Skyshards: Are you buying skill points or skill points and achievement?

peacenote · May 2019

I'm armed and ready to rant but prepared to hear the "better" answer (imo) and/or to be persuaded otherwise.

Since I do not plan to purchase myself, I'm curious whether a skyshard purchase also grants an alt the achievement. For example, Khenarthi's Roost Skyshards states that a requirement for purchase is Khenarthi's Skyshard Hunter achievement. But it doesn't specify whether the purchase grants the achievement. It just specifies how many Skill Points your character will be granted.

Am also curious whether, after purchasing, one will still see the skyshard in the world if it hasn't yet been physically gathered. And whether, after gathering (if possible), the message is altered appropriately.

I think the former (buying skill points) is unnecessary, but that the latter (buying the achievement) is illogical. You shouldn't get the achievement or achievements that check for underlying achievements if you didn't physically get the skyshards and visit those locations on that character. There is a certain logic to applying skill points account-wide (I am against it but I see the appeal) whereas applying the achievement would be inconsistent with, say, how dye achievements are handled (the dye is account-wide but the character must still earn the achievement).

OK, I pre-ranted. Here's hoping I can eat my words...

Solid_Metal · May 2019

no, you can;t even buy it if you not yet have the achievement, at least one of your character MUST ACHIEVE the achievement first, then other character can buy said skyshard crown item

TheRealPotoroo · May 2019

At least one of your characters must have the achievement before others can buy the skyshards for that zone. I'd actually pay for each of my alts to never have to go anywhere near Cyrodiil except that I don't have the last two in each enemy zone, so ZOS have saved me some money.

peacenote · May 2019

Thank you so much for answering (I almost never start topics) but what I am wondering is: does the alt character show that the achievement has been met after purchasing?

I know that the character who did the initial exploration will register as having the achievement, but part of what the skyshard purchase is doing is taking one step towards making something that was character specific and making it "account-bound-by-purchase." I'm curious whether this upholds previous established game logic (you can buy the end result but you have to earn the achievement) or not.

skiidzman · May 2019

Its pay-2-win.

Period.

I don't want to hear any more arguments about "convenience" ... if you have money - you can unlock immediately every skyshard in the game for your character, new or old. You immediately by doing that surpass veteran players who have been unlocking them for years all because you have the financial means to do so.

That is the definition of p2win.

TheRealPotoroo · May 2019

Do you have an answer to the question or not?

AlnilamE · May 2019

OP, you will have to ask someone who actually bought them, but the logical thing would be that when buying a pack for an alt, the alt gets the achievement and those skyshards are now "dead" (ie, will show as collected).

darthgummibear_ESO · May 2019

Don't be like this idiot. You still have to collect all the skyshards in a zone on at least one character before the purchase is even available. You don't just manufacture shards out of thin air.

r34lian · May 2019

One of my alts have all the skyshards any main is missing only some cyrodil ones tbh won't buy this crap it should've been accountwide support dis and the very next thing in store will be cp and levels :d

Siohwenoeht · May 2019

I hope it's a dismal failure for the simple fact I don't want to see skill lines for sale in the crown store either.

And no, none of it should be account wide either.

FierceSam · May 2019

OP, I have no idea.

I think it would be great if buying the skyshard pack did NOT give that character the Skyshard Hunter achievement.

I totally dislike the commercialisation of skyshards and this would be a way to acknowledge when a character HAD made the effort to actually collect all the shards rather than buy them.

Like you I’d be interested to find out.

mairwen85 · May 2019

They need to commodify this guy's 'specialness'. Those veteran players who have been unlocking them for years... they're surpassing themselves

Etrella · May 2019

How much does each zone cost?

Dagoth_Rac · May 2019

50 crowns per skyshard. So if an achievement has 16 skyshards, it is 800 crowns. If it has 6 skyshards, it is 300 crowns. And so on. As previously mentioned, you must have achievement on at least one character before you can unlock with crowns on another character.

Etrella · May 2019

Thanks. Forgot I can go to the crown store here lol

Betty_Booms · May 2019

I love this. I was levelling my alt and i had more skills then points so this really helped my alt get a few more skills on the bar.
Maybe its a bit much to have all the zones for sale though.

grannas211 · May 2019

nah

Hyperion616 · May 2019

This makes literally no sense what so ever, it is the farthest from pay2win that I know of. When I can log into the store and buy these sky shards with out first having to unlock them in game then and only then will you have some what of a halfassed point.

As it stands right now I have to in game unlock the sky shards for a particular area before I am in any way able to purchase them for any of my alts.

Here's the thing, does Zos sale weapons, armor, or any form of boosts, on the crown store that would allow players an unfair advantage over another player who's only means to obtain those items is in game, because the last time I checked they don't so they haven't crossed that line just yet.

It is a convenience for people who have spent the time in game unlocking those sky shards from the various zones who are now able to immediately go spend money and have them all unlocked for an alt. Whoopie-Doo!!

Danikat · May 2019

If you've bought one or more of the packs are you able to answer the OP's question? When you bought the skyshards for your alt did they also get the achievement for collecting skyshards in that zone? Or does it still show as unfinished on that character?

Shantu · May 2019

Oh geez...since when did investing hours/days/weeks of mindless drudgery make you a better player?

As to the OP's question, no, I don't plan on paying for shards because I plan on never making another character again and don't need them. But I wish this option were available a couple of years ago. There is far too much abysmal grinding in this game. I don't care how cool ZOS thinks their new Necromancer is. I'd rather sit here punching myself in the face than grind/level another character.

Nestor · May 2019

@Danikat

Darned if I did not check the Achievement Log, however, I did see the notification pop up that I earned the Achievement. A side note, my skyshard addon no longer shows the shards on the map for the zones I did buy, so there is that.

AlnilamE · May 2019

I got a number of Skyshard achievement notifications on my two characters that have the full base game skyshard lists when I first logged on to them. I wasn't paying too much attention to the others.

ghastley · May 2019

On the PC at least, "achievements" are nothing more than a note that you did something, so you can check it later, and not waste effort duplicating the work. In some cases, quests aren't repeatable, so you need that log.

I know that console users get a more direct benefit from an "achievement", but I think that's at the account level, not the character level, so as long as the account has to have the achievement, you're still not buying anything more than convenience.

Paazhahdrimaak · May 2019

SKYSHARDS ARE WAY TO EASY TO COLLECT, SELLING THEM ON THE CROWN STORE IS WRONG AND UNNECESSARY.

IVE BEEN AGAINST A LOT THE MARKETING TEAM/CROWN STORE TEAM HAS DONE. BUT NOTHING MORE THAN THIS.

YOU ARE ACCOMMODATING THE WRONG PEOPLE IN THIS GAME.

DONT BUY THEM.

ShadowDisciple · May 2019

Can some of you whos says its "pay2win" explain what are u winning exactly??? Takes 30~ min of horse riding to get all skyshards in a zone.

THERE IS NOTHING HARD ABOUT GETTING SKYSHARDS. PERIOD. Its tedious and annoying getting them on all chars..

it isnt hard content, it isnt satisfying content, theres addon to show u location of every one of them...

Getting skyshards was novelty when game released..it was a cool way of proggression..now its old and boring...

IF U CAN BUY SOMETHING THAT WILL GRANT U AN ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER PLAYER BUT U CAN OBTAIN THE SAME THING BY PLAYING THE GAME ITS NOT PAY TO WIN.

Knightpanther · May 2019

Sorry mate but this is utter crap.
Its nowhere near pay to win.
I've spent years in game getting all the sky shards available including the ones in Cyrodiil which meant waiting for the gates to be opened in enemy territory, which was a pain in the arse back in the day when I didn't do pvp.
Having to go through all this again was one of the things that put me off alts.

I see no difference than in SWTOR where everything is unlocked and available to your entire legacy (except you don't have to pay for it!)

There is no advantage here as you have to have done the achievement in the first place.

Be safe

DeadlyRecluse · May 2019

@peacenote

Alts do get the achievement when you buy skyshard packs.

I have 2 level 3 toons wearing "Craglorn Skyshard Hunter."

ErMurazor · May 2019

No its not. P2W = buy stuff you cant get in game

AlnilamE · May 2019

I will argue that something can be achievable in game and yet still be P2W if it is designed in such a way that it will take an unreasonable amount of time vs the amount of money that is being asked for the "convenience".

I do not think that the skyshard packs fall under that category.

Eledhes · May 2019

No that's the definition of Pay2Progress.

ShadowDisciple · May 2019

U get enough skill points in game for a proper build without even touching a skyshard..at which point your combat prowess is the same as someone with 4million skill points...all exttra point u put in crafting etc is somewhat extra...

Skyshards in general are a useless mechanic...or at least became useless after this many years...

It takes about 10~h (and im being generous, cuz 5h is enough for some) of grinding mobs to get from 1-50 and it takes about 10-15h more of speedrushing skyshards to have enought skillpoints to max your craftings and 1 proper combat build with passives..

If u wanna pay 100+ $ to shave off about a week or two of casual (and borin AF) game time...be my guest...ill be soooo mad when u pay that money to win compared to me..ohhh the agony

Edit: my bad i saw u said skyshard for u doesent fall under that cat...ye i agree, hence my post...and i agree with u about some things that are obtainable thru playing can be pay2win if it takes an inordinate amount of time to obtain...

ESO doesent have such things in cash shop and hopefully it never willl...and this skyshard thing is MAKING SUCH AN outrage on this forum, when in reality i didnt even bat an eye when it was anounced...seems redundant...

Make 1 char dedicated crafter and gather skyshards to max all crafting and bassically forget about shyshards forever from that point on..

If u are achievment hunter, then this crownstore skyshard thing doesent affect u at all as ur into collecting and getting that thing for yourself so i dont see why would this ffect such a player...

P.S. if u wanna flex "yo i gathered all my skyshard on my own, look at my achievments, imma beast, the other guy just bought it"...doesent work that way as you have to gather them on 1 char in order to buy them on another..so hey...idk why ppl even disccuss this