20th Anniversary Mini-Pet Impact Discussion

The toxicity is not unwarranted, sorry to those caught in the crossfire who are innocent of the plague this has caused to the economy over the past 3 years and RWTing developed from this. That said, finally a depletion of those who have been dumping irl into, hoarding, and selling gold, all which is directly correlated to the minis. Most of these end up being bought or sold for irl cash so it’s about time it was nipped in the butt per-say. GG

Regarding my remarks on the sale of the yeti, I emphasize and percist, whatever the feat(s) to be made to have the minis of the 20th, it is inexcusable to sell them a few days before the update, knowing full well that prices will fall.

I very much doubt that, as luck would have it, current players will sell these minis and do so just a few days before the event. But I totally understand the love one can have for these originals. Selling them in this way shows disrespect for them.

All this did was give fuel to the toxic lowlifes in guild wars imo. Baffles me the childishness of once kids now adults in a 25yr old game lol

Prices will level out eventually. it's not even known what players will have to go through yet to get these minis etc.

Prime example below & 10 fold in kam lately. So Anet has a bad habit of screwing with the mini prices mostly in GW2. What happened in this event upcoming is prime example.

Anytime a mini holds Any type of value in gw2 someone complains & cries to support then they release them to the public for some form of their RMT Gem currency. mostly black lion statuettes out of black lion chests.

Anet doesn't actually care about the people playing the game. Past practice shows this.

Quote from t2p4

lowlifes in guild wars

Take a look in the mirror, Flint

I think it's inevitable that the widespread release of these minis—soon to be in the hands of nearly everyone in Kamadan within weeks or months—will impact the prices of the original minis, no question. The issue is that releasing all these minis for free doesn’t actually address the RMT problem. People will simply shift focus to the next high-value item, whether it be tonics or Q7/Q8 weapons.

Most of us can agree that RMT is harmful and usually has a negative effect on games. The real problem here is that there were legitimate players who spent years farming and grinding to afford these minis through honest means. All of that effort is now wiped out overnight. If you're going to implement a change like this, it should apply to all minis across the board. Leaving only Varesh and Kunna untouched will just cause those to be hoarded next, potentially making them the new targets of RMT activity.

If the goal is to let people "complete their collection," there are better ways to do it—like allowing these minis to be dedicated in the Hall of Monuments without being displayable. The only thing that made these minis special was their exclusivity. Now that everyone will have them, they’ll likely be tossed aside the same way Vizu and other once-rare minis became effectively worthless.

People will still RMT to buy gold trim guilds, Z-keys, collector weapons, pcons, or to hire runners to get every character to GWAMM. What's next? Are we going to release gold trims for free, introduce a P-con trader, or add Q7/Q8 items back to drop tables? At that point, everything becomes worthless, and there's no reason for anyone to RMT—because there's nothing worth RMT’ing for?

Maybe instead of devaluing everything, we address the real issue: the rampant botting that has infiltrated nearly every part of the game.

Ironically, from a few conversations I’ve seen in-game, this move might actually encourage RMT rather than discourage it. If devs can step in and crash the economy whenever they choose—wiping out people's wealth and years of hard work—do you really think players will go back to grinding another 2,000 hours just to afford the next big item? Not likely. They might start thinking like everyone else and just buy a stack of arms to save themselves the time—at least until the next wave of market manipulation hits.

Quote from t2p4

All this did was give fuel to the toxic lowlifes in guild wars imo. Baffles me the childishness of once kids now adults in a 25yr old game lol

Prices will level out eventually. it's not even known what players will have to go through yet to get these minis etc.

Prime example below & 10 fold in kam lately. So Anet has a bad habit of screwing with the mini prices mostly in GW2. What happened in this event upcoming is prime example.

Anytime a mini holds Any type of value in gw2 someone complains & cries to support then they release them to the public for some form of their RMT Gem currency. mostly black lion statuettes out of black lion chests.

Anet doesn't actually care about the people playing the game. Past practice shows this.

Display More

Is your vision so blurry from the tears in your eyes that you can't even identify what anniversary we are dawning upon? I'm guessing you had some mini pets stashed away buddy..

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I feel Stephen did a great job listening to the community, everyone's been talking about this for the past 3 years. Should have paid attention to what the community was asking for!

Quote from Elite Trader D

The real problem here is that there were legitimate players who spent years farming and grinding to afford these minis through honest means. All of that effort is now wiped out overnight.

Maybe instead of devaluing everything, we address the real issue: the rampant botting that has infiltrated nearly every part of the game.

It seems I have a kindred spirit here. Some of you remember when I wrote a petition to Anet regarding banning the bots and RMT'ers. I got a lot of flak for that. That's when I realized that it was an unwinnable battle, as most of the game's community supports bots and RMT because "without them the game would die" to put it in their words.

Many also know that I was a victim of a massive hack in 2013 where my NC Soft account was hacked. I lost all of my high end undedicated minis (Kanaxai, 4x MKG's, EL Reindeer, etc, etc.) that I earned through legitimate trading over 6 years. Since then, I've never been able to catch up back to where I was, as the RMT'ers and bots can ALWAYS outpace players that are achieving things in game legitimately.

I've always stated that the #1 update I'd like to see from Anet is banning cheaters. For some reason they can't or won't do this.

I don't know if this update is meant to be a soft fix on RMT or not, but I agree that the RTM'ers will just move on to the next big things that make them money.

Quote from Motoko

Another thing to consider is the owners of these untradeable minis. Two types exist - ones that still value them and others who see them as lost value. The ones that see the lost value most likely will try and liquidate those assets to reallocate their investment elsewhere. I can't blame them for trying to get as much value as possible, as would anyone else in their position. Hopefully in these rounds of liquidations, the minis end up in the inventories of people who truly appreciate the collecting rather than RMT and profiting.

As far as the current owners of the minis. I imagine that there are very few in the hands of people who did not RMT their minis (this is my speculation, of course, based off of personal conversations and information - I have no way of proving this.) But any time I've found these minis over the past several years, people wanted real cash for them. I do believe, however, that there are a small few in some collectors hands that earned them legitimately many, many years ago when they were actually affordable through in-game means.

The ones who are truly affected by this are the ones who paid real money for them, and for them, I have no remorse. As far as the legitimate owners go, well I'd like to hear what they think. Many of them have had their minis exclusively for 10 years+ and are truly collectors and held on to them for sentimental value and not for the purpose of flipping them for real dollars - so in that instance I'm not even sure this update effects them.

Personally, I'm glad I get to have my minis back - although it's bittersweet because A) It's 13 years later, B) Justice was never served, and C) The new mini are not exactly the same because they're untradeable.

Maybe I'm showing my cards here but I'm glad to be able to finally dedicate these minis and move on. Yes, I'd still like a "real" Kanaxai, MKG, etc. but no way am I going to spend all my hard-earned armbraces from the past 13 years on them now.

So take it from a true collector - yes, these minis will maintain some semblance of value as there will always be demand by guys like me - BUT they will never reach March 2025 prices (whatever real world-converted-price-to-armbraces price that is) because people like me will never pay them, and the RMT'ers will never see them as a safe investment anymore.

In fact, I'm still willing to pay 1000 arms. Any takers?

Quote from ACWhammy

Quote from Elite Trader D

The real problem here is that there were legitimate players who spent years farming and grinding to afford these minis through honest means. All of that effort is now wiped out overnight.

Maybe instead of devaluing everything, we address the real issue: the rampant botting that has infiltrated nearly every part of the game.

It seems I have a kindred spirit here. Some of you remember when I wrote a petition to Anet regarding banning the bots and RMT'ers. I got a lot of flak for that. That's when I realized that it was an unwinnable battle, as most of the game's community supports bots and RMT because "without them the game would die" to put it in their words.

Many also know that I was a victim of a massive hack in 2013 where my NC Soft account was hacked. I lost all of my high end undedicated minis (Kanaxai, 4x MKG's, EL Reindeer, etc, etc.) that I earned through legitimate trading over 6 years. Since then, I've never been able to catch up back to where I was, as the RMT'ers and bots can ALWAYS outpace players that are achieving things in game legitimately.

I've always stated that the #1 update I'd like to see from Anet is banning cheaters. For some reason they can't or won't do this.

I don't know if this update is meant to be a soft fix on RMT or not, but I agree that the RTM'ers will just move on to the next big things that make them money.

Quote from Motoko

Another thing to consider is the owners of these untradeable minis. Two types exist - ones that still value them and others who see them as lost value. The ones that see the lost value most likely will try and liquidate those assets to reallocate their investment elsewhere. I can't blame them for trying to get as much value as possible, as would anyone else in their position. Hopefully in these rounds of liquidations, the minis end up in the inventories of people who truly appreciate the collecting rather than RMT and profiting.

As far as the current owners of the minis. I imagine that there are very few in the hands of people who did not RMT their minis (this is my speculation, of course, based off of personal conversations and information - I have no way of proving this.) But any time I've found these minis over the past several years, people wanted real cash for them. I do believe, however, that there are a small few in some collectors hands that earned them legitimately many, many years ago when they were actually affordable through in-game means.

The ones who are truly affected by this are the ones who paid real money for them, and for them, I have no remorse. As far as the legitimate owners go, well I'd like to hear what they think. Many of them have had their minis exclusively for 10 years+ and are truly collectors and held on to them for sentimental value and not for the purpose of flipping them for real dollars - so in that instance I'm not even sure this update effects them.

Personally, I'm glad I get to have my minis back - although it's bittersweet because A) It's 13 years later, B) Justice was never served, and C) The new mini are not exactly the same because they're untradeable.

Maybe I'm showing my cards here but I'm glad to be able to finally dedicate these minis and move on. Yes, I'd still like a "real" Kanaxai, MKG, etc. but no way am I going to spend all my hard-earned armbraces from the past 13 years on them now.

So take it from a true collector - yes, these minis will maintain some semblance of value as there will always be demand by guys like me - BUT they will never reach March 2025 prices (whatever real world-converted-price-to-armbraces price that is) because people like me will never pay them, and the RMT'ers will never see them as a safe investment anymore.

In fact, I'm still willing to pay 1000 arms. Any takers?

Display More

Very Eloquently put ACWhammy, and very spot on. I am sorry to hear of your hack all those years ago.

I have seen quite the decrease in bots recently across the game, except for a few places, although it is much more rare to spot them. It seems the team is actually putting an effort into getting rid of them from what I have seen, and let's hope it persists.

To make it short:

I do feel sorry for those people who legitimately without RMT acquired these.

I do not feel sorry for RMT folks.

Both categories should have been fully aware of the risks with vizu/zhed/oni/naga-update.

Minis still will lose value but still hold certain value, as they remain tradeable "prenerf" versions.

Would be a major plot twist if the new minis will be visually slightly different from the previous versions, but I exclude this to happen.

Buying items in gw is like buying stocks in real life, sometimes u win and sometimes u lose, never know when some president or GM decides someting that make prices to crash ;P

Thats why i allways say, only buy things u dont plan on selling and wouldnt mind keeping no matter what, and ure on good route. Then it doesn't matter what happens around u

ps. here is crysta of someone making such decisions, that he gave me autographed.

Quote from Pleikki

Buying items in gw is like buying stocks in real life, sometimes u win and sometimes u lose, never know when some president or GM decides someting that make prices to crash ;P

Thats why i allways say, only buy things u dont plan on selling and wouldnt mind keeping no matter what, and ure on good route. Then it doesn't matter what happens around u

ps. here is crysta of someone making such decisions, that he gave me autographed.

With the difference that IRL things are my actual property and in gw they are always anet's property. Anet will always have the full dictatorship control over whatever you invest in. Let's not forget that in this discussion.

Motoko, I’m not so sure how innocent it really is to provide a trade moderating service.

Just some food for thought: could I honestly claim to be an innocent service worker if I were El Chapo’s accountant—someone who played a key role in helping him launder money? Or am I just a regular, hard-working taxi driver if I knowingly drove him from crime scene to crime scene for a fee?

At any point, did you stop and wonder, “Wait, where did these guys get all the ectos and arms needed to make a trade so large it can’t even fit in one window?”

Sure, you didn’t directly inject real-world money into the game, but by moderating trades, you're still playing a vital role in that system—and getting paid by the same people driving it.

I'm not saying you're the same as someone dropping $3,000 on a minipet, but I do think it’s worth recognizing that even “legitimate” ways of making in-game wealth are often underpinned by RMT activity.

You also offer cape trim services. Many of the people buying trims likely got their arms or ectos through RMT.

Even powertrading often profits off RMT in one way or another.

I don’t believe there’s any 100%, completely innocent, or purely “legit” way to acquire a high-end mini—unless you were one of the rare original winners who got it directly from ArenaNet through an event or contest. For those few, I have nothing but respect. But they’re the 1%.

And to be clear—I still respect the hustle it takes to get one through means like trade moderating, powertrading, etc.. don't get me wrong. These methods are an actual grind, and I still feel for anyone who earned a high-end mini that way.

But let's not pretend they are a cog completely separate from the RMT machine. They exist within the same ecosystem.

The ones I'm laughing at are the high-end mini owners that got there through IRL purchases, and then participated in the fake bids, fake sales, price rigging, and the massive inflation that came with it. They bankstood in Kamadan for years flexing pets and ego—without ever really playing the game. And in the end? It meant nothing.

I never said you were being partial, never claimed you need to investigate players, and never suggested that laundering dirty money was your main objective.

I’m simply pointing out that if you're part of El Chapo’s operation—even as the guy driving the cab—you can’t claim complete innocence, point fingers at everyone else, and walk away with clean hands.

The reality is, the majority of the system is propped up by botting, RMT, account theft, and manipulation.

That’s exactly why this update is a step in the right direction.

—EDIT:

Yes, this update is definitely a slap in the face to the original winners of ArenaNet-hosted events and contests that awarded these rare minis. And that sucks. But honestly, I don’t know a single active player today who can still claim they’re one of those original winners.

I'm sure some are still around, and it’s unfortunate that their exclusive reward got caught up in this mess. But they had many years to enjoy that exclusivity, and in the end, I’m glad ArenaNet finally stepped in to address the black market.

—END EDIT

At first I was against this update to a point but now I think it was the "right" choice to disrupt any rmt wether it mini or account keys.

When I get the new bonus skins I am going to upload new images on the wiki to overwrite the current ones.

Very upset about my grey giant. Paid good money for the magazine with the promo code 20years ago

Quote from Capitalist

Very upset about my grey giant. Paid good money for the magazine with the promo code 20years ago

I feel you. I wish I never had bought that ATI Radeon X1600 Pro Guild Wars Edition back then.

Quote from Ecto Sacrifice

I never said you were being partial, never claimed you need to investigate players, and never suggested that laundering dirty money was your main objective.

I’m simply pointing out that if you're part of El Chapo’s operation—even as the guy driving the cab—you can’t claim complete innocence, point fingers at everyone else, and walk away with clean hands.

The reality is, the majority of the system is propped up by botting, RMT, account theft, and manipulation.

That’s exactly why this update is a step in the right direction.

—EDIT:

Yes, this update is definitely a slap in the face to the original winners of ArenaNet-hosted events and contests that awarded these rare minis. And that sucks. But honestly, I don’t know a single active player today who can still claim they’re one of those original winners.

I'm sure some are still around, and it’s unfortunate that their exclusive reward got caught up in this mess. But they had many years to enjoy that exclusivity, and in the end, I’m glad ArenaNet finally stepped in to address the black market.

—END EDIT

Display More

Except this doesn't really address the underlying problem. Now the RMTers will spend money on gold trims, rare weapons and in game services. The bots will still operate and people will dump money into other things.

Quote from Elite Trader D

Quote from Ecto Sacrifice

I never said you were being partial, never claimed you need to investigate players, and never suggested that laundering dirty money was your main objective.

I’m simply pointing out that if you're part of El Chapo’s operation—even as the guy driving the cab—you can’t claim complete innocence, point fingers at everyone else, and walk away with clean hands.

The reality is, the majority of the system is propped up by botting, RMT, account theft, and manipulation.

That’s exactly why this update is a step in the right direction.

—EDIT:

Yes, this update is definitely a slap in the face to the original winners of ArenaNet-hosted events and contests that awarded these rare minis. And that sucks. But honestly, I don’t know a single active player today who can still claim they’re one of those original winners.

I'm sure some are still around, and it’s unfortunate that their exclusive reward got caught up in this mess. But they had many years to enjoy that exclusivity, and in the end, I’m glad ArenaNet finally stepped in to address the black market.

—END EDIT

Display More

Except this doesn't really address the underlying problem. Now the RMTers will spend money on gold trims, rare weapons and in game services. The bots will still operate and people will dump money into other things.

Display More

Perfect! Least there will still be a trade market of some form. Not everyone was an RMT'er like ACWhammy mentioned. Many did things the right way also. I feel for them 2bh, only basically to be screwed by anet. they sure showed everyone who's boss hey!

So question now is what to use for big in game purchases since minis are now trash? there will be no way to do large trades unless it's done by RMT. Many used pandas, IG, MKG ect for higher end trades.

In reality anet didn't solve anything but screw over the loyal players for the last 25 yrs & give free stuff to everyone that left GW long ago. Thank you anet! your the best!

Quote from t2p4

Quote from Elite Trader D

Except this doesn't really address the underlying problem. Now the RMTers will spend money on gold trims, rare weapons and in game services. The bots will still operate and people will dump money into other things.

Perfect! Least there will still be a trade market of some form. Not everyone was an RMT'er like ACWhammy mentioned. Many did things the right way also. I feel for them 2bh, only basically to be screwed by anet. they sure showed everyone who's boss hey!

So question now is what to use for big in game purchases since minis are now trash? there will be no way to do large trades unless it's done by RMT. Many used pandas, IG, MKG ect for higher end trades.

In reality anet didn't solve anything but screw over the loyal players for the last 25 yrs & give free stuff to everyone that left GW long ago. Thank you anet! your the best!

mate, again, its not 25 years......

I really don't see the big inflation coming... I might even argue the prices will barely be affected by the vast presence of those minis but much rather by the panic sales right now and will go back to normal soon enough. remember when the insc crystas came to be... and were added to the zchest... anyone can buy himself a perf crysta these days and still the os perfect versions are veryVERY far from worthless. and the only way to differentiate between the two would be showing in a trade window. the tradeable versions are and will be unobtainable and will further be used as currencies due that - no new ones were introduced to the market, if you hold one it is precisely as goddamn rare as before. BIG difference to the asian minis from the bday presents. I really don't get the panic.

I suppose the main effect is players like myself who aren't super rich but had the goal of farming to get one of the minis.

I want an island guardian as its my favourite mini, rarity doesn't matter to me. It's something I'd never be able to afford at current rates so I'm happy to be getting one.

Unfortunately legit players are losing a lot of money but I dont think many people who own them have gotten them through legit means, whether RMT or botting or hacking/asking support for accounts.

I'd be shocked if any of the players with the minis on the accounts don't have thousands of armbraces anyway.