Showing posts with label Items. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Items. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
A day of firsts
Today, I looted my very first purple item, I trained my first level 50 as a master and I accidentally plummeted to my death despite feline grace off a cliff in Feralas, also for the first time. Some firsts are better than others...
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Recipes on the AH
Recipes are one of the most difficult items to buy on the AH (Auction House). Some recipes are learned from a trainer, but could also be a drop, some recipes are purchased from a vendor whilst others are drop only.
The recipes that are trainer, drop tend to be much much cheaper at the trainer. It's not generally a good idea to buy these at the AH. The recipes that are vendor or vendor, drop is also much cheaper at the vendor than the AH. I prefer seeking out the vendor and camping it if necessary to save the 90% AH mark-up. The recipes that are drop only are a good buy when offered at a good price. However, whilst leveling up it's not necessary to own every single recipe. Some recipes will make things that will make money and others will not. Some you will make for yourself and therein will be the value, but you may be able to purchase a far superior finished item from the AH for the same price. It's therefore not as straight forward to decide which purchase is the right one.
The best solution I have so far managed is to first check on-line if the recipe is trainer/drop, vendor or drop. If it's available at a trainer, I never buy it on the AH. If it's available at the vendor, I check where the vendor is and how easy they are to get to. If it's a reasonable journey, I prefer to travel. If it's an unreasonably journey, I prefer to wait until it becomes reasonable. It's a rare pattern that I would pay 10x for on the AH. It hasn't happened it, but it may. The recipes that are a drop is generally a good purchase if it's a good AH price. If you discover that it's not a pattern you truly want to learn, then there's always the potential for re-sell.
When purchasing recipes, I always have a browser open on the patterns/recipes/plans:
The decision process is at least informed by knowing the details. If a recipe is a drop, I tend to look at the market price for the item as well as the recipe, what it disenchants to and the stats on the item. It requires knowing a little bit about classes and which classes favour which stats to accurately predict if an item will have re-sell value. Other than that, it's simply a matter of watching the AH and scooping up all the patterns that are drops that are available for a significant discount. Bargain shopping. Ahoy!
The recipes that are trainer, drop tend to be much much cheaper at the trainer. It's not generally a good idea to buy these at the AH. The recipes that are vendor or vendor, drop is also much cheaper at the vendor than the AH. I prefer seeking out the vendor and camping it if necessary to save the 90% AH mark-up. The recipes that are drop only are a good buy when offered at a good price. However, whilst leveling up it's not necessary to own every single recipe. Some recipes will make things that will make money and others will not. Some you will make for yourself and therein will be the value, but you may be able to purchase a far superior finished item from the AH for the same price. It's therefore not as straight forward to decide which purchase is the right one.
The best solution I have so far managed is to first check on-line if the recipe is trainer/drop, vendor or drop. If it's available at a trainer, I never buy it on the AH. If it's available at the vendor, I check where the vendor is and how easy they are to get to. If it's a reasonable journey, I prefer to travel. If it's an unreasonably journey, I prefer to wait until it becomes reasonable. It's a rare pattern that I would pay 10x for on the AH. It hasn't happened it, but it may. The recipes that are a drop is generally a good purchase if it's a good AH price. If you discover that it's not a pattern you truly want to learn, then there's always the potential for re-sell.
When purchasing recipes, I always have a browser open on the patterns/recipes/plans:
The decision process is at least informed by knowing the details. If a recipe is a drop, I tend to look at the market price for the item as well as the recipe, what it disenchants to and the stats on the item. It requires knowing a little bit about classes and which classes favour which stats to accurately predict if an item will have re-sell value. Other than that, it's simply a matter of watching the AH and scooping up all the patterns that are drops that are available for a significant discount. Bargain shopping. Ahoy!
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
[In]adequate gear
In five hours of play whilst 30 hours of real time has passed, my paladin has levelled from 22 to 26. It does leave me with a slight dilemma regarding gear. Should I be shopping for level appropriate gear and if so, when should I shop?
She has a blue weapon which was fantastic at level 16 when she received it, but now leaves much to be desired. I could make a green two-handed sword with 21.something DPS or I could engage in the endless quest chain which will reward a better blue 2H sword. She does have a looted blue slightly weird spec sword in the bank that requires level 31 - shall I go with the quest or with the homemade green one?
Her current armor leaves much to be desired. Here I hit a similar dilemma. I could make a blue chestplate requiring level 24, but by the time I have all the mats she'll be level 28. By the time she reaches level 31, I'll be able to make an even better blue chest piece, should I wait until then to upgrade? Or should I equip the 'required level 24' item now and hope it'll last until level 33-34 when I would be able to replace it?
The next dilemma is lack of ore. I hate mining. I hate hate hate hate hate mining. Unfortunately for me, I love crafting. I love making my own weapons and armor when I can. I love love love love love crafting. Although the skinning/leatherworking combo is my favourite, it seems like poor judgement to have all four of my alts stuck with those professions. I also have a feeling that I may enjoy it rather less if it becomes that repetitive. After all, how many leather hats can one make? I know that all characters does not need a craft, but I want 'em. I enjoy jewelcrafting and blacksmithing, I just don't enjoy mining for the mats. But that's my cross to bear and I accept that. However, there is never enough play time in the day to ore enough to even make the basic gear just for me. I currently have 10 iron bars in my bag, but I need about 32 to just make the gear I can already wear now. I also lack the additional 'bits', particularly the gems. Auction isn't great since I really prefer not spending gold on mats when I'm really saving up for 4 mounts at the moment...
Catch 22 - I need mats to make gear for myself so that I can easily and with pleasure farm the ingredients I need to level up my professions in order to be able to make my own gear. Without the mats, I don't have the gear and without the gear it's damn difficult to get the mats. (Mats btw is short for 'materials', took me a while to figure that one out)
As with all things in life, it's all about balance and compromise. Spend enough to have reasonable gear in order to be able to farm well enough to be able to make better gear. Where, oh where, is that mid-line though? The goal posts seem to shift with every 4 - 5 levels and I'm in a continuous state of being outdated.
As for loot, forget world drops. Decent drops seem to be few and far between and hardly ever appropriate. Looks like instances is the way to go, but I so wanted to solo up. I cringe at the thought of having to group up with people that I know are going to make life more difficult than it needs to be. Impromptu groups have failure and hassle written all over them.
Time to find a guild maybe? Maybe. I am just so reluctant to let go of my freedom and independence. I like soloing. I don't mind playing with Chris when his mage is available to do some major damage, but the thought of the responsibility that is other people is tiring. I do not play well with others. Particularly since I have great difficulty playing without decent breaks and the longest I can possibly manage in one go once in a blue moon would be around 90 - 120 minutes. And 30% of that would be break time. I can't think of anybody other than my darling husband who would put up with that. And then there's the small issue of potentially having to say: can we stop immediately? I have severe finger problems or the flashing lights of a migraine aura now...
It leaves me with the issue of inadequate gear and the head scratching required to work around it.
She has a blue weapon which was fantastic at level 16 when she received it, but now leaves much to be desired. I could make a green two-handed sword with 21.something DPS or I could engage in the endless quest chain which will reward a better blue 2H sword. She does have a looted blue slightly weird spec sword in the bank that requires level 31 - shall I go with the quest or with the homemade green one?
Her current armor leaves much to be desired. Here I hit a similar dilemma. I could make a blue chestplate requiring level 24, but by the time I have all the mats she'll be level 28. By the time she reaches level 31, I'll be able to make an even better blue chest piece, should I wait until then to upgrade? Or should I equip the 'required level 24' item now and hope it'll last until level 33-34 when I would be able to replace it?
The next dilemma is lack of ore. I hate mining. I hate hate hate hate hate mining. Unfortunately for me, I love crafting. I love making my own weapons and armor when I can. I love love love love love crafting. Although the skinning/leatherworking combo is my favourite, it seems like poor judgement to have all four of my alts stuck with those professions. I also have a feeling that I may enjoy it rather less if it becomes that repetitive. After all, how many leather hats can one make? I know that all characters does not need a craft, but I want 'em. I enjoy jewelcrafting and blacksmithing, I just don't enjoy mining for the mats. But that's my cross to bear and I accept that. However, there is never enough play time in the day to ore enough to even make the basic gear just for me. I currently have 10 iron bars in my bag, but I need about 32 to just make the gear I can already wear now. I also lack the additional 'bits', particularly the gems. Auction isn't great since I really prefer not spending gold on mats when I'm really saving up for 4 mounts at the moment...
Catch 22 - I need mats to make gear for myself so that I can easily and with pleasure farm the ingredients I need to level up my professions in order to be able to make my own gear. Without the mats, I don't have the gear and without the gear it's damn difficult to get the mats. (Mats btw is short for 'materials', took me a while to figure that one out)
As with all things in life, it's all about balance and compromise. Spend enough to have reasonable gear in order to be able to farm well enough to be able to make better gear. Where, oh where, is that mid-line though? The goal posts seem to shift with every 4 - 5 levels and I'm in a continuous state of being outdated.
As for loot, forget world drops. Decent drops seem to be few and far between and hardly ever appropriate. Looks like instances is the way to go, but I so wanted to solo up. I cringe at the thought of having to group up with people that I know are going to make life more difficult than it needs to be. Impromptu groups have failure and hassle written all over them.
Time to find a guild maybe? Maybe. I am just so reluctant to let go of my freedom and independence. I like soloing. I don't mind playing with Chris when his mage is available to do some major damage, but the thought of the responsibility that is other people is tiring. I do not play well with others. Particularly since I have great difficulty playing without decent breaks and the longest I can possibly manage in one go once in a blue moon would be around 90 - 120 minutes. And 30% of that would be break time. I can't think of anybody other than my darling husband who would put up with that. And then there's the small issue of potentially having to say: can we stop immediately? I have severe finger problems or the flashing lights of a migraine aura now...
It leaves me with the issue of inadequate gear and the head scratching required to work around it.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
My First Fourteen Slot Bag
Got my 14 slot bag today. Only had enough tickets for one - so far - and my darling husband decided that I needed it more than he did since I have a gathering profession. Bless him. It's amazing what a different those extra 4 slots make. I'm absolutely smitten, I am. My first very own 14 slot bag.
