WotLK interview: Yes, we know you're bored

Haven't had any time to play for two days, but here's an interesting quote from Behind the Blue Curtain: Discussing Wrath of the Lich King with Jeffrey "Tigole" Kaplan:

The MMO Gamer: Probably the number one complaint I hear when speaking to the "average" WoW player, someone who logs in an hour or two a night, maybe raids with their guild on the weekend, is that once they hit 70, their day to day existence in the game consists of either farming for primals, grinding reputation, or doing daily quests. They seem to feel that's slightly monotonous.

Do you personally believe that's a problem in the game, and, if you do, do you have any plans to address it in Northrend?

Jeffrey Kaplan: I do think that's a problem, and I think it's a very true statement, what you said. What I really hope is that hitting level 80 is not the end, but just a milestone, a very momentous milestone.
...
The daily quests that I've really enjoyed lately are things like the fishing daily, the cooking, the battleground, the dungeon dailies, because they have randomization in it. So you don't feel like you're in a set pattern of activity every time you log in. I would rather players do daily quests for money than farm primals, which is a very repetitive sort of behavior.

So, I think we can do things to smooth out what feels like a grind, and make it not the same every day that you log in. I think that's when it becomes an issue, when you log in and do the same activity every time, because certainly when you're leveling up that’s not your experience.

And we all like "very true" statements, not just those that are "fairly true." ;^)

Look, the dailies are nice, and though we all know dailies are just about making it rain cash to make raiding more accessible, they really aren't a good answer to the end game boredom. I mean, look, what Kaplan's saying, whether he knows it or not, is that they're going to turn on the gold faucet and pour cash all over those who don't like farming so that only those insane enough to farm by default have to wax a million Enraged Air Spirits for Primal Air. Prices on everything will go up as the faucet opens wider, and soon everyone will be part of the never ending virtual economic bubble. Reminds me of Mobutu printing Zaires, where daily inflation approached the single digits.

The problem is that the daily quests really aren't all that exciting. They don't particularly engage a larger storyline. Though they change in character slightly, they really are still, "Kill X of Y and get Z gold," mechanizations. The bottom line is that dailies are bribes in virtual currency for you to keep playing. Maybe it's time to make some alternative to grinding, farming or questing, that allows soloers to access instances in a more satisfying way.

Are you a WoW addict?

From a guest blog on a randomly Googled up site called Soul Kerfuffle: The View From the Top (the search was 'warcraft abandoned quest progression'):

60 levels, 30+ epics, a few really good "real life" friends, a seat on the oldest and largest guild on our server's council, 70+ days "/played," and one "real" year later...
...
To illustrate the impact it had, let's look at me one year later. When I started playing, I was working towards getting into the best shape of my life (and making good progress, too). Now a year later, I'm about 30 pounds heavier that I was back then, and it is not muscle. I had a lot of hobbies including DJing (which I was pretty accomplished at) and music as well as writing and martial arts. I haven't touched a record or my guitar for over a year and I think if I tried any Kung Fu my gut would throw my back out. Finally, and most significantly, I had a very satisfying social life before. My friends and I would go out and there were things to do every night of the week.
...
Blizzard created a game that you simply can not win. Not only that, the only way to "get better" is to play more and more. In order to progress, you have to farm your little heart out in one way or another: either weeks at a time PvPing to make your rank or weeks at a time getting materials for and "conquering" raid instances, or dungeons where you get "epic loot" (pixilated things that increase your abilities, therefore making you "better")

Scary because it's true, right? I remember during the first month of my second long hiatus from WoW (the one in the middle of this blog), I couldn't stop thinking about it, even doing a good deal of research for what quests and recipes to run and bag once I got back. It really felt like I had a bit of withdrawal. No doubt that this is an addiction. The question is what the real damages are, and how one can accurately measure them.

And now, back to figuring out where I was on the I see dead Draenei quest line before the hiatus... *sigh*

Gimme a chilli chese dagger A PLENTY!!!!

WARNING: This is a true blog post, with logic all over, messy html, and no real conclusion. That said, today we're talking daggers.

I've started in on the Capture the Weapons quest, and thanks to a guildie managed to down Makazradon, having soloed Morgroron a while back.  The end result of the chain is the Illidari-Bane Mageblade, a dagger that ups spell crits by 20 points and spell damage to demons by 185.  I'm not sure it's worth it, as my Bringer of Death gives me +121 as is against every mob, but some demons did own our guild plus a couple of pick-ups when we hit the Terrace recently.  And it was a nice break from farming...

Anyhow, on the Illidari-Bane Mageblade page for Thottbot, there were links to "better" daggers that themselves had links in the comments for yet still arguably better daggers.  I thought I'd include a few here.

First, the Illidari-Bane Mageblade.

Illidari-Bane Mageblade
Binds when picked up
Main Hand	Dagger
31 - 100 Damage	Speed 1.60
(41.3 damage per second)
+12 Stamina
+11 Intellect
Durability 65 / 65
Equip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 20 (0.9%).
Equip: Increases damage done to Demons by magical spells and effects by up to 185.
Item Level 115
Disenchant value: 30 Gold 14 Silver
Vendor value: 9 Gold 7 Silver 91 Copper
Source: Quest
Score: 43.0  (Customize)
Thott <Afterlife>  Live (2.4.1)

Now a few "alternatives."  Let's see if we see a theme.

Nathrezim Mindblade Binds when picked up Unique Main Hand Dagger 24 - 124 Damage Speed 1.80 (41.4 damage per second) +18 Stamina +18 Intellect Durability 75 / 75 Requires Level 70 Equip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 23 (1.0%). Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 203. Drops in Karazhan Score 1.4     Vote: [-] [+] by Fire00F1Y, 1.3 years ago Drops off Prince Malchazaar - 2nd to last boss in Karazhan and evidently hard as crap

Talon of the Tempest Binds when equipped Unique Main Hand Dagger 25 - 122 Damage Speed 1.80 (41.2 damage per second) +10 Intellect Yellow Socket Yellow Socket Socket Bonus: +3 Intellect Durability 75 / 75 Requires Level 70 Equip: Improves spell hit rating by 9 (0.7%). Equip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 19 (0.9%). Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 194. Doomwalker Score 1.7     Vote: [-] [+] by delther, 1.3 years ago This drops from doomwalker just outside the instance entrance in the black temple... 2k AoE, 20k crushing damage yummeh

Vengeful Gladiator's Spellblade Binds when picked up Main Hand Dagger 16 - 116 Damage Speed 1.60 (41.3 damage per second) +30 Stamina +20 Intellect Durability 75 / 75 Requires Level 70 Equip: Improves spell hit rating by 17 (1.3%). Equip: Improves your resilience rating by 18 (0.5%). Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 247. 3150 Arena Points

Merciless Gladiator's Spellblade Binds when picked up Main Hand Dagger 18 - 112 Damage Speed 1.60 (41.2 damage per second) +27 Stamina +18 Intellect Durability 75 / 75 Requires Level 70 Equip: Improves spell hit rating by 15 (1.2%). Equip: Improves your resilience rating by 18 (0.5%). Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 225. 2739 Arena Points

To this, one might add the Gladiator's Spellblade, which takes twenty Eye of the Storm Marks of Honor and/or 25200 Honor Points. I'm a casual gamer, so I'm not sure how those work.

The theme? Three of the four (four of the five if you count the last), are all BoP and require some really serious gameplay. I realize the Bane is only good for demons, but what can I do? Where can I get a better weapon as a part-time gamer? I'm not sure there is one. The daggers, above, are not alternatives. They are daggers, sure. They increase spell damage. But finishing up Kara? Not in my immediate future. Nor are the battlegrounds, though that might be a more realistic opportunity.

I suppose taking down Doomwalker might eventually be a possibility, since there's no instance to run and only one boss to bring down.  Also, that Talon is BoE, so for a few thousand gold I could just buy the danged thing.  Not sure either is short-term possible, however.  I think I've got about 400g right now after the LW respecs, which stinks.

Finally, why mess with this when you've got a decent staff that's doing only 60 points less damage bonus than the Talon or Bane?  Well, do remember that 1.) 60 is more than zero and 2.) You then get an off-hand slot as well for more +dmg.  Not to mention the Talon has double sockets.

So having written another blog to think aloud, I suppose, I'll finish up the Bane line of quests, though it looks like it's going to require a run through two dungeons.

Long quest line
Score 41     Vote: [-] [+] by GandalfSC, 1.2 years ago The Hermit can be found at 77,38 (in Terrokar Forest)
...
This quest then follows into the following dungeon quests:

Fresh From the Mechanar  (The dungeon is the Southern Instance of Tempest Keep in Netherstorm.� 82, 70) You will need a flying mount to reach this location and no you can not be summoned.

The Lexicon Demonica  (The dungeon in Auchindoun's Shadow Labyrinth, the Southern instance of Auchindoun in Terrokar Forest. � 39,73) For this one you must have the Shadow Labyrinth Key

Who says this is a game for idiots?  Reminds me of the Pokemon Game Guide I got paid to write, though.  Seriously, in thirty years (if not next year), what good is all this information and hours wasted going to be?  And this time, I'm not even clocking some coin.  *sigh*  ;^)

EDIT: Note to self, solo half the instance requirement:
The Mechanar: Overcharged Manacell Solo - 20070324, 2:40 @ 640x480
Contains bonus feature, Sixty to Seventy in Seventy Seconds
Right-click, save-as: 36.7MB -- 2.1Mbps

TriviaGnome is for real

Today while running around IF with my bank toon, I stumbled over a good-sized gathering at the Proudmoore IF mailbox. Up on the wall was Triviagnome, a level one gnome in fancy clothes spouting out random, well, trivia questions. I noticed a lot of people guessing, and started making smart-alecky remarks of my own for laffs and cetera. Once I heard from the 'gnome that there were prizes, however, I starting whispering to see if he was for real.

He was! For every question, the first person with the correct answer got 25g. No joke. I answered two before he took a break and got 50g cash money. Not bad! Even without the prizes, it was a fun diversion. With, it's a pretty cool and very memorable little addition to the game o' WoW. Thanks Triviagnome!

Learning gems

I've got two pieces of gear in my standard sets now (panzer, boomkin, and healing sets have been standard, though I'm inching towards a healing/boom hybrid set recently) that have sockets, and I figured with the new daily quest money I oughta fill them in. Originally, having gone Scryer, I figured I'd just vendor some 2g gems from the "Fence" outside of the Shatt inn, but after doing a little research at WoW Gem Finder, thott, and wowhead, I hit the Auction House first.

In brief, the move panned out. I've now got every blue or red socket filled with this thing (aka "Royal Shadow Draenite"), which on Proudmoore was going for less than 2g per gem. Heck, +7 Healing +3 Spell Damage and +1 Mana per 5 Seconds for 1.2g? Not bad, and I finally get the socket bonuses on my items.

So if you've been thinking about socketing gear but either thought you'd replace the piece(s) in short order or were too cheap to shell out for lowbie gems in an attempt to save up for blues & purples (or if you're worried about both), stop. Go to your AH with a few gold and socket up.

In other news, my last week has been mostly spent farming. I don't know how you farmers do it. I'll post more about it later, but I'm generally trying to make my way to creating the BoP Windhawk armor set, which apparently is as good a set for moonkin as you can get without raiding or instance running. Being able to make it requires me to respec my specialization to Tribal Leatherworking (100g) and gathering a ton of of mats. I also turned out to have only gotten to LW 360 before my "hiatus", so I've been trying to level up LW last night and today, which hasn't been fun.

So yes, I've decided to go boomkin with my BoP items instead of Panzer for the time being. Huge cred loss if you call your site "Panzerkin.blogspot.com," yo, but I've already got pretty good armor/stam gear for bear and Panzer and figured I'd go DPS for instances, which is where my guild is lacking.

History of Proudmoore and the Briefe and True Account of the Purpose of Dailies

This post from Lukov on the WoW Forums does a super job of succinctly describing the Proudmoore server, which just happens to be where Jal lives. From it, I found this section just interesting enough to blog about in particular (though anyone interested in Proudmoore should take a quick read):

Server Economics:
As a day 1 server with a well entrenched raiding population, the server suffers (or benefits, depending on your perspective) with inflated prices on many items. This is much more obvious on Horde due to Alliance, as the population imbalance results in a limited supply with a similar level of demand.

Do your dailies and you'll be fine for cash, even with 4 nights of raiding a week.

(emph mine)

Well, at least we've come clean. I've been a little upset over the inflation that the dailies have caused since my return, even if it means that I'm up over 450g now playing on a very part-time basis. I'm not sure how I feel about it in this context, though -- specifically that the dailies aren't so much about bribing players to stick around until the expansion, but are rather so that more casual players can start raiding without knowing where to go for cash. Now, if you've tried a daily quest or two, you darn well know where they're printing hats of money.

In other news, I decided carrying around only one idol, and one that was only useful for those few minutes I'm in cat form and decide to attack, was sooooo lvl 58 and that I should start hunting up a new one. Enter the The Idol of the Avenger. No, it's not too powerful, and I'd rather have one of the Moonfire idols, but here's the key -- this one is a simple quest reward that doesn't require 300 riding skill (5000g) and running a heroic instance or whacking random trash mobs. It requires only a good, fixed amount of time, which is apparently something resembling 2-4 hours. The gold is about as good as running dailies to boot.

Now, every Wrath I cast is at least 25 points stronger. Woohoo. When you're a Wrath-spamming boomkin, every bit helps.

Idol of the Avenger
Binds when picked up
Unique
RelicIdol
Equip: Increases the damage dealt by Wrath by 25. 

Source: wow.allakhazam.com

Oddly, I mostly ran the quests related to getting the idol in panzer mode. Melee mobs still seem more sustainable when panzer'd up. The picture, above, was when I'd just about put the sustainability theory to the max, as I cycloned one last mob to sneak in a Healing Touch.

Swappin' Idols

If you didn't realize you can [now?] swap idols like you can now swap weapons, without any cooldown penalty, well, realize it. The following macros and ones like them should help a ton when shift happens.

EDIT: Science adds a useful comment...
You actually do encounter a GCD from swapping, but on casts longer than the GCD (such as Starfire), there is no penalty, but on instant casts (Moonfire), you encounter a slightly longer GCD due to the idol swap.

So be a little more careful than I and the following post make it sound like you should be; there are times when the global cool down (GCD) will effect your spellcasting, mainly if you jump to Moongoddess without pausing in between (more important on raids, I suppose).
end EDIT.

Re: Ivory Idol of the Moongoddess
Score 4.3 Vote: [-] [+] by Vartharazun, 5.0 months ago
You can use every single different Idol for every single different spell you cast without causing any sort of GCD delay.

#showtooltip Moonfire
/cast moonfire
/equip Idol of the Unseen Moon

#showtooltip Starfire
/cast Starfire
/equip Ivory Idol of the Moongoddess

#showtooltip Wrath
/cast Wrath
/equip Idol of the Avenger

Copy and Paste these macros for pve moonkin pwnage.