Consumable items

Hello, dunno if this topic has been discussed in detail yet, but an addition to the game that I think would be really neat is the use of consumable items, akin to the Dwarven Ale currently implemented. The consumables would affect performance, and would not stack with other consumables or themselves. Each consumable would have a time duration that wears off when entering outposts, towns, or mission areas

Consumable items could be sold straight from a vendor called a Marketplace Trader, or crafted at a consumables crafter of some sort, similar to the scrolls of insight currently in-game.

Coupled with focii/staff bonuses, this could add an extra level of depth to the game's mechanics.

Some examples of consumables I can think of currently are:

-Adrenal Boost:
Attack damage -20%
Adrenaline gained +20%
Duration: 2 minutes

-Mind Boost:
Maximum Energy +20
Armor -10
Duration: 5 minutes

-Quickshot Elixir:
Arrow flight time -50%
Arrow accuracy -10%
Duration: 2 minutes

These are just examples, as I've not gone through all the permutations of what could possibly imbalance some classes, but with some tweaking I think that this could make both a viable gold sink as well as an interesting addition to gameplay

Thanks, and any suggestions or comments are welcome.

Ale goes for 200g a pop how much will this cost?

Cheap enough so that people won't have to get hundreds of thousands of gold to keep up... I'd say 20g lowest to 100g max... Enough to balance out the short recharges but not be something you'd have to commit farming to.

No horrible idea. We'd be getting rid of skills and making it so we click on items do things that should be skills.

The consumable item idea would be a supplement to skill use, not a replacement. As I listed, the changes aren't too terribly dramatic to warrant a slot of their own. The items would be intentionally weaker than known skills in order to assure their place.

I don't know if it was clear, but these would be items, not skills, and would therefore not take up skill slots. Another thing I said in the first post was that they would not stack with each other or with themselves. IF you like using one sub-par skill every 5 minutes, be my guest. But as far as using the items in lieu of skills themselves, I don't think that argument is valid.

the bonus are too good

a people wich dont use the bonus should fight at same level then one not.

it must like


Attack +20% speed
50% more damage ecc ecc ecc

The problem with consumable items is that even if you balance them to the point where they just give a specific accent to your character, there are too many remaining problems for this to be considered:

- PvPers with no access to PvE areas won't be able to use them.
- How many can you carry total? Will a group drawing out a fight get an advantage by forcing you to use up all your potions?
- Will poor people be at a disadvantage if they can't afford these potions?

Kai Nui hit the nail on the head though - the effects you're suggesting most certainly mimics skills. There are plenty of skills that supplement other skills, you don't need a seperate consumeable item class for that.

Guild Wars lacks consumeables like potions and such because they simply don't belong in the game - equipment plays a small enough part already, and PvP premades can pretty much go straight to the good stuff. Once you're in the game, your attribute distribution and skill sets determine your success, and adding potions will skew this balance rather than deepen the game.

I'd want one that gives you better odds of salvaging good stuff. 3:1 vampiric axe haft and a +7 vs phys lost for a steel ingot D:

I like the basic idea put forth here... it's kinda like scrolls, but for the indivual and only for certain skill types and such.

You numbers may be a bit off, but the core idea has merit. I like it.

I dont think its a bad idea, but I dont think it would work either. Like many have said before, it would become a competition between who has bought, made or is carrying the most potions for the PVP fight.
Take mind boost, for example. .+20 energy is a HUGE amount of energy for a monk, and that -10 armour consequence can be fixed easily by protection monks using sheild of regeneration, or using one of the many elem armour spells.

I'd like to see the kind of consumable items that makes the screen fill with wild rainbow colors...similar to a cool trip screen.

I think it's a good idea, but make them craftable by salvage items. That way people have something else to spend thier time and money on if they so choose (I realise there are people who don't want to spend the time doing this). For the people who may suggest it's too much of a grind, then can sell the the salvage items they get on thier regular runs to people who want to take the time to craft potions rather than complaining they don't get enough items.

Anyhow I wouldn't know what the effect you have (for potions) but it wouldn't hurt to make consumables another way for people to use thier salvage goods.

I agree that my numbers aren't tuned to an exact science, but the idea here is the principle of consumables that don't have a huge impact on gameplay, but allow players with certain builds and teams to enhance their playstyles.

As far as durations and such, KEEPING in mind that they don't stack, and also that usually PvP matches don't last more than half an hour, it wouldn't be a who has the most, but rather a who uses it to the best effect.

Ultimately, it'll be Anet that works out the finer points of the items, so that balance can be achieved (or in other terms, imbalance avoided). Surely there can be some ways to add to the game that won't totally imbalance it

The salvage item idea certainly has merit. It would put a lot of useless items to use, while keeping grind to a minimum.

Whoever made this .gif, I love you:

Hmm . . . let's add items that act like skills and can possibly unbalance all as we know it! Hurray!

Anything can "possibly" unbalance. That's no reason not to add new things. Try reading the thread next time, and come up with an argument that actually says more than "change is bad".

Dwarven Weed Pipes!!!

you should be a politition with such well thought out arguments