Breakfast Topic: Do you save stuff for nostalgic reasons?
by Josh Rose 
Feb 5th 2011 at 8:00AM
Nostalgia is a funny thing; it often lets us remember only the good and forget the bad. We look back with rose-colored glasses on the past, thinking how awesome it was. In real life, people hang on to odd souvenirs as memory triggers, and sometimes it is the same in game. There are old drops that took us a long time to get or signified a first kill of a boss in a previous expansion, things we just cannot seem to vendor or throw away because it feels like cheating on the memory. So we hold on to these items, allowing them to clog up bank slots so that whenever we go digging through them for an obscure item we currently need, we get that pleasant flashback.
For the longest time, I was a borderline hoarder of nostalgic items. I had my full Stormrage set in the bank from vanilla, my tier 6 and my SSC trash staff from BC, and a few other random pieces, even including a Wildheart helm. I used them to not only remember the old raids and guilds, but friends who left WoW or switched factions or servers. However, it would be a quick, wistful moment -- then I would grab whatever I needed and close my bank back up.
The trouble was, the amount of items and the randomness in which they were fit into my bank created chaos, and as I was collecting tabards for my 25 tabard achievement and gear sets for achievements, I simply ran out of room. So I purged my bank, selling any and everything with a cash value. It was a little tough, but I moved on.
Do you have items in your bank purely for nostalgic reasons? If so, what items did you keep and why? Have you ever had to purge your bank when it began to fill up?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Whyisretgimped Feb 5th 2011 8:07AM
I get upgraded bags just for nostalgia gear in my bank. I think I have two empty slots now that 22 slot bags are easy to get.
Let's see...
Full T0 (well really .5 since I did the upgrade quests way back in the day)
Full T1
Half of T2
Half of T4 (no one ever did T3)
About 12 tabards
About 20 weapons from the original Quel'Serar on up...
A host of holiday items
Two full sets of level 70 epics that dropped from the obelisks that heralded the coming of the Lich King
Zul Gurb memorabilia including fish.
Yeah my bank is all about nostalgia...
Quasi Feb 5th 2011 12:10PM
I hear ya, old armor sets are so much fun to save and come back to
Dungeon 1
T2 full
T4 full
T6 Full
T8 Full
T10 also full (theres a pattern here...)
I also have Gorehowl in there for lore, Linkin's sword cause the quest was so epic, and a Judgment crown with original Zul Gurub head enchant. Plus at least one item from every holiday event. Worse, i normally have one bag on my character at all times full of "Toys" like the gnome amulet from ZA, my skeleton guitar from kara that one halloween, my 3 minute bearman wand, iron dwarf tankard, fishing trophy that makes me a fish etc etc.
Tradeskill items pretty much get stored on alts, the bank is for souvenirs. This practice started in Everquest with Inquisitor Seru's unequipable godly sword.
RipeTomatoe Feb 5th 2011 5:08PM
Same here, I have T5-T10 and some of T2
also some random wepaons here and there, like the arcanite ripper (who wouldn't keep that?)
My bank is full of nostalgic stuff lol
gamerunknown Feb 5th 2011 5:45PM
I trashed my T6 and T10 for space. I have full DS2, T1, T2, ZA set, AQ set, benediction, AQ elementium caster weapons, the AQ badge turn ins and a bunch of other quest rewards/things that can change my character. I use 18 and 20 slot bags because I'd have to store them instead of replacing them (ZA bag, Argent Dawn rep bag) I've also kept every trinket that summons a pet and for a time every unique use item like moist towlette, peon sleep potion and tears of elune. Had to use/trash them when turning in Ravenholdt boxes though :(
Barlort Feb 5th 2011 8:13AM
I still have my Linkens boomerang, along with my Rhok'delar and Lok'delar.
Pandalicious Feb 5th 2011 11:31AM
Rhok/Lok ftw. I even still quest with them on my 85 hunter sometimes. :)
Rajinnu Feb 5th 2011 8:18AM
I used to do the same thing.
The night before Cataclysm I purged my entire bank. I was left with like 10 things (that no longer existed at all in post Shattering World)
The rest were sad to go, old sets, items and other things but I figured Cata was a new start for the world and it was time to rid myself of all the junk.. and give me a bank back.
Mal Feb 5th 2011 8:20AM
I keep all my class-specific items. Never did any hardcore stuff back in the day so that's all I got.
Feanora Feb 5th 2011 8:23AM
Hoo boy, on my Death Knight I keep far too much stuff in the bank.
Absolutely every holiday item. I've transferred the few non-soulbound ones to a bank alt, but there's still loads of them.
Tabards, thousands of them!
Weapons, weapons and more weapons. Not just Shadowmourne and Thunderfury, but things like the sword from the last DK starter quest, the sword from Archimonde, an Argent Avenger, Ulduar + ICC weapons, even a Gorehowl.
I also keep full T8 and T10 in the bank. It was painful to do so, but under the severe strain of making space I had to vendor my T7 and T9 sets as they were plain dull.
Unfortunately, thanks to Archaelogy my bags and bank are still an absolute mess.
Valorum Feb 5th 2011 8:26AM
Thousands of tabards? Do tell.
Feanora Feb 5th 2011 8:36AM
Like ninjas. So numerous as to be uncountable, and they're all running up the walls.
(Although my 25 tabards achievement indicates I only have 24. Humph.)
Noyou Feb 5th 2011 10:08AM
I hoard a little bit. I have 2 storage guilds. Mostly ore and herbs and cooking mats oh and gems. The one thing I wish I saved was my DK's starting armor set. I wasn't as bad as some people. I held onto most of it as I was making my way into northrend. It would have been neat to put it on for say holiday events when I am traveling around. But no. It's gone.
Shane M Feb 5th 2011 10:08AM
You don't really have to keep your tabards do you? I thought you could always just go to the tabard vendor and buy them back. Although, for some you will need the required tokens to buy the tabards (glowcap mushrooms for the Sporeggar tabard).
But, as for the achievement, I believe once you equip a tabard, you can delete it if you aren't planning on using or keeping the thing.
Rhev Feb 5th 2011 8:23AM
Ashkandi - because the drama created over a prot warrior getting it for his offset (Despite the fact that I had double the DKP of anyone else in the guild) caused me to quit wow for over a year.
Culhag Feb 5th 2011 10:09AM
Proof that DKP is bad.
Imnick Feb 5th 2011 12:30PM
No, proof that having any kind of loot system and then arbritrarily disregarding it is bad
Valorum Feb 5th 2011 8:25AM
Judgement armor and an entire scarlet crusade outfit on my pally
Valorum Feb 5th 2011 8:27AM
oh, and Dartol's rod of transformation on my mage.
Omner Feb 5th 2011 9:32AM
This.
My pally will always have his judgement set & the (very manly) purple version from BC heroics.
And of course Benediction / Anathema on my priest.
xarlieb Feb 5th 2011 8:45AM
nostalgia? hell yeah, but its not the only reason why i keep old stuff
my main's bank features tier 0.5, 1, 2, 10, a collection of more than 35 weapons ranging from quest blues from the (old) old world to icc and everything in the middle. oh and also a bunch of stupid and silly vanity items i've come across over the time: mariachi costumes, different vests, stoopid trinkets (piccolo of the flaming fire ofc) or the rainbow generator, tabards, all the usseles stuff you get from archeology and finally all my profession mats and raid consumables.
i think we need some serious upgrades to bag size or bank tabs.