What's the point of always "changing" the tomestones?

[Neophyte]

I guess the transition phase might be a consideration, like if the new gear was going to use an existing tome you could buy 2K worth right from the start. So switching to a new tome makes everybody start at zero again for a new tier and they control your pacing a bit that way.

Hm, they can implement that you need 2000 tomestones to unlock the new tier.
Now everyone not saving up is screwed, but well.. pick your poison. ^^

[Jandor]

I guess the transition phase might be a consideration, like if the new gear was going to use an existing tome you could buy 2K worth right from the start. So switching to a new tome makes everybody start at zero again for a new tier and they control your pacing a bit that way.

They should put the cap at the vendor end to be honest.

Let us gather 2000 tomes, but the vendor won't sell to us till next week once we hit 450 tomes. Would even open the door to splitting the vendors so we can have separate caps for Fending, Striking, Casting, etc.

[Vaer]

They don't want you storing "Something else" to 2000 when they release the new gear so you can buy things immediately. Other games got around this by simply converting them to the lesser currency automatically.

The SB stuff will be changed to poetics when the new expansion comes out. They don't care about poetics because it's not the new "gear" and there's no way to jump ahead of someone like someone storing 2000 can, vs someone who has only 100 since you can grind it uncapped.

They would be 3+ weeks ahead and there would be some metagaming involved on how to save the currency before the patch comes out, etc. (i.e Resub a couple weeks before gear reset to cap every week to get to 2000)

Forcing the transition makes everyone reset properly since they don't seem to have a method to do it automatically.

[Fyce]

It's probably out of habits. Like, we call it "creation gear" or "mendacity gear". Well, for that to stay as it is for the whole expansion, they need to shift the tomestones and get new names.
It's also a good psychological game design tool to reinforce the feeling of progression. "New name = new stuff".

So, while it doesn't really have any gameplay reasons, it still has some perks of its own. And since it's probably quite easy for them to do, might as well keep it.

[MistakeNot]

It's been years now, we get it. At this point why bother changing the names? At least they stopped on Poetics, but shuffling around the others serves no purpose.

It does serve a purpose - or two actually - to change around the tomestones on a regular basis.

First of all it makes sure people can't save up to buy the latest and greatest gear - they have to earn the new tomestone currency first.
Secondly it makes the older stuff easier to obtain after a change, since it will then be easier to obtain the needed tomestones.

Note that there are actually 4 types of tomestones in the game. Poetics for the old stuff now, and 3 types for level-cap gear. One of the types can't be earned anymore, but can be exchanged (at a lousy rate) for newer tomestones. That obsolete type will then be removed completely when the next tier is introduced.

But really, the only actual problem with them introducing new types of tomestones on a regular basis is that someone has to come up with a name for the new type - and that is a problem for the developers, not for us players

[Nihility]

It's just to reset progress so no one has a headstart

[Iscah]

It seems like there’d be a pretty long list of different types at this point, if they didn’t remove them over time.

Having everything bought with poetics just makes it easier - for catching up as well as for the amount of currencies. I was able to start purchasing Shire gear as soon as I arrived in Idyllshire, because I’d saved up poetics over the course of playing Heavensward. If it remained locked behind its original price, I assume I’d have to wait until I unlocked the endgame dungeons to start earning the relevant tomes.


Also, a question since this is the first time I’ve been at endgame for a “tome changeover”, is there any difference in the price when they’re converted? Does an item that cost 100 creation now cost 100 poetics, and the number of tones transfer over? Or do I want to be spending all my creation tomes before the structure changes?

[Frizze]

Also, a question since this is the first time I’ve been at endgame for a “tome changeover”, is there any difference in the price when they’re converted? Does an item that cost 100 creation now cost 100 poetics, and the number of tones transfer over? Or do I want to be spending all my creation tomes before the structure changes?

The creation gear wont go over to poetics(its still level 70 just weaker then the newer alternatives - poetics is for previous cap levels gear). It will most likely show up on the centurio seals vendor(check the vendor at the forgotten knight for an idea of price). Crafting mats will probly transfer to mendacity but at a discount(likely with newer mats showing up for the new recipes as well). Mendacity gear will still be mendacity gear, but youll be able to earn the tomes more quickly and with no more 450 per week limit so you can gear up to that level faster. Creation tomes will no longer buy anything(or come from anything). When you log in on patch day youll have as many of them as you did when you logged out previously. They become orphaned without a use, though youll be able to trade them in 4-1 for mendacity until they get removed(probly 5.0). Whether to spend all your creation pre-patch or horde them up for an extra mendacity boost is a personal choice. As a crafter ill probly horde mine(being more or less done with the current tier of crafting stuff), but im also only a single-class fighter so gear doesnt take as many tomes for me. After the patch anything that currently pays Creation will swap to paying Mendacity(in the same amounts), and likewise current Mendacity payouts will swap to the new Genesis(so same payouts, but new/swapped names). And you didnt ask, but the Genesis tomes will buy 390 gear at the same prices as the mendacity set is now(the weapon also requiring 6 or 7 weeks of clearing alpha 4) with the 450/wk earning limit holding back a quick gearup.

[Luna-M]

The point? People not unsub.

[Rongway]

The two tomestone alternative would be (Uncapped Tomestone) and (Capped Tomestone), and at each even patch the following would happen:

Uncapped Tomestone quantity = Uncapped Tomestone quantity / 4 + Capped Tomestone quantity
Capped Tomestone quantity = 0