Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: From Hell's heart I stab at thee...
by Adam Holisky 
Feb 12th 2009 at 8:00PM
To the last, I will grapple with thee...
From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!
For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!
Iceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Stooooooone!
Dyluck asked...
"I was wondering, do the EULA and TOS really change each patch?"
It doesn't. The last change to the End User License Agreement (EULA) and the Terms of Use Agreement (TOS/TOU) happened back on July 29, 2008. Grelk mentioned in reply to your question that Blizzard has released a new product, essentially, and that they need you to accept all that stuff for the new version – which makes sense.
We'll have to take a look the next time a change in the agreements comes around, probably after a major (3.1, 3.2, etc...) patch or closer to the next expansion.
Chris asked...
"Is there any way to reorder your list of characters on any given realm?"
Nope. And I wish there was too. I just picked up an iPod touch today and I'm having fun playing with various apps. Lots of dragging and dropping, something that Apple has been all about for 15+ years now. Too bad WoW doesn't emulate this.
Delshay asked...
"What are the best money making dailies for level 80s to do? They don't seem to pay out as well as the Isle of Quel'Danans dailies and the others we had at level 70."
There are two ways to look at doing daily quests. Which are the quickiest, and which reward the most money? I've found that the proper balance occurs in the daily quests out in Sholazar Basin with the Oracles.
I can knock off 3 of those in about 30 minutes, which is quite fast and get around 50 gold in the process. Some people are having a lot of luck out with the Sons of Hodir daily quests, and they get so quick at them it only takes about an hour to do them all – netting around 100g or so.
The important thing to remember is that each server is going to be different. Some will be more populated at certain times of the day than others. Test around a bit and try to figure out what works where you play. Don't be afraid to experiment! Once you find a quiet time to daily work, you'll be making money very very quickly.
Sae asked...
"Any word regarding when/if/how our gold ol' Riding Crops will be making a return?"
None, and I wouldn't expect any either. Plans for the riding crop seem to have fallen by the wayside. I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of inscription that ups riding speed, or some sort of potion/flask, but that's really all I see in the future. By all accounts Blizzard really wants to get away from "must have" craftable items and the like, and this is just part of that.
Finally...
Let's go off-WoW for a minute and talk about an offhand comment I made yesterday about EVE Online's crafting system.
EVE Online is a space based MMORPG. It's a huge game, all on one server with about 250,000 to 300,000 subscribers. There are anywhere from 25,000 to 50,000 connected at any one time. The game takes place in a gigantic universe, where you explore, mine for goods, wage epic battles, and fight against the evils of the galaxy. The learning curve is horrendous. While I think to really understand and be successful at WoW theory crafting you need a grasp of basic calculus, in EVE it is doubly so. It's not a game for kids or people who's interests change every day. It is a serious, hard core, real consequences game. Make one mistake and you'll find yourself set back months or years of gameplay. And I'm not kidding either.
Nearly everything in the EVE universe is crafted by players. You learn things to make by gaining patterns, or blueprints, and then farm the materials needed to make the item. Rinse and repeat a few million times and you've got yourself a shiny new starship. The difference between WoW's and EVE's profession system lies in how the crafting systems actually work. It might take a few days to farm up mats a new shield you want made, and then it's just a matter of clicking one button. In EVE (and to be honest, in EQ2 as well), crafting anything beyond the most basic item requires tons of planning and farming. We're talking weeks and months here, not days.
Many players who become familiar with different MMOs point to EVE and EQ2 as prime examples of what a fun and challenging crafting system can be like. It would be amazing to see some sort of advanced crafting system come to WoW, but chances are slim since the mindset of EVE (hard core is great, buh-bye noobs) and the mindset of WoW (we have room for everyone) is pretty different.
Oh, and by the way, I was not part of Band of Brothers, I was just being silly and referencing their destruction. Massively had some excellent coverage of it if you're interested in learning more.
Tomorrow I'll be doing a special edition of The Queue, tackling a single question left by a U.S. Marine in Iraq, asking how the game has changed in the year he's been deployed. Should be a good one.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 5)
jaypyne Feb 12th 2009 9:06PM
My main is a tankadin, i have cleared naxx, sarth and voa as my guilds MT. Im still using my wyrmrest accord revered chest - Breastplate of the Solemn Council. I got massive skeletal ribcage from sapphiron the other day, but im unsure if im going to equip it as i lose dodge and block rating and a full 10def (thats a lot of regemming and chanting)
JBurg Feb 12th 2009 8:49PM
I don't find any epic ones either, but if you are just starting out you shouldn't need epics. There are several nice blue (superior) quality tanking chests though. I like the "Breastplate of the Solemn Council" that you can pick up once revered by the Wyrmrest Accord or "Sun-Emblazoned Chestplate" off the Ironshaper in Halls of Stone (Heroic).
Mohrlock Feb 12th 2009 9:07PM
Thanks J :)
I was tempted to go the PvP chest again like I did during BC-times... Can normally spare the odd slot here and there without it needing defense on it.
Currently using the chest from The UP quest which does the job, just trying to work out plums and couldn't find any til you step into Naxx :)
AyaJulia Feb 13th 2009 1:09AM
Check this out, it's awesome.
-wowhead.com -> hover on Items -> Armor -> Plate -> Chest
-From the box on the right, click Epic
-Where it says "level" (NOT required level) type 187 into the first box--all gear from level 80 dungeons and better are item level 187. Epics are always 200+, but 187 will cover you if you decide to look for blues too.
-Click "Create a weight scale" -> Select Warrior -> Select spec and desired gemming quality.
-You might want to add additional filters, such as "Spellpower = 0" to filter out Pally plate.
This is what I got from following the directions I just typed out, assuming you're Fury.
http://www.wowhead.com/?items=4.4&filter=qu=4;sl=5;minle=187;ub=1;cr=123;crs=3;crv=0;gm=2;wt=117:77:114:20:119:96:21:103:41;wtv=100:34:33:22:18:18:12:3:1
I find a ton of great gear this way. Wowhead's filters will get you really far. :)
Mohrlock Feb 13th 2009 3:09AM
Thanks for the tip Aya :)
Definitely agree it's awesome, and alot easier to use for searching than Thottbott! I'd forgotten all about using WoWhead for item searching, even though it's the driving force behind one of my favourite addons; Lightheaded :P
Bob Dewane Feb 13th 2009 10:07AM
Can't you grind the T7 chest for 80 Badges of Heroism? Run heroics for other pieces you want and save your badges for that.
Mohrlock Feb 13th 2009 10:37PM
Sure can & will Bob :)
There was a post left much later than these that stated the same thing. Be grinding out the shoulders as well if that is possible.
I have several H's that I am looking for gear from (as my Armory well and truly shows!) so should end up with alot of badges over the course.
Not to mention running HoA 10/25 when I can will give me extras. If only we had some dailies that had a chance to give you badges like the 3-4 that we had during Quel'Danas :*(
Josh Warner Feb 14th 2009 3:33AM
Shoulders are one of the few slots that you cannot really plan to get an epic equipped pre-raids. Boots are the other slot of note.
Both of those are technically available (Tempered Titansteel treads crafted via BS, and Wapach's [sp] Shoulders of Solidarity is a BoE world drop) but there are better boots available in heroic Old Kingdom (Terrace Defense Boots) and you probably won't have several thousand gold to spare for the shoulders. If you do have the gold though, they are probably worth it for the massive chunk of Defense and Expertise they grant.
Look for ilvl 200 blues for those slots. They'll be first priority for upgrading when you step into 10-mans. If you have really bad luck and are still wearing them in 25-mans, the Emblems of Valor yield two best in slot items for progression tanking: t7.5 shoulder token and Kyzoc's Ground Stompers. However, it'll take 100 Emblems of Valor to acquire both, which is well over a month if you're only partially clearing Naxx 25.
Mohrlock Feb 15th 2009 7:44PM
Thanks for your very informative reply Josh :)
Blizz must like gimping tanks (and am sure plenty of other classes) on shoulders. I remember in BC it was getting the D3 shoulders or bust until raids for tanks; I ended up using Pauldrons of Gruesome Fate for my entirity of BC once I got the badges together :)
Kyzoc's definitely are nice boots & knowing that EoVs can buy the 7.5 shoulders is great to know!
I've gone from a fairly hardcore (time-wise) player to a quiet casual one, cutting my WoW hours from 25+ hours all the way down to just a few hours a week now (that kinda happens when you /gquit). Which basically means if I want to gear myself I have to chose my time wisely at the moment :)
An alternative for EoVs could be doing H-HoA everytime it's open and I'm not raid locked, which could help cut down time as well as getting into OS25 & Naxx25. *runs back to researching*
actodd Feb 12th 2009 8:44PM
Has the removal of FAP done anything positive for druids? I mean, are there any top teir weapons now that we didn't have access to before. After reading Allison Robert's Shifting Perspectives article on feral druids, it doesn't seem like it, all the 'top pick' items were staves. Most of the other recommended picks were as well (or maces).
With a lack of an appropriate off-hand item, it seems that this change has opened up the 'druid' weapons to other classes, while not really giving us a bigger pool to choose from in return.
Atros Feb 12th 2009 8:52PM
Actually, it opened up a lot of weapons. Remember, most of the good melee maces that had solid stats, but no FAP, are now solid choices. As well, in the same patch, Polearms were opened up for Druids. So, while we don't have any of the awesome swords or axes, druids are finally in a solid place as far as weapon choices go.
Further, I expect to see some more tanking-skewed 2hand maces and polearms to come, for both Bears and DK's.
Takashi Feb 12th 2009 8:35PM
Wow, Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan.
I was just watching that last night on Cinemax.
Probably my favorite Star Trek movie.
Duck Knight Feb 12th 2009 8:56PM
It's really too bad Ricardo Montalban died just last month. Guess that means Kirk won in the end after all.
d503 Feb 12th 2009 8:41PM
Hodir quests can easily be done in 30 minutes...even during key spawn camp times...and they're the most time efficient due to the consolidation of quests...you get, what, like 6 dailies quests all in the same subzone...at Revered at least...
Very easy...
Malkavos Feb 12th 2009 11:16PM
My "optimal quest line" for SoH is to start by heading to the ice fields, doing the quest there first, getting drops and freezing shard things... then head north and blow hodir's horn.
After that head back west, jump in the worm/ooze cave and get 5 oozes. Run out, start following the wolf around, and using the tooth thing on the worms outside. You should be able to get 5 worms by the time you've discovered 3 spies.
Finally, heal up, search the skies for a proto drake, and start Thrusting Hodir's Spear. Once you have the rhythm of this quest down, you will finish it somewhere over Dun Niffelheim, putting you in the primo spot to turn in all the quests and go on your merry way.
Richwarf Feb 12th 2009 8:48PM
errm
ok i still trying to work out how the hell did eve get into this post...
Help?
Matt Feb 12th 2009 9:02PM
Last Queue he said he wished WoW's crafting system was more like EVE's. He elaborated today.
destroyboredom Feb 12th 2009 8:59PM
I have a question about 3.1. There was a recent blue post on the development of new content and a blue basically said that "for instance, a lot of art and programming for Ulduar has been in progress since before Wrath was released, and is very much still in progress now."
I thought at one point before the Wrath release or very close to release Blizz was quoted as saying 3.1 was pretty much done. Am I wrong here or was it something along the lines of what they said recently?
Steve Feb 12th 2009 9:00PM
When will we see customizable Druid Forms?
Merus Feb 12th 2009 9:08PM
I seem to recall them being in the Wrath beta, and you got them by using an inscription. They took that out when they realised that asking druids to spend an inscription slot for a cosmetic change was a bit unfair.