Ask a Beta Tester: Tradeskills, training, and rep gains

Are they planning to put in recipes for green items between 350-375 to make it easier to grind up professions? Or should i just suck it up and make (obsolete) blue/purple items to level up.
Many professions start with new recipes at 350 skill in Northrend, and some of them at 360. Nobody starts at 375. 360-375 is usually taken up by 'end-game' items so you won't have to grind those out to skill up before Northrend. I recommend checking Wowhead to see where your particular profession starts out.
Locke asked...
I know there's the Wrath Gate cinematic and so on, have you come across or know any other cinematic events like this, or was this the only one? I'm sure there has to be in game scripted events. Thanks.
That was the only one that is actually a cinematic, but there are a ton of scripted events. Wrath's storytelling is incredible, and I think you'll be surprised by just how much happens before your eyes rather than off in the background somewhere.
Chris asked...
In the Classic world, we got new spells and abilities every even level. In the Outlands, we got them at every level after 60. Is it the same for Northrend? Will we get new spells and abilities ever level after 70?
There are new spells or new ranks of spells every level. Not every level has something exciting and not every level has something for your spec, but every level has something. I found myself looking ahead when I was leveling in beta. "Well, I just trained level 73. Should I come back at level 74? Oh, looks like I only get a new rank of Renew. I don't need that soloing as a Shadow Priest, I'll get that at level 75 when I come back to get Mind Sear!"
Those aren't the levels your train some of those things, I just pulled it out of the air as an example, so no spamming the comments with Wowhead links telling me I'm wrong, eh?
barbarion asked...
I really enjoyed The Ring Of Blood in Nagrand. Have they got anymore quests like that in northrend and is there any information about it yet?
Yes. It's in Zul'Drak. You'll love it. I don't want to spoil it because it has a lot of giggle worthy stuff, but I'll say this much: If you're an old school WoW player, you'll run into an old friend there.
Fuster asked...
Will there be any inscription recipe drops or will we only be able train and discover glyphs and books?
I don't know what there will be later in the game, but currently I don't think there are any glyphs or glyph recipes that are drops. It's purely trained stuff and discovered glyphs. I have no doubt we'll see more recipes as the game progresses, but how we'll get them is up to Blizzard. Drops? Reputation? I only pray Scribes don't have to go through what completionist Enchanters had to go through in The Burning Crusade. I still don't have some of them. I shiver with nerd rage.
ermansup asked...
Are there any reputation grinds that make completing quests linked to said reputations unoptimal before a stage such as honored is reached by other means. Like it is in TBC with the Cenarion Expedition and the Unidentified Plant Parts.
I haven't encountered any factions that have those turn-in style rep gains. It's much more heavily based in quests and dungeons, and dungeons don't seem to grant reputation until you're running the level 80ish versions. I may be mistaken and simply missed stuff like that, but I think Blizzard recognized the silliness of early Burning Crusade reputations and axed the turn-in stuff in favor of more quests tied to each faction. The Valiance Expedition has an asburd number of quests tied to it.
Jeger asked...
For most players, the rewards you got from the first couple of TBC quests were good upgrades to the epic gear we already had. Just wondering how long will tier 4,5,6 last us in Wrath? Will I still use my current gear at level 75?
Remember that Burning Crusade had some stat rejiggering that inflated how good early BC pieces were. Stamina values were doubled between Classic and Burning Crusade. So while Wrath has some really great stuff for people that aren't twinked to the gills, it'll be nothing like BC. My Tier 6 and partial Sunwell gear lasted me until the high-70s. I was still wearing most of it at level 80. Level 80 dungeons start replacing it, and you can safely wear it into Naxxramas.
I think it's safe to say Tier 5 will last you from the mid to upper 70s, and tier 4 will be replaceable by 75, and some pieces will have been replaced already. That's just what I figure from my experiences, though. Those numbers may be slightly off.
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 4)
ironblade Oct 29th 2008 4:48PM
well i ment naxx gear (and thats essectialy kara gear now but for lvl 80) unbuffed and i forgot to say warrior coz i am one :)
Iosep Oct 29th 2008 4:48PM
On a pvp server.. is the deathknight starting area separate for the two factions? It would be impossible to do anything if there was not some sort of provision for pvp there wouldn't it?
rogue Oct 29th 2008 4:55PM
Alliance and Horde are in the same area but I believe the "phasing" technology makes it so that they do not see one another while there.
Feanora Oct 29th 2008 4:56PM
Until you complete all the starter quests, you can only see DKs from your own faction.
After the starter quests, when you're in Acherus you'll see the other faction, but it counts as a Sanctuary (Shattrath/Dalaran style area).
Suzaku Oct 29th 2008 5:53PM
While doing the starting version of the area, there are seperate phases for Alliance and Horde. After completing the starting version, Ebon Hold is a Sanctuary, with safe travel in and out that won't require you to cross paths with anyone dangerous if you don't want to.
Alec Oct 29th 2008 4:56PM
Death knight questions: How much runic power is generated when you use an ability? Do only abilities that cost runes give you runic power? Do abilities that use multiple runes give you more runic power?
I've been researching death knights extensively, because I want one to be my main, but I can't find much of anything about RP generation. D=
Slak Nov 7th 2008 3:38PM
Runic power is generated through using abilities that cost runes / a couple other special ones the ammount of rewarded runic power is about the same str8 across .... unless of course u spec to say make XX Strike Generate this much more rune power or in blood u generate so much runic power bein in combat.....TONS of ways really....all i can say is wait till the 13th =P
Vincent Avatar Oct 29th 2008 5:17PM
You generate runic power by using your runes and hitting things. I haven't logged into beta in about a build, but chances are that runic power is still very easy to come by; most likely the reason you haven't heard a lot about runic power regen is because the problem with runic power is more than there's not a whole lot to do with it for the most part.
Still a fairly helpful thing to have, though.
Suzaku Oct 29th 2008 5:54PM
It's not really something to worry about. There are several talents which increase the amount you regenerate. I'm honestly not sure how exactly it generates, because while playing a DK you use a constant stream of abilities, and I've never really sat there and calculated it. I can say it fills up fast, and it seems to almost always be full while I'm in combat.
raful Oct 29th 2008 5:02PM
Are there any cinematic for dk yet?
Khanmora Oct 30th 2008 8:42AM
There's not a DK specific cinematic per se, but there is the opening intro after you create one if that's what you mean. I think WI posted it a while back, and you can find it on youtube as well.
Xtian Oct 29th 2008 5:28PM
Sorry to repost, but I wasn't sure if I got in my question in time.
Some friends and I want to celebrate launch day by doing instances instead of the overpopulated initial quests in Northrend. Are there easy-to-obtain quests for Utgarde and The Nexus? Is it easy to get to those instances? Are there guides or maps that help?
Suzaku Oct 30th 2008 7:23PM
Utgarde Keep is very similar to Hellfire Ramparts. The quests for it are available from the first quest hubs you reach in Northrend, but they may have some prerequisites, I can't recall.
Honestly, I don't think crowding will be nearly the problem it was with BC. There are two starting zones, and they're close to being twice as large as Hellfire was, with about 6 or 7 quest hubs each. On the beta, where servers went through a lot of lag due to the large number of people in the zones, I still very rarely had to put up with crowding. Northrend is also a bit different in that most of the group quests really *do* require groups, for the most part, so it's nice to have people around if you need help.
Khanmora Oct 30th 2008 8:44AM
UK has a few really quick prequests to getting the instance quests. The Nexus is a bit trickier. There's actually a pretty lengthy quest chain to get you the flight up to Coldarra which cannot be reached by ground mount as far as I'm aware.
You can always check out WoWhead for info on the instances, that's what most of us in Beta were doing.
widowmakrtwo Oct 29th 2008 5:29PM
Korrak!!! You magnificent bastard! I knew I would cross paths with you again some day. Thanks for leaving Snowfall unguarded loser.
wrez Oct 29th 2008 5:54PM
I've asked this question before, but as of yet it hasn't been answered that I can see. It regards the Phasing mechanic. I would, if at all possible, like a clarification on how it works before Wrath goes live.
For example, a Guildie of mine completes Quest X, which, through Phasing, alters the way in which he sees the game world. I have not yet completed this Quest. Will we be unable to do anything together anywhere in the game, because the way in which we're seeing the world is different, or will we be able to interact as normal? And if our interaction is limited, how so? Game-wide, Zone-wide, etc.?
I thank you in advance for your consideration of this question.
RogueJedi86 Oct 29th 2008 6:07PM
It only phases very small areas. Like names subzones. So you leave Niffleheim(or wherever) and enter the general "Howling Fjord" region, you're out of the phase. You can have multiple phases going on at any time, depending on where you are in various quest chains.
I don't think groupies on different phases can help you with your phased quests though(beyond healing you, since they would be able to see you in the party, but not your phase's enemies).
Cbeefman Oct 29th 2008 6:05PM
question about ammo
are there any arrows or bullets available in the starting areas that are at least equal to the Kara rep versions?
Druanna Oct 30th 2008 8:44AM
Not in the starting areas, no. =(
There is an ammo vendor in Dalaran that sells all of the rep ammo, but you can't get in there until you're lvl 74 or you've got a mage friend who will port you.
Engineers do get "better than Violet Eye" ammo that they can make eventually, but you'll still be running back to Shatt or Kara for your ammo in the beginning.
gridwerk Oct 29th 2008 6:10PM
Y'know, looking at the picture for this post raised a question that may not be lore or beta related at all: Why is it that the arch-badguys are always home when you go to attack them? Seems like these guys shouldn't spend too much time hanging out about the homestead what with the reputations they have and all. It seems they should be spending an inordinate amount of time away from the missus cavorting with evil and causing all sorts of ruckus.
Mind you, it would make for a dull game if 80% of the time you went on a raid the boss was out in a meeting somewheres but it would make for a more believable experience- not that gnomes and elves and taurens aren't believable enough to begin with.
On further thought, scratch all that, its a dumb idea.