Honor compensation date announced for recent PVP gear debacle
by Mathew McCurley 
Jul 14th 2011 at 7:00PM
I think this is a pretty good compensation package for players who were not informed of the change in how PVP gear would be handled this season. The biggest issue from the debacle was that players spent a huge amount of time and effort grinding out honor for ilevel 365 gear during the off-week, then spent it, only to see the gear became useless just days later. Now that work has essentially been restored in the form of new, shiny, over-the-cap honor points. You will not be able to earn more honor points until you dip below the cap again, however.
Season Transition Compensation Action
For our lack of forewarning on the inclusion of new item level 371 gear with Season 10 we'll be providing the previously announced (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2794770941) 4000 Honor Point compensation during scheduled maintenance on July 19.
During maintenance, 4000 Honor Points will be automatically applied to all characters that spent Honor on any item level 365 items following the release of 4.2, between the June 28 and July 5 maintenances.
The compensation Honor Points given will be able to go over the point cap, but anyone who goes over will not be able to earn more Honor until they spend under the 4000 cap. Any Honor over the cap will need to be spent before the start of Season 11 when it will be converted to gold. Any characters receiving the compensation honor will also receive an in-game mail explaining the compensation and additional details.
Again, we apologize for not communicating the item level 371 gear introduction, and hope these 4000 Honor Points will offer you some help in obtaining the correct items.
During maintenance, 4000 Honor Points will be automatically applied to all characters that spent Honor on any item level 365 items following the release of 4.2, between the June 28 and July 5 maintenances.
The compensation Honor Points given will be able to go over the point cap, but anyone who goes over will not be able to earn more Honor until they spend under the 4000 cap. Any Honor over the cap will need to be spent before the start of Season 11 when it will be converted to gold. Any characters receiving the compensation honor will also receive an in-game mail explaining the compensation and additional details.
Again, we apologize for not communicating the item level 371 gear introduction, and hope these 4000 Honor Points will offer you some help in obtaining the correct items.
The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new tier 12 armor!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
vertigobliss86 Jul 14th 2011 7:05PM
For anyone? Awesome, I bought 2 or 3 expensive items too =P
Micheal Jul 14th 2011 7:10PM
While I did not do much farming that week, I know guildies who farmed upwards of 20,000 honor. I'm sure they will be thrilled with 4000 compensation.
McGintoy Jul 14th 2011 7:37PM
If everything had been announced correctly, they would have only been able to carry 4,000 Honor over to purchase the new Season 10 gear anyway.
People have every right to be upset about the gold they spent in enchanting/gemming/reforging the gear they bought, or even the time they "wasted" to grind Honor for gear only to have to grind more Honor for the better gear a few days later, but I don't think anyone should complain about the amount of Honor they are being compensated.
Micheal Jul 14th 2011 8:40PM
Yes but absolutely nothing was announced correctly, so your whole point is a bit moot. The people who spent a whole week farming for top quality honor gear would have done so a week later, instead of now having to regrind it all again (minus 4k honor that blizzard will give them).
I don't think you realize the sheer amount of grinding some people were able to do. One guildy got a full honor set for his pally and was half way through his offset. He did this grind because he was certain that the gear he was getting was going to be the best available to him for half a year (he does not do arena or rated bgs). Now while I'm sure he appreciates the bonus 4k honor, he'd rather have his week back to re-grind now that the real top end honor gear is out.
Tfish92 Jul 15th 2011 12:51AM
I think a better idea for people that ground out way more than 4000 honor (since they obviously can tell who did and did not buy gear during that week) would just be to make all of their gear have the 2 hour trade in time put back on it. Sounds like that would fix everything fairly for everyone.
Marbles Jul 15th 2011 12:54AM
To be honest, the whole issue was aggravated somewhat that it was Alterac Valley honour weekend - the Battleground holiday that it is by far the easiest to rack up fast honour owing to the way that Honour is rewarded for destroying necessary objectives which are destroyed almost every BG, even on losses.
If AV hadn't been up, I imagine that most people who racked up huge amounts of honour across multiple alts would simply have been unable to do so.
quickshiv Aug 24th 2011 9:52AM
You might be right that they would have gotten less honor but they would have still spent the same amount of time grinding.
Necromann Jul 14th 2011 7:13PM
I only bought one piece, do you think that might count? The article says any, but it doesn't seem fair to the people ppl who bought a few more than me.
Fawxey Jul 14th 2011 7:17PM
Its not so much the honor lost, as opposed to the potential 1000's of gold in gems and enchants they cant get back.
Phos Jul 14th 2011 7:39PM
This is exactly my situation. I spent roughly between 5 and 7 K on enchants alone for two characters. On the plus side, at least the Call to Arms was AV.
I am happy to see Blizzard trying. They could have easily not.
Matthew Jul 14th 2011 7:24PM
Thats 2 mounts! :D
wat Jul 14th 2011 7:26PM
To bad my subscription ran out yesterday...
Ted Jul 14th 2011 7:27PM
Capped Honor, transferred it in to PvE points (justice?)... capped PvE points this way.
Capped honor again
4.2
Spent honor
PvE points --> Honor
Spent that too.
4k is not enough, but it is better than nothing.
grit Jul 14th 2011 7:54PM
/agreed
I spent a ton of time farming BGs, staying up late. Plus I spent money on gems and chants.
I know someone mentioned not being able to carry more than 4k honor over, but if I had known the gear was going to change in a week, I would have farmed valor instead (or done something else). I purchased and gemmed 3 pieces of tear 9 PVP gear and two non-set items.
4000 "free" honor is nice. I really would have preferred they just swapped out the pieces I bought during that one week for the newer pieces they released. My guess is that would be WAY too much work. This solution is NOT fair or elegant, but it is relatively swift and accomplishes something.
To look at it from Blizzard's POV, they are not under any obligation to do anything. I appreciate their dedication to customer service and willingness to spend some time/effort to attempt some compensation.
quickshiv Jul 15th 2011 7:43AM
Just because you tried to game the system and got hosed over doesn't mean you should get extra compensation. Next time play the game as intended instead of trying to find loop holes.
obeah Jul 14th 2011 7:37PM
I'll take it. It makes me feel good inside that Blizz likes me as a customer enough to do something, anything, to make me feel a tiny bit better, even though I wasn't feeling particularly burned by what went down. That said, I know that for some folks who don't have lots of gold or playtime, this won't fully restore the gold they spent on enchants and gems. And in my case, I only play a rogue and my brain tells me that the difference between 365/371 is functionally meaningless, but the min/max part of my heart likes the shiny "season 10" vanity. So thankee, Blizz, fer the honor point loot bounty, arrrrr.
Oakraven Jul 14th 2011 7:38PM
meh, I will probably just blow it on PvP heirlooms or something by then
Ironcrust Jul 14th 2011 7:40PM
Let's clarify a few things here:
1 - 'Only to see the gear became useless just days later'
This is hardly correct. The jump in stats between the ilevel 365 and ilevel 371 items is minimal. Yes; it is technically better, but not to the point of making the 365 stuff completely redundant.
2 - 'I think this is a pretty good compensation package for players'
Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion like everyone else, but for me personally - and I know a lot of guildies like me - 4000 honour is a drop in the ocean compared to what we actually grind out that weekend. I personally went from hitting 85 on the Tuesday to having full 5/5 holy paladin set, neck, back, bracers, belt, boots and 1 of the rings - not to mention the weapon and shield - by the following Monday. That is a total of roughly 21, 630 honour points in 6 days. 4000 'compensation' isn't 'pretty good'. Don't misunderstand; I'm grateful they've acknowledged the error and I'm grateful they're offering anything as compensation because, let's face it - they don't have to.
3 - I spent an absolute fortune on best in slot gems and enchants for that gear once I had acquired it, which is my other bug bear of this situation. Given the minimal jump in stats I mentioned earlier, it doesn't sting *too* much, but it's still a PITA!
Fair play to Blizz for doing something, boo for not doing (imho) enough.
Ironcrust
Holy Paladin
Ravenholdt EU
Aalokor Jul 14th 2011 8:42PM
You only could have carried 4k over anyway, more if you capped JP as well.
TBH, i wouldn't have been terribly upset if they had done nothing (more than apologizing for the issue anyway) at the very least, it affected everyone equally, both you, and your opponents
personally, i'm more annoyed by the honor that was lost since they cut off the cap early than the gear change.
raine13 Jul 14th 2011 7:41PM
whats would be the point of farming 20k honor when there's a 4k limit? to go buy stuff. and since you can only buy whats offered, those people must have wanted what they were buying, other wise why keep doing it? i hope they ARE thrillled with the free honor.
on the other hand, i held on to my honor. i don't PVP so much, but had planned to start doing it alot more with the new season. since i guessed correctly that there would be new gear with the new season, i held on to my honor, and so i wont be getting a 4k bonus.... and i really could have used it.
its a messed up situation, and i'm not complaining. i'm glad Blizz did something to try to fix things. just seems like an oddly shaped band-aid they've applied.