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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: How do you feel after spending time with archaeology?
by Deb Montague 
Nov 16th 2011 at 8:00AM
Right now, I'm taking a break from archaeology. I spent the days between the U.S. holidays of Memorial Day and Labor Day digging from two to six hours, flying up and down Kalimdor, in an attempt to get the Vial of the Sands. I felt someone within my guild should have it. While I had other guild members doing archaeology, they weren't dedicated -- no, the proper term is "crazy" -- enough to spend hours doing this. By the end of August, I didn't care about the items that got me 100 or 200 gold when vendored (Cat Statue with Emerald Eyes and Silver Scroll Case). I just wanted the recipe. Finally, after my fifth canopic jar, there it was. I had all the mats ready, and the day I got it, I could become a dragon.
I almost never use the mount. If someone wants a ride, I transform and we go once or twice around town. But as my permanent ride? No. It's too big and awkward for my tastes.
So was it worth it? Yes, yes it was, but I have been thinking about the archaeology rewards. One of my guild members spent a great deal of time digging in Northrend and has all the purple rewards from that continent. Most people I know do archaeology until they get the Pterrodax Hatchling and the Fossilized Raptor and then quit. They can't stand the grind anymore. I've got the dressing gown and the ring, which have gone to an alt, and I keep The Innkeeper's Daughter in the bank. It was funny at first, but then it just got annoying to have her follow me and then drop over dead when I stopped running.
It seems as if archaeology is a love it or hate it profession. When I ask guild members how they are doing with it, most have given up. They don't like flying all over a continent for a reward they aren't sure of. Even people who I know are completionists have not embraced archaeology as they did cooking or first aid. It seems to rank lower than fishing on the like scale.
We know change to the profession is coming. It's been announced we'll be able to specialize in one culture and dig up only artifacts in that culture. I would have liked that for Tol'vir. It would have made the low drop rate on the recipe akin to running Stratholme for that blasted horse. I can deal with that. It was the need to fly all over Kalimdor that made me feel I was being really stupid for trying to get this.
How has the profession treated you? Do you have everything or did you quit right after you got the raptor mount? Do you think the amount of time you have to spend equals the rewards? Have you even picked it up, or have the horror stories of the long grind caused you to say nope? Do you have a favorite item you've received from archaeology? (Personally, I'm waiting for void storage so I can get these things out of my bags ...)
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Archaeology, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 7 of 8)
Dahk Nov 16th 2011 4:14PM
I trained it on my main the day Cata released. Still only have 1 point in it.
edgeblade69 Nov 16th 2011 12:48PM
HATE archeology. It's only slightly better than fishing. Both are ridiculously boring. Takes one too long to skill up and God forbid to get an item you actually want/can use.
DarkWalker Nov 16th 2011 1:13PM
Sincerely, I was easily able to max Fishing on a few characters. I couldn't level Archeology on even a single character, though.
I find Archeology actually more boring than Fishing, due to the large travel time required. And it's infinitely more frustrating. Doing the fishing daily in the middle of Wintergrasp, with the battle raging around me and combatants taking potshots at me, was less frustrating than leveling Archeology.
Jaq Nov 16th 2011 12:50PM
I am convinced that the troll sword doesn't exist.
Those people you see with it? Blizzard employees who have it equipped just to make you think it exists, and you'll go out and try to get it only to get twenty five gold teeth and just when you think rares don't exist, one finally pops up for trolls and its the DAMN USELESS DRUM.
My main won two Obsidian Cleavers in a three day period, has the axe from Shannox in his tank set, and YES I AM STILL BITTER about that troll sword.
GhostWhoWalks Nov 16th 2011 12:57PM
I loved Archeology...at first. It's a fun way to kill time while waiting for your dungeon queue, seeing the sights, visiting old places and picking up some interesting items. However, when it comes time to get some purples, or Tol'Vir artifacts, that's when the whole system falls apart. For example, not only do you have to visit about a dozen Troll digsites, trying to find Zin'Rohk, only to end up with greys, greys and more greys, but then you have to burn through all the Fossil, Dwarf and Night Elf digsites that show up on your map just so you can get more Troll sites to spawn. The hotfix they put in, decreasing the odds of a race's digsite to show up if you've collected all of their artifacts, is completely useless: for me, my Dwarf, Night Elf, Fossil and Troll artifacts are all completed...except for one each. What are the missing artifacts? None other than the ilevel 359 items for each race. So I can't focus on, say, only Troll or only Tol'Vir digsites because the other categories aren't "completed" yet and thus they keep popping up on my map only to give me MORE GREYS. *rips hair out*
In short, Archeology needs to be less of an endless gamble and more "Indiana Jones"-ish, where you can search for specific items and ONLY those specific items.
Elenac Nov 16th 2011 12:58PM
I was so excited about archaeology! But oh, how fast that excitement was squashed. Holy freaking moly! I have professor, I have almost all achievements, and I'm slowly, sloooooooowly trying to claw my way to find the last two pets. I gave a long time up on trying for the sword I coveted.
I have to link my absolute favorite Dark Legacy Comic: http://www.darklegacycomics.com/270.html
Oh, that blinkity blink light... I do understand you, Keydar.
If at least that stupid thing pointed in the right direction. Or, if they made the big digsites into a few smaller. Or if the sadistic level designers wouldn't put a freaking lake in the middle of a digsite, or a looooooong curved digsite. Or if the light would actually show if something is close or not. But as it is now, with those combined, you run from one end to the other to the other to the other to the other to the other to the other while the stupid blinking light, who is just asking for it, tries to decide in what effing direction that #"!"!#!#!#"ยค dig is.
DarkWalker Nov 16th 2011 1:22PM
To be fair, I didn't find the mechanics that bad. But then, I had at the time an addon that would put every possible dig location on my minimap, so it usually took 3-4 readings to get to the correct dig location, and I was fast enough to spam the skill on cooldown.
It's still a dumb, boring, and frustrating profession, though. As someone said before, I would rather level Fishing to max on two characters than level Archeology on just one.
SailorCallie Nov 16th 2011 1:16PM
If only there was an easier way to use the Archaeology secondary profession because it's a very confusing one.
Caliea Nov 16th 2011 1:20PM
I scrolled through all the comments, looking for JUST ONE that said they loved Archaeology. But I didn't find one... :(
I guess I"m in the minority. I have a strange love affair with Arch. I think it's fun hopping around digging up stuff, and completing random puzzles. Do I think it can be improved? Most definitely - the time flying from site to site can be a huge time drain.
I started Arch with no knowledge of what I might discover, and have worked hard at not spoiling the surprise for myself. So every artifact that I solved was something to inspect, and read the lore about. Whenever a rare pops up, I'm thrilled looking at the description, and trying to figure out what it might do.
I think avoiding spoilers, and not having a specific piece I"m looking for, has really made it a fun profession to level.
nomortim3sink Nov 16th 2011 1:24PM
I did the smart move and avoided arch all together. If I wanted to do a repetitive task all night, I'd just stay at work and pick up extra overtime!
djinnfoo Nov 16th 2011 1:39PM
This is why I stopped. I got this:
The Innkeeper's Daughter
WOW..great news.. 2 hearths! great idea!
Hearthed back to Dalaran and guess what: it shares the same cooldown and the reg. hearth.
DONE.
Wix Nov 16th 2011 1:38PM
I was happy to see a topic on this...others in my guild dig in da dirt, but not like me. I actually levelled one of my toons all the way to 85 doing just archy. I am one of the crazy ones. And yet, I STILL don't have everything. I'm missing 2 Tol'Vir, one dwarf, one troll and one Nerubian rare. Honestly, there are three reasons I have stuck with it despite all the frustrations: 1) I like toys 2) I'm a mage so it's easy to get around the world quickly and 3) I have more than a touch of OCD. I have no idea how non mages put up with it, I really don't. I have been hoping the ability to focus on one race would be available sooner. I know there are perfectly legitimate reasons why the world is chock full o' Night Elf artifact, but the MOST irritating thing about archy is getting 3 gagillion nelf digsites to a paltry handful of other races.
Just pulled the bug mount a couple days ago. My god, I wanted that thing. Months of digging to get it though.
I love archy, but I welcome changes that would make it less of a PITA.
DarkWalker Nov 16th 2011 1:39PM
Before actually trying it, I thought it would be a nice, fun profession.
I was completely mistaken. I never thought I would say this, but compared with Archeology, Fishing is an exciting profession. And where Fishing is relaxing, Archeology is stressful.
What I would do to "fix" archeology:
- A random, but way larger, number of digs per site.
- Dividing each continent into two or more separate "zones", each independent from one another, each more focused on a single race, and each with it's own 4 dig sites, thus allowing for a far greater focus and a lot less flight time.
- Enabling players to influence in the next solves available. For example, a way to force the next solve to be a rare one by spending enough completion items.
- Enabling Archeology items to be actually stored on, and used from, the Journal, thus not taking space on our bags.
snarkygoldfish Nov 16th 2011 1:47PM
I love the journal idea for the items. Oh man. My bank would thank you. XD
Adam Nov 16th 2011 1:56PM
I was always under the impression, before launch, that there was some type of quest aspect to it: Talk to npc, learn about lore/artifact, go seek artifact, win prize.
This is how I wish it were now.
Instead, we were given more of the same rng, that Blizzard has always done, rewarding the random joe, not the dedicated one.
This profession is seriously lack-luster and needs an overhaul. Heck, it shouldn't even be a profession, just another thing to do when you've done all the rest, and are tired of dailies.
Gimmlette Nov 16th 2011 1:56PM
Hi there! I'm your Archeology add-on. You just finished 3 dig sites in Uldum where you got yet another mosaic. Your next dig site is in Winterspring. Aren't you excited? You'll be able to dig for nelf artifacts. Never mind that you maxed out all nelf items a month ago. Have fun!
"Grumble, grumble". Hop on a bird and go do dishes. Toss in a load of wash. Read the paper and update the Facebook page. Land in Everlook. Fly over to the lake nearby. Get toasted by Deathwing.
And I'm doing this because I WANT to?
Queen Anthai Nov 16th 2011 2:08PM
What.
Tezza Nov 16th 2011 2:32PM
I made professor but completed few items I actually use. It is boring...and I usually get gray after low gold gray after another. For now I only prospect when I am totally bored with everything else.
Al Nov 16th 2011 3:08PM
I gave it a go, I really did. But after reaching 10 rares, (60 dress, 60 helm, Vrkyul axe, stupid mirror, stupid hearthstone, stupid Lament Configuration that does NOT summon demons, stupid drums, stupid "freeze yourself in Amber" rock, unused pet and unused mount.. yes, I'm still bitter about the Troll sword) I realised something.
Levelling Fishing in the lull between BC and Wrath, before the zone level changes, had been more enjoyable... and I hated every second of Fishing. Only to have fond memories of it, once confronted with Archaelogy - a fiendish monster of chaotic RNG evil, plucked from the fevered nightmares of Escher and Lovecraft and merged into the ultimate void of hope.
Gahz'ranka may be gone, but I'm gonna go fish up The Lurker Below.. because seeing my old buddy again and getting murdered by him is a better time than Archaelogy.
Jcompguy Nov 16th 2011 4:00PM
Archaeology is great if you happen upon a digsite while leveling since the experience is pretty good. It's basically a free quest and a half's worth. Otherwise archaeology is the WORST thing in the game. It's even worse than fishing because the fish don't all suddenly decide to stop spawning, making you fly around the world to catch other fish you don't want in order to fly all the way back and start fishing the right ones again.
Hate that profession so much. I want those 3 weeks of my life back...