Let’s Chat – Cartel Market and You: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Category Packs

[Percy]

Right now in order to have the best chance to get all of the items you want there are two options one within the rules and one that breaks the rules. The first way to get the items you want is to buy the packs and don't open them just sell them on the GTN. This is somewhat time consuming and inconvenient and just feels like it should be unnecessary.

 

The second method that breaks the rules is straight up going and buying credits from a credit seller. You get a better credit per dollar exchange through a credit seller than you do through selling packs on the GTN. I feel like this is worse case scenario and is something that Bioware should be trying to prevent first and foremost. If a credit sellers service is more appealing than your own then you are doing something wrong.

 

My dream option which will most likely never happen is that the collections interface becomes the cartel market. When you click a button on the item you want a box pops up and says buy this item then you can just buy the item. It goes in your inventory and you can equip it which unlocks it in collections or you can sell it on the gtn. If this ever happened I would work on 100% completing the collections groups. And I would feel completely happy ever time I made a purchase. If you know what you are buying and you get what you bought you are happy and being happy when you make a purchase makes you want to do it again. If you buy a item and you don't know what your going to get then you get something that you don't want and is worthless you are sad. If you are sad you do not want to do it again. You are conditioning us to feel sad when we think about buying packs.

 

Alternatively I would like to see something that just gets rid of the some rng crap. I purchased two hypercrates from the last pack and still did not get all the possible items. I think you were on the right track with the cartel certificates. Maybe each pack should have a certificate that comes with it that is bind on pickup. These certificates could be used at a vendor to purchase any items from the pack. Maybe 10 for bronze 15 for silver and 20 for gold.

 

As for the gold silver and bronze category packs no way am I buying any of those when the range of items you can get is so high. The cost is far far far too high to risk getting so many of the cheapo items from the past or something I already have.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Percy

[Costello]

I have almost zero inclination to purchase on of these packs.

 

I do think it is a good idea. I think it is the right idea BUT I shall now explain why I have no interest in them.

 

I have armour I like, a mount I like and pets are completely rubbish. I would in the past purchase packs for my companions as I would see armour or weapons that I would think would go well with say Jaesa (she is an elegant lady and some dark robe hand me down didn't fit). To the point that everyone of my Sith Warriors (main) and many of my alts (more so Sith) companions have the weapons and armour I think fits them/works or in some cases I like. I know Pierce in the Shae Visla armour is a little out but its damn fine armour.

 

Unfortunately the majority of those companions are lost to us and despite questions in relation to if we unlock them through the terminal will this effect the story we hear nothing. Who wants to risk losing story about a favorite companion to unlock them early. While the new companions can't have their look changed.

 

I know this is mostly amour and weapons but lets face it I can only use one mount at a time and how many rancors or beasts do I need or pets that follow me around and do nothing 99% of the time I forget I even have out.

 

On a side note I applaud the option to purchase more expensive packs to ensure you get a decent item, it means you can invest a little more heavily but not end up with cybernetics or a recoloured bull-dog mount. However it can't be avoided that bronze maybe a little expensive for cybentic set. Perhaps there is a chance people will get a decent set but I'm fairly certain the vast majority will be bad to worthless, thats why you purchase gold but it is a lot of coins for what all but the most optimistic of folk know will be a new cyborg skull cap.

[demotivator]

I used to buy an hypercrate quite regularly, pretty much each time a new one was released but I have to say that I am now very wary of spending any money on the CM. The cost is way too high for such a gamble and such a low chance at getting something you might desire. At this cost I should be getting something of value and not something that I don't want, that no one wants and that will sell for less than 2,000 credits.

 

So in my opinion either you narrow gold packs to a very few specific and valuable items or you lower their price. Then I'll consider spending my money again on the CM.

Edited October 28, 2015 by demotivator

[theSCARAYone]

I love the idea and have purchased 1 gold armor pack so far, but I would suggest some changes.

 

 

• There should be silver and gold varieties of color crystal, dye and weapon packs, especially color crystals.
   
   
  
• The price of gold armor and gold mount packs should be reduced, and if not both then just the mount pack. I would suggest reducing the mount pack to 1200 cartel coins(double the price of silver packs insead of 2.5 times the price) and reducing the armor packs to 1000 cartel coins.
   
   
  
• I just read that direct buy armor sets are included in these packs? If that is true this needs to be changed immediately.(Most sets cost 1440 cartel coins, so you guys are technically losing money on this)
   
   
  
• A list of what items exactly can come from each pack would also be nice.
  

Edited November 4, 2015 by theSCARAYone

[TheBlitzace]

I used to buy an hypercrate quite regularly, pretty much each time a new one was released but I have to say that I am now very wary of spending any money on the CM. The cost is way too high for such a gamble and such a low chance at getting something you might desire. At this cost I should be getting something of value and not something that I don't want, that no one wants and that will sell for less than 2,000 credits.

 

So in my opinion either you narrow gold packs to a very few specific and valuable items or you lower their price. Then I'll consider spending my money again on the CM.

 

ditto.

I was huge into rep and buying the crates. So much then when I took my break and came back, only to find that the revan mask I wanted to buy with my certificates is now gone, I died a little on the inside at the thought of how much money I spent to not get what I wanted.

I spent some recently on some RNG and i was rather disappointed. When I checked out the listing of what you consider "gold" in terms of mounts and armor, i was a little disappointed. The list was larger than I anticipated, and contained items that suggested that "popularity" wasn't a factor in the decision making process at all. You're basically telling me that I have to save up two months of CC, or spend more money, for a random chance at what amounts to junk, in my opinion. I don't believe that every item in the gold pack contains the same drop rate.

Perhaps you should take popularity more into account. Maybe have a "sale of the week" where you take a voted on armor set and sell it as a single unit for X amount of CC. You could list say four or five sets, have a poll and the winner is on sale in the market as a unit. If you read this, seriously consider that. It would be more spiked income, but it would be more income, indeed.

[LagDaddy]

I bought one bronze, and one silver armor set.

 

I totally dig getting a complete armor set for one purchase. I hated getting two pieces from a set, and then having to buy a bunch more random boxes in the hopes of getting the rest of the set, or hoping that the items were on the GTN for a reasonable price.

 

I didn't notice, however, if the resulting set was of bronze/silver/gold level when I got it, although I may have just missed something. I was pretty focused on playing through the new content, so buying these items was just a curiosity. Overall, it felt like a good experience.

[blackopsranger]

I don't like how few items come in something that must be paid for usually only 2 for the packs. I haven't received anything good in the underworld packs. "Gold Packs" don't necessarily give anything valuable so the term "gold" still seems misleading.

[TUXs]

There is juste waaaay too much possible items for each category for those packs to be worth the price.

 

Is more randomness and fewer chances to get the item I want somehow better ? No.

Agreed. There are just far too many items in the new gold/silver/bronze packs to even begin to think about buying them. If it were restricted to 5-8 armor sets at a time, you bet I'd be inclined to try for one...but not how they are now.

[Alec_Fortescue]

I really like Gold Armor Packs. I rarely spend money on CM but I get a lot of referral clicks and people buying me things directly from CM (because I have a lot of in-game credits) so technically *I* am buying stuff. Anyway, gold packs are great. I opened only two and I got really great set - Dathomir Shaman and Sith Recluse. I didn't stop there. Bought about 7 more and, despite some cheaper drops, it was definitelly a good value for MY CREDITS, not real money. ;]

 

However, I am going to end saying Gold Armor Packs offer best value for money because they do. Even though it's way too much money, hahah!

 

Keep them as they are, please.

[Spediesteban]

I thinkt he price should be lowered on the Gold pack to match the $9.99 price for the Cartel coins so one doesnt have to spend 15+ to get a single gold pack.

 

I would like to see the Collection Window have a category on Bronze Silver, and Gold so users can easily find what they can get in each of the packs. Some armor may be considered Gold by Rarity(Jareal's tunic) but it's a Silver item.

 

This is exactly how I feel. I really like the whole system, but gold feels like it costs too much for the armor version at least. I haven't thought about buying the mount one for the same reason. I think the Decoration packs are reasonably priced.

 

Overall I really like the new System. It was always a pain to not get a full set of armor from spending coins on a hypercrate, and this solves that issue. For those that still want the random packs, they exist. For folks who want specific items to round out their appearance, stronghold, or a new mount they now have that option.

 

One thing I would very much like to see is the breakdown of gold/silver/bronze items. This data wasn't well documented on most of the usual sites, so currently we're in a state of limbo on what you could possibly get from the pack. If there was another armor breakdown in collections by bronze/silver/gold that would be awesome.

[Zakua]

Agreed. There are just far too many items in the new gold/silver/bronze packs to even begin to think about buying them. If it were restricted to 5-8 armor sets at a time, you bet I'd be inclined to try for one...but not how they are now.

 

 

This is how I feel as well.

 

Plus uh...the fact that I can buy some of the armor sets directly via the CM already? Did I read that right on the first page of this thread?

 

That IMO is hilariously horrible I will never buy a pack ( gold, silver, bronze ) if it has a chance to drop an armor set that I can buy directly from the CM...That's just me saving my self from large amounts of butthurt haha. Maybe make another pack that is specific to CM available items.

[KnightOfTython]

Hello Toby,

 

regarding packages and gamble. I buy less now.

 

When reading the news regarding the changes it was interesting but I feel your statistics that differ between silver and gold are way to many items and makes the gamble more difficult. Of course you want to make money but I guess this won't raise the sales.

 

Many of us know what we want and the desired stuff is in the old packages. I really enjoyed the last 2 weeks. ;-) But now I am buying less because I have no use and don't really see an advantage on the gamble.

 

I guess the very first packages plus Shadow and Nightclub packages did run very well in the last weeks. You know the numbers ... Heavy Air Turret, Tulak Horde chest and Xoxaan Robe are an example of stuff with high values for many players. As well I don't understand your strategy with faction reputation.

How to obtain these tokens, imo you shouldn't implement factions when players are not able to raise their reputation.

Edited October 28, 2015 by KnightOfTython

[GottmitunsAlex]

Character Transfer service is unavailable.

 

Any ETA when the service will be back up?

Thanks

[nerazzurroblue]

We need a gold crystal packs or make the rare crystals (white and white-black) on CM like you did with the therapy probe

 

other than that the changes are fine IMO

 

would have been good to have a rep vendor like it was in the past with rare items

[CapnKirkland]

I purchased one of the latest hypercrates and was instantly disappointed. Not only was the drop rate atrocious but I felt cheated by the fact that there were only two items per box, The fact that the count was bumped from 24 to 30 was nice but it still felt like I paid 5400 cc for less. I won't be purchasing hypercrates in the future (I used to purchase 2 a month, sometimes as many as 6 a month) Now I just feel like it's not worth it.

[TobyMcCall]

Thank you all for your responses. This is exactly the kind of dialogue I hoped for. Let me try to reiterate some of the issues you’re bringing up.

 

Firstly, I understand that there is some question as to why certain packs, we call them Category packs, don’t have a Bronze, Silver or Gold quality pack type. The answer is that some item categories such as Emotes, Titles and Toys had too few items of each quality type to warrant a separate pack. So we combined them into one pack containing all quality types.

 

Secondly, you feel the contents of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold packs (BSG packs) should be listed in some way so you can see what items you have a chance of getting. Generally, you feel the concept of BSG packs are valuable, you just want to know more about what’s in them so you can make your purchase accordingly.

 

Additionally, keep in mind that the contents of these packs will change. Each time we release a new pack, we add the items contained in that pack to the appropriate BSG or Category pack. For example, the Gold Armor pack contains the Gold armor sets contained in the Force Alliance pack. When the Underworld Alliance pack is released, we update the Gold Armor pack to include the Gold armor sets from the Underworld Alliance pack. This is true for BSG Mount and BSG Decoration packs. Likewise, any Toys, Crystals, Titles, Weapons etc., included in the currently released pack will be added to their respective category packs. This means that when a pack is no longer available, the items from those packs are still available in their respective BSG or category packs.

 

Finally, you feel the pricing isn’t what you would like and I appreciate the examples and comparisons some of your posts provide.

 

I want to thank you guys for taking time to make your posts. They are well thought-out and constructive. I’ll continue to monitor them and communicate your feedback to the team, so keep it up. I also want to assure you that it is always our goal is to make your Cartel Market experience a fun and exciting addition to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I truly believe achieving that goal is an iterative process that requires great communication like we’re having now.

[WizardZed]

Not enough value for the cost.

Too random or uncertainty about what I'm getting (random item from entire category is very broad).

 

I tried once with my sub cc, I was burned, getting nothing I value. So I won't do it again.

 

I wasn't a big fan of the prior packs. These packs even less so.

 

I doubt you can pull me back in on anything other than direct sale.

[Brayla_Sana]

Decor costs too much, and there is no legacy unlock for decor at all.

 

Decor items sold on the Cartel Market (luxury bundle, cantina bundle etc) should not be in the Cartel Packs.

 

I hated the old XP boosts in the old packs, but I liked cartel Certs, Jawa Junk and Reputation items (if I was maxed, they were sellable to a vendor which is nice).

[JattaGin]

I like the idea of those bronze, silver and gold packs.

 

But I will not buy them for a few reasons:

 

1. Price

2. Unclear what I could really get

3. I have about 90% of all CM items already ==> chances I get some doubles are too high

 

If I would know the chances of a drop for, for example, the Darth Revan set, then I might (or might not) give it a try.

 

As long as I don't know anything, it is a definite "might not".

[benderthebendbot]

1. A list so i did not have to go threw the entire collection to see what rank each item is.

2. I feel like 9.99$ should be the price of the gold tier packs it's much easier to just say ok ill spend 10$ real fast one CC buy and done.

3. You guys REALLY REALLY need to lower the cost of account wide unlocks by at least half. Having to spend another 4-5$ after unlocking something is completely offensive.

4. That being said i like the tier system, For the most part the gold tier armor set's for the most part net several million credits on the GTN only 3-4 of the sets don't. And the lower end tier packs have a nice gambling feel to them.

That's about it all i got really keep up the good work.

[Nottie]

I don't buy packs, I despise RNG gamble boxes. I do purchase direct sale CM items for things I want and also subscribe to support the game. Want more of my money? Release more direct sale items in the CM and you may get it, but RNG packs aren't going to cut it.

 

Someone mentioned letting us purchase items directly from collections, that's spot on what I was thinking as well. Consider that for the CM items that are over a year old.

[tclingan]

It would be really nice to be able to view which each pack possibly contains without having to go through each pack in Collections and taking notes. Also, some of the armors don't seem like they deserve to be rare. Like the Phantom Armor. I know it's always been rare but it's so meh for being rare armor.

 

EDIT: It would also be nice if the weapons were split into different packs.

Edited October 28, 2015 by tclingan
Had another related thought

[skippymchaggis]

I like the concept. Given the change in the way crates work, there is little to no reason to buy any of the new ones unless you really are after a random selection of stuff. The ability to spend more for guaranteed "rarer" items works.

 

I think the pricing is high for gold packs if the collection unlock cost is usually going to be 400 CC's.

[Fordbird]

I don't buy packs, I despise RNG gamble boxes. I do purchase direct sale CM items for things I want and also subscribe to support the game. Want more of my money? Release more direct sale items in the CM and you may get it, but RNG packs aren't going to cut it.

 

Someone mentioned letting us purchase items directly from collections, that's spot on what I was thinking as well. Consider that for the CM items that are over a year old.

 

I second this idea (or is it 3rd now?). The "hope I get lucky" on actual dollar sales has lost its glamour. Rare drops have become even more scarce as of late and it really seems like many of the armor sets are thrown together with the initial intent to be filler garbage, instead of what people actually want the frontline defenders set or section guardian set are examples. Perhaps a way to keep your profits up, would also to be to offer certain pieces of sets for sale, ie gloves, belt, etc...at an increased price per piece in contrast to the while set. For example, a chestpiece of a 7 piece set could cost 250-300 CC, the belt 260-300, etc...or the while set could be purchased for the going rate of 1400 CC. Also, the price for unlocking the sets per account is waaaaay too high right now. A range of 60-240 based in rarity is plenty. Asking for almost a whole months' alottment of coins to unlock 1 set we've already paid for is kinda shameful IMO. The unlocks could also be seperated by piece. I know that I've bought(and had to unlock) many ugly sets because I like the the boots or headpiece, but instantly throw the other pieces on the ground. I believe that if you guys try to be fair with us here, you will actually increase your profits. Dropping an item count while keeping the price the same is not appealing to most people, and decreasing the drop rate of desired armors isn't going to encourage us to buy more either....just sayin.

[DrKlep]

I am entirely unwilling to spend 800 coins on a random gold decoration. 200 or 300 max. Maybe as high as 400 if what can be in them is published somewhere and I have full knowledge of what I'm getting myself into.