Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Guild Wars 2: Account Magic Find and Ascended Crafting

garrettgarrett MMORPG.COM Staff UncommonPosts: 284

Hey everyone, it’s John Smith, ArenaNet’s resident economist. I want to speak this week on some of our up-and-coming content changes and how they’ll affect you as a player.

We have two major changes coming:


  1. Account magic find

  2. Ascended crafting

First off, let’s explain the new systems coming in.


Account Magic Find

In the past, players had to sacrifice some of their stats to increase magic find. This created a trade-off between the maximum effectiveness of a character and the ability to earn increased drops. There is a wide range of opinions on the best way to go and what’s acceptable in a group, which has caused some controversy.

Magic find should be a boon to your character and shouldn’t cause any discord inside the game, so we’re changing how you earn it and how you “equip” it.  In this next game update, magic find will no longer exist on gear or Upgrade Components. Instead, players will salvage Essence of Luck from Fine and Masterwork gear and from Globs of Ectoplasm . Each Essence of Luck will contribute to your Luck Bar and each time the Luck Bar is filled it adds 1% overall magic find on all of your characters permanently, to a maximum of 300%.

After this change, magic find will come only from consumables, guild buffs, and utility infusions. In order to get everyone started on this new system, all current players will receive enough luck to get to +20% magic find.

Magic find should be a boon to your character and shouldn’t cause any discord inside the game, so we’re changing how you earn it and how you “equip” it.  In this next game update, magic find will no longer exist on gear or Upgrade Components. Instead, players will salvage Essence of Luck from Fine and Masterwork gear and from Globs of Ectoplasm . Each Essence of Luck will contribute to your Luck Bar and each time the Luck Bar is filled it adds 1% overall magic find on all of your characters permanently, to a maximum of 300%.

After this change, magic find will come only from consumables, guild buffs, and utility infusions. In order to get everyone started on this new system, all current players will receive enough luck to get to +20% magic find.

If you’re wondering what will happen to all of your current magic find equipment, we’ll describe what happens to the old gear at the bottom of this article.

I’m going to pass this off to Linsey Murdock, who’ll talk about Ascended crafting.


Ascended Weapon and Armor Crafting

In the next update, we’ll be adding Ascended Weapon crafting, with Ascended Armor crafting coming in a later build before the end of the year. We have new skins coming with these features and a whole host of new crafting materials that will send players out into the world and make our existing content more rewarding. I’m going to give you the basic breakdown of these recipes and then pass it back to John so he can tell you a bit about why we went this route and how it may affect the economy in new and exciting ways!

When the update goes live, the three weapon-making disciplines will find that they can now level up their crafting from 400 to 500. In order to do this, you’ll need to refine Tier 6 crafting materials and craft exotics. To facilitate this process, we have reset everyone’s Exotic weapon discoveries so that you will be able to re-discover them and get that sweet XP bonus once again.

Once you hit 450, refinements will unlock for new materials, fondly referred to as Tier 7. There are two types of Tier 7 material: those refined from lower tier materials plus ectoplasm and a new reagent, and those refined from brand new materials rewarded from specific content plus Obsidian Shards and the new reagent. You’ll also note the inclusion of a cooldown timer on the Ectoplasm Refinements. Each one can be refined only once per day, per account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can read the full Blog Post Here.

 :p 
«1

Comments

  • TwoThreeFourTwoThreeFour Member UncommonPosts: 2,155
    Magic find is an abonimination in Path of Exile, and I guess it was perceived badly in GW2 too otherwise they wouldn't have done this change. So I think it is likely Arenanet did the right choice here.
  • RusqueRusque Member RarePosts: 2,785

    Magic find is stupid in every game.

    And grindy + rng crafting + time gating = me being done with GW2 at this point.

     

  • Eir_SEir_S Member UncommonPosts: 4,440
    Still not sure whether I like the changes or not, time will tell.  I just foresee newer players getting totally screwed buying anything more powerful than white level gear..
  • DocDexterDocDexter Member UncommonPosts: 23
    There's no problem getting green gear while you level up. Every heart vendor sells the stuff, and they drop often enough during events.
  • Eir_SEir_S Member UncommonPosts: 4,440
    That doesn't mean the vendors or drops are going to have the stats you want.  They rarely did when I was leveling.
  • DAOWAceDAOWAce Member UncommonPosts: 432

    "players had to sacrifice some of their stats to increase magic find. This created a trade-off between the maximum effectiveness of a character and the ability to earn increased drops."

    Well, duh, that's the whole reason magic find exists.

    Kind of feels like some people didn't grow up with Diablo 2.

     

    Edit: For some reason the second half of my post isn't displaying.  You can see it when you quote and edit it, what the hell?  MMORPG really needs a forum upgrade.

    So, now instead of having MF gear and trying to grind for good items, we're trying to grind for non-common items we then break down and hope it gives us an essence and then once we build up enough MF we start to grind for said items again.
     
    Yeah, let's make it even more difficult and grindy!  No doubt there will be some cash shop incentive in this.
     
    Bye all of my MF gear/runes.  Some are getting changed into stats I don't care about, now I have to find replacement items, yay.
  • zastenzasten Member Posts: 283

    Why would you need 300% when 100% means success every time!

  • Four0SixFour0Six Member UncommonPosts: 1,175
    Originally posted by DocDexter
    There's no problem getting green gear while you level up. Every heart vendor sells the stuff, and they drop often enough during events.

    Queensdale Karma train, is a rather rewarding experience, if you don't mind doing the grind.

  • zastenzasten Member Posts: 283

    "To facilitate this process, we have reset everyone’s Exotic weapon discoveries so that you will be able to re-discover them and get that sweet XP bonus once again."

    WTF why are they stealing from us!!!

    I bought some of these from a vendor so feel they have no entitlement to steal them back!

  • SquishydewSquishydew Member UncommonPosts: 1,107

    This is absolutely ridiculous, the entire point of magic find is being a little weaker in trade for a chance at  more loot/better drops.

    All this is doing is giving new players a disadvantage.

     

    I really don't see how this is better x.x

  • NagelRitterNagelRitter Member Posts: 607
    Originally posted by DAOWAce

    "players had to sacrifice some of their stats to increase magic find. This created a trade-off between the maximum effectiveness of a character and the ability to earn increased drops."

    Well, duh, that's the whole reason magic find exists.

    Kind of feels like some people didn't grow up with Diablo 2.

    This has no bearing on whether it's a good thing.

    Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
    Currently playing: GW2, EVE
    Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?

  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    I had all magic gear (payed a heavy sum for it) so this is actually a good change.

    Smile

  • TwoThreeFourTwoThreeFour Member UncommonPosts: 2,155
    Originally posted by DAOWAce

    "players had to sacrifice some of their stats to increase magic find. This created a trade-off between the maximum effectiveness of a character and the ability to earn increased drops."

    Well, duh, that's the whole reason magic find exists.

    Kind of feels like some people didn't grow up with Diablo 2.

     

    Edit: For some reason the second half of my post isn't displaying.  You can see it when you quote and edit it, what the hell?  MMORPG really needs a forum upgrade.

    So, now instead of having MF gear and trying to grind for good items, we're trying to grind for non-common items we then break down and hope it gives us an essence and then once we build up enough MF we start to grind for said items again.
     
    Yeah, let's make it even more difficult and grindy!  No doubt there will be some cash shop incentive in this.
     
    Bye all of my MF gear/runes.  Some are getting changed into stats I don't care about, now I have to find replacement items, yay.

    I haven't played Diablo 2, but I've been told Path of Exile was made with heavy inspiration of it, and since I know Path of Exile very well, I comment on the problem with Magic Find there:

     

    1. There is no real choice. Since wealth mattters a lot in Path of Exile and the Magic Find of the person who does a last hit in parties decides the drops,  you are forced to have one dedicated magic finder in any team. 

    2. For solo grinding there is no real choice either, you just maximize "wealth per hour" factor for your character, which leaves you with practically no room for personal choice unless you want to gimp yourself. 

  • VorchVorch Member UncommonPosts: 793
    Originally posted by Agoden

    This is absolutely ridiculous, the entire point of magic find is being a little weaker in trade for a chance at  more loot/better drops.

    All this is doing is giving new players a disadvantage.

     

    I really don't see how this is better x.x

    Actually lets newer players get quite a bit wealthier since MF will be increased by blue and green items...i.e. items found more often by lowbies.

    "As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days— those are now the only two states you’ll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2

  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 6,959
    Originally posted by TwoThreeFour
    Magic find is an abonimination in Path of Exile, and I guess it was perceived badly in GW2 too otherwise they wouldn't have done this change. So I think it is likely Arenanet did the right choice here.

    Diablo III has it too.

  • HalandirHalandir Member UncommonPosts: 773

    I would have preferred not to have "personal" or, ideally, no magic find at all.

    This way, new players will have a lot further between nice drops than the veterans who needs them less - MF just widens the gap between newcomers and veterans.

    On the other hand: Anet would have to deal with the uproar from the "grinders" if they just removed it completely and in the end this is probably the best possible compromize.

    Lets just hope that the money they wasted on a stupid mechanic serves as a lesson to others who consider adding such stupid systems to their games.

     

    We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
    (repeat ad infinitum)

  • zastenzasten Member Posts: 283
    Originally posted by Thomson

    @zasten
    1. 100% doesn't mean 100% success every time

    Yes it does or it would not be 100%

    Ask anybody that theach's stats! 100% mean total success, nothing less!

  • HalandirHalandir Member UncommonPosts: 773
    Originally posted by zasten
    Originally posted by Thomson

    @zasten
    1. 100% doesn't mean 100% success every time

    Yes it does or it would not be 100%

    Ask anybody that theach's stats! 100% mean total success, nothing less!

     

    This is all about context. Magic find percentage in GW is relative to fractions of a base chance of finding, for example a rare or exotic item.

    Just for arguments sake: With a base chance of getting a rare drop bein 1:1000 and an exotic being 1:10000 an increased magic find of 300% would just mean 3:1000 for rares and 3:10000 for exotics.

    TLDR; We are not dealing with absolutes.

     

    We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
    (repeat ad infinitum)

  • zastenzasten Member Posts: 283
    So why BS, just say what it actually is, 0.0003 percent chance of getting an exotic!
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 3,823


    Originally posted by zasten
    So why BS, just say what it actually is, 0.0003 percent chance of getting an exotic!
    Because saying +300% magic find is "OMG AWESOME Anet is the best evar!!!"


    If they said what it actually is then this news about the change to magic find wouldnt sound nearly as exciting.

  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • mCalvertmCalvert Member CommonPosts: 1,283
    yay, more gear/stat grind!
  • Eir_SEir_S Member UncommonPosts: 4,440
    Originally posted by Xiaoki

     


    Originally posted by zasten
    So why BS, just say what it actually is, 0.0003 percent chance of getting an exotic!

    Because saying +300% magic find is "OMG AWESOME Anet is the best evar!!!"

     


    If they said what it actually is then this news about the change to magic find wouldnt sound nearly as exciting.

    It's pretty clear you and Zasten have no understanding of systems like this or what they mean.  In fact, this is the first I've ever heard anyone complain about it.  Think about that for a few minutes.

  • zastenzasten Member Posts: 283
    Originally posted by Eir_S
    Originally posted by Xiaoki

     


    Originally posted by zasten
    So why BS, just say what it actually is, 0.0003 percent chance of getting an exotic!

    Because saying +300% magic find is "OMG AWESOME Anet is the best evar!!!"

     


    If they said what it actually is then this news about the change to magic find wouldnt sound nearly as exciting.

    It's pretty clear you and Zasten have no understanding of systems like this or what they mean.  In fact, this is the first I've ever heard anyone complain about it.  Think about that for a few minutes.

    Just as you have no idea what 100% chance of something happening means!

    I was not complaining so much about the game but the terminology used. I could not care less about MF. 300% = 3 no fail chance happenings. Which in this case, it is just not true! Saying it is 300% is just trying to sugar coat it so we get excited.

Sign In or Register to comment.