Make Ghastly Stones A random UW drop

How about removing the guaranteed Ghastly stone drop from the UW chest and making it a random drop.

That way we'd get rid of this silly and meaningless need to show stones to get into UW teams, without removing the items altogether.

I actually like them as a control mechanism.

Sure, its not optimal, but its all we got. Even if they bought the stones it shows that they at least care a little.

Once you've been in practice groups with E/Mos that don't know in which order they have to put their bonds you know what hell is.

Having x number of stones in no way shows that you know in what order to put the bonds on. You could have a really good E/Mo that doesn't have stones and therefore can't get into a group, and at the same time, you could have a really crappy E/Mo that bought the stones and can, therefore, find groups.

people crying about stones is silly. if you want to sell your stones join an uwsc guild, then you wont need them. and if you actually have never got any stones, then your not exp. people who sell stones and then complain about it are retards.

/signed. I agree and love the idea!

There is no guarantee this would fix the need to "show stones".
The community created the need and making them random drops would just mean you would need more of them to show you are experienced enough to buy them. I mean to join a pug speed clear.

why would they change it ? Just coz you think its silly?


While we`re at it, make marking on radar last longer so we can play tic-tac-toe during the siege in THK mission.

/very not signed on another game changing meaningless sugestion.

join uwsc guild. Pugs suck weiners regardless of stones.

Showing stones to get into uw groups isn't a bad idea, as its pretty much the only way to gauge someone's experience in the underworld. Its probably the only way to judge if someone is a first timer when they have said they have done it 1000000 times, where's the proof? Sure there's the option for buying stones, but I would rather have someone show me 250 bought stones vs someone who shows me 0.
The only reason you wouldn't like this is if you had 0 stones to start off with. If this is the case, you should go and join a guild that does some form of underworld runs.
Regardless, if you're in a pug group, there's a 50% chance you will fail.

/Signed, despite I don't think Anet will change anything.

The number of stones you have says nothing and it's bane of all new, but good players.

There are many practice groups forming in ToA, join those.
There's a difference between being a good player and knowing an area.

Adding stones as a random drop would destroy the original intention of having the stones. Ghastly stones are meant to be relatively rare and the dream riders are pretty strong. A better solution would be removing the stones entirely.

This is how the game works, in PvE and PvP, if you don't like how people judge your ability to play, deal with it.

It won't change anything at all. Next people will be asking for trophies according to the area's mobs (which should've the norm in the first place tbh). I've showed a mini Dhuum and only one stone for shits and giggles, and still get kicked from pugs for not having enough stones.

Changing the loot system to try and fix the stupidity of people won't get far, you're better off trying to find a laid-back UW guild in-game or on the forms.

/Not-signed

/notsigned

It won't change a thing, because the attitude of the people that support the "stones or gtfo"-system won't change either. I have had my share of speedclears (uwsc only before the dhuum update though), and I learned I enjoy the game alot more staying very far away from them. Find a friendly guild that does uw (speedclear or not).

"Join an UW guild"...heck no...horrible advice (unless thats all u want to do) Most ppl in the game have guilds they like and telling them to go join a specific guild for anything is bogus.

Watch the vids on youtube then join "practice" groups until you are comfortable with an area. Then either join low req groups or buy/borrow stones. There are even stone services which u can be loaned stones for a fee. Before u know it you'll have plenty.

I still believe the whole stone thing suxs, but if not those they'll just most to something else unfortunately.

This. Yeah people buy and you really can't help that, and yeah it kinda sucks but it really is the only thing other than asking "are you exp?" and ofc the answer will always be yes. No real need to make it a drop other than to screw up this system which again, has major flaws, but then again, someone that is willing to spend 50e on 100 stones or 125e on 250 stones probably at least knows how to do their role, which is just safer than asking exp.

I will and have always stood by my opinion that stones just help regulate and are only a bad thing for inexperienced players. Practice groups are forming all the time so what makes you think you are entitled to join a group of all experienced players? It only makes sense that less experienced players play with the same skillset as with experienced players. When I started Uw I didn't join a real group for a longggg time. Only practice runs. Suck it up, its what you have to do.

In the end, the only people that should really have a problem with the stone system are those that are too poor to buy stones to fake their experience, and also do not have a lot of experience in general. So yeah, there you have it. That's my opinion and a I feel that a lot of SCr's would feel the same way about it.

Also, sidenote:
Sometimes I wish there was type of stone req for fow because I have kept every single obsidian key I have gotten from the end chest since I started doing fow hardcore in May and so far I have 120 which is the equivalent to 240 g-stones. Then there would be some kind of control for exp players.

/signed

shud be show us your dhuum minis.

I dont think there is any real problem with showing stone except that you could earn lots of them by doing certain roles and still get into a 250+ group as a first timer in a certain role because u earned those stones doing something else.

well if people are that mad about not being able to pug uw, then they shouldnt cry about it if they arent willing to join an uw guild if they really care about the show stones requirement so much

Asking for stones in no way shows how well a player knows their class, the game mechanics or is indeed a team player. It simply shows that someone has a set of items in their inventory. You may as well link ability to the sweet tooth title..

UWSC is not the only build that can complete the UW and shock horror.. You can even do it without using a single PVe Skill, cup cake or cons set.. Just a single nerf and the whole pack of cards comes falling down and players who can only play the one build are left with even more useless summoning stones junk.

There are much better ways to see how experienced a player is, their attitude in getting ready, their positioning, how well can they read the game, can they run multiple builds etc etc none of this can be bought and is nerf proof.

To say experience, a players ability or getting some kind of significance relies on an item that can be easily be bought is just silly.

A good player is a good player regardless of the profession or build they can play. My above idea takes us a step forward to that idea without removing a fun single, tiny aspect of the game(speed clears).

Do what I do, refuse to join an idiot team that asks for stones, since that almost invariably shows how nub they are.

Most of the halfwits who ask, don't even have UW statue in the hall.

I use my stones, nubs buy them.