Patch 4.3 PTR: Transmogrification and Void Storage gallery
by Anne Stickney 
Sep 28th 2011 at 1:00PM
My first action after leaping onto the patch 4.3 PTR was to hunt down the Transmogrification and Void Storage vendors immediately. Apparently everyone else had the same idea too, as the little building was crammed full of players eagerly changing the appearance of their gear. Transmogrification is an incredibly simple process, and Void Storage is just as easy -- all that's required is dragging and dropping your gear and gold.
Did I mention gold? There's a lot of gold involved currently. In order to open up your Void Storage vault, there is a fee of 1,000g. Once you've opened the vault, it costs a whopping 100g per item to deposit it into your vault -- and another 100g per item to remove it. With 80 slots available to fill, that quickly adds up to 8,000g just to place all your items into Void Storage. Want to take them out? It's another 8,000g.
Keep in mind, however, this is the PTR and prices may change -- although most players have so much gold on their hands by now that this could almost be considered a needed gold sink.
Check out the gallery for a full step-by-step walk-through of the Transmogrification and Void Storage process, and keep your eyes peeled here at WoW Insider for more PTR news.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Did I mention gold? There's a lot of gold involved currently. In order to open up your Void Storage vault, there is a fee of 1,000g. Once you've opened the vault, it costs a whopping 100g per item to deposit it into your vault -- and another 100g per item to remove it. With 80 slots available to fill, that quickly adds up to 8,000g just to place all your items into Void Storage. Want to take them out? It's another 8,000g.
Keep in mind, however, this is the PTR and prices may change -- although most players have so much gold on their hands by now that this could almost be considered a needed gold sink.
Check out the gallery for a full step-by-step walk-through of the Transmogrification and Void Storage process, and keep your eyes peeled here at WoW Insider for more PTR news.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Filed under: News items, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Mark Sep 28th 2011 1:08PM
If I'm not mistake, didn't a blue post or GC article already state that taking out from the void storage will NOT cost anything, only to put items in?
Minstrel Sep 28th 2011 1:44PM
It would make more sense to charge for withdraw, rather than deposit. The idea is that this shouldn't be "another bank" for temporary storage. It seems that the best way to enforce that, without being too punitive to use it for its intended purpose, is to charge on withdraw rather than deposit.
Of course, if they do intend this to be a huge gold sink (which, obviously, is just another form of game balance) then that's fine.
Chetti Sep 28th 2011 1:59PM
Its kind of like the xp stopper guy, you pay to turn your xp off and you pay him again to turn it on. Its not quite as expensive (10g I think each time), not sure if it was ever higher as I never had use for him prior to the last alt I leveled. 10g isn't a lot (well 20 for the round trip), but if you do it every 10 levels or so, or every 5 depending on why you've decided to stay capped at whatever level, it will add up. Multiply that if you do the process on more than one character.
It seems void storage is going about it the same way, only definitely more pricey if these prices stay when it goes live. For someone who has lots of gold they might think ok, lets fill this thing up. Depending on how often they go back to get stuff out/put stuff in (if its a case of say transmog weapons.. new weapon type means a different transmog item is needed, gotta go get it out of the void.. the cost could add up. Its not like someone would throw 80 things in at once (ok, maybe thats possible) and at some point just withdraw all 80 at once. It'll more likely an over time gold sink. Where yeah, you toss everything you want to in there and once and dump that amount of gold. But then I think withdraws will be like one or two things here and there, maybe swap out some items for other items. Things you need once a year (empty brew steins, holiday costumes) those things will probably sit in voids and collect dust till the next holiday rolls around.. but armor/weapons, thats where the gold will get spent.
HappyFunBall Sep 28th 2011 2:03PM
@Minstrel
To me it makes more sense to charge only on deposit. What happens in the case where you put something in there, then spend all your money and can't get it out?
Minstrel Sep 28th 2011 2:12PM
@HappyFunBall
Can't get it out? That would only be a temporary problem and the intent of void storage is not that you put anything essential (things you need in order to play the game). If, for some reason, you used up all your money, it would mean that a holiday object or an item you wanted to use for transmog would take a day or two of dailies (depending on your motivation) to get.
Snuzzle Sep 28th 2011 2:27PM
I agree, charging on withdrawal would be more logical. Make a popup windw before you deposit an item like there is before you delete a blue/purple. You put in the item, click deposit or something, then a window pops up "Are you sure you wish to put XyZ into Void Storage? Item will be stripped of all enchants and will cost 100g to retrieve." Then you click yes. Since it's intended to be somthing for items you rarely if ever use, the annoyance of the popup window would only happen on day 1 when everyone is putting stuff in en masse.
Aykwa Sep 28th 2011 3:59PM
"Of course, if they do intend this to be a huge gold sink (which, obviously, is just another form of game balance) then that's fine."
The problem of gold inflation is clearly one that Blizzard is creating for themselves. And now they're trying to "clean up" their problem by sucking back in all the extra gold they spit out. There is one inherent problem with that: For people to spend gold on a huge gold sink, they actually have to want it. And if a rich player wants it, so does a poor player. So you either make it crappy enough that nobody wants it (then it doesn't accomplish its goal) or you make it good enough that the "poor" are unhappy because they'll never be able to obtain it.
The problem, friends, is with the SUPPLY side of the gold equation. Blizzard simply supplies too much gold too easily, and does so at an ever-increasing rate as one levels up. The problem Blizz has can be summed up in one simple idea: Blizzard rewards players too much.
Think about this... why do I do my random heroic 7 times a week? It is for VP to get gear... so why are they going to also hand me almost 600 gold when I'm not there for the gold, but for the points to get gear? That's 600g I didn't really ask for or come for, it is just inflation fodder. How about on my paladin, who goes to tank spec for the short queues? I get roughly 1,150 gold a week for doing my random heroics, plus 7 bags with gems and pets and flasks, plus the VP for gear. WAY too much reward. I not only get my cake, but I get 3 cakes and I get to eat them too. Baaaaad.
Or how about when we're all forced to do dailies at the Molten Front so we can get rep and gear and achieves, and fun items? Aren't those things already the reward? Do they really need to reward us with up to 350 gold per day to do our 25 dailies that we are primarily doing for other reasons? Why can't the rep or the gear or the achievements or the items be the rewards? Why inflate even more? Baaaaad.
How about gold rewards when quest leveling? My reward is the XP so I can level, maybe the gear that occasionally comes with it, and the right to go on in that quest line. Do they really need to give me more and more gold per quest as I level? Shouldn't the XP or the gear be enough? Baaaaaad.
Let's say that as a new patch comes out, full of new dailies to do for rep and items, and new dungeons to run for gear. So my pally solo-queues and tanks 7 randoms and does his 25 dailies every day. How much extra gold do I get above and beyond the gear and rep and item rewards which were my real goals? Well, if I estimate also what I loot from all the mobs, the occasional drops, unneeded gear to vendor, the gold spent to repair, etc, I am probably getting close to 2,000 gold per week for this one toon alone. On a server where say 5,000 toons from one faction are doing this, Blizzard is creating (out of thin air, and thus the inflation) 10 million extra gold per week that it doesn't need to create. It is just double rewarding people when it doesn't need to.
The solutions are simple. And though we may have some grumble about them, I think most people will understand the problem and solution if it is explained well.
-Take gold rewards off running dungeons through the LFG system.
-Remove gold rewards from the satchel that tanks get for running dungeons.
-Remove gold rewards for all dailies that have other rewards (like rep).
-Remove most of the gold given for regular quests by flattening it out so higher level quests don't increase the gold received nearly as much as they currently do.
-Drastically reduce the vendor values of most items/gear, again flattening it out so higher level gear takes the biggest brunt of the hit.
Once they remove a huge chunk of the EXTRA gold from the game that they are currently creating (and that players really didn't ask for) Blizzard won't have NEARLY as much of a need to create gold sinks. And players who currently keep themselves afloat by just running off to do a couple dailies here and there for the gold will actually have to find a productive and useful way to earn/keep their gold. For example they'll gather more or be willing to spend less, both of which will bring down prices for materials and items.
In the end, I believe it will mean lower prices and eventually a lower disparity between "poor" players and "rich" players. And it will better align the efforts put in by players for rewards with the actual rewards received.
Noyou Sep 28th 2011 4:43PM
Well, shit. I have at least 20-30 items I want to put into void storage. If they think I am going to shell out 1000g + 100gx30 to put that in there they can go [bleep] themselves. Yeah gold is a lot easier to come by but that doesn't mean I want to throw it away.
Rolly Sep 28th 2011 1:06PM
Well if gold prices stay like that void storage is something I'll never use.
You never mention the transmogrification cost. What might that be?
Is it as unreasonable as void storage?
Amanda A. Sep 28th 2011 1:20PM
It seemed close to reforge cost, so it's likely based on vendor value on the item.
luispintoaveiga Sep 28th 2011 1:25PM
I have to agree. 1k to open up Vs is ok, but 100g to deposit OR remove an item? Heck, 100g just to deposit is insane! I'd much rather keep my favourite mog' items in the bank.
Bellajtok Sep 28th 2011 1:29PM
Based on vendor value? That'll suck for the guild heirlooms, with their vendor value of 300g.
Didax Sep 28th 2011 1:30PM
I actually hope that the price remains the same.
I look at Void Storage as being a gold sink.
It's cosmetic, doesn't directly affect gameplay, and has wide enough appeal that those middle-of-the-road players will likely use it.
This is GOOD for the economy. The more players use it, the less gold in the economy, and the cheaper all goods are on the AH.
loop_not_defined Sep 28th 2011 1:45PM
Transmogging for an ilvl 365 one-handed axe was ~26g.
Initially I was okay with the cost...but I honestly cannot think of what I would put in there, if it will ALSO cost 100g to take out. More specifically, if I put it into Void Storage, that's where it's going to die...because justifying the cost of retrieval will likely never happen.
Klausse Sep 28th 2011 1:46PM
It should be noted that Blizzard has said that it envisions Void Storage as more like an archive of items, to be used occasionally, rather than continually accessing it. They don't want it to be a second bank. They have to set the cost of depositing/withdrawing items from Void Storage at a high-enough level to encourage this stated goal.
Still, 100g seems a bit high. Right now, I can easily see myself incurring 4-5K in storage costs on Day 1 of patch 4.3, simply by cleaning out all the collected gear in my bank. Add on the 1K fee to open Void Storage and that is a serious chunk of change.
Minstrel Sep 28th 2011 2:00PM
@Klausse
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"It should be noted that Blizzard has said that it envisions Void Storage as more like an archive of items, to be used occasionally, rather than continually accessing it. They don't want it to be a second bank. They have to set the cost of depositing/withdrawing items from Void Storage at a high-enough level to encourage this stated goal."
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If Blizzard will let us transmog models stored in our void storage, without forcing us to pull it out and have it in our bags, then the concept is sound. It would essentially be 100 gold to add a skin to our "skins bank." But since right now you have to have the item sitting in your bag, then they *are* tacitly encouraging us to use these items continually...assuming we want to transmog.
Klausse Sep 28th 2011 2:12PM
@Minstrel
But, you still have a bank for that purpose. Personally, I see Void Storage as a way to get all of the gear I've accumulated in 6+ years of playing WoW out of my bank, freeing up that space for other things. The gear that goes into VS will probably be items that I don't plan on transmogging with right away or regularly, but want to keep for some other reason (sentimentality, uniqueness, etc.) For items or item sets that I want to switch between more frequently, I'll use my bank.
VS gives me the option of dusting off that gear in the future if I choose, albeit for a fee.
Minstrel Sep 28th 2011 2:16PM
@Klausse
It could be that I'm very atypical, but most of what I'm accumulating (and it's been a boom recently, since they announced transmog) is for transmogging. There isn't a lot of items I feel sentimental about. So I was thinking of void storage as a place to keep the overflow of items to be used for transmog, and it seemed like a lot of others were thinking that way, too.
Obviously, if I'm unusual, Blizzard shouldn't be designing for edge/niche cases like me. I really have no idea whether your situation or mine is more common!
Klausse Sep 28th 2011 2:18PM
@Minstrel
True, that is a valid concern. I guess we'll have to wait and see...I think we're both hopeful that the price will come down! :)
Starlin Sep 28th 2011 2:21PM
If the prices are a big problem, I highly recommend you voice your concerns on the PTR forums so the devs will read it. Blizz devs pay close attention to that forum during PTR.