The Queue: The fate of Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu Reevs
by Mathew McCurley 
Dec 5th 2011 at 11:00AM
My two new favorite NPCs in World of Warcraft are Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu Reevs of the Kor'kron Air Command. In the past, I have been very vocal about my disdain for "lazy NPCs" design in which a clever name that just replaces letters or flat-out names the NPC after the pop culture reference is created for content. Haris Pilton is the queen of all lazy NPCs, for instance, because it's not even a joke on Paris Hilton -- it's just her.
Sky Captain Swayze and his best orc buddy Ka'anu Reevs, however, are stalwart heroes, best friends, and champions in the highest regard. Whatever happens to them after that fateful jump and subsequent tentacling, I hope they survive. I hope they live on. In the name of freedom. I want Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu Reevs to be surfing off the shore of Pandaria for years to come.
You're about to jump out of a perfectly good airship, Reevs -- how do you feel about that?
mord asked:
Is raid finder too easy with 372 gear? I think Raid Finder was tuned for ilvl 365. I can understand why they decided to initially set it to 372, but I have a hunch it will eventually drop to 365 in a month or two. Have blues hinted at this possibility?
The Raid Finder will never be "too easy." People are completely missing the point of the Raid Finder if you ever think that it is "too easy." The Raid Finder is not meant to be difficult. Yes, it's meant to pose interesting challenges to players who are running it, but by no means is it meant to challenge you on the level of normal mode or heroic mode difficulties.
The reason the Raid Finder is built the way it is boils down to the fact that as a game mechanic, raiding is a pretty poor one. Think about it -- content is difficult, it used to be extremely time-locked and artificially gated, and it's logistically difficult for the everyday player. These are not people who needed to learn to play but rather people who just didn't have the time.
The Raid Finder's difficulty is to give all of those people the chance of at least seeing the encounters and being a part of the grand story without the traditional traps and gates of raiding in an MMO. MMO raiding is this weird anomaly that exists as game content moves toward accessibility over exclusivity. For people who legitimately feel threatened by the Raid Finder, I just feel like I'm at a loss for words sometimes. Why are you threatened by the Raid Finder? Because it's easy mode? Because someone could say, "Well, I defeated Deathwing and saved the day!" and did it via the Raid Finder? What the hell does that matter to you if you beat the fights on a harder difficulty?
As for whether or not they will lower the difficulty or, rather, lower the ilevel required to raid, I think they keep it up high to increase the chance of success each LFR group has of completing the raid wings. They would rather require higher ilevels to get in and have more innate successes than to lower the ilevel and have too many frustrating encounters and experiences. It will probably stay where it is.
razion asked:
Okay queue-goers, let's brainstorm here for a minute. What is the quickest way to do the quest "Test Your Strength"? Alternatively, what is the most AMUSING way to do so?
As usual, my go-to spot for farming experience-yielding mobs are the ghosts and undead in Icecrown due north of that awful area where you do the stupid jousting with the commanders. They die extremely fast and give you a grisly trophy. The most amusing way is PvP in the Darkmoon Free-for-all Deathmatch because that thing is a joke. Remove players from groups in there, in my opinion.
Darkseid asked:
Okay, so Blizzard introduces the Raid finder... Then makes none of the Rogue legendary quest or items attainable through the raid finder....
But... because of the Raid finder, you never see anyone forming PUG raids.
So the question is...
How are any Rogues who aren't already part of a raiding guild supposed to have ANY shot at completing or even starting the Legendary dagger chain...
Seems like piss poor planning on Blizzards part. Or, a ridiculous continuation of what they started with Cata, of basically trying to force everyone into a guild.
Legendaries are intended for players who are part of a guild in which the time, dedication, and logistical work is more difficult than your average encounter or quest. Not everyone is meant to have legendaries, as they represent one of the highest echelons of rewards in the game. PUG raids will form in time as players get geared up from Raid Finder and get more familiar with the fights. It just so happens that right now, there is an easier way to PUG raid, and it's Raid Finder.
Hal asked:
I understand Blizzard giving reforging duties to the ethereals... in Stormwind and Orgrimmar. Why in blazes did they take reforging out of the other cities?
I had literally no idea there were reforgers in other cities.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider 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!
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Reader Comments (Page 5 of 13)
Peebers Dec 6th 2011 8:59AM
hopefully a reload works. it's the damnedest thing. if i shift+Rclick my pants or boots, it changes out my trinkets from my bags.
cluffer64 Dec 5th 2011 11:20AM
I think you missed the point on the rogue legendary quest line.
By all accounts, the initial stages of the quest line are epic, almost rogue defining. Blizzard's latest policies seem to be all about having more people experience their content. So why not make it easier for non-raiding rogues to experience this?
This is NOT about getting legendaries, the legendaries will not be attainable by LFR rogues because the final steps require dedicated guild DS runs.
Shinae Dec 5th 2011 11:49AM
Yes, I think that rogues should at least be able to do the first step of the legendary questline in LFR. All it is is pickpocketing a boss, so what's the big deal?
I watched a playthrough video of the quests in Ravenholdt and Gilneas. It's solo content that should be available to every level-capped rogue. Getting around Gilneas without being spotted by patrolling mobs is like a puzzle, and it takes skill to solo Creed without dying.
So while I don't think that the legendaries should be available through LFR, the quests and the intial daggers, Fear and Vengence, should.
smitten Dec 5th 2011 12:06PM
I'd like to talk for a moment about those legendary daggers and ask whether or not anyone else thinks they are kind of unfair. As a mage, I spent weeks and weeks in 10 man working to get the pieces needed for the intro piece of the staff (and the stats on this staff werent even an upgrade to the boe trash drop staff!) As far as I can tell, rogues can go into a raid group saved at the 4th boss, pickpocket her, and move on with some pretty spectacular matching daggers without much (or in some cases any) real work on their part. I know the rest of the questline takes work and dedication, but I see this as a free gear giveaway more than anything. Is this anything more than an attempt to get people to actually play pve rogues?
Therinor Dec 5th 2011 12:34PM
@ Smitten: If it is that easy (I never looked into the details), then no, it isnt fair at all.
@ the original poster: I agree, but the rewards for a questline like that shoudlnt be legendary weapons. Im thinking along the lines of the Quel'Delar questline, which, to me, was pretty fascinating, could be done in a few hours with the LFD tool, and rewarded a cool epic weapon, not a legendary.
Imagine something like that for different classes... a quest line that involved going through some heroics with different, class-based tasks, travelling to different locations like one did a bit in the Quel Delar chain.
However, class quests were removed, and I dont think Blizzard will implement any again other than stuff like the legendary chains (which are class-based, or at least limit it, like the staff being for casters). It requires extra development-time, and so I guess it will remain a thing of the past
Telwar Dec 5th 2011 12:45PM
@Smitten:
Honestly, I think it's maybe an overcorrection to the Tarecgosa questline. My guild runs 10-man almost exclusively and we still haven't gotten a Dragonwrath yet. Three separate long collection quests is just mean, including one just as in a "you must be this tall to ride this ride" before you can do any of the cool questing.
I got my ring last night, so when I get home from work I'll ninja my way into Ravenholdt and see how hard that is. I don't think it looks too difficult, but we'll see.
Astoreth Dec 5th 2011 12:48PM
Much of what smitten said. I'm not going to complain that the dagger process is 'unfair'; I'm happy for other people to have nice things. But it took me ten weeks of work in my dedicated 10s guild to get my first-stage epic staff -- during which time no one else could also be working on it -- and you're complaining that you can't get the equivalent-stage daggers in LFR? Meanwhile my guild swapped out three members' rogue alts to get their first stage daggers last week. Let's get some perspective!
Talk to a friend in a raiding guild, and ask them sweetly if they can arrange to swap you in and out for whatsherface -- heck, the rest of the raid may be happy for the excuse to take a five. Alternatively, arrange your own PUGs. LFR gear is not as good as normals, so there's still incentive for other players to go.
MattKrotzer Dec 5th 2011 12:50PM
@smitten:
Not everything has to be exactly the same. It's generally more interesting if it isn't.
Rogues couldn't start on their legendary questline on the first trash pull of the raid. For the staff, you could literally do just that.
Can people work around the system to get the daggers with no work? Of course. Does it impact how you worked for your staff? Not in the slightest.
I get tired of the fairness card being bandied about every time something is marginally different.
You know what? I'm a tank. I have no legendaries. (And don't link me that MC stuff. That was just as much for DPSers as tanks, and you know it.)
The line for legendary fairness complaints starts behind me. You, with the staff? Back of the line, buddy.
You like how the rogue legendaries work? Roll a rogue.
ebrussell Dec 5th 2011 1:56PM
@MattKrotzer
No, they start it by talking to a dude BEFORE the first trash pull.
My Mage is still working on her Staff, after being the first person in my Guild to get everything. Baad never stepped in a before Dragon Soul, and was rockin' a Average iLvL of 341. d luck with drops and shit, and after clearing FL pretty much every week since release, and I am still rocking the 391 staff.
My Rogue on the other hand, who has never stepped foot in a raid prior to Dragon Soul, and has an average iLvl of 341, is now rockin' a pair of 397 Daggers.
MattKrotzer Dec 5th 2011 2:27PM
And do you feel like your rogue, who doesn't even have any business being in Bastion of Twilight, let alone Dragon Soul, has accomplished something?
Do you feel proud of gaming the system?
I don't see what your point is, really. That it's easy to work around the system to get something?
Congratulations. You now are on the same side of every hardcore raider complaining about "welfare epics" since Wrath of the Lich King (or late Burning Crusade, even.) Prestigious company.
Anyway, I'm stepping away from this topic now, because it's just silly. See my above comments. They clearly state why the current state of the rogue legendary is just fine.
Kuro Dec 5th 2011 3:00PM
> I'd like to talk for a moment about those legendary daggers and ask whether or not anyone else thinks they are kind of unfair. As a mage, I spent weeks and weeks in 10 man working to get the pieces needed for the intro piece of the staff (and the stats on this staff werent even an upgrade to the boe trash drop staff!
How long will you be able to use that staff? It's BiS for every class till you get a drop from heroic deathwing and then it's only /marginally/ less DPS. Someone in a guild that progresses without delay on it will get about a patch and a half worth of enjoyment out of it. There was consternation with the drop rate in 10 man guilds, but that's cleared up.
Rogues have to go through the process of obtaining the legendary and need to have at least a little time to enjoy it until the Panda Overlords invade. Rogues will have the remainder of the DS patch to make use out of em. They'll should also be rarer than the Dragonsoul.
"Keep in mind that a Rogue currently collecting Elementium Gem Clusters will prevent another Rogue, on an earlier part of the chain (Cluster Clutch), from progressing at all. This appears to be a deliberate choice by Blizzard, meant to keep the number of legendary daggers relatively low." http://www.icy-veins.com/fangs-of-the-father-legendary-daggers-quest-line
Quit yer whining. It's fair.
Astoreth Dec 5th 2011 5:06PM
@Kuro I wouldn't exactly call that consternation "cleared up". I'm looking at finishing my Dragonwrath sometime in February. >.> But that beats finishing it in April.
Shinae Dec 5th 2011 11:20AM
I think there's a lot of hate on MMO-C's forums because hate is not allowed on Blizz's offical forums.
Dalrint Dec 5th 2011 11:20AM
Who are the alliance versions of those skydiving npcs?
MattKrotzer Dec 5th 2011 11:22AM
"You're about to jump out of a perfectly good airship, Reevs -- how do you feel about that?"
"Whoa."
Boydboyd Dec 5th 2011 11:26AM
To add, we need to stop calling Ka'anu Reevs by a name that is not his own.
His name. . . is NEO!
Josh Dec 5th 2011 11:27AM
Am I the only one who wishes that you weren't forced to sit in Org compared to the other capitals? I mean I personally prefer Undercity. I like its setting, its layout, but because all the important npc's are in Org I would have to be there for most things. Why not have those npc's in each capital, I mean they all share trade chat so why force people to be in one specific city? Hell, Thunderbluff doesn't even get a damn barber shop!
thebl4ckd0g Dec 5th 2011 11:33AM
I like Undercity as well. Especially all the new npc's they added up top above it. Gives it a more populated feel. Liking seeing more Forsaken myself, since 1/3 of my toons are Undead. :)
Amy Schley Dec 5th 2011 11:38AM
The belfs don't have a barbershop either, which really makes no sense to me. What self respecting elf is going to visit a bunch of zombies or green hulking brutes to get a haircut?
trefpoid Dec 5th 2011 12:04PM
I'm in love with Undercity too. Have all my toon's Hearthstones set there. It's so peaceful and optimal for business and leveling professions. I hope the reforger comes back, Undercity deserves it!
and it's so sad how Thunderbluff is only visited by young tauren. I teleport there a lot to listen to the music and enjoy the view :)