The Queue: No time for games
by Michael Gray 
Jun 14th 2010 at 2:00PM
I'm pinch-hitting today's column, which means time is running a little short. While I'm not quite on an "oh my god, hurry up" level, I like to leave a little time to re-read what I wrote, and know that I wrote what I read. So, sadly, it leaves me no time for games. Thus, the above picture.
Osirus inquired:
"Do you have any staff on hand that likes Jazz?"
Quite definitely. My wife and I took dance lessons some time ago, and I enjoy cutting a rug with her immensely. It helps to take the time, dance around a bit, and just be focused on how very, very much I love her. Jazz is great for that.
Pete quite reasonably asked:
"I know that 'downranking' (or whatever it is called) is not an optimal idea for leather, mail, and plate wearers. However, what is the point of allowing them to do it? I am very tempted to grab pieces of cloth gear for my holy paladin, even though I am missing out on the armor. However, on my priest, I am unable to even think about making this armor 'downrank.' If Blizzard does not expect plate/mail/leather wearers to want downranked gear, why even give them the proficiency? Why not specify that paladins can only wear mail and plate? And druids only leather? etc."
Because wasted gear sucks. If there weren't at least a little flexibility in who can wear which form of armor, then there'd be wasted armor all over the place. There'd be a gigantic spill of wasted armor inexorably making its way toward the coast of Azeroth, with inadequate accountability or appropriate response stemming the tide of disenchanted armor. Not that I'm saying anything. I'm just saying, wasted armor sucks.
This problem will actually become a little more minimal in Cataclysm, when characters will receive a small bonus for wearing "their" appropriate type of armor.
GrumblyStuff asked:
"Has there been any more profession news? Anything on inscription and maybe putting that unused middle glyph to use? Do you think they'll stick with the "5% damage buff here, 20% cooldown reduction there" mentality or try something closer to the original description of er.. inscription?"
Well, now that you mention it, there has been some news. There's not a great deal happening for most professions, but it's funny you should mention middle glyphs. Really, though, it's a little early to say what those middle glyphs will do. They'll mostly be glyph-like.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com 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 1 of 7)
Heilig Jun 14th 2010 2:05PM
Are they prepared for the tidal wave of QQ from scribes that are about to lose their very lucrative business when we start to only ever have to buy a glyph once?
Styvorama Jun 14th 2010 2:18PM
I'm sure they are ready for the QQ when they change a NPC's shoe color. I'm sure they went code red to prepare for the news on the scrapped concepts.
I think one of the Archeology drops should be an Epic box o tissues/hanky.
shkss Jun 14th 2010 2:24PM
To be honest I'm a scribe on one character and I don't really bother selling glyphs. Vellum's where it's at baby.
JiBJUB Jun 14th 2010 2:24PM
From GhostCrawler:
"We’re going to focus inscription on more of the non-glyph aspect of the trade skill. So, Darkmoon Faire cards, trinkets, offhand items, things like that. We also want to tie the ability to change glyphs into inscription. We’re not sure of the name yet but the idea is that scribes would basically sell a kind of eraser and the eraser is what allows you to blank out your glyphs and write in new ones"
http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/games/159702.World-of-Warcraft-Cataclysm/features/135036.20100613.Blizzards-Greg-Street-on-new-systems-in-Cataclysm/page2/
pwned.
Hal Jun 14th 2010 2:30PM
Inscription could always end up able to make relics (librams, totems, idols, etc.). It would certainly be sensible, as those items are not easily available, especially while leveling. I'd love to see that.
They're switching from a model like enchanting to one more like blacksmithing/tailoring. People will adjust.
Squirr3llywrath9 Jun 14th 2010 2:31PM
They really need to do something about inscription to make it a little less profitable. Made a Ally Druid on a server I have never been on two days ago. I now have 80g selling nothing but glyphs.
tatsumasa Jun 14th 2010 2:32PM
scribes do not make money off of glyphs at all. none. maybe when wotlk first came out but at this point they are there solely for the purpose of leveling the inscription skill. think of them as the green gear you make to level smithing, leatherworking, tailoring, and jewelcrafting. when i had finished power-leveling my scribe (just to try something new) i was left with a bank full of glyphs that i am still selling to this day for a couple gold each when most of them cost far more than that to make.
the only money making from inscription comes from making vellums and runescrolls.
Chairman Kaga Jun 14th 2010 2:48PM
The profitability of Inscription is very much server-dependent, and I suspect is largely a function of population. On one of my servers (low/med pop) glyphs simply don't sell -- I can mark them down to 50s and they still fail. And we're not talking junk glyphs here, either -- we're talking ones that are viewed as mandatory on sites like EJ.
I imagine that on a busy server with lots of turnover from players respeccing and trying new things, that glyphs might be easy money, but this is certainly not true everywhere. So I am rather glad to see Blizzard attempting to shift the focus of the profession. As it stands I have a complete scribe (450, every recipe known) that really feels like it was a waste of time and money.
ZeroCool Jun 14th 2010 2:53PM
Honestly, now, inscription will become more similar to leatherworking, blacksmithing, or tailoring. Since everyone will only need to buy one copy of each glyph, the glyphs can be sold for much much more, more like armor from the above professions. Runescrolls and vellum will be more frequently produced at a low price. Imagine glyphs, which now are sold for 10 gold, will be sold for 50-100 gold. Inscription is not dead, by a long shot.
Pyromelter Jun 14th 2010 2:58PM
Something tells me that all of inscription may be revamped somehow. Blizz almost made it seem like glyphs will be trainable by class; and what a Scribe might do is sell an eraser of sorts that allows people to erase a glyph to put a new one in. It seems like kind of a waste to even attempt to sell class-based glyphs on the AH if they are all just "learn once, never need again" type deals.
This further leads me to wonder if Blizz is considering tri-specs, as the major cost for respeccing oftentimes is the re-glyphing, and if they are removing that as the money-maker for Scribes, they wouldn't have any in-game economy reason to withhold allowing characters a third spec.
In any case, it seems as though inscription will be going through a massive change come cataclysm.
Heilig Jun 14th 2010 3:13PM
"scribes do not make money off of glyphs at all. none. maybe when wotlk first came out but at this point they are there solely for the purpose of leveling the inscription skill."
You're doing it wrong. I make 1000+ gold every day in profit from glyphs. It takes a little automation and a few logins to cancel/relist during the day, but glyphs are still HIGHLY profitable
Rob Jun 14th 2010 3:27PM
@tatsumasa
That's right, nothing to see here, move along...
I'm gold capped on one server and would be gold capped on another if I regularly did not dump 1000s (10,000s) of gold into my guild for raids, mostly from glyphs. Now, is early inscription profitable? No. You have to do the research. And on bad servers, the market is small.
However, I expect to make an absolute killing on inscription when cata hits, and the profession will be just as profitable as it is now, mark my words. The amount of clients who regularly swap out glyph of (say) typhoon with something else is really pretty small. Most people, including me, fire and forget. So, things will not change all that much. You'll see. The major issue? We won't have nearly enough herbs to generate the 1000s of glyphs like we used to. Expect those in-demand glyphs to soar in price. I plan to start at 100g when cata hits and be very stringent about what I sell at. I now have a threshold at 4g, I plan to bump that to 20g at least when cata hits, due to the herb shortage. I just wont have enough stores to generate all that. I'll still make money hand over fist. A smart goblin adapts.
Sleutel Jun 14th 2010 6:50PM
@Styvorama
"I think one of the Archeology drops should be an Epic box o tissues/hanky."
They beat you to it already, though the item is gray:
[Tear Stained Handkerchief] http://www.wowhead.com/item=18233
Alden Jun 15th 2010 1:08PM
I hope they do the same thing to all professions.
If you buy 1 eternal belt buckle, you can keep reusing it no matter how many times you upgrade your belt.
Once you pay to enchant your chest with +10 to all stats once, you always have it, no matter how many chest pieces you go through.
If you buy one flask, you can use it as many times as you want.
Once you buy thread for your pants, its automatically applied to any new upgrades you ever get as well.
This is only fair...
Vacasta Jun 14th 2010 2:06PM
What's the best way to camoflauge yourself to do some world PvP ganking if you're not a NE or Rogue? Noggenfogger Elixer to get real small? Is there any way to hide your nametag from enemy players?
Meatwadz Jun 14th 2010 2:32PM
I believe they make a potion of invisibility. Though.. invisibility means you can't see THEM either.
tatsumasa Jun 14th 2010 2:42PM
you've asked this the past two queues as well and received answers in both queues' comments.
if you want to gank people, play a rogue or druid. that is the focus of those two classes (i'm talking about feral kitty druids btw.) if you want to gank people as a priest, you're going to have a difficult time as that is not the play-style of that class. even ganking players on rogues and druids can be rough, as smart pvpers already have set up and know counters to stuns.
there is no way to hide your name. people have told you this over and over. you're not going to be able to just go waltzing through your pvp realm like a miniature wrecking ball, one-shotting everyone you come across unless you go to lowbie areas in contested zones. and by asking over and over, and using the word 'gank,' that's what it sounds like you want to do. if you have a bad day at school, find another way to work out your frustrations than by trying to kill players without them having any chance of doing anything about it, because this game isn't set up to let you do that.
James Jun 14th 2010 2:57PM
If you are an affliction lock you can use Corruption, Curse of Agony, Unstable Affliction and Fear all from behind a bush with nobody knowning where you are.
However, the best place to gank as a warlock is Hillsbrad because you can Curse of Weakness and chain Fear melee, or Mana Drain and Fear casters. Either way they lose their 10% when the friendly mobs kill them.
To horde levelling in Haomarush EU, I apologise :(
Pyromelter Jun 14th 2010 3:06PM
I saw a guy drink about 50 pygmy oils. He was about 3 pixels tall.
Heilig Jun 14th 2010 3:16PM
That's odd. Every time I drink 5 pygmy oils I turn into a gnome and my size buff resets. I guess that's just me though. Surely no one would lie about something so easily verifiable just to sound cool on the internet.