Guild Wars 2: Free mount skin for (some) players

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GW2 Veiled Chameleon Raptor mount skin

As part of the game’s 10th anniversary, ArenaNet is giving a “Black Lion Special Mount Selection Licence” to players which lets you choose one mount skin from a whole range of skins. The caveat is that you need to own the Path of Fire expansion. “Only” owning the recent expansion, End of Dragons, isn’t enough. Free players obviously won’t get the mount skin either. And then ArenaNet made the mistake of advertising the mount skin with pictures of mount skins that aren’t available with this item! They have since apologized for it, though, and corrected the information: The licence “includes skins from the original Mount Adoption License“.

Now, it’s free, so we shouldn’t complain anyway. I doubt a lot of people have all the skins unlocked already.

As I own all three expansions, I get the mount skin anyway! I’m just wondering: Why not let everybody claim the mount skin, at least? This way, it could work as an incentive… buy the expansion, get a free mount skin when you do! Maybe it works if you decide to get the expansion right now, but not everybody can afford that.

It’s just sad because I think it’s a really great free gift to celebrate 10 years of Guild Wars 2 and this spoils it a bit.

GW2 Cascade Heeler Springer mount skin
GW2 Cascade Heeler Springer mount skin

I haven’t chosen a skin yet. I only have one skin unlocked so far and that’s the Canthan raptor. I usually use my raptor to traverse through maps. My springer mount is the one I use the second most often when I want to reach something higher up – or when I’m too lazy to find the official path and decide to cut a corner. My first thought was the chameleon raptor skin as it looks funny. But how often would I use something “funny”? In the end, I often go with the more realistic looks in Guild Wars 2. So, I’ve set my eyes on some of the springer skins that make it look like a different animal – until I saw the “Desert Shiba” mount for the jackal.

GW2 Desert Shiba Jackal mount skin
GW2 Desert Shiba Jackal mount skin

So far, I haven’t used the jackal because I was just too used to the raptor. But I guess it’s time to figure out if it’s better or at least equal to the raptor. It seems to be neck and neck.

 

 

5 Comments

    1. You’re welcome! Since I don’t even have my griffon, I decided not to look at these skins at all. I can’t miss it when I don’t know it… ;)

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  2. Obviously they all have unique abilities. But in a straight run, the raptor is better. It moves a bit faster, and leaps pretty far. The jackal seems the most situational to me, though it does have its advantages. Personally, I use the raptor the most, then probably the skyscale. The skimmer comes in third, for me: not quite as fast as the raptor on the ground, but of course water (and quicksand) is no obstacle. Really, I love them all, and their specialties are what make the whole mount system so great.

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    1. I didn’t spot your comment until now. So what I read is that the raptor is at an advantage on flat terrain, but when it’s not, the jackal can be better because the raptor’s leap doesn’t go far then. In general, though, moving around that fast isn’t even important to me because of the waypoint system. So, I’m now going to use the raptor or the jackal depending on my mood. :)

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      1. I got a Shrine Guardian (9-tailed fox) jackal skin before even getting a raptor, so I am partial to it. You’ll have to test out the blinking vs. leaping thing.

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