ArenaNet announced yesterday that select retail stores will now be selling Gem Cards for Guild Wars 2. Players can purchase Gem Cards and use them in-game to receive Gems without having to utilize a credit card. Here’s the official announcement:

“You can purchase gems in-game from the Black Lion Trading Company, but starting this week you can also purchase Guild Wars 2 gems in real life at select retailers. These cards, which make a great gift, contain a serial code that can be redeemed in Guild Wars 2 for gems.

If gem cards aren’t in stock at your favorite retailer yet, be sure to ask if and when they’ll be arriving.

For redemption instructions and additional information about gems, visit the Guild Wars 2 Support page.”

Update 10/17: ArenaNet has released a list of retailers where Gem Cards can be purchased.

For crafters or salvagers looking for ways to get the most bang from your Guild Wars 2 time, here’s an interesting item to consider: Mystic Salvage Kits. These yellow-quality kits raise the chances of finding rarer materials by 25% and recovering upgrades by 80%. The item recovery stats are the same as the stats on Master’s Salvage Kits, but with an interesting twist– they come in stacks of 250. Yes, 250! Out on a long farming session or WvWvW adventure and often run into bag space issues? Mystic Salvage Kits may be your answer.

There’s a slight catch, naturally. Mystic Salvage Kits must be made at the Mystic Forge, and require the following materials: 1 Fine Salvage Kit, 1 Journeyman’s Salvage Kit, 1 Master’s Salvage Kit, and 3 Mystic Forge Stones. Mystic Forge Stones are available in the Black Lion Trading Company Gem Store, which makes forging these kits a little complicated. Still, it’s an interesting option.

Check out this video, where Dontain talks about Mystic Salvage Kits.

What do you think– worth the Gems, or no?

As we round the final bend toward Guild Wars 2′s launch, it’s impossible to not notice the rising storm of excitement, anticipation, and– well, there’s no sense in beating around the bush– hype. There, I said it. GW2 is carrying a lot of hype right now. MMO players are eager for something new, something shiny, and most importantly– something different. As most modern MMO fans know, hype can be a risky business, but GW2 has a lot of things going right for it so far. The combination of the game’s dynamic event system, dynamic leveling adjustment system, WvWvW feature, cooperative world system, and non-trinity combat system is a fairly innovative step in the industry, and a large reason for the hype.

Another innovative step is the move away from the classic subscription model. Most MMORPGs these days launch with a subscription model that may or may not prove the test of time, and if the game ends up slipping into a free-to-play model, many players feel frustrated with the model slip no matter their stance. Why? Because the developers will often veil the changes in flowery, positive PR lingo, change the way content patches are added to the game, and in general– change the game dramatically. Gamers prefer their games and development teams at face value– and that’s where Guild Wars 2 comes in.

ArenaNet has taken the time to design a microtransaction shop that will hopefully be fair to players, great for the game’s economy, and profiting to the company. The Black Lion Trading Company, Guild Wars 2′s in-game cash shop (also known as the gem store), wasn’t hastily thrown in to make up for eight straight months of losses. It’s been a stable, well-known feature of the game, and during the months of beta we have been able to provide our feedback on the items available and the current state of the feature. ArenaNet plans on this system being stable for years to come. Because of this fact, we are hopefully less likely to see sudden changes such as items added that border on pay-to-win. For MMO veterans, that’s peace of mind.

Players are well aware of the fact that they may have to purchase items like additional bank slots from the gem store, but since they’re able to use in-game gold to purchase gems, they may not mind doing so. They may also not mind doing so because they know what to expect of ArenaNet’s business model. They know they won’t have to pay a subscription fee for half a year then turn around and weigh pros and cons. They won’t have to pay a monthly subscription fee at all. And that, frankly, is reason enough to celebrate, especially for those of us who enjoy multiple games.

Without the need to pay for a monthly subscription, there’s also the fact that many players will be willing to put out a little cash toward items and features that truly interest them. Again, the feature’s shown at face value. What you see is what you get, and that’s pretty reassuring these days. I know that personally, if I enjoy a game and don’t have to jump through hoops to enjoy myself, I’m more than willing to show my support of the game and grab some goodies along the way.

In fact, I’ve been asking myself what I would consider purchasing first in GW2′s Black Lion Trading Company once the game launches. Let’s say for instance, I wanted to take what I’d normally spend on a one-month subscription to an MMORPG (usually around $15), and put that money to good use in the gem shop. What would I buy first? We don’t know the exact cost of gems, of course, since the market will fluctuate, but I can come up with a priority list of sorts.

Oh, and in case you’d like to take a look at the gem store items and prices available so far (current from the last BWE), please see our list from BWE2 and the changes to BWE3. Items may, of course, change previous to launch still.

Priority 1: Character slots – Yeah, I like alts. This will probably be my first purchase. I like to get all the names, races, and crafting disciplines for my alts set up before I get too far with one character in a new game, generally. I imagine I’ll have 6 characters total, although some may just be crafters.

Priority 2: Bag slots – I hate running out of bag space, so I see this as a “relatively soon” purchase for me, too. Bank tabs might also be useful at some point, yet I probably won’t need them until later in my alt career.

Pirority 3: Pirate Captain’s Outfit (shown in title image on a female sylvari) – Yarr. I can’t help myself. The inner RP’er in me who doesn’t RP often enough loves how it looks on a female charr.

Priority 4: Mystic Keys – I enjoy lockboxes of random goodies, and during the BWEs, I was able to grab some keys while leveling normally, but it’d be nice to have a stack on hand.

After that, I’d probably start looking at collectible minis and possibly some dyes, Mystic Forge items, or Transmutation Stones. And yes, I know I don’t list any of the interesting Boosts GW2 has, but I enjoy taking my time leveling, so I don’t foresee experience or even karma being an issue for me.

How about you? What’s your priority list look like? Feel free to chime in below in the comments section.

For those of us who are diving headfirst into Guild Wars 2 from other MMOs that don’t feature microtransaction/cash shops, the idea of such a shop in GW2 may still taste a little bitter on our tongues. We’ve all heard the horror stories of games drifting to unwanted pay-to-win territories, and we’re all hoping that ArenaNet avoids going anywhere near that path. Will the company succeed? I sure hope so. They’re doing some excellent things with their cash shop. Still, my eyes remain sharp to the changes being made to it. As a result, I’ve been tracking the shop’s differences between beta weekends.

Every beta weekend event has seen some pretty large changes to the in-game gem/cash shop. Since BWE2, it now sports a new name: Black Lion Trading Company. For those interested in tracking the changes made along with me, here are the changes made between BWE2 and BWE3.

First off, the largest change. We finally have a preview section! All areas of the game, in fact, have a preview option now, which is great. Right-clicking and selecting the option enables it throughout the game, but in the Trading Company window, it shows up naturally on the left side of the window upon viewing any of the clothing items. Here’s what it looks like in-game:

Shown is a female sylvari in the Pirate Captain’s Outfit. All items in the Style tab will pop up the preview window.

Now, for the other changes. They’ll be organized by the tab they’re located in. For a list of the shop items that remain unchanged from BWE2, check here.

Style tab

• Both types of Transmutation Stones are now in Consumables instead of Style.
• New item: Boxing Gloves [300 gems]
Hand Clothing
These exaggerated boxing gloves give you over the top air-boxing abilities. SLAM! POW! WHACK! Town clothes cannot be worn in combat. Account Bound.

Consumable tab

• New item: Cow Finisher [75 gems, 5 for 275]
When activated, your character will drop a cow on your enemies to finish them off in PvP and WvW. Lasts for one hour. Account Bound.
• New item: Tournament Ticket [5 for 75 gems]
Used for certain tournaments which require an entry fee. This item is free for testing purposes only. Trophy. Account Bound.

Services tab (previously Support)

• Blag Slot Expansion moved to Upgrades tab.
• Perfect Salvage Kit is renamed to Black Lion Salvage Kit.

Upgrades tab (previously Account)

• Contains both Bag Slot Expansion and Bank Tab Expansion
• Temporary removal of Character Slot Expansion
I looked into this one. The removal was just for BWE3. Here is the ArenaNet dev quote: “Yes, there are some known issues regarding character slots with this build, so we took them off the store. They will be available at launch.”

Boosts tab

• New item: Glory Booster [75 gems, 5 for 275]
  Gain an additional 50% Glory for the next one hour.

All-in-all, ArenaNet’s changes seem acceptable and fair so far. We haven’t seen a major addition of game-changing items (hopefully we never will) and that’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The Gem Store has seen a facelift of sorts since the first beta weekend event. This past weekend, we saw its new version, now known as the Black Lion Trading Company. A good amount of the items are the same, but there have been a couple significant changes. The store UI itself has been redone, for one thing. The new UI is easier to navigate, and the art is more in-tune with the rest of Guild Wars 2′s UI artistic elements. Most items have new graphics, and some have new names as well.

Among the added items is the rumored character slot expansion, some nifty glasses and sunglasses, a partial Trading Post summon item, a multiple-buff booster pack, and a “Box o’ Fun”. The Style tab, especially, is beginning to expand. Read on for more information!

Here is a complete list of the current items available in the Black Lion Trading Company Gem Store, along with in-game descriptions and gem costs. The additions will be marked with an asterisk (*) in front.

 
*Promotions Tab:
There is a new Promotions tab that is currently empty. Presumably, this will be used for sale items.

 
Style Tab:

*Aviator Sunglasses – 150
Head Clothing. Serious sun protection. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
Fine Transmutation Stone – 5/200, 10/360, 25/800
One Use. Combine the appearance of one item with the attributes of another. Items must be of the same type. Usable on all item levels.
Pirate Captain’s Outfit – 700
Is a pirate’s life for you? If so, this outfit (hat, shirt, pants, boots, gloves, toy sword) has what you need. Wear all the pieces and gain access to 5 pirate themed skills! Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
Ringmaster’s Hat – 200
Head Clothing. The hat of a carnival ring master.
*Sport Sunglasses – 150
Head Clothing. Can be worn at night. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
Transmutation Stone – 5/125, 10/225, 25/500
One Use. Combine the appearance of one item with the attributes of another. Items must be of the same type. Usable on items up to level 79.
Cook’s Outfit – 700
Get cooking with this 5 piece outfit (hat, shirt, pants, boots, gloves).
*Inventor’s Sunglasses – 150
Head Clothing. Keep your focus and fashion at the brightest times. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
*Reading Glasses – 150
Head Clothing. A more sophisticated look for the educated. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
*Sailor’s Beanie – 200
Head Clothing. Keeping your head warm on cool breezy days. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
Top Hat – 200
Head Clothing. Good day, sir. I said good day! This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.
*Wide Rim Glasses – 150
Head Clothing. Style that pops. This item occupies the head slot of your town clothes. Town clothes cannot be worn while in combat.

 
Consumable Tab:

Dye Pack – 200
Each day box contains 7 random dyes (5 common and 2 uncommon or rare.) Once a dye has been unlocked on a character in can be used as many times as you like to color armor and town clothes. Dyes can also be used as components for Mystic Forge recipes some of which can create specific dye colors.
*Mystic Forge Stone – 5/250, 10/450
This stone can be used in many mystic forge recipes to add a random element to Zommoros’ gifts. Head to Lion’s Arch to discover the mystic forge and its secrets.
*Evon Gnashblade’s Box o’ Fun – 1/250, 5/1000
Spawn a box full of random fun for everyone in the area. Any allies can interact with the box once every 15 secs to get a fun effect. Color changing, shape shifting, and other fun tricks can be yours! Each box will remain in the world for 5 minutes.
Mystic Key – 125
This key will unlock one Mystic Chest. Mystic Chests can be found randomly on enemies or in hidden places in the world.
 

Support Tab:

Bag Slot Expansion – 400
Add an extra bag to your inventory. Each character can have up to 7 bag slots.
Black Lion Merchant Express – 1/35, 5/300
Allows you to summon a merchant anywhere. This merchant has some basic items for sale and will buy any items you have. This merchant is usable by anyone and remains in the world for 5 minutes.
Instant Repair Canister – 1/70, 5/300
Revive Orb – 250
Revives your character from death slowly. This item cannot be used in World vs World or PvP.
Bank Access Express – 1/35, 5/125
Each portal allows you to access your bank from anywhere once.
*Black Lion Trader Express – 1/50, 5/200
Allows you to summon a Black Lion Trader giving you access to Trading Post pick up anywhere. The Black Lion Trader is usable by anyone and remains in the world for 5 minutes.
Perfect Salvage Kit – 1/35, 5/125

 
Account Tab:

Bank Tab Expansion – 600
Add additional storage to your bank (30 slots.) Any character on your account can access the storage in your bank. You can have up to 8 bank tabs on your account
*Character Slot Expansion – 800
No in-game description on this one yet, but it is just what it sounds like– We knew this one was coming.

 
Boosts Tab:

Crafting Booster – 150
Improves your chance to score extra experience from crafting items by 50% for one hour.
Karma Booster – 75
Gain an additional 50% karma each time you gain karma for one hour.
Magic Find Booster – 150
Improves your chance to get rare loot by 50% for one hour.
Experience Booster – 150
Gain an additional 50% experience from kills for one hour.
Killstreak Experience Booster – 125
Gain an additional 100% experience from kills for 30 seconds. Time remaining is reset with each kill.
*Multi Booster Pack – 300
Contains boosts to increase karma gain by 50%, experience gained by killing enemies by 50%, and chance to find magic items by 50%. All boosts last 1 hour. Use them all at once or each one individually!

 
Minis Tab:

Minis Random Tri-Pack (Set 1) – 300
This pack comes with 3 randomly selected Minis (2 common and 1 uncommon) to add to your collection. Minis are tiny models of your favorite monsters and characters from the world of Tyria.