard Mode absurd gold item drop rates and loot scaling reducing the gold on the market to pay for the drops has completely ruined the profit making possibility out of chestrunning.
So after all this horrible changes running chests is reduced to being a dumb gold sink + time sink, only worthwhile if you absolutely want to work on that title...



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Essence Snow

Essence Snow

Unbridled Enthusiasm!

Join Date: Nov 2009

EST

DPR

Quote:
Originally Posted by lehua768 View Post
Sorry, I didnt even read your point. What is all that ^^^^^?
You sell 5 dolla Folex? High quality high quality, real thing 5 dolla!

chaosincarnate87

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2006

Behind You ;)

DPR

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy High View Post
That's the key right there, because people did used to run chests, either "just for the hell of it" or to make a profit, long before the title came out.
yeah... but people stopped doing that long before the zchest was out...

Lycan Nibbler

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2006

AZ

Quote:
Originally Posted by chaosincarnate87 View Post
a great gold sink if its anything.
Just so you know, it is not a gold sink. You either buy the keys from another person (hence the gold is moved, not sunk) or you get them from balt (which is not gold).

therefore if anything is creates more money into the system by converting balt in gold (the merch prices of the items from the chest).


I remember running Raisu Palace just for the chests and other places in Factions and also the easy chests in DoA before they changed the spawns.

Its just the fact that because weapons do not break, then there was slowly going to be more and more perfect weapons available (slower if inscriptions hadnt been introduced) so as supply increases while demand at some point starts to drop, the items from the chests are worth less.
If it ends up you wont make cash from the chest, then people go to the easy one like outside EotN to get the title than bothering to go to fow .