Tag: proffesions

The Legion Dungeon Love-Affair

Posted on by Gazimoff

‘Thank you for fetching my tools, Wilkins. But, before I can teach you the secrets of Mid-Legion Tailoring, you must carry out one more task’

‘Yes, Master?’ The scruffy young apprentice looked up, hope welling in his big eyes.

‘Indeed. You see, we have run out of Milk. I’ve heard tales of the Naga breeding incredible cows, and I long to sample their produce within my precious Sin’dorei tea. You must travel into the Eye of Azshara, defeat the Naga, milk one of these cows and bring a pitcher back to me. Only then, will I feel refreshed enough to share such intricate work with you.’

The elderly figure, a stick draped in expensive robes, shared a wide, almost predatory smile.

‘But… but that’s Hero work!’

‘No buts, Wilkins. Now go, and don’t return without my Milk!’

By now, most of us have been chewing through Warcraft: Legion for a few weeks. On the whole, it represents a fantastic return to form for the ageing MMO, with a renewed focus on telling an immersive story and shrouding characters in a rich fantasy. It’s a formula that seems to have worked, with over 3.3 million copies sold and more players returning than ever before.

But, while most design updates have been enthusiastically received, one particular facet has come under increased scrutiny – the abundance of dungeon quests to gate content. If you want to complete your Order Hall missions, or even max out your Professions, expect to spend some intense combat time with four other people.

Continue reading “The Legion Dungeon Love-Affair”

Managing Limited Game Time

Posted on by Gazimoff

There are times when I miss my youth. Back when I was a student I’d be free to play the night away, blasting cyborgs in Quake 2 or bludgeoning head-crabs in Half-Life. I’d blitz through a game in four days straight, chomping through single player content like a man possessed.

The other thing was that back then I’d play through a lot of games. I’d consider buying a new title once or twice a month to give me something new to play. I’d adventure across a multitude of worlds, shooting my way to liberty, freedom or glory.

Warcraft has changed this. In the time I’ve been subscribing I’ve bought maybe a handful of other games for the PC. Gordon from We Fly Spitfires asked a great question recently about what the gaming landscape would be like without the game. For me and probably a fair few others we would never have entered the MMO genre.

Continue reading “Managing Limited Game Time”

Becoming a Better Barker

Posted on by Gazimoff

I’m probably what you’d call a semi-casual auctioneer. I have a dedicated bank alt and a clutch of addons to help me sell stuff. I tend to avoid risk though – I deal in raw materials, BoE blue gear and items that I can flip easily. I don’t spend much time on it, but likewise I don’t make big profits from it.

Over the last few days I’ve been hit hard from firesales. People are converting the last few badges they have to gems or Primordial Saronite to sell for whatever they can. Prices (and profits) on most materials are plunging as supply far outstrips demand.

Craftables are also a source of anxiety. Get it right and you’re in the money. Get it wrong and you’ve wasted time, effort and materials on something that won’t sell. And right now, it feels like most markets are seizing up. While the smart players are cleaning out their bucket lists and putting down plans, there’s a lot of “wait and see” stagnation.

Right now, the real growth area for me is in barking. By that I don’t mean barking at the moon, I mean having a little advert for my crafting skills that I can paste in the trade channel when I’m not doing anything. Depending on the time of day, it can net me a few hundred gold an hour of pure profit. There are some great secrets to barking that I’ve learned in order to get the best results.

Mages Making Money

Posted on by Gazimoff

By most estimates, Cataclysm is two to four months away from release. With it, everything relating to crafting and professions changes again. Some materials will become junk for a time, while others will soar in value. People are also playing less, raiding less, crafting less. Demand seems to be down for materials everywhere. My gut feel is if I’m going to be making money in this expansion, this is the last chance I’ll get to do it.

As such, I’ve been taking a good hard look at my bank contents, my professions and my gathering skills and trying to work out just how to turn it into a healthy amount of gold. There are still a few things I’d like to pick up on my main (like the Traveler’s Tundra Mammoth), plus there are a couple of alts I’m planning to level that will need riding skills and so on. I’m trying to lay the groundwork now while there’s little to do so that I’m not having to scrimp and save when the expansion hits.

Continue reading “Mages Making Money”

Under the Hood

Posted on by Gazimoff

Spoiler alert: In-depth discussion of the planned changes to Cataclysm, primarily focusing on mechanics and core engine changes, leveling experience and endgame experience. All information here is public knowledge unless specified.

Over the weekend an avalanche of news came out about how development on Cataclysm is progressing. In an interesting change the majority of information was shared through a series of interviews rather than through blue posts on the official Blizzard forums (although there are some follow-ups). The removal of Path of the Titans and Guild talent trees are the two big items, along with the changes to Inscription and Archaeology.

What’s interesting is the overhaul the core game engine is receiving in order to make the overall experience better. One of the Ghostcrawler interviews mentions that the game was only expected to last for two or three years. Now they’re not just looking at the capability they need for Cataclysm but also for future expansions and development. In another interview he mentions that the revised game engine will have a number of hooks that can be adjusted, allowing for individual spells and abilities to be fine-tuned much more precisely.

What does this mean? Hopefully it’ll get classes to the stage where individual talent trees will be on an even level, so for example Fire, Frost and Arcane mages should be very close together. You’ll probably still get an “optimal” spec, but the differences between the three should be much smaller. It should also mean there’s less reliance on random-number-generation – something that the Fire tree suffers from immensely.

The problem with building a game engine is that it takes a lot of time and careful planning to pull it all together – especially something as complex as Warcraft. It’s also a problem that doesn’t scale well as you throw additional resources at it – as you scale up a programming team you can easily lose focus on the goal unless you have very tight project management. Having to put a large amount of your coding and design effort into bringing an old, creaking engine up to date is also going to pull them away from generating new content for the expansion.

The end result though is that most of the hard work won’t be visible to the player, at least not initially. It’s like changing stuff under the hood of a car, replacing the engine and upgrading the shock absorbers. It’s still the same car and works in the same way, it just remains unseen unless you flip the lid open and take a look inside.

It should however creep into the game through subtle ways, one of which being the revamped glyph system. In essence, being able to provide additional hooks into the spellcasting (or perform ability) process means that you have greater control over how they can be adjusted. Part of the change to glyphs includes providing a “middle tier” between powerful spell changes and basic cosmetic or remove reagent requirement ones. This middle tier is going to rely on the additional hooks to perform the subtle tweaks to abilities, so that the situational stuff can truly be situational and not incredibly overpowered or ridiculously weak.

There’s also scope for more interesting racial abilities, item bonuses and so on. You might find that items have properties that would work like a glyph, providing unique interactions with the spell casting pipeline in ways we haven’t seen before. It also means that we could get to the stage where an item does different things depending on the class or spec of the character using it.

Of course this additional complexity is going to be a nightmare for one team of people – the theorycrafters. As spells become tweakable in more ways, so the models used to predict their behaviour become more complex. if you think the guys with their spreadsheets and simulators have it bad now, imagine how bad things could get for them in the expansion?

In essence though it feels that in order to get at all the expansion’s content, you’re going to need to roll alts. Both Cory Stockton and Tom Chilton have commented on the amount of new quests that are being sunk into the game in order to sort out the level kinks. Improved crafting profession itemisation should also help, particularly around Inscription. If you’ve ever leveled a mage you’ll understand the frustrations around getting offhand items, rings and trinkets at the lower levels.

What does all this mean for me as a player? Larisa says that all she wants from Cataclysm is good raiding and a good guild, and I can appreciate that. But a hangover from my single-player days is that I want stuff to do in the game – zones to explore, quests to complete and characters to progress. I currently don’t feel that I’ll get that on my main character, and will have to roll an alt if I’m going to truly explore all the changes that have been brought in. Whether it’s a Worgen Mage or a Gnome Priest, I feel it’s going to be restarting that gets me the most out of this impending expansion.

The Impossible Saronite

Posted on by Gazimoff

I’ve been setting myself goals for my characters recently in order to give me more of a reason to play them. For Curio I’ve decided to go for the Mekgineer’s Chopper, as it’s the only character I have that would suit it. As a result I’ve started this long grind of mining ores, making titansteel and selling anything I can on the auctionhouse.

I sometimes wonder if I’m strange by saying that Curio should have the motorbike, Shaemus should have all the pets and my other characters should have stuff relevant to them. It’s as if I have a picture of them in my mind about how they go about their lives and the kind of things they would obtain given half a chance. I see Curio as being in a workshop surrounded by gadgets and always having something to tinker on, so the bike is a natural fit for him.

Managing the auctionhouse is proving to be a bit of a slog. Price things too low and they get bought and relisted by someone else, while pricing things too high means that they never shift. I’ve seen the price of Frozen orbs drop from about 70g each when 3.3.3 came out to about 14g now. It’s got to the stage where I can by the orbs, exchange them for Frost Lotuses and sell them at auction for about 10g profit a time. Crazy.

In order to get stuff to sell, I’ve been mining. It started off as a way to gather enough Titansteel to make the chopper, but it’s now been a way for me to gather items to then sell at auction. I’m getting a fair supply of Saronite and various types of Eternals. Gems and titanium ore go to my fiancée’s jewelcrafter for prospecting, with any epic gems being sold. It means she gets to keep the blues and greens, as well as any titanium powder.

So far it’s not been a bad process. I’ve made about 3,000 gold so far with which to buy the remaining parts I need. It’s something I’m able to work on when things are slow, as well as being one of those gentle activities that provides a balance to pugging or raiding. I also feel like I’m achieving something with every gold coin that gets me closer to my goal.

It has got me thinking though about the overall crafting process within Warcraft. I’m not so sure what it’s like in other MMOs, but in order to be able to craft in this game you also need to be a sufficiently high level to gather the materials needed. Items that are difficult to craft require special patterns or plans that commonly require a reputation grind or raid instance farm in order to obtain.

I’m beginning to wonder if it would be viable in an MMO to have crafting as a different levelling path that would work independently of character level. Is it feasible to allow players to focus on adventuring, PVP or crafting as a way of increasing skill and providing different taught skills for each path. I’m sure something like this has been tried before in other MMOs, but I’d be interested to know if it worked or fell flat.

And why the Impossible Saronite? On my mining route around Icecrown, there are a couple of ore nodes that are impossible to harvest safely. Most of them can be cleared away without too much trouble. There’s the odd one though that pings up on my map, only for me to leave it as soon as I see what’s surrounding it. Having to battle four 80-elites just for a scrap of saronite just isn’t worth it.

I’ve always been a fan of crafting in MMOs, as I love to create items that are useful to my character and others. I ended up maxing out Tailoring back in vanilla before I hit the level cap as I was that keen on getting all the patterns I could. I’m still a collectionist, trying to get as many recipies, patterns etc on as many characters as possible. I just find it a touch irritating when my professions are made useless either because far better gear can be collected in dungeons or because the best patterns are rare drops from raid dungeon bosses.

Still, at least I can make a chopper. You can’t say that isn’t cool…

The Campaign for Cheese Sculpting

Posted on by Gazimoff

Tired of finding your bags full of Stormwind Brie? Desperate to find a use for your Darnassian Bleu? How about invoking the magical properties of Dalaran Sharp? How about making these overlooked consumables useful? Read on and discover how Cheese Sculpting could be the profession for you.

Since time immemorial players have been confused by the cheese they’ve looted. Some believe that it’s a conspiracy by the Tauren to invade their diet with this perplexing produce. Others feel that the diminutive delicacy has no place in their bags. With the announcement of Cheese Sculpting as the new Secondary Profession in Cataclysm these items will finally have a use.

Unlocking the mysteries of the fascinating fromage is something that all players with the new expansion will be able to pick up, with the ability to cut and chisel the cheese being skilled up in much the same way as other professions. Uncut cheeses will be available from vendors and creatures in the same way that they are now, with the rarer (and more potent varieties) only being available from specific creatures.

Cheese sculptors will also be able to use a variety of different milks in order to prepare their own crafting materials. These milks, once suitably prepared by being left in your personal or guild bank for a period of time, may even evolve into rare cheeses that give further modifiers when sculpted.

But what can cheese sculpting do? A number of carvings have already been unveiled, each with their own formidable powers:

  • Proudmore’s Potent Sharp: Increases spell power by 150 when washed down with a Flask of Port.
  • Fermented Brie of Horror: When exposed to the air, causes all beasts and humanoids to flee for 5 seconds. Any undead within 50 yards will be drawn to the smell.
  • Battle-ready Darnassian Bleu: Fortifies you and your allies, increasing stamina by 50. May cause monsters to flee when attacked due to halitosis.

More carvings are promised, with the ability to combine two or more cheeses making more intricate carvings possible.

Sitting alongside Fish Feasts and Flasks, Cheese Sculptures are sure to be a key part of both heroics and raids as we reach the endgame phase of Cataclysm. Although the thought of skilling up another profession from scratch is daunting, the idea of going through the revamped game world as I go should make it worthwhile.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to my raid leader shouting “DEPLOY THE CHEESE” over vent though…



An Architect of Archetypes

Posted on by Gazimoff

I’ve recently joined the Blog Azeroth community in order to get advice and guidance as a fledgling Warcraft blogger. There’s a seasonal topic currently running called the Blogger Elder Project, in which a writer tries to impart advice, information or expertise to their readers. I’d been thinking about it for a few days, but was really struggling to find something to write about. There are already some fantastic guides on the Mage class written by others, with everything from gear selection to talent choices covered.

It was when I came across Tamarind’s idea for a Bloggers Guild that I finally got an idea. Single Abstract Noun is a fresh guild on the Argent Dawn roleplay server in the EU cluster. I rolled a blood-elf mage, joined the guild and started chatting to other bloggers and readers. A common theme that emerged was about the roleplay server itself, how refreshing the experiences were compared to other server types and how much fun it was to watch others roleplay.

Now maybe I’ve been spoiled by my own server choices – I rolled my first character on a roleplay server because that’s what I was used to. I’d been a fan of pencil and paper roleplay games for some time and enjoyed them as much for the roleplay aspects as the social and gaming aspects. I figured that roleplay would be just another facet of the game like questing, instancing, raiding, crafting and so on.

One of the integral parts of almost any character I create is it’s archetype – how the character fits in the game world, how it perceives others and how those others view him. I tend to do this regardless of the server type I’m playing on because it helps to differentiate what would otherwise be a long list of Mage. It means I can match my play to my mood – if I’m feeling chaotic and bouncy, rebellious and anti-establishment or generally old  and cranky. The character I pick is also a clue to my guildmates and server friends about what kind of mood I’m in. You can even use this kind of technique on non-roleplay servers – just by having a character with an archetype or backstory helps to make it feel more real than just a sprite on a screen, helping you remember why he’s cool even once every quest is completed and every achievement has been earned.

As a result, I figured that a list of the major mage archetypes would be a useful thing to have. So here it is! Although each class has several archetypes to suit it (there are even several archetypes that would suit several different classes) I’ll be focusing on the ones suitable for mages.

Don’t think that you have to pick one in isolation – you may feel that your character can use a combination of archetypes. Be wary about choosing too many though, as it can make your character directionless. It’s better to have a clear focus than wide coverage, much like talent specs.

Also, don’t feel that Mages=Dalarani or Kirn Tor. As you can see from the list below, there’s a huge spectrum to choose from.

  • Dalarani – These are probably the most popular type of mage, particularly for Alliance roleplayers. Formal training and rigorous academic trials are all hallmarks of a Dalaran Mage. Magical research and experimentation are also elements of a Dalarani, although not as common. Subgroups such as the Kirin Tor may also provide inspiration for players of this type. Dalarani tend to wear their power on their sleeve, wearing violet robes and tabards to show their allegiance. Items such as the Dalaran Wizard’s Robe or the Tabard of the Kirin Tor are essential in this regard.
  • Hedge-mage – Traditionally mages that have had no formal training from Dalaran, the hedge-mages used to be rounded up and either forced into Dalarani academies, stripped of their magical ability or even killed. Today they remain mistrustful of the motives of the Kirin Tor, and are strongly anti-establishment. For players that like to be rebellious or those that don’t like Dalaran, this is a good choice.
  • Techno mage – There are mages out there with a proficiency in engineering, augmenting their machines and gadgets with arcane powers. They conduct research in how to make their latest creations even more powerful through the use of their arcane ability. Mages with Engineering and Enchanting professions are ideally suited for this archetype, especially Gnomes and Goblins.
  • Runemaster – Drawing power from arcane runes and symbols tattooed all over their body, the Runemaster wears little armour and carries only the most basic weapons. Ideally suited for melee combat, their physical blows are empowered by the arcane runes that decorate them. Ideally suited to Hordeside players, but can equally be used by players that haven’t rolled a mage. As an example, a Tauren warrior or enhancement shaman would be able to pull off being a Runemaster. Professions such as Enchanting and Inscription are also a good fit.
  • Noble mage – These characters are traditionally aristocracy first and a mage second. They may have been sent to a Dalaran academy for an education, but wield little magical power and are unlikely to have seen combat. This type is ideally suited to low level mages, particularly Blood Elves or Humans due to their strict social structures. Professions are optional – if you’re a noble why do things yourself?
  • Highborne -The original ruling class of the Night Elves, their use of primitive magic from the Well of eternity gradually changed them into a distinct racial group. During the War of the Ancients, many Highborne either fled to Dire Maul, or were transformed into naga or satyr. Other remnants formed High Elven societies or joined Kael’thas Sunstrider to form the Blood Elves. Although Highborne can be played by both Night Elves and Blood Elves, it is ideally suited for those planning to play a Night Elf mage in Cataclysm.
  • Felblood – Essentially Blood Elves that have fed on demon blood and been transformed into demonic hybrids as a result. Usually Kael’thas’s closest mages, the offer of demon blood was seen as a reward for their loyalty. Would typically be played by Blood Elves, although it would need to be handled with care.
  • Wretched – Blood Elves that have failed to control their magical addiction. By drawing on fel energies, they have started to undergo a physical transformation. Wretched can be seen all over the Eversong Woods. Although this would typically suit a Blood Elf mage struggling to maintain control on his addiction, it could theoretically apply to a mage of any race.
  • Warlock – A class in it’s own right, Warlocks are usually seen as mages that gave up on their academic training in pursuit of even more powerful sources of magic. Drawing upon demonic fel energies and shadow magic, the Warlock is interested in inflicting pain and suffering as well as damage to their enemies. A warlock does not grant foes a merciful death, and instinctively is interested in his own affairs rather than the greater good. Some warlocks seek to hide their demonic pacts from others, remaining integrated in mage societies. Others are open about who they are, feeling that anyone who disagrees with them can eat shadowbolt.
  • Bookworm – Another one for low level mages, this is the mage that studies the theory of magic but has little to no practical ability. If having discussions and debates about magical lore, theory and uses sounds like your cup of tea, this one is for you.
  • Battle mage (Warmage) – Usually armed and well trained in melee combat, the Battle Mage is usually part of a royal or senior guard. Using their magic to fight alongside warriors and rogues, their use of magic has been refined to a collection of simple gestures and rituals that gets traded between a close group. The battle mage is ideal for a raiding mage seeking a background, or for those playing part of a city guard.
  • Necromancer – From the depths of Scholomance, the Cult of the Damned have been training former mages in the arts of Necromancy. Some mages such as Ras Frostwhisper have since gone on to become Liches, further aiding the Lich King. The Necromancer role would suit any mage looking to play one of the bad guys. Equally, a former member of the Cult might be a suitable concept. The Cult are not particularly fussy, so this would suit any race.
  • Shadow hunter – One for the trolls! The Shadow hunter is a practitioner of voodoo magics, being neither good nor evil. They draw on the power of dark gods to help themselves and their allies. A lot of their power is surrounded by ritual and ceremony, and as such makes a great concept for a roleplayer. Items such as the Bad Mojo Mask make great props  for someone choosing this archetype.
  • Witch doctor – Another one suitable for trolls, the witch doctor uses their magic combined with alchemy to twist nature to his bidding. Not just suitable for mages, this can also be played by shaman or druid alchemists of the Horde.
  • Ley walker – Rather than drawing their powers from the undead or the Twisting Nether, the Ley Walker seeks to use the streams of power that cross the world, pulling on them like threads in a loom and weaving them to create their spells. Usually outcasts or outsiders, the Ley walker is comfortable in solitude and their place in the world around them. Not exclusive to mages, this archetype is also a good fit to priests, druids and shamen.
  • Blue Dragonsworn – The forces of Malygos have many mages that are allied to them, seeking to control and regulate the use of magic in the world. As with Necromancers and Felblood, this is essentially a case of being able to play the part of the enemy. That said, there are examples of those who have been captured, coerced or manipulated into fighting for the Blue Dragonflight. A character could also play a dragonsworn of a different dragonflight, although there would need to be care in ensuring that the ethos of the dragonflight is aligned with that of the character. Most characters tend to be secretive about any relationship they may have with a particular dragonflight.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor does it contain everything that there is available on each archetype. If a particular one inspires you, it’s worth having a look for further information on WoWWiki.

Also, bear in mind that most roleplay servers have their own roleplay community. It’s worth getting in contact on either the realm forums or the general roleplay forum before creating the character, in order to ensure that the concept works and is a good fit with the server. They also might be able to offer advice and guidance on how you can improve the concept further.

Don’t forget, if you’ve got anything to add or have any questions, feel free to post it in the comments!