Recognizing valuable items

I'm a relatively new player, and while I've already learned a great deal about this awesome game (thanks in a large part to this forum!), I of course still have some questions.

I've completed Prophecies and Factions, as well as parts of EotN. Now that I'm doing some of the "higher level" content, I'm really worried that I'm going to accidentally merch or salvage a highly valuable item. There is some good info on the PC forum, and maybe I should have posted this there instead, but I'd really just like a few pointers to help identify what makes an item valuable.

So far it seems like the four biggest determinants of an item's value are:

1. Max (or not) armor/dmg
2. Inherent mods
3. Reqs
4. Skin

Am I on the right track here? As far as reqs go, is it always the lower the req, the higher the value? I realize that a lot of this comes with experience, but I certainly don't want to feel like I need to hoard stuff because it might be worth something. I also know about getting PCs, but I don't want to clog up forums/chat asking for PCs for useless items.

Thanks in advance for any help!

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/l...t10001136.html

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/b...t10491661.html
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/r...t10482377.html
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/g...tml?t=10412055

Thanks for the links, although I've already read through those threads. They are indeed a great help.

I guess I'm also interested in why things cost what they do. For example, if I'm a Spirit Spamming ritualist, wouldn't I have enough attribute points in Channeling that a req9 channeling or a req 11 channeling staff wouldn't make that much difference to me? Are the lower req items with so much more simply because they're more versatile? Or simply because they're harder to find?

Thanks again.

Elitist OCD mostly, and optimisation (which isn't that big a deal unless you're in top end GvG). Staves aren't that big a deal as the damage means nothing anyway, but for martial weapons and shields it means a bit more and people always want the lowest req possible.

Again, it's mainly just people wanting the leetest numbers.

Things that make an item valuable are the same in this game as in real life:

-usefulness (actually the LEAST dependent factor ironically)
-looks/skin which usually redirect to e-peen
-rarity (hence why low reqs are also more desired), also linked to e-peen

Why would anyone drive with a 250,000 euro/dollar sportscar when a normal 6,000 euro/dollar car can do the same job just as well? Either because the person has the money for it and the e-peen

Same goes in this game, why would anyone want a q8 +5e uninscribable crystalline sword (for the record, that sword doesn't exist, or at least no proof of existance has been found) while a q13 inscribable Long Sword can do the exact same job? Because it's a nicer weapon and rare... Fyi, that would be the Excalibur of GW...

This is also why uninscribable weapons with the right mods are usually worth more than their inscribable counterparts.

Thanks for the replies, that certainly makes more sense to me now.

At this point for me I guess I need to just keep learning which skins/mods are more sought after and go from there.

A good rule of thumb for deciding whether or not skins are valuable or not is by just looking at them. If they have any animation, that can be a good indication, if you had to venture into an elite area to get it, that is a good indication. Finally, if it looks nice, then it might be worth something. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, that's all you will need. And even if you find something you like, but it turns out it isn't worth anything, keep it for yourself!

A good price estimator is http://argos-soft.net/GwEstimator/

It's worth noting that it would, probably, make no difference for you, especially on spirit spammer.
Why? The req of staves affects only autoattack damage and the attribute-based mods (adept staff head, was it? or somethin'). You always get all the energy from a staff, you always get the global 20% HSR, you always get all bonuses that do not explicitly state they affect only certain attribute. Even a warrior with a q13 channeling staff will get +10e and 20% HSR, given there are no mods whatsoever.

I'd just offer a bit of a caveat about Argos: it can be manipulated. It basically automatically tracks trade chat in Kamadan (American District 1, I think), and you basically search for an item in it by looking for when the item was mentioned by someone (presumably) trying to buy/sell it. However, since this is based on Kamadanians offering fair prices, it's got a bit of a flaw. To separate the real prices from the fake (or unreasonable) ones, obviously you need to do three things:

1. Look for either single "ephemeral" posts. These are often someone posting a price, and then deciding for whatever reason it isn't worth selling at that price.
2. Look for very long lists of the same price (or similar prices going down/up in order) by the same poster. These usually mean the poster does NOT know the correct price, and is just adjusting their line until someone bites.
3. Look at multiple posters. Yes, someone may have successfully sold that Oppressor Weapon for 20k, but you'd be cheating yourself if you did the same! (They're worth 60-70k, depending)

Either way, Argos is still incredibly useful for at least getting a sense of whether or not an item is even worth investigating.

Your car analogy is wrong because it would imply a Ferrari Enzo has the same build quality, comfort, and performance as a Tata Nano.

In GW, every weapon has the exact same max stats.

Like Bright said, most prices come from popularity/scarcity first then utility. There's exceptions such as R7/15 shields which cost more than their R9/16 armor counterparts. There's a reason why crap req13 BDS /VS /CC will actually sell.

Just a bit of advice...especially for newbies looking to start making money (after all that is the reason to be interested in prices right?)...

Do NOT fall into the perception that only none inscribable, nicely modded weapons (for the most part) are "valuable" and that inscribable items are mostly just "merch food".

People that usually say that are dealing with stacks of ectos or armbraces at a time. For them a "mere" 20-30k inscribable item would be pocket change (and therefore merchantizable). But for players that are new to the game those are the items that will get you in the game.

Newbies arent going to start jumping into crystallines or perfect dual modded echovalds...thats just not realistic. Would be like hitting the lottery...ie. sure it could happen, but one shouldnt be focused on that as the way to get rich when you got nothing.

So get to know the price of items that are realistically in your realm of acquiring to sell.

Like I said unless you get lucky and find a jackpot item (again if that were likely they wouldnt be jackpot items) or are willing to whittle your way powertrading (and you still need a pretty healthy dose of funds to begin with) start with getting to know what a q9 insc zodiac sword (and what would be considered a steal) or a q9 salient dagger costs (why salient is more expensive than chromium shards, which are more expensive than sais, etc), for example...so you know when a WTS is something you should jump on.

Yes, a Ferarri will give you a smoother ride, but they will both drive you to the same point in the same time (assuming you're obbeying traffic laws). You know what I mean, don't go nitpicking^^

@ Above, yes indeed, I would merch a weapon I know I can't sell for over 30k or if it's too much of a hassle to sell it, but telling a newbie he can sell his shiny q9 inscribable Long Sword for 3k in Kamadan will be true, but he will probably spend an hour or longer wasting his time there, time which he could have spent doing other stuff that actually make more money (feather farming, or actually playing the game).

We're not talking about a 3k long sword...we're talking about items that make it worthwhile to actually try to sell besides "elite items" like crystallines and dual mod none insc shields (which way too many advice givers seem to keep saying when the person asking for it would NEVER realistically be able to get their hands on any of those things).

30k, which q9 zodiacs and q9 salients are in the range of (why I used those as examples) is worth it. THAT is the point...that it's not just super expensive stuff or bust as far as selling. If I see someone with a WTS of a zodiac for 10k (and I've had several of those in the past) I can pretty easily buy it and sell it to double or triple my money quickly (faster than farming which...tbh...newbies aren't going to be able to do well either).

You've got people (people that think 30k or less is pocket change) in Kamandan all the time looking to "dump" stuff all the time for small fractions of what they can be sold for. Heck you even have people doing that here in the Sell board here do that all the time. And if you know when a WTS is at "dump" prices (or even bargain prices), that's the way for newbies to get into making money.

I just had one person looking to shed their Mysterious Tonics at 50g each a few weeks ago...all 399 of them! Not 200e shields or 800e crystallines but talking about a 1000% markup in resell (bought it for 19,950g and resold them at 600g each for a total of 239,400g in guru's auction board (all it took was for me to spend 3 minutes posting the auction for a 220K profit). And that happens more often than people think...even if it's not always to that extreme a degree.

That's the point.

So no, obviously not worth it trying to WTS a couple K item in Kamadan, but it doesn't mean that the gamut of things between a 2k item and a 20e+ item are not "worth it". And THAT is what the general vibe is on this board at times with way too liberal use of the "merch food" statement...especially when it's mega-wadders responding to newbies. (And No, I'm not saying you are saying that in particular).