Feedback:User/Tennessee Ernie Ford/Unsummoning stones
Unsummoning stones
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| User | Tennessee Ernie Ford |
| Categories | Items → Consumables Mechanics → Other |
Unsummoning stones[edit]
“Double-click to remove three (3) random foes from the area. Unsummoning stones can only be activated once per party per explorable area. If you remove the last remaining foes using this stone, you will receive vanquishing credit (but they will not count for bounties or other rewards.)
— in-game description
Everyone knows the terribleness that is discovering that you have a few remaining red dots left before you get credit for vanquishing an area. This simple consumable (with some horrible code behind it) is meant to help reduce the number of occasions that someone spends more than 25% of the time spent VQing on a tiny fraction of the foes.
Mechanics[edit]
Double-click as you would a summoning stone. You get a warning message (are you sure you want to use this? you only get one chance per VQ). If you choose to proceed, three random foes are eliminated from the area. If they are indeed the last few, you get credit for the VQ (but you don't get XP, bounty credit, or VQ reward for their deaths — they are removed, not killed.)
Sources[edit]
I would prefer that these be crafted using some incredibly unused rare mat (e.g. Monstrous Eyes, Fangs, or Claws) for a couple of reasons:
- It will drive some people crazy (i.e. those who don't understand in-game economics or gold sinks)
- It will provide a use for items in the game that haven't seen much attention.
- I would be kind of fun to see monsters removed by an object crafted from monster parts.
However, to prevent over-use and farming, it might be best to make them a low-chance drop from end chests in dungeons or elite areas.
FAQ[edit]
- Why only three foes?
Too many foes and people might be tempted to use them every VQ. (Maybe four or five would be better.)
- How can you be sure that ANet can pull this off with their limited development budget?
Eh, I'm not sure, but I think they can. The game already allows: removing red dots and getting credit for a VQ by removing the last red dot.
- Why not allow every player in a Caravan VQ to use them?
Well, that defeats its purpose (plus: multiple players means it's easier to track down the dots) — it's not meant to VQ for you; it's intended to reduce the hunting for less than 1% of the foes in an area.
- But can't this be abused in areas that initialize with 3 foes or less?
Well, we already exploit those mechanics, so... I don't think this item will make much difference. Plus, if you had only two of these, would you really waste one on Bukdek Byway?
- Any other weird thoughts?
Actually, I think it would be appropriate to make these impossible to use unless the party has been in the zone for 60 minutes or longer. But I suspect it's harder than it sounds to ask a consumable to recognize how long you have been in zone.
