Griefing in Golden Wasteland
I don't normally post, but after a few months of playing, I wanted to give my experience as a warning to others and also as a STRAIGHT UP VENT BECAUSE I'M STILL SEETHING.
FOR CONTEXT, I saw the crab call spirit was in the Crab Fields of GW from a video, so I went there the other day to try to finish it.
Okay, no biggie. I was never afraid of the krills before this, just found them cool and generally avoided them if I could. I'm very much not a good flier in Sky, especially with the slower controls of PC, so krill dodging or playing with them has always been a fun idea, but that's it: a fun idea.
There were a few other players in the area when I arrived and started leading the spirit, but I hadn't thought much of it. Honking either to get the crabs flipped over or to check that everyone else is okay.
BUT THEN I saw some other Skykids losing their winged light after being hit by a krill, so I'd drop it a few times to go and help them. Seemed like newer players with less winged light, so I'd charge them up, make sure they were okay, then I was back to the Crab Call spirit. Things seemed normal, but two Skykids with higher winged light were lingering near the boat.
LITTLE DID I KNOW, these two seemed like the culprits for all this.
It started when I was on the upper deck of the boat dragging the spirit. The krill was on the complete other side, but then one of the Skykids flew over, got in its radar, and then deliberately flew to ME.
I thought it was an accident at first (lord knows I get how panic-inducing it can be and you just sometimes don't realize another Skykid's in your escape path), so I just hid and they got hit instead. Their friend helped gather their winged lights, then they flew back up to the pole.
This happened a second time, so I just hit the dark dragon repellant and the krill got them instead again. By that point I was already thinking "No way, right? Every Skykid I've met so far has been so nice, there's no way there's griefing in a game like this", but I kid you not, this happened 4 times and the 4th attempt got me to lose 5 WL. Only managed to get 3.
I know that's not a big deal to others, but I was more pissed that ok, yeah, there are griefers in Sky. And deliberately still targeting players with less WL, or preventing them from completing spirits just for the hell of it.
It could be fun with friends, but we're all greyed out Skykids to one another in this area. The moths I'd helped just left after these 2 players krilled them so I hope they weren't let down by the experience.
I've always loved Golden Wasteland for the breadth of the lore it has, the spirits, even the krills. I'm still not scared of krills, but now I AM scared of the other players who are sticking around and might intentionally lead them to me or another Skykid. It's frustrating!! And if you have fun at the expense of others in a game like this, man, why can't you keep it to your friends? Why target anons? The joke's not funny if you're the only one laughing.
Sorry for the long rant, but TLDR; beware of Skykids you see just sitting on the pole of the ship in GW Crab Fields. They might be looking for another unknowing victim for their little "prank."