Twinked-out NPCs in patch 3.2 thrill twinks
by Mike Schramm 
Jun 25th 2009 at 4:00PM
As expected, the twink enthusiasts over at TwinkInfo are supremely excited about that experience switch coming in patch 3.2 -- not only are they finally getting to stop XP gains on demand, but Blizzard has given them their own little easter egg in the game. We already knew the two NPCs with the switch for each faction were called Behsten in Stormwin and Slahtz in Orgrimmar (get it? "Best in slots?"), but now that the PTR is open, they've discovered something else: the NPCs themselves are twinked out with classic Rogue twink gear. From the Blackened Defias Chest to the Feet of the Lynx (and dual Assassin's Blades with Lifestealing), Blizzard went all out on these guys. As Drayner says, the only thing missing is a 'chanted Fishing Hat.Not everybody is big on twinking -- lots of people think it's annoying to duck into the BGs for the first time and get rolled by an alt who's got a lot of money and time behind them. Fortunately, though, this XP change will not only legitimize twinking even more, but it'll get it out of our way as well, as players with XP turned off will only face other players with XP turned off (other twinks, essentially). Throw in that it's something twinks have been asking for a long time, and it's a win-win for everybody.
Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!Filed under: Horde, Alliance, Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Humor, NPCs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Chukie Jun 25th 2009 4:03PM
pvping any where at max level becomes a fun distraction instead of banging your head into a wall of uber gear. I like this change a lot and I can't imagine those who twink have issue with being able to finally test their skill against an equal level foe.
impurezero Jun 25th 2009 5:01PM
I'm still gonna have to see how this plays out in practice. I never really thought that Twinks wanted to play against equal level foes. If they really did, weren't there already two ways to do that? e.g.:
1) Not be a twink.
2) Reach the level 80 BGs.
souvlaki Jun 25th 2009 6:28PM
@impurezero
I'll give you some of my reasons for twinking and why both my 80s do not PVP:
- Level 80 pvp sucks. It's a constant grind for new gear. Twinking a character you have a set of best in slot pieces which will not change radically from a patch to another.
- I particularly don't like arena PVP, when I have most fun PVPing is in battlegrounds. The pity is that since Woltk, level 80 you must arena to be competitive in battlegrounds.
- There are bad twinks out there (not bad in the sense of noob, but in behaviour) but most of them are there for having a good game. You won't see twinks /afking for honor.
If anyone loves battlegrounds, get a twink. Its easier than ever.
BTW, i read in Twinkinfo that on the PTR they were able to cue to AB and EoTS @ lvl 19. Is this is going live, it's great news!
Aykwa Jun 25th 2009 6:50PM
Win-win? Right now I have my doubts. I enjoy playing against equal opponents, so that will be nice. But in many battlegroups, I fear that this change (along with all the new content and a new BG, and possibly even opening up EOTS and other BGs for lower levels) is going to greatly increase the already questionable queue times for each match. Unless Blizz plans to merge battlegroups for lower lvl BGs (which I think they should), this could drive a number of people out of twinking. I mean, who wants to have to sit around waiting for 30 minutes to play a BG?
Bronwyn Jun 30th 2009 12:00PM
@Aykwa
I do worry about Queue times- but not for twinks, for everyone else. I know at least in my battlegroup the bracket my twink is in (19, to be fair) is *dominated* by twinks. You can tell as soon as you enter a BG that it's full of twinks- with one or two random level twelves per side.
Queue times for the 40s and 50s brackets are probably going to be awful- but then again, at least on my battlegroup, they always were. 4-5 hr wait for AV anyone?
That said, I'm pretty thrilled about the change and as an added bonus it means I'll be able to get a few more choice pieces of gear for my twink that I couldn't grab because she might level up. Though i do worry that she'll get steamrolled with the new glut of druid/shaman twinks that I expect to see any time now with the travel form changes.
SeanOr101 Jun 25th 2009 4:04PM
I agree, it is Win-Win.
And easy to implement. Surely this could have been implemented sooner if someone had given Blizzard the idea.
Avestheman Jun 25th 2009 4:13PM
Play a twink,
You little nub
In real PvP
You're just a scrub.
You spend your time,
Your gold; for what?
To rape some low-level
Nub in the butt?
You're wearing leather,
(Too low for mail)
What you think's awesome,
Is pretty fucking Fail.
Ne'er do you stop
And start to think,
"Why teh fak
Am I rolling a twink?"
100 Killing Blows
On your "awesome" screen shot.
Lets all line up
To stroke you're massive e-Kok.
QQ all you want,
But twinking's for newbs.
BTW, gratz on ur 300th
View on YouTube.
Land Jun 25th 2009 4:22PM
Wow, is that the best, and might i add extremely pathetic, attempt at trying to bash us? And before you go all QQ on how we either can't/won't PvP or endgame raid, you should know that most twinks have high ranked Arena and have cleared a good portion of 10/25man Ulduar, myself including. If you wanna QQ, go bich to blizzard about not giving us this in the first place =P
impurezero Jun 25th 2009 4:57PM
In the immortal words of Mordockk: "You wanna have a rap battle?"
micgillam Jun 25th 2009 5:01PM
I don't know. I'll take the little nursery rhyme over the standard QQ comments. At least it was somewhat entertaining to read.
Protoster Jun 25th 2009 7:26PM
Lol, as far as trash talk goes this is pretty sweet, voting up.
Irshalthra Jun 26th 2009 9:56AM
Content is ridiculously inaccurate, but the creativity is nice. No vote up or down from me.
Worcester Jun 25th 2009 4:14PM
Ooh! I just had a thought! With no XP gains, I could get the Explorer title on my 19! Fun!
Gordal Jun 25th 2009 4:22PM
Possible, if you had a warlock to summon you to the places inaccessible by foot.
Go for it.
Worcester Jun 25th 2009 4:29PM
That gives me another thought. As an Engineer, it's always fun when you get gadgets that help you emulate another class. Maybe Engineers should have some sort of Summoning device? Perhaps you even need two devices. One that the Engineer carries to Summon, the other you give to people you know so that the Engineer can "lock on" to that person's location. Engineers could actually make a little money with this system, similar to the Mage Portals and Warlock Summons.
thebvp Jun 25th 2009 4:21PM
Well, that and you can run instances all you want for multiple attempts to get the best stuff out there, if the RNG wasn't kind to you. Some of these low level instances can also probably be solo'd.
Ironfoe and Hand of Justice for my twink 59 pally (I run all three specs, currently prot with 11k hp)? Yes please.
Maus Jun 25th 2009 4:35PM
Oh ho ho.
Get everyone in your guild to roll a twink and level it to 60. Switch off XP gains.
Hey presto! Looks like we won't need "Vanilla Servers" or "TBC Servers" anymore XD
MechChef Jun 25th 2009 4:39PM
Are the NPC's flagged? Can I sneak in a gank them?
Jackson Jun 25th 2009 4:40PM
So if those that turn off xp gains are put into their own pvp BG's, what happens when they switch it back on and just don't go out and level at all? Wouldn't they then end up in the regular battlegrounds like everyone else? Or did I miss something?
I just seems to me like there's now really just two different battlegroups that can be joined; one with xp on and one with it off?
Slartibart Jun 25th 2009 4:46PM
XP will be gained through battlegrounds now, this answers the post below you as well.