The Unlock Shop

I know there's going to be lots of disagreeing about this, but please read what I have to say first before anything.

The Idea
I'd recommend making an unlock shop keeper in an area late in the PvE portion of the game where players can purchase unlockable items and runes for PvP but not necessarily get them in PvE. What I mean is, let's say you want to purchase the unlock for the Superior Fire Magic Rune. It'll cost you so-and-so amount and it'll unlock it for you in PvP. However, you won't actually get the rune in PvE to make it fair on those that spent a lot of time in PvE.

Why late in the game though? Because that way, it encourages people to play through (or almost through) the game at least once so the PvE portion of the game isn't ignored. This way, they can also get themselves ready for PvP characters at the end of the game.

This will reduce the amount of time needed to hunt down those monsters, salvage everything in hopes of getting unlockable PvP items and runes, and let everybody have fun. Most of the unlocked runes and items are due to luck and a game like GW where everything is based off of skill, shouldn't have to be based off luck. Though I'm one of the few lucky ones to find that Superior Vigor rune and have it unlocked for me in PvP, many others aren't as fortunate and won't have an even playing field.

Don't get me wrong. I have a majority of the runes I need for PvP but that's only because there was a period of time where I farmed for them. However, I feel the system we have currently slows down the process to unlocking PvP way too much. Perhaps level the playing field a bit for the players so that they can have the challenge and fun they want.

The Counter Statement
Lots of people will disagree with this idea. It's not going to be fair for those who have a ton of money and just purchase unlocks. However, then let me ask this: is it not fair for those who spend hours at a time to gain enough money to obtain skills points just so they can unlock skills for their PvP characters? If you can purchase skills and unlock them at the same time from a skill trainer, why not for items and runes? Not only that, with the unlock shop, you won't get the item you're purchasing either. All it does is unlock it for the PvP options.

I agree with your motive, but... We'd still have to farm gold.

I guess, but it reduces the amount of stress needed to look for those items and runes.

Hmm...Well, since you're not actually giving it to them in PvE, the price wouldn't have to be astronomical.

It's fair to reward players who invest more in the game than others. It's not fair to make the game impossibly skewed to favor those people.

That said, PvP players should be rewarded for talent and investment. I don't see how this does that (no offense). I think what's really lacking is a more balanced and robust risk/reward system for the twin sisters of PvE/PvP.

Here's my too-long treatise: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=22667
:P

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farming gold isnt anywhere near as bad, plus it adds another gold sink to the game. Unlock shop at the end of the PvE game also makes it so a character doesnt have to keep going through the story more then once if he so chooses.

I support this idea

I thought this was going to be a npc that told me what i have unlocked.. in the game.. so far.. oh well..

I like the idea. It might make the PvPers that use their rp characters in PvP mad, but you can't please everyone.

Actually, I'm not against this idea if it was based around equipment you currently have in your inventory. Buy a Superior Vigor for 100k, goto unlocker, give him the vigor and say 50k to make it available to your PvP. Hand him a bow upgrade and X gold, it becomes available for PvP. Etc.

The thing is, we're not actually getting the item if it's from the unlock shop.

I disagree, that would make things way too easy in pvp and it wouldn't seperate the skilled from the non-skilled. That's like me coming up to a complete newbie and providing him with max skills, max attributes, and the best equipment money can buy... Having this npc would drastically cut the amount of time a player would want to play Guild Wars because much of the time is spent discovering skills and items. Discovery is one of the key points in the game, and this npc would be robbing us of that. Anyone understand what I'm saying?

Yes. it would make it too easy for newbies to get all the upgrades/runes/etc. and it would detract from the desire to play the game because there would be nothing left to unlock.

I happen to strongly agree

I like and dislike the idea - I like it purely for the fact that it might minimize the whining the strictly PvP'ers do about Farming Nerfs....which wouldn't be an issue if they didn't take some of the unneed Runes/Items and sell them for ridiculous prices.

I dislike it based on the logic of "those who put in more hours" as I may not have all day everyday but I play 3-4hrs a night and allot on weekends, have ascended, infused, completed game and no matter how much I've played...I've barely unlock a couple of Major's and only 1 Sup up to this point and of late can't seem to unlock crap from blue/purple/gold items. I don't farm because I like the grouping/teamwork aspect of the game and that diminishes my chances of getting a good drop in comparison to solo-farming.
Its a good idea, but in some way needs tweaking....if possible to make it realistic for both sides..PvE'ers and PvP'ers.

Of course, the idea in this thread I posted isn't meant to be done word for word and exact. This is only an idea. I'm sure ANet will figure out a way to balance it out. Had ANet just listened every one of our wishes exactly, who'll be the ones programming them game? Them or us?

Well hey.. they just may be stupid enough to implement this, they did make rune and dye traders after all. I thought a hacker had gone into the server and put the rune traders there, that was a huge mistake.

This might work if the prices were set right. Instead of gold you can pay 2 skill point and 25,000XP for any item. That way if you really are lazy enough to use this service you can make up for it in another way.

Lazarus

I have two suggestions:

A suggestion I made a while ago is to award X points toward unlocking items to an account for each new PvE character that he completes the final mission with. So as a reward for finishing the main line of the story, you get something that makes it seem a bit more worth the time.

The other possibility is that you can spend points earned by gaining fame in the Tombs. Every so many points of fame, or every rank gained can award points to spend towards unlocking items.

It's possible to choose one or implement both systems together. Of course, the details might be difficult to work out. Do you allow 3 things to be unlocked when someone beats the game? Do you award 10 unlocking points and determine the relative values of each item that can be unlocked? It would take a while to find a good system and balance it.