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The Daily Grind: Should MMOs recycle old rewards?
It's no shock to realize that as Guild Wars 2 approaches, the Guild Wars 1 devs are slowly getting the older game set for long-term stasis. The year's Dragon Festival was surely a sign of that: Instead of doling out brand-new festival hats as it has in previous years, ArenaNet awarded tokens that allow players to earn discontinued hats from old events. Hats are serious business. Some veteran players argue that handing old hats to new players devalues old players' loyalty. After all, why play (or pay) on day one if everyone can get the cool shiny thing eventually anyway? Guild Wars isn't alone in adopting this convention. World of Warcraft transforms previous expansions' endgame skins into the next edition's leveling gear; other games place pre-order bonus perks in a cash shop at some point down the road for people who missed the first time around. So today we're wondering what you think of this practice as it pertains to the wider MMO genre. Do you think loyalty perks like event rewards and pre-order trinkets should remain unique? Or is it fair for developers to reintroduce and recycle old gear, rewards, and rares for a new generation? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
