GW2: Going for 1000 gold – Be careful investing

Investing in items special to Guild Wars 2 Living World events usually a good way to make money. I’ve mentioned this, before, and I’ve also mentioned it can be risky. Here’s a great example:

Both the Light of Dwayna and the Shadow of Grenth recipes are down off their highs, selling for less than they did at the height of Wintersday. If you bought them at that price, you’re probably in for a long wait before you can recoup your money. Just look at the supply levels! Over 700 of both recipes are available. It could be months, maybe a whole lot of months before the price on these rise significantly.

This is a bit of a cautionary tale about investing. Fortunately, I only bought one of these recipes – a Grenth – and I got that for less than one gold. It’s still in my bank. When you think about it – I honestly didn’t at the time – any recipe that can be gotten with gold is probably not a great investment. I don’t mean one you can buy off the trading post, I mean any recipe or rare item that might come in a coffer or box or gift. There’s just so much money in the game, people will just buy those box by the thousands. Sure, there might be only a one-in-a-thousand chance of getting one of those recipes, but if you have a lot of gold buying a thousand gifts wasn’t much of a financial hit during the Wintersday event.

That’s why there are so many of these recipes available: People bought Wintersday gifts by the thousands.

Now, take the case of the Keeper recipes. Notice how few of them are available?

While these recipes might not be in high demand, the supply of them is scant at best. If you want one, you’re going to have to pay for them.

The difference between these ascended recipes and the Wintersday ones is you can’t buy your way to these. The only way to get these is by doing the marionette. That makes them a better investment – if you can afford them or get lucky enough to get one – than the Wintersday recipes.

I hope you’ve been doing the marionette.

I’m up only a little from yesterday.