237 replies to this topic

[Arquenya]

Gileas898, on 23 January 2013 - 02:10 PM, said:

Guild Wars 2 end game will be so much better now that you can't way point zerg bosses anymore, kudos to Arena Net for that. It's a shame it took so long for them to realize it though. Dungeon Master and every dungeon armor holds absolutely no prestige now because even shit players could easily obtain them.

Oops! I guess it's time to do my last two dungeons (Arah 1&4) before the patch!

Edited by Arquenya, 23 January 2013 - 02:13 PM.

[Hanzo]

Gileas898, on 23 January 2013 - 02:10 PM, said:

If they introduce a dungeon that actually takes some skill and COORDINATION to complete, I would even consider going back to dungeons.

Personally I think Fractals requires pretty much both skill and coordination.

[Gileas898]

Hanzo, on 23 January 2013 - 02:14 PM, said:

Personally I think Fractals requires pretty much both skill and coordination.

It requires you to dodge agony at the right moment, nothing more really. Sure, you need some form of skill to pull it off, but being able to coordinate 5 players takes so much more skill than being able to keep yourself alive.

I guess you could say that I want more dungeons where your individual skill visibly contributes to the success of your team.

[Fenice_86]

Arquenya, on 23 January 2013 - 02:13 PM, said:

Oops! I guess it's time to do my last two dungeons (Arah 1&4) before the patch!

eheheh, faaaast!!

[Prince Zorkian]

Bloodtau, on 21 January 2013 - 12:51 PM, said:

You can't even buy the game in Uk retailers any more, they just aren't stocking it. The ones you DO find are stuck right at the back of the PC section and doesn't see the light of day for weeks at a time. It's no where near a top seller.

I can't speak for the UK or for that matter anywhere outside of my little town outside of Denver, CO.  Guild Wars 2 is still on the shelf at Walmart and at Target.  I can still find it at Gamestop, Best Buy and I assume other locations.

I will grant you that the game is most likely not selling as many copies today as it did 4-5 months ago.  That is the nature of the game industry though.  I do not know the answer, but how many copies of Diablo III sold this week compared to its official total.  I know that DIablo III sold some 6 million copies in it's first week and around 10 million total.  GW2 in comparison only sold 6 million copies total, but being named the #1 game in Time magazine should have help U.S. sales at least.

Now in terms of end-game frustrations, the beauty of this being no subscription is that you can decide to stop playing for 6 months or until the next major release and you will lose no money.  I know that is not a solution, nor is it one I would recommend.  But until the problems are solved, then we all need to figure out a personal solution for keeping us interested.  For me, the solution is simply, I enjoy exploration and just being curious about what is around the river bend, I do not enjoy PVP or high end dungeon runs solely for a specific item.  I feel that Guild Wars 2 is a game designed for me in mind, but then again I've never play WOW beyond the first few levels or any other MMO except the loosely defined GW1 version

Edit - I apparently misread the recent press the game sold 3 million copies not 6 million - thanks for pointing that out to me

Edited by Prince Zorkian, 29 January 2013 - 05:53 AM.

[Mura]

I still love the game, but I think many of my guildies quit because they got bored.  There's no level of achievement in wvw, and we're primarily a wvw guild.  Thankfully, since there is no subscription, I bet once achievement levels are added to wvw, and leaderboards, I expect many of my guildies to sign in again.

anet mentioned leaderboards, but I couldn't tell if those were for spvp only, or if they're having them for wvw too.  Guess I have to wait to find out.

[Fernling306]

Prince Zorkian, on 23 January 2013 - 04:10 PM, said:

GW2 in comparison only sold 6 million copies total

Just curious, but why do you think they sold that much? A few days ago Colin said that they sold over 3 million copies. If it was closer to 4 million they would have said something like " we sold almost 4 million copies", so I would assume we are in the 3-3.5 million range.

[Jobuu]

rukia, on 12 January 2013 - 11:05 PM, said:

The thing is other games like WoW makes the grind interesting and at least semi-enjoyable, in GW2 you get slapped with DR and are basically told not to play anymore.. you aren't even allowed to grind in GW2.

exactly why i stopped playing GW2

[The_Blades]

just answering to the op: i bet many people (me included) wanted gw1 next generation, the same imersive pvp with a better pve, imo we got neither. flashier pve does not mean better.. and the rewards.. ffs... in gw1 gold weapons actually dropped every once in a while when playing, how many exotics does the average casual player get when playing? im yet to get one (not talking about chests).

jthamind, on 13 January 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:

i've never played GW1, so this question isn't intended to sound sarcastic at all. was GW1 as good as it ended up being right from the start, or did it take a while to get there? i'm just curious, because i see people saying GW1 was so good at such and such, but GW2 is still bad in such and such way.

of course, you could say that if certain things were already in a game x amount of years ago, then why couldn't they also have them in this game at launch, which i would agree with. i just hope they bring back some of the awesome sounding ideas from GW1 into this game, because i want more fun content that won't lose its luster so quickly, especially on the PvE side of things.

It depends... i think gw1 was at its peak imidiatelly after the release of factions. nightfall screwed up ( a sign of things to come maybe - read gw2). it wasnt perfect, not even close, but it was much more fun than gw2 is so far.

[JHCinSC]

The end game is pretty much what I was expecting except that the last part requires a party to do Arah and I don't want to deal with PuGs.  It's a great game design when they force you to do stuff you don't want to.  So I'll never know what the end game is since I won't do it.  Give me my GW1 mercenaries back and this would be an awesome game.  I'd even play dungeons if I could use mercs.  I am not wow'd by the GW2 skill system.  You can say that there are many more possible combinations, but are they skills that I would have picked?  In GW1 I picked each of my skills; I didn't have them picked for me.  This wouldn't be an issue if you could swap between more than 2 weapon sets (GW1 had 4).  The game would have more "end game" if you could get rewarded for playing in the PVE world.  Notice that everyone is doing Fractals and it's because the drops are better than most dungeons and a lot better than the PVE world.  It certainly isn't because they are more fun. The only upside of the dying PVE zones is that Anet will recognize it and bring mercs back...LOL.

[Maconi]

I pretty much treated GW2 as a single player game. Played through to max level with 1 character. Did every dungeon. Got full exotics. Full world exploration. Did some sPvP/WvW. Got bored and walked away.

It was definitely worth the money (I got more enjoyment out of it then I did out of other $60 games), but GW2 isn't worthy of being called a MMORPG IMO. There's no sense of community or fellowship in the game and no draw to keep you playing. It was fun while it lasted though...

[caballero89]

MisterJaguar25, on 16 January 2013 - 01:29 AM, said:

Exotics

Examples, please, because I haven't spent any real life currency on anything but additional character slots, and I'm never gold starved in this game, since I sell materials on the BMA, so I have no clue what you're talking about. And this is coming from someone who has a level 80 and has done plenty of dungeon runs at max level.

Exotics are not a grind, they are easy to get. Legendary and the rare weapon skins can be considered a grind.  As for the cost of getting stuff in the game, Its not bad once you get to lvl 80 and start doing dungeons, before that it sucks. Gold to gem prices have skyrocketed since launch, so it costs ALOT of gold nowadays to pay for char/bank/invintory slots. (luckily i got all mine within the first few weeks when it was cheap).   And lets not even talk about the cost of legenarys/precursers

[deragot]

I have 2 kinds of End game in GW2:
1.It's with the guild which is very WvW focused.And the whole server  is in a big alliance to keeps it's tier 1 status.
2.I have 2 groups doing dungeons.The 1st one has specified  in speed,money farms of the old 8 old dungeons including Arah.And the 2nd one is progressing good into FotM's higher levels 60+.
3.One other end game for me is Legendary too.

Other options of end game are tPvP or open world events,DE.I just don't have time for those.
That is how i see it atleast.Yes there is a grind but well which MMO doesn't have?

Edited by deragot, 25 January 2013 - 10:29 AM.

[Lucas Ashrock]

Gileas898, on 23 January 2013 - 02:10 PM, said:

Guild Wars 2 end game will be so much better now that you can't way point zerg bosses anymore, kudos to Arena Net for that.

It's a shame it took so long for them to realize it though. Dungeon Master and every dungeon armor holds absolutely no prestige now because even shit players could easily obtain them.

If they introduce a dungeon that actually takes some skill and COORDINATION to complete, I would even consider going back to dungeons.

Oh and they need to get rid of all the exploits that are plaguing dungeons too.

What's worst, someone (like me) who wield this title is not respected at all. I'm for sure a cheater on their eyes , and no more than a noone, for most. Same for my arah armor. Maybe 10% of who meet me respect me as a great player, most thinks i maybe farmed 1st boss tokens. I had my glory first 2 weeks, i was one of the first worldwide with it , token farm was going popular, and i had no idea of it until i joined a group forcing me to follow, i was speechless. Pathetic , isn't it.
They must get rid asap of every form of exploit and skiprun from every dungeon. And give us a reason to be coordinated not buttonspamming. OR i guess i will not be the only one who happily left not even barely planning to log anymore at all.

Edited by Lucas Ashrock, 25 January 2013 - 10:53 AM.

[MisterJaguar25]

Gileas898, on 23 January 2013 - 02:10 PM, said:

Guild Wars 2 end game will be so much better now that you can't way point zerg bosses anymore, kudos to Arena Net for that.

It's a shame it took so long for them to realize it though. Dungeon Master and every dungeon armor holds absolutely no prestige now because even shit players could easily obtain them.

If they introduce a dungeon that actually takes some skill and COORDINATION to complete, I would even consider going back to dungeons.

Oh and they need to get rid of all the exploits that are plaguing dungeons too.

What? They FINALLY got rid of waypoint zerging?!?!?!?

♪ AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, WILL ALWAYS, LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!! ♪

Seriously, YES. Finally, I hated this. Glad it's gone.

Edited by MisterJaguar25, 25 January 2013 - 01:44 PM.

[sevalaricgirl]

Perm Shadow Form, on 13 January 2013 - 01:56 PM, said:

GW2 is sequel to GW1. They were making this game for 5 years, they should have known what their fans enjoyed the most in GW1, but they ignored that, they wanted to be more of a WoW type game with some "Inovations".
But then again, it's just my opinion. Perhaps most of the people do not enjoy complex games anymore, they just want to jump in and kill stuff.

how is this like wow, TOR is like wow, I fail to see how GW2 is like wow with some innovations.

[sevalaricgirl]

Maconi, on 24 January 2013 - 12:10 AM, said:

I pretty much treated GW2 as a single player game. Played through to max level with 1 character. Did every dungeon. Got full exotics. Full world exploration. Did some sPvP/WvW. Got bored and walked away.

It was definitely worth the money (I got more enjoyment out of it then I did out of other $60 games), but GW2 isn't worthy of being called a MMORPG IMO. There's no sense of community or fellowship in the game and no draw to keep you playing. It was fun while it lasted though...

I disagree.  When I fall and a complete stranger heals me, that is community.  When I see someone down and I run over, fight through the enemies to heal them, that is community.  When I'm doing fractals with my guild, that is community.  What do you consider community?  You don't consider people going out of their way to help you beat a boss, or heal you as fellowship?  I don't understand how it isn't.

[Straight Trill]

jthamind, on 13 January 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:

i've never played GW1, so this question isn't intended to sound sarcastic at all. was GW1 as good as it ended up being right from the start, or did it take a while to get there? i'm just curious, because i see people saying GW1 was so good at such and such, but GW2 is still bad in such and such way.

of course, you could say that if certain things were already in a game x amount of years ago, then why couldn't they also have them in this game at launch, which i would agree with. i just hope they bring back some of the awesome sounding ideas from GW1 into this game, because i want more fun content that won't lose its luster so quickly, especially on the PvE side of things.

If i wouldnt have played gw1, i would probably enjoy gw2 more. GW1 was on a different level, it was so much diverse from other MMOs and now gw2 is being more like every other mmo....:/

[Robsy128]

GW1 was a CORPG...
GW2 is an MMORPG...

The sooner people realise this - the better. It's like comparing Diablo 3 to WoW and saying 'oh, Diablo 3 could have added an open world like WoW or they could include a bigger skill bar like WoW.' They're different genres.

[M3o5nster]

I think a lot of the problem is... Many of GW2's features sound fantastic on paper, but didn't turn out as well in execution.

[Pirralla]

sevalaricgirl, on 25 January 2013 - 06:10 PM, said:

how is this like wow, TOR is like wow, I fail to see how GW2 is like wow with some innovations.

How is it not? Look at WoW >Warhammer Online >Rift >GW2, you can see the clear progression in the PvE gameplay (quests/events). Only thing that's really any different is dodging and the lack of class roles (tank/healer/dps). Those two things aren't really so game changing as you might think though, the combat (which makes up the majority of gameplay after all) is still essentially the same as WoW.

Edited by Pirralla, 25 January 2013 - 07:29 PM.

[Rezo]

I think that lack of tank/dps/healer role might be one of main reasons there is no end game in GW2.Raids bosses usually have bit more complicated mechanics and are bit tougher than dungeon bosses so GW2 party even oriented towards support would be wipe fest right on first real time raid boss.
And no, i do not consider getting legendary in GW2 as end game since you can just use real cash to buy it on TP.

[Murderer]

GW2 end game is play dress up. If you want the coolest and best looking gear you need to grind 100s of hours or buy gold. Grinding is not much of an option since Anet put in DR to stop people from getting stuff to fast, while they try to figure out how to fix this mess of a game they made. Dynamic events are not dynamic at all and are a joke(Rift did much better with their rifts). Dungeons are probably some of the worst I have played in an MMO(especially in a newly released game at this day in age). The sad part is.... i still play this game. Why? Maybe I am easy to entertain, maybe I feel it will turn into what I thought it would be, or maybe ill leave when something else comes out.

[Rezo]

Murderer, on 25 January 2013 - 07:52 PM, said:

GW2 end game is play dress up. If you want the coolest and best looking gear you need to grind 100s of hours or buy gold. Grinding is not much of an option since Anet put in DR to stop people from getting stuff to fast, while they try to figure out how to fix this mess of a game they made. Dynamic events are not dynamic at all and are a joke(Rift did much better with their rifts). Dungeons are probably some of the worst I have played in an MMO(especially in a newly released game at this day in age). The sad part is.... i still play this game. Why? Maybe I am easy to entertain, maybe I feel it will turn into what I thought it would be, or maybe ill leave when something else comes out.

Hard to say, what look anybody likes is a matter of taste.Some armor skins can of course take a lot of time to grind but other cost only few silver or sometimes even copper on TP so if ANet is considering process of obtaining good looking armor an end game then for some players finishing it may take 5 minutes.

[stormofstatic]

Just had to post ater reading the 1st page.

ppl comparing gw2 now to gw1 before the xpacs are just kidding themselfs if your comparing games (nvr works) but u have to compare how the games are NOW not in the past or future

its like all them posts saying WoW didnt have LFG back in 2004... no kidding it does now new games come with it or the ppl complain/leave cause there isnt the same features in a 2012 game.

Edited by stormofstatic, 25 January 2013 - 09:43 PM.

[Loperdos]

Rezo, on 25 January 2013 - 07:31 PM, said:

~snip

And no, i do not consider getting legendary in GW2 as end game since you can just use real cash to buy it on TP.

In the spirit of the thread (endgame...let’s be REALISTIC here) let me take a moment to suspend my disbelief with this argument, and I'll go through and humor this one. Let's look at why this particular reasoning doesn't really follow the spirit of being realistic.

Take the price of gold for gems at the time of the beginning of this post (1:45pm CST~ish) = .99 USD per 1g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/)

Price of one of the precursors (a cheaper one, just to make your point a little more viable) = The Bard, Focus precursor - 39g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29168)

Price in USD of The Bard (via buying gems and trading for gold, at time of posting) = 39g x .99 = $38.61

Gift of Energy

Price in USD for Radiant (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24274), Luminous (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24275),
Incandescent (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24276) and Crystalline (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) dust = $23.73 (23.97g for dust x .99 USD per gold)

Gift of Music

Price in USD for Orichalcum ingots http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19685) = $9.95 (10.05g for x250 ingots x .99)
Price in USD for Bolts of Gossamer (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19746) = $19.53 (19.73g for x250 bolts x .99)
Price in USD for Opal Orbs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24522) = $2.44 (2.46g for x100 orbs x .99)
GIFT OF THE NOBLEMAN (account bound)
Total price for Gift of Music in USD = $31.92

Gift of Mastery (component 1)

No cost here as all pieces are either karma, skill points, WvW or map completion.

Gift of Fortune (component 2)

Price in USD for Ectos (250)(http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19721) +
Ectos (need for Mystic Clovers, pretending that we get a Mystic Clover EVERY time = 77) = $118.78 (91.73g + 28.25g = 119.98 x .99)
Total price for Gift of Fortune = $118.78 + 89.25 + 186.61
= $394.64

Gift of Magic

Price in USD for Vicious Fangs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24357) (250) = $24.75
Price in USD for Armored Scales (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24289) (250) = $25.34
Price in USD for Vicious Claws (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24351) (250) = $33.02
Price in USD for Ancient Bones (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24358) (250)   = $6.14
Total price in USD for Gift of Magic = $89.25

Gift of Might

Price in USD for Vials of Powerful Blood (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24295) (250) = $61.48
Price in USD for Powerful Venom Sacs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24283) (250) = $42.08
Price in USD for Elaborate Totems (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24300) (250) = $61.81
Price in USD for Piles of Crystalline Dust (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) = $21.24
Total price in USD for Gift of Might = $186.61

Gift of the Minstrel

Gift of Energy ($23.73) + Gift of Music ($31.92) +
100 Icy Lodestone ($99) + Superior Sigil Energy (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24607) ($4.01)
= $154.65

FINAL PRICE TAG

The Bard ($38.61) + Gift of the Minstrel ($154.65) +
Gift of Mastery ($0) + Gift of Fortune ($394.64) = The Minstrel ($587.90)

Now, is it REALISTIC to drop almost 600 US dollars on a shiny skin for your Focus? I would say no.  Is it possible? Yes.

Also take into account that the Focus precursor is one of the cheapest.  If you were to try with a greatsword (one of the more popular weapons in the game, IIRC), your precursor cost would be up at $524.70 (Dawn, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29169) or $632.61 (Dusk, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29185).

Granted, there are going to be some fluctuations of these numbers given the fact that it isn’t a static market, but take these numbers as a rough estimate AT THE TIME OF POSTING.

Edited by Loperdos, 25 January 2013 - 10:15 PM.

[Rezo]

Loperdos, on 25 January 2013 - 10:12 PM, said:

In the spirit of the thread (endgame...let’s be REALISTIC here) let me take a moment to suspend my disbelief with this argument, and I'll go through and humor this one. Let's look at why this particular reasoning doesn't really follow the spirit of being realistic.

Take the price of gold for gems at the time of the beginning of this post (1:45pm CST~ish) = .99 USD per 1g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/)

Price of one of the precursors (a cheaper one, just to make your point a little more viable) = The Bard, Focus precursor - 39g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29168)

Price in USD of The Bard (via buying gems and trading for gold, at time of posting) = 39g x .99 = $38.61

Gift of Energy

Price in USD for Radiant (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24274), Luminous (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24275),
Incandescent (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24276) and Crystalline (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) dust = $23.73 (23.97g for dust x .99 USD per gold)

Gift of Music

Price in USD for Orichalcum ingots http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19685) = $9.95 (10.05g for x250 ingots x .99)
Price in USD for Bolts of Gossamer (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19746) = $19.53 (19.73g for x250 bolts x .99)
Price in USD for Opal Orbs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24522) = $2.44 (2.46g for x100 orbs x .99)
GIFT OF THE NOBLEMAN (account bound)
Total price for Gift of Music in USD = $31.92

Gift of Mastery (component 1)

No cost here as all pieces are either karma, skill points, WvW or map completion.

Gift of Fortune (component 2)

Price in USD for Ectos (250)(http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19721) +
Ectos (need for Mystic Clovers, pretending that we get a Mystic Clover EVERY time = 77) = $118.78 (91.73g + 28.25g = 119.98 x .99)
Total price for Gift of Fortune = $118.78 + 89.25 + 186.61
= $394.64

Gift of Magic

Price in USD for Vicious Fangs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24357) (250) = $24.75
Price in USD for Armored Scales (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24289) (250) = $25.34
Price in USD for Vicious Claws (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24351) (250) = $33.02
Price in USD for Ancient Bones (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24358) (250)   = $6.14
Total price in USD for Gift of Magic = $89.25

Gift of Might

Price in USD for Vials of Powerful Blood (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24295) (250) = $61.48
Price in USD for Powerful Venom Sacs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24283) (250) = $42.08
Price in USD for Elaborate Totems (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24300) (250) = $61.81
Price in USD for Piles of Crystalline Dust (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) = $21.24
Total price in USD for Gift of Might = $186.61

Gift of the Minstrel

Gift of Energy ($23.73) + Gift of Music ($31.92) +
100 Icy Lodestone ($99) + Superior Sigil Energy (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24607) ($4.01)
= $154.65

FINAL PRICE TAG

The Bard ($38.61) + Gift of the Minstrel ($154.65) +
Gift of Mastery ($0) + Gift of Fortune ($394.64) = The Minstrel ($587.90)

Now, is it REALISTIC to drop almost 600 US dollars on a shiny skin for your Focus? I would say no.  Is it possible? Yes.

Also take into account that the Focus precursor is one of the cheapest.  If you were to try with a greatsword (one of the more popular weapons in the game, IIRC), your precursor cost would be up at $524.70 (Dawn, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29169) or $632.61 (Dusk, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29185).

Granted, there are going to be some fluctuations of these numbers given the fact that it isn’t a static market, but take these numbers as a rough estimate AT THE TIME OF POSTING.

No I mean you really can just buy legendary weapon on TP.

[Prince Zorkian]

Fernling306, on 23 January 2013 - 10:12 PM, said:

Just curious, but why do you think they sold that much? A few days ago Colin said that they sold over 3 million copies. If it was closer to 4 million they would have said something like " we sold almost 4 million copies", so I would assume we are in the 3-3.5 million range.

I just misread what he said, I must have mixed up the GW1 game results with GW2 current numbers

[chrisbdrake]

Loperdos, on 25 January 2013 - 10:12 PM, said:

In the spirit of the thread (endgame...let’s be REALISTIC here) let me take a moment to suspend my disbelief with this argument, and I'll go through and humor this one. Let's look at why this particular reasoning doesn't really follow the spirit of being realistic.

Take the price of gold for gems at the time of the beginning of this post (1:45pm CST~ish) = .99 USD per 1g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/)

Price of one of the precursors (a cheaper one, just to make your point a little more viable) = The Bard, Focus precursor - 39g (source: http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29168)

Price in USD of The Bard (via buying gems and trading for gold, at time of posting) = 39g x .99 = $38.61

Gift of Energy

Price in USD for Radiant (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24274), Luminous (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24275),
Incandescent (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24276) and Crystalline (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) dust = $23.73 (23.97g for dust x .99 USD per gold)

Gift of Music

Price in USD for Orichalcum ingots http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19685) = $9.95 (10.05g for x250 ingots x .99)
Price in USD for Bolts of Gossamer (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19746) = $19.53 (19.73g for x250 bolts x .99)
Price in USD for Opal Orbs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24522) = $2.44 (2.46g for x100 orbs x .99)
GIFT OF THE NOBLEMAN (account bound)
Total price for Gift of Music in USD = $31.92

Gift of Mastery (component 1)

No cost here as all pieces are either karma, skill points, WvW or map completion.

Gift of Fortune (component 2)

Price in USD for Ectos (250)(http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/19721) +
Ectos (need for Mystic Clovers, pretending that we get a Mystic Clover EVERY time = 77) = $118.78 (91.73g + 28.25g = 119.98 x .99)
Total price for Gift of Fortune = $118.78 + 89.25 + 186.61
= $394.64

Gift of Magic

Price in USD for Vicious Fangs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24357) (250) = $24.75
Price in USD for Armored Scales (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24289) (250) = $25.34
Price in USD for Vicious Claws (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24351) (250) = $33.02
Price in USD for Ancient Bones (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24358) (250)   = $6.14
Total price in USD for Gift of Magic = $89.25

Gift of Might

Price in USD for Vials of Powerful Blood (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24295) (250) = $61.48
Price in USD for Powerful Venom Sacs (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24283) (250) = $42.08
Price in USD for Elaborate Totems (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24300) (250) = $61.81
Price in USD for Piles of Crystalline Dust (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24277) = $21.24
Total price in USD for Gift of Might = $186.61

Gift of the Minstrel

Gift of Energy ($23.73) + Gift of Music ($31.92) +
100 Icy Lodestone ($99) + Superior Sigil Energy (http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/24607) ($4.01)
= $154.65

FINAL PRICE TAG

The Bard ($38.61) + Gift of the Minstrel ($154.65) +
Gift of Mastery ($0) + Gift of Fortune ($394.64) = The Minstrel ($587.90)

Now, is it REALISTIC to drop almost 600 US dollars on a shiny skin for your Focus? I would say no.  Is it possible? Yes.

Also take into account that the Focus precursor is one of the cheapest.  If you were to try with a greatsword (one of the more popular weapons in the game, IIRC), your precursor cost would be up at $524.70 (Dawn, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29169) or $632.61 (Dusk, http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/29185).

Granted, there are going to be some fluctuations of these numbers given the fact that it isn’t a static market, but take these numbers as a rough estimate AT THE TIME OF POSTING.

Not only is it possible, there are people out there that will do it.  It's a hobby to them.  There are people that have been know to spend $100K in one year.

[Flaming_Foxx]

Nirc, on 18 January 2013 - 05:04 PM, said:

It took GW1 a few years to get to that point; it took GW2 a few months. You still have to do every dungeon in GW1 with a player party, just like in GW2, but you can also solo everything in the world and the story by yourself, just like in GW2. GW1 isn't the perfect game, but that's a bad example of how GW2 has improved over the original.

This part is a joke right? I very rarely partied with anybody for dungeons in GW1. They are definitely all soloable in Normal mode and most of them are soloable in Hard mode (except for a few which are exceptionally hard).