GW1 have the best payment model. I played 6 years of GW and never saw the same in other MMOs. GW1 have micro tho but not P2W. I used the cash shop to unlock the pets at the Zaishen Menagerie because i'm pvper and running after the pets in the wilderness is not my style. Cash shop items in GW1 didn't give you advantage just keep you from hours of running around. Like the skills: You can purchase skill unlock packs in the store for your pvp char and you won't need to collect thems in PvE. But purchasing skill unlock packs have a dark side too: In pve you fight for the skills and use/try thems after capture -> a lil experience about how to use or chain thems. You lose this "advantage" if you buy it in the game store. No monthly fee, balanced item shop. The best player-friendly payment model ever saw. Ah and sorry for my english^^
I played GW1 from release and off and on since then. I have leveled 3 characters to 20 and invested most of my time on 2 of those. I have also 2 pvp characters, one healer one elementalist and several unfinished PvE characters. As I have played through the pve content so extensively I have most of the skills already and the ones I don't have that I feel I have needed for a pvp character I have gone out and captured it in the case of an elite and trained it in the case of a normal skill. I can see why some would buy the skill pack in the case of people who only have PvP characters as the game really is quite seperate in some respects. Hard to explain if you have not played through both sides. I have 4 storage tabs (I was not online for the 4th anniversary storage tab) which makes a total of 80 slots (I think!) in storage shared across characters as well as a tab which will hold every crafting item in 1 stack of 250 max (again going from memory). I have never bought another storage tab though at times I have had to use other characters to store items and currently have 2 of my level 20's which I don't use as often as the other with full bags. I need a friend online if I want to switch characters around if my storage is full as I switch the stored items to my friend and then trade with the other character etc. I have maximum bag slots available without purchasing from the ingame store on 3 characters (the level 20's) and the other pve characters carry things I want to keep for sentimental reasons. I have never been in a big guild and even when I have been in a guild it's just as easy to go out with my heroes and sometimes more challenging which I like so I can't say I have been impacted by anyone who has bought mercenary slots. I'm talking the PvE side here. I only do Fort Aspenwood sometimes PvP for fun with my other half and tbh I don't know if Mercenary Heroes would have any effect in other forms of PvP maybe someone else knows. I have never been affected in PvP but to be honest I think it's because I know the skill system better then some people (though I'm still learning) and I don't use cookie cutter builds as I prefer to try to alter them to my own liking and in ways less predictable especially in PvP.
Ways I have been negatively affected. I can only think of two really. Firstly by people who obviously bought their skill and item packs for only PvP. You sometimes end up with a warrior on your side carrying a magic wand or an assassin carrying a staff. Those are days you wish A net did not sell those things :P My only other negative which has nothing to do with the cash shop itself is the alternative currency in GW1 created by default by the player base itself. Ectos. WHICH aren't a problem. Usually. But anyone who has played lately will know what I am talking about and perhaps it's because GW2 is coming out soon, it is now pretty obvious to see who has bought their ectos from gold sellers. They have WAY more then any normal person could have aquired even with 24 hour grinding since the game began. Often trying to convert those ectos into gold so they can complete their HoM points as the 15k armour sets are to say the least pricey and since more people are jumping on to try to complete the HoM prices for a lot of things have gone through the roof. For me, I have stopped bothering with the HoM as of a few days ago. It kind of loses it's appeal when you realise that some players bought their way there through real life money instead of working their asses off. So if you didn't play GW2 and are sad about some of the rewards some GW1 players have just remember, some people bought their way there.
Sorry not checked this for typos so I hope it makes sense!
Wow this is a long post sorry. I have personally bought 3 outfits from the shop but because I was pretty tired of looking like everyone else in game and wanted to look a little more unique.
i've betatested GW1, my account shown 78 months. long awaited for GW2
but i had to say i'm really dispappointed. and it's the cash shop things. i dont mind if they selling cosmetic or thing to make people look nice.
but i'm again selling "items that help player save time" and the gold trade for gem. if i want to save time, i'll study and get rich instead of playing video game. they help other players get high lvl fast and have all the end game stuff while us, the one who dont pay $$ have to go from bottom up. that's not fair and definetly not " an equal start."
i was sure 80% that i'll buy GW2 but now when the cash shop exist it down to 50% now, i think i might stick with Diablo 3 or maybe waiting for a new game instead of GW2. i dont see the awsomeness from GW2 as i see it in GW1 which made me stick with GW1 instead of World of warcraft
Hard to believe you, to be honest.
Worried about GW2 cash shop and say you may prefer Diablo 3?
Do you... know anything about the D3 business model?
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
here the screen shoot if you dont believe me. and yes, of course i know about Diablo 3 . but's it's an action rpg, not mmrpg.
and fanboi dont be offense, i'm not here to say what game is better. it's my point of view and it's my money so i'll be the one decide to buy it or not regardless of what other people saying.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Played the first from Beta and only on and off past couple of years. From GW1 shop I maxed on Alts and Bank space. I also treated myself to a few cosmetic costumes. Unlocking of skills and pets are not something I am interested in. In comparison to the GW2 store I can definately see some similar trending. I want more bank space, character slots. Don't want or need skills or mini pets. Crafting boosts look interesting and will probably spend there. Any bag slots I could probably get in game but may jump ahead there.
Basically things with crafting, like the boost, the transmutation stones, salvage stuff, keys and outfits are all cool with me. If I can turn gems to cash and I find myself short sometimes that would be a needs consideration and not a regular thing. My impression is that I consider both the first and second models to be appealing. I consider GW2 model to just simply appeal to more demographs. I consider the second games model to appeal to people with a higher disposable income and since the first game I know mines gone up 4 times
I played GW from day 1 and have to say I have always preffered their payment model. It was refreshing and really introduced me into MMO's. I think people that have palyed console games enjoy paying one time and then having complete access to the game (similar to the model that they are accustomed to) I know for me personally it was what kept me playing MMO's and eventually made me want to try monthly fee games (which I still currently play). When they did finally introduce a cash shop for GW I never felt like I was forced to buy them to remain competitive. Most of the items didnt give you a real tactical advantage over anyone. Until they offered the skill unlock packs you only had to option to buy rare dyes, costumes, and additional quests packs anyway. Anet has been known to make bonehead moves (lets not forget the horrible recallibration of pve skills to make pvp balanced) but I doubt that they are dumb enough to create a pay 2 win model.
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
here the screen shoot if you dont believe me. and yes, of course i know about Diablo 3 . but's it's an action rpg, not mmrpg.
and fanboi dont be offense, i'm not here to say what game is better. it's my point of view and it's my money so i'll be the one decide to buy it or not regardless of what other people saying.
Well that only makes your statements even more strange as you should know a LOT about the way leveling up and gear works in Guild Wars 1...
Did you feel preasured to make purchases after the initial box price in order to keep playing?
To play competitively in either PvE or PvP?
etc.
I made 1 purchase for 10 bucks.. I did it on impulse and never used the quest pack.. I might later but as of yet its just extra content I don't really care enough about. I have thought about some of the outfits but many are overused and I like my own armor. Nothing in GW1 cash shop is pay to win.. the skill packs are ONLY time savers for PVPers or REALLY lazy PVEers who cant be bothered to go to the town the skill they want is in and buy it.
I should add that I am not a "vet" for GW1 but I am the type that starts playing a game and eats, breathes, lives it so I try to be well informed. To give you an idea on the skills. I got every single elite in the game and I had only been playing for less than 3 months. I wasn't racing either.. just playing until I got close to getting them all then I spent 2.5 days getting the rest.. again slowly, not hell bent for election or anything.
Worried about GW2 cash shop and say you may prefer Diablo 3?
Do you... know anything about the D3 business model?
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
I can't speak for the other player, I really don't know if he beta'd the game but I guess by his screen shot he did. But just like to point out that when people say levels don't matter in GW1 it's true. Most of the PvE content of the game occurs after level 20 as you are there literally in a matter of hours. I don't know how many hours, I've never tried to power level my way through so I couldn't say. I think you would be hard pressed to make it much past Lions Arch without reaching 20 for instance unless you have gone through pre searing at level 2 and payed someone for a run to LA. Really there is an end game if you don't like getting unique armour sets. That's a hobby to some, takes up a lot of space in your storage but fun none the less at least it was for me. I am a clothes horse and like heroes to look cool too even if no one really sees them but me :P There is no option to make your heroes look cool without doing it the old fashioned way ie getting armor remnants yourself or grinding the plat to buy them from other players or buying the plat from gold sellers and then buying the armor remnants from someone who has done them. I have chosen to do it the normal route ie on my own.
Worried about GW2 cash shop and say you may prefer Diablo 3?
Do you... know anything about the D3 business model?
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
I can't speak for the other player, I really don't know if he beta'd the game but I guess by his screen shot he did. But just like to point out that when people say levels don't matter in GW1 it's true. Most of the PvE content of the game occurs after level 20 as you are there literally in a matter of hours. I don't know how many hours, I've never tried to power level my way through so I couldn't say. I think you would be hard pressed to make it much past Lions Arch without reaching 20 for instance unless you have gone through pre searing at level 2 and payed someone for a run to LA. Really there is an end game if you don't like getting unique armour sets. That's a hobby to some, takes up a lot of space in your storage but fun none the less at least it was for me. I am a clothes horse and like heroes to look cool too even if no one really sees them but me :P
If you start with Factions you can get to max level in an afternoon.
Read this post for the essence of my issues with the cash shop. Any serious PVP is going to avoid GW2 like the plague and it makes me extremely sad and depressed.
I for one am boycotting the game until the eliminate the Pay to Win aspect. MY friends are doing the same and I have seen movements across the web that share our sentiment. I urge you veterans to join us in this fight, and we may yet save GW2 (I highly doubt it, it seems too late but we have to try!)
If you start with Factions you can get to max level in an afternoon.
You are probably right as my rit was my fastest character to level. I've not leveled a NF character though I've thought of leveling a paragon for fun as I play one in PvP.
Everyone seems to be either over-hyping or over-hating on GW2 announced microtransaction system.
Pay 2 Win many call it.
So, I ask you this - Guild Wars 1 veterans/current players ONLY:
How have you felt about the GW1 business model?
*Note - anyone trying to turn this into yet ANOTHER p2win or f2p etc. etc. debate/debacle will be reported for off-topic violation.
Only looking for the experiences, thoughts, and impressions of current/former Guild Wars 1 players in regards to the B2P + microtransactions model.
GW1 had only cosmetic items in the store. Around 4 different costumes that I dont really care for. You also had gender/name change. Thats pretty much it.
Going away from the cash shop, you paid for the game and played it. Which let you come back after a month, six month or a year. Without paying anything.
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
here the screen shoot if you dont believe me. and yes, of course i know about Diablo 3 . but's it's an action rpg, not mmrpg.
and fanboi dont be offense, i'm not here to say what game is better. it's my point of view and it's my money so i'll be the one decide to buy it or not regardless of what other people saying.
Well that only makes your statements even more strange as you should know a LOT about the way leveling up and gear works in Guild Wars 1...
For someone looking for honest feedback he even went out of the way to post proof of his play time and you come back with yet another snarky comment. I imagine he knows far more than you do about leveling up and gear in the game. For shits and giggles, how about you post a pic of your play time logged in? You cracked on my post and I didn't even bother to reiterate as what I posted to this silly thread was more than sufficient myself.
Basically from your post here all your trying to do is prove some point about perecentage and "most" gw1 players that arer fine with this nonsense. Your on a side no doubt but then hey, 90% of America considers Brittany Spears Rock n Roll too and that don't make it right either...
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb
Read this post for the essence of my issues with the cash shop. Any serious PVP is going to avoid GW2 like the plague and it makes me extremely sad and depressed.
I for one am boycotting the game until the eliminate the Pay to Win aspect. MY friends are doing the same and I have seen movements across the web that share our sentiment. I urge you veterans to join us in this fight, and we may yet save GW2 (I highly doubt it, it seems too late but we have to try!)
Be prepared to join us in a mass flogging. The moral majority would say otherwise but then lemmings tend to do such things. Hey, look a cliff....
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb
Worried about GW2 cash shop and say you may prefer Diablo 3?
Do you... know anything about the D3 business model?
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
I can't speak for the other player, I really don't know if he beta'd the game but I guess by his screen shot he did. But just like to point out that when people say levels don't matter in GW1 it's true. Most of the PvE content of the game occurs after level 20 as you are there literally in a matter of hours. I don't know how many hours, I've never tried to power level my way through so I couldn't say. I think you would be hard pressed to make it much past Lions Arch without reaching 20 for instance unless you have gone through pre searing at level 2 and payed someone for a run to LA. Really there is an end game if you don't like getting unique armour sets. That's a hobby to some, takes up a lot of space in your storage but fun none the less at least it was for me. I am a clothes horse and like heroes to look cool too even if no one really sees them but me :P
on my main i left presear at lvl 2 (i had no idea i was leaving. i was just questing lol) and walked the whole way to the crystal desert doin missions and quests. and i still didnt hit lvl 20 till mid desert. Mostly solo play cus every guild i joined disbanded in the next day or two.... and all my friends quit. i had no idea what i was doin and i loved EVERY second of it.
Almost fine.... those keys to open reward chests.... i don´t like that!
they drop in game
Drop rate? 1%?
not from what I heard, but all that is stuff that will come out later.. apparently the keys drop, chests drop, chests have buffs in them at a decent rate.
on my main i left presear at lvl 2 (i had no idea i was leaving. i was just questing lol) and walked the whole way to the crystal desert doin missions and quests. and i still didnt hit lvl 20 till mid desert. Mostly solo play cus every guild i joined disbanded in the next day or two.... and all my friends quit. i had no idea what i was doin and i loved EVERY second of it.
I am impressed you didn't pay for a LA run at least! Did you go back and do the pre sear content later? You'd have definately made it to 20 earlier if you'd gone through the pre searing content but that's not really fun to do more then once
Firstly, I haven't had this mmorpg account long so bear with me, as i'm usually not a forum go-er but have recently been keeping close watch on several MMO's coming out soon.
To the OP, Badspock:
I've been playing for 6.75 years very consistently. Account is 81 months old, logged over 5,250 hours across all characters. (That's with several 6 month+ breaks due to other Korean MMO's, shaiya, aika, cabal and a few western mmo's such as WoW, Rift, and a few months on TOR even) I played several of these MMO's while playing GW (Thanks to it's considerate payment system)
With my veteran resumé out of the way: I have yet to make a single purchase from their item shop. While I can't recall the exact date, some people do tend to forget that A.Net's Item shop for Guild Wars wasn't even released until after the second or third expansion which is easily two years into the game's lifespan. It wasn't even a big deal when it was released because you could only purchase cosmetic stuff and things that affect your account on a non-playing level. (ie: costumes and character slots, which you get more than enough anyways.)
In fact i'm looking at it right now and all I can really see is character slots, storage panes, (again, you get like a million from having the games alone) and a makeover kit, which basically allows you to recustomize how your character looks, I believe.
Seriously? I'd hardly call that kind of item shop "Pay to win". I mean, that's almost insulting after playing so many other korean MMO's and now even more currently, western MMO's that have many more game-changing purchases that could be made from their item shops respectively. It's almost not even worth calling an item shop to be completely honest.
In any case, to recap: No i've never felt compelled to buy from their "item shop". I really enjoy the freedom of the payment method as A. It makes sense (No bullshit "subscription fees" for the same quality game) and B. It allows flexibility and longevity to playing. (ie: I can play p2p MMO's at the same time, stop and come back without missing a beat) And lastly, as far as I know their item shop has never conferred unfair advantages or hell, for that matter, *any* real advantage towards people who buy stuff from it.
And apparently there is no real end game and level doesn't really matter, not in GW1 either which you should have known playing for 78 months?
I just doubt your credibility sir.
here the screen shoot if you dont believe me. and yes, of course i know about Diablo 3 . but's it's an action rpg, not mmrpg.
and fanboi dont be offense, i'm not here to say what game is better. it's my point of view and it's my money so i'll be the one decide to buy it or not regardless of what other people saying.
Well that only makes your statements even more strange as you should know a LOT about the way leveling up and gear works in Guild Wars 1...
i dont know what you are trying to say.
the topic ask how do i feel about the payment method and said i'm disappointed.
what so strange about it? you alway asking me things that doesn't related to the topic, and giving me a feeling that you are trying to start a war. did i do anything offensed you?
i dont wish to derail the thread but yea i made a few more presear toons and tooled around for hours on end. i have enjoyed all aspects of the game in the 6 years i have played. 1241 hours over 74 months. very long breaks in there (like year long). 2008 hours total.
5+ years here. Cash shop doesn't bother me in the least. ALL of it is optional. Time saver XP boosts? Fine with me as I'll get my XP the old fashioned way. Same with karma boosts. Rez Orbs? Naw...if I'm dying too much and breaking my armor...maybe I'm not quite ready for it. Besides...I could always take extra armor with me. Not a big deal.
In the end, it's about perception. If you're the type of person that is bothered by what other peeps think of you then the cash shop will be something you'd like. Or not like. For the majority (even those that like cliffs...) we'll just be happy playing along and doing fun stuff. The cash shop is not for me and I really could care less if you, or anybody else, got to 80 faster than me. You can't get anything more than me as there is no gear in there...only time savers. Mystic keys? Think Z-keys only this time it's your money you're gambling with. You wanna bet with your cash? Go right ahead. I'll pick up that same or like stuff through gameplay.
I'll admit though...I'm probably going to get more storage and some costumes. Sure, I plan on WvW but I know the cash shop will have very little influence in there AS A WHOLE. Over time, others will catch up (guilds, toons, etc...) and then we'll be back at level grounds. If you don't like this...then you might think the CS is the devil. Really what peeps are mad about is simply that others may get somewhere/something (not really) before they do. Us cliff jumpers will be happy just playing.
Comments
GW1 have the best payment model. I played 6 years of GW and never saw the same in other MMOs. GW1 have micro tho but not P2W. I used the cash shop to unlock the pets at the Zaishen Menagerie because i'm pvper and running after the pets in the wilderness is not my style. Cash shop items in GW1 didn't give you advantage just keep you from hours of running around. Like the skills: You can purchase skill unlock packs in the store for your pvp char and you won't need to collect thems in PvE. But purchasing skill unlock packs have a dark side too: In pve you fight for the skills and use/try thems after capture -> a lil experience about how to use or chain thems. You lose this "advantage" if you buy it in the game store. No monthly fee, balanced item shop. The best player-friendly payment model ever saw. Ah and sorry for my english^^
I played GW1 from release and off and on since then. I have leveled 3 characters to 20 and invested most of my time on 2 of those. I have also 2 pvp characters, one healer one elementalist and several unfinished PvE characters. As I have played through the pve content so extensively I have most of the skills already and the ones I don't have that I feel I have needed for a pvp character I have gone out and captured it in the case of an elite and trained it in the case of a normal skill. I can see why some would buy the skill pack in the case of people who only have PvP characters as the game really is quite seperate in some respects. Hard to explain if you have not played through both sides. I have 4 storage tabs (I was not online for the 4th anniversary storage tab) which makes a total of 80 slots (I think!) in storage shared across characters as well as a tab which will hold every crafting item in 1 stack of 250 max (again going from memory). I have never bought another storage tab though at times I have had to use other characters to store items and currently have 2 of my level 20's which I don't use as often as the other with full bags. I need a friend online if I want to switch characters around if my storage is full as I switch the stored items to my friend and then trade with the other character etc. I have maximum bag slots available without purchasing from the ingame store on 3 characters (the level 20's) and the other pve characters carry things I want to keep for sentimental reasons. I have never been in a big guild and even when I have been in a guild it's just as easy to go out with my heroes and sometimes more challenging which I like so I can't say I have been impacted by anyone who has bought mercenary slots. I'm talking the PvE side here. I only do Fort Aspenwood sometimes PvP for fun with my other half and tbh I don't know if Mercenary Heroes would have any effect in other forms of PvP maybe someone else knows. I have never been affected in PvP but to be honest I think it's because I know the skill system better then some people (though I'm still learning) and I don't use cookie cutter builds as I prefer to try to alter them to my own liking and in ways less predictable especially in PvP.
Ways I have been negatively affected. I can only think of two really. Firstly by people who obviously bought their skill and item packs for only PvP. You sometimes end up with a warrior on your side carrying a magic wand or an assassin carrying a staff. Those are days you wish A net did not sell those things :P My only other negative which has nothing to do with the cash shop itself is the alternative currency in GW1 created by default by the player base itself. Ectos. WHICH aren't a problem. Usually. But anyone who has played lately will know what I am talking about and perhaps it's because GW2 is coming out soon, it is now pretty obvious to see who has bought their ectos from gold sellers. They have WAY more then any normal person could have aquired even with 24 hour grinding since the game began. Often trying to convert those ectos into gold so they can complete their HoM points as the 15k armour sets are to say the least pricey and since more people are jumping on to try to complete the HoM prices for a lot of things have gone through the roof. For me, I have stopped bothering with the HoM as of a few days ago. It kind of loses it's appeal when you realise that some players bought their way there through real life money instead of working their asses off. So if you didn't play GW2 and are sad about some of the rewards some GW1 players have just remember, some people bought their way there.
Sorry not checked this for typos so I hope it makes sense!
Wow this is a long post sorry. I have personally bought 3 outfits from the shop but because I was pretty tired of looking like everyone else in game and wanted to look a little more unique.
the poster formerly known as melangel :P
here the screen shoot if you dont believe me. and yes, of course i know about Diablo 3 . but's it's an action rpg, not mmrpg.
and fanboi dont be offense, i'm not here to say what game is better. it's my point of view and it's my money so i'll be the one decide to buy it or not regardless of what other people saying.
Played the first from Beta and only on and off past couple of years. From GW1 shop I maxed on Alts and Bank space. I also treated myself to a few cosmetic costumes. Unlocking of skills and pets are not something I am interested in. In comparison to the GW2 store I can definately see some similar trending. I want more bank space, character slots. Don't want or need skills or mini pets. Crafting boosts look interesting and will probably spend there. Any bag slots I could probably get in game but may jump ahead there.
Basically things with crafting, like the boost, the transmutation stones, salvage stuff, keys and outfits are all cool with me. If I can turn gems to cash and I find myself short sometimes that would be a needs consideration and not a regular thing. My impression is that I consider both the first and second models to be appealing. I consider GW2 model to just simply appeal to more demographs. I consider the second games model to appeal to people with a higher disposable income and since the first game I know mines gone up 4 times
I played GW from day 1 and have to say I have always preffered their payment model. It was refreshing and really introduced me into MMO's. I think people that have palyed console games enjoy paying one time and then having complete access to the game (similar to the model that they are accustomed to) I know for me personally it was what kept me playing MMO's and eventually made me want to try monthly fee games (which I still currently play). When they did finally introduce a cash shop for GW I never felt like I was forced to buy them to remain competitive. Most of the items didnt give you a real tactical advantage over anyone. Until they offered the skill unlock packs you only had to option to buy rare dyes, costumes, and additional quests packs anyway. Anet has been known to make bonehead moves (lets not forget the horrible recallibration of pve skills to make pvp balanced) but I doubt that they are dumb enough to create a pay 2 win model.
Well that only makes your statements even more strange as you should know a LOT about the way leveling up and gear works in Guild Wars 1...
I made 1 purchase for 10 bucks.. I did it on impulse and never used the quest pack.. I might later but as of yet its just extra content I don't really care enough about. I have thought about some of the outfits but many are overused and I like my own armor. Nothing in GW1 cash shop is pay to win.. the skill packs are ONLY time savers for PVPers or REALLY lazy PVEers who cant be bothered to go to the town the skill they want is in and buy it.
I should add that I am not a "vet" for GW1 but I am the type that starts playing a game and eats, breathes, lives it so I try to be well informed. To give you an idea on the skills. I got every single elite in the game and I had only been playing for less than 3 months. I wasn't racing either.. just playing until I got close to getting them all then I spent 2.5 days getting the rest.. again slowly, not hell bent for election or anything.
I can't speak for the other player, I really don't know if he beta'd the game but I guess by his screen shot he did. But just like to point out that when people say levels don't matter in GW1 it's true. Most of the PvE content of the game occurs after level 20 as you are there literally in a matter of hours. I don't know how many hours, I've never tried to power level my way through so I couldn't say. I think you would be hard pressed to make it much past Lions Arch without reaching 20 for instance unless you have gone through pre searing at level 2 and payed someone for a run to LA. Really there is an end game if you don't like getting unique armour sets. That's a hobby to some, takes up a lot of space in your storage but fun none the less at least it was for me. I am a clothes horse and like heroes to look cool too even if no one really sees them but me :P There is no option to make your heroes look cool without doing it the old fashioned way ie getting armor remnants yourself or grinding the plat to buy them from other players or buying the plat from gold sellers and then buying the armor remnants from someone who has done them. I have chosen to do it the normal route ie on my own.
the poster formerly known as melangel :P
If you start with Factions you can get to max level in an afternoon.
I played GW1 for 4 years+, and I am for one outraged at the payment model.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/4851186#4851186
Read this post for the essence of my issues with the cash shop. Any serious PVP is going to avoid GW2 like the plague and it makes me extremely sad and depressed.
I for one am boycotting the game until the eliminate the Pay to Win aspect. MY friends are doing the same and I have seen movements across the web that share our sentiment. I urge you veterans to join us in this fight, and we may yet save GW2 (I highly doubt it, it seems too late but we have to try!)
You are probably right as my rit was my fastest character to level. I've not leveled a NF character though I've thought of leveling a paragon for fun as I play one in PvP.
the poster formerly known as melangel :P
A serious pvper would be playing the structured, competitive pvp right? So exactly how can you pay to win there?
GW1 had only cosmetic items in the store. Around 4 different costumes that I dont really care for. You also had gender/name change. Thats pretty much it.
Going away from the cash shop, you paid for the game and played it. Which let you come back after a month, six month or a year. Without paying anything.
For someone looking for honest feedback he even went out of the way to post proof of his play time and you come back with yet another snarky comment. I imagine he knows far more than you do about leveling up and gear in the game. For shits and giggles, how about you post a pic of your play time logged in? You cracked on my post and I didn't even bother to reiterate as what I posted to this silly thread was more than sufficient myself.
Basically from your post here all your trying to do is prove some point about perecentage and "most" gw1 players that arer fine with this nonsense. Your on a side no doubt but then hey, 90% of America considers Brittany Spears Rock n Roll too and that don't make it right either...
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb
Almost fine....
but...those keys to open reward chests.... pay to loot?
i don´t like that!
they drop in game
Drop rate? 1%?
Be prepared to join us in a mass flogging. The moral majority would say otherwise but then lemmings tend to do such things. Hey, look a cliff....
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb
on my main i left presear at lvl 2 (i had no idea i was leaving. i was just questing lol) and walked the whole way to the crystal desert doin missions and quests. and i still didnt hit lvl 20 till mid desert. Mostly solo play cus every guild i joined disbanded in the next day or two.... and all my friends quit. i had no idea what i was doin and i loved EVERY second of it.
not from what I heard, but all that is stuff that will come out later.. apparently the keys drop, chests drop, chests have buffs in them at a decent rate.
I am impressed you didn't pay for a LA run at least!
Did you go back and do the pre sear content later? You'd have definately made it to 20 earlier if you'd gone through the pre searing content but that's not really fun to do more then once 
the poster formerly known as melangel :P
Firstly, I haven't had this mmorpg account long so bear with me, as i'm usually not a forum go-er but have recently been keeping close watch on several MMO's coming out soon.
To the OP, Badspock:
I've been playing for 6.75 years very consistently. Account is 81 months old, logged over 5,250 hours across all characters. (That's with several 6 month+ breaks due to other Korean MMO's, shaiya, aika, cabal and a few western mmo's such as WoW, Rift, and a few months on TOR even) I played several of these MMO's while playing GW (Thanks to it's considerate payment system)
With my veteran resumé out of the way: I have yet to make a single purchase from their item shop. While I can't recall the exact date, some people do tend to forget that A.Net's Item shop for Guild Wars wasn't even released until after the second or third expansion which is easily two years into the game's lifespan. It wasn't even a big deal when it was released because you could only purchase cosmetic stuff and things that affect your account on a non-playing level. (ie: costumes and character slots, which you get more than enough anyways.)
In fact i'm looking at it right now and all I can really see is character slots, storage panes, (again, you get like a million from having the games alone) and a makeover kit, which basically allows you to recustomize how your character looks, I believe.
Seriously? I'd hardly call that kind of item shop "Pay to win". I mean, that's almost insulting after playing so many other korean MMO's and now even more currently, western MMO's that have many more game-changing purchases that could be made from their item shops respectively. It's almost not even worth calling an item shop to be completely honest.
In any case, to recap: No i've never felt compelled to buy from their "item shop". I really enjoy the freedom of the payment method as A. It makes sense (No bullshit "subscription fees" for the same quality game) and B. It allows flexibility and longevity to playing. (ie: I can play p2p MMO's at the same time, stop and come back without missing a beat) And lastly, as far as I know their item shop has never conferred unfair advantages or hell, for that matter, *any* real advantage towards people who buy stuff from it.
Sorry for the long post.
i dont know what you are trying to say.
the topic ask how do i feel about the payment method and said i'm disappointed.
what so strange about it? you alway asking me things that doesn't related to the topic, and giving me a feeling that you are trying to start a war. did i do anything offensed you?
i dont wish to derail the thread but yea i made a few more presear toons and tooled around for hours on end. i have enjoyed all aspects of the game in the 6 years i have played. 1241 hours over 74 months. very long breaks in there (like year long). 2008 hours total.
In the end, it's about perception. If you're the type of person that is bothered by what other peeps think of you then the cash shop will be something you'd like. Or not like. For the majority (even those that like cliffs...) we'll just be happy playing along and doing fun stuff. The cash shop is not for me and I really could care less if you, or anybody else, got to 80 faster than me. You can't get anything more than me as there is no gear in there...only time savers. Mystic keys? Think Z-keys only this time it's your money you're gambling with. You wanna bet with your cash? Go right ahead. I'll pick up that same or like stuff through gameplay.
I'll admit though...I'm probably going to get more storage and some costumes. Sure, I plan on WvW but I know the cash shop will have very little influence in there AS A WHOLE. Over time, others will catch up (guilds, toons, etc...) and then we'll be back at level grounds. If you don't like this...then you might think the CS is the devil. Really what peeps are mad about is simply that others may get somewhere/something (not really) before they do. Us cliff jumpers will be happy just playing.