I wanted to thank everyone who voted in the various polls and/or made title suggestions. A special thanks in particular to my "beta testers" who were helping by giving feedback on some of the ideas in-game. For updates like this, it's very difficult to do without helpful input and I was pleased there was so much activity and feedback available. It helped me get this done a lot quicker, and I think that the majority of players will be really pleased with the additions.
A little preview of the changes:
- Monster statuettes are being removed from veteran rewards entirely. These will be moved into crafting, with some changes to make them more fun to have.
- The ethy mounts and dye tubs from the old system will remain untouched.
- The robes and cloaks will also be removed from the vet rewards. Like the statuettes, they will also be moved into crafting & updated at a later date.
- You will be able to preview all of the veteran rewards on the menu. This way you will be able to see what cool stuff is waiting for you in future years; you'll also be able to plan your points spending according to what you wish to purchase.
- You will only be able to purchase each item one time, except for the new dye tubs. The new dye tubs will have limited uses, so you'll be able to purchase each type of new tub several times if you so choose.
- Point values are higher for the newer rewards. Rewards for 1 year and under, as well as the 2-year polar bear mount will all still require 1 point to purchase, however all the new additions will require more than 1 point. Point costs for the new items will start at 2 points, all the way up to the most expensive item (the 15-year mount) at 12 points.
Overall, I've added 7 brand-new mounts plus numerous titles, statues, banners & dye tubs. You'll unlock something new every year, and I've made additions all the way up to the 15-year mark.
A note about the types of rewards added:
While the poll results regarding types of veteran rewards that were most wanted showed a strong desire for stat items, in the end I decided to exclude them. My reasoning was this: any stat items we add to the veteran rewards menu will eventually (and possibly even quite soon) become obsolete and completely undesirable. The same thing that happened to the vet reward robes/cloaks would happen to any stat item I added to this update.
We have a lot of very big changes on the books for gear, for combat, and for crafting, and most of those changes are still being discussed/decided on. On top of that, Elysium and Touria are being developed with the express intention of providing numerous upgrades to players' gear options. With all of those things up in the air, we simply have no way of knowing what stat-based items would be viable for the vet rewards system long-term. It was one of my top priorities as part of this update to ensure that the new additions would keep their value and desirability long-term. That wasn't possible in the case of stat-based items, so in the end I excluded them.
Fret not, though, there will be hundreds* of new artifacts and gear options available as part of the facets and crafting updates.
* not an exaggeration
In the end, I believe that this update will be a very positive, exciting one. I think that it'll put a stop to indefinitely hoarding veteran reward points, because it will be worth spending your points on these new selections as your account ages. I can't wait until it's released so you guys can see all the neat stuff for yourselves.
And I really can't wait to see Cygnus running around with his 10-year mount and titles! 
- +N
