Insider Trader: All about flasks in 3.1
by Amanda Miller 
Mar 27th 2009 at 8:00PM
Patch 3.1, for all of its grand changes, has also dedicated itself to imposing smaller tweaks aimed at making some mechanics more convenient, logical, and fair.
The application of applying a glyph is one of the latest in a line of positive changes that we'll be seeing on patch day. While the old (current) process is a
Currently, applying a glyph requires that the player be standing in front of a Lexicon of Power, usually found in main cities. With patch 3.1, this will change, and we will be able to re-glyph at will.
This means that if you asked your buddy to hook you up for the raid that night, and it arrives in the mail a few minutes before go time, you can just switch it in without having to hearth and be re-summoned. Heck, I'll just be happy to be able to do it from the mailbox rather than having to ride through the city!
While some may complain that this makes the process less special, it might be wise to consider the glyphing change that is accompanying dual specs. Once we glyph our main and off-spec, we will not need to glyph again unless we change our minds on which glyph we want, or spec to our third spec.
The only hitch is that you cannot switch them during combat, in Arenas, or in Battlegrounds once the fight has started, which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
Another major, and welcome change, relates to flasks, which brings us to our topic of the week. I will be addressing the new mechanics of flask creation, and discussing the benefits of the new system.
Currently, each flask grants you a two hour long buff, and Elixir Mastery, one specialization for Alchemists, has the chance to grant you bonus flasks.
Once the patch is live, each flask will last only one hour instead of two. To make this fair, the "spell" cast to make a flask now produces two 1-hour flasks, and instead of having the chance to grant two or three extras, Elixir Masters may get four to six extras.
Your passive skill, Mixology, will work in the same way it always has, and will extend the duration of your flask by one hour.
What will happen to your stockpile of two hour flasks? No need to try to chug them down before patch day. They will be converted into "mixtures" which are then used to create two separate flasks of the corresponding type.
Another bonus is that you can now stack flasks up to 20, and their vendor price is being lowered so that your deposit on the Auction House will be lower.
All in all, you will see no increased cost in materials, no losses from the conversion, and will even be able to auction your goods for a smaller sum.
This change may seem like a lot of shuffling around for little to no gain, but it is actually quite a positive change. Flasks will be more economical for heroics, as Wrath dungeons are notoriously short.
This will also allow raids to raid for an odd, as opposed to even, number of hours, without wasting an hour of flask-given buffs, and will encourage players to actually use them, rather than trying to save them for certain parts of the dungeon.
In addition, this is a very logical change to accompany dual-specs. A character might off-tank for the first hour or so, and then switch to DPS or healing for the next portion, during which a defense flask isn't going to be terrifically helpful!
Healers, for example, could complete the earlier, easier fights with a Flask of the Frost Wyrm for a spell power boost, and later switch to a Flask of Pure Mojo if mana regeneration begins to become a problem.
How do you feel about the change to flasks? If you will be using the dual-spec system, do you think that this will be useful for you?
Each week, Insider Trader takes you behind the scenes of the bustling sub-culture of professional craftsmen, examining the profitable, the tragically lacking, and the methods behind the madness. Check out earlier patch 3.1 profession changes.Filed under: Alchemy, Patches, Items, Analysis / Opinion, Features, Raiding, Buffs, Insider Trader (Professions), Inscription
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Xlade Mar 27th 2009 8:09PM
I'll just need to buy more, since I'm a Hunter that doesn't PvP and the only reason I'll dual spec is to go back and find that silly Spirit Beast. Otherwise, not much difference. I'm glad they're doing this though. My guild is paranoid about performance and makes everybody pop _something_ be it elixer or flask, every run. On three hour runs, that means I've got an extra hour of power and nothing to do with it. >
ginka Mar 27th 2009 8:11PM
The thing I love about Blizzard (3 years and running now), is that if you wait long enough and keep your message consistent, they do tend to come around. They're reasonable people. They want you to play their game, but they don't want their game to play you. I'm not always thrilled with WoW, but overall I've glad I've stuck around.
Iwanttobeasleep Mar 27th 2009 8:27PM
Very welcome change, although it should be noted on rare circumstances elixir masters could also make eight or even 10 flasks.
Graybull Mar 27th 2009 8:49PM
Am I the only one that feels like Inscription is quickly becoming a less and less valuable and interesting profession? I will be the first to admit that we will profit greatly in the short term with the advent of a dual-spec system... But then what?
"Once we glyph our main and off-spec, we will not need to glyph again unless we change our minds on which glyph we want, or spec to our third spec."
If this statement is correct, the market for glyphs will have a very short profitable lifespan. Does anyone have any ideas on how Blizzard intends to compensate for this or encourage players to change glyphs on a regular basis?
Matchu Mar 27th 2009 8:55PM
Glyph duration, your glyphs become useless after X number of days. You heard it here first.
Balius Mar 27th 2009 11:11PM
And the market for any other profession is inexhaustible? Of course not. Leather workers wind up only selling physical leg enchants, blacksmiths sell only belt slots, tailors sell caster leg slots...and scribes sell Darkmoon cards. You are not a special case of neglect in WoW.
fyve & Boomstick Mar 28th 2009 1:11AM
tried selling LW leg enchants recently? On my server they still sell for the same 150g they always did, despite now requiring a frozen orb and despite the nerf to the drop rate of artic fur.
I'm a 450 LW & skinner and i make more money from the fish i catch. I know i'm not alone in saying that unless you're a herber and a miner you wont expect the big bucks from your prof.
Heilig Mar 28th 2009 4:06AM
I make about 1000 a day from JC/Enchanting combo, and that's AFTER spending 1000 on raw materials. If I decide to stand at the AH and monitor what my competition does I can push that to 3-4K, but I just don't need the gold for anything anymore, so I don't bother.
Any profession can be profitable, you just have to be smart about it.
S?hrtogg Mar 28th 2009 6:20AM
No, JC is just an overpowered profession atm, both in stat benefit and profit. There's no way a miner+engineer can make that much profit with the same effort.
But you're right, any profession can be profitable if you're smart, just not as profitable as JC+Ench.
disclaimer: no QQ intended, anyone can reroll JC
Gakihiko Apr 10th 2009 11:19PM
umm... you complaining about it weakening your market? How? everything you complained about already exist, just duel spec means people need twice as many as before. if anthing it with increase the demand.
Matchu Mar 27th 2009 8:54PM
It only benefits the alchemists, of which I am not. So now I'll have to fork out even more gold, either to pay them or to level my own upto a reasonable level.
slartibart Mar 27th 2009 9:23PM
Have you ever heard of the law of supply and demand?
Alby Mar 27th 2009 10:43PM
'It is often called effective demand or abbreviated as 'AD'. In a general aggregate supply-demand chart, the aggregate demand curve (AD) slopes downward (indicating that higher outputs are demanded at lower price levels)'-[look up Keynes for QA or more].
In simpler words, the more flasks there are the cheaper they will be. On the other hand because “Flasks will be more economical for heroics”(and Raids, etc.) and it will “encourage players to actually use them, rather than trying to save them for certain parts of the dungeon.” So imo, because: new content is coming out demand will go up ergo so will the price; more players will buy/use them since the product is more flexible ergo price will go up even more. In the end, the price for 1 flask will likely still be substantially cheaper than now, but the price jump will be seen a lot clearer on the mats, so yes I disagree with “you will see no increased cost in materials” but I still
Alby Mar 27th 2009 10:47PM
but I still
Matchu Mar 28th 2009 1:44AM
"Have you ever heard of the law of supply and demand?"
If a flask currently costs 200g, I highly doubt the kind hearted alchemists will be selling them for 100g or less. Most likely, they will sell for around 150g, thus increasing my gold output. At least for the first few weeks.
SeanOr101 Mar 27th 2009 9:02PM
As an Alchemist on my main character from day one, (1 week after TBC release, total newb) this change will only encourage me to be more generous with flasks toward new guild members and PuG raiders. I welcome this change because every flask is essentially split in half. I am more imclined to think "Here, half for me, half for you."
Alby Mar 27th 2009 10:50PM
but I still love you Amanda and thx for keeping us up to date with all these changes :), itll help a lot of AH players (like me :D) to make a fortune:P
QQ dam missclicks
Rob Mar 28th 2009 12:55AM
This change is BS. I'm taking up Leather.
fyve & Boomstick Mar 28th 2009 1:11AM
HAH HA HA HA! you're a funny guy, i like that
fyve & Boomstick Mar 28th 2009 1:11AM
the lexicon of power thing seems a little backward to me. Before dual specs, you could have feasibly kept a stack of each glyph you needed to change in your bags, and changed them at will and that would have been very handy, but no you had to go to the lexicon of power. Now they introduce dual specs, so more than likely you'd set your glyphs as you wanted them while at the trainer... in a city, and not touch them again untill you respec one of your two, so they change it so you can do it anywhere? is the demand for changing glyphs aftert dual specs on the PTR really that high?
Seems to me like this is done just to save me that 1min ride from the trainer to the lexicon of power that first time. pointless change.