Hi, my name is Anne and I'm addicted to transmogrification
by Anne Stickney 
Mar 2nd 2012 at 9:00AM
I have a problem, and its name is transmogrification. I like collecting gear sets. I like picking up different pieces of gear and putting them together. I like making my character look unique and pretty, and I cannot stop. Every time I think I've found the perfect outfit, I keep it for about a week or two until someone in my guild invariably links a piece of gear that is just so cool that I have to find it and build another set around it. You'd think void storage would have solved my bank woes, but it really hasn't.
In fact, transmogrification has only made the issue worse -- and it all has to do with quest rewards. See, once you complete a quest and get the reward for it, you can't get that reward back again if you delete it to make room for things. Unfortunately, a lot of the nicest sets out there are floating about in 1-to-60 zones as part of quest chains that you cannot redo if you happen to lose that quest item. So if you want to continue to use it for transmogrification, you have to keep it. Forever.
You see the inherent problem here?
In fact, transmogrification has only made the issue worse -- and it all has to do with quest rewards. See, once you complete a quest and get the reward for it, you can't get that reward back again if you delete it to make room for things. Unfortunately, a lot of the nicest sets out there are floating about in 1-to-60 zones as part of quest chains that you cannot redo if you happen to lose that quest item. So if you want to continue to use it for transmogrification, you have to keep it. Forever.
You see the inherent problem here?
Right now, my void storage is full to bursting with old set pieces and weapons that look really, really cool -- and my bank is in the same state. Rather than alleviate space issues, void storage simply gave me more space to throw these really cool set pieces and made it easier for me to go out and nab and store any new cool pieces I wanted. The problem here is that there is a finite number of spaces in which I can store all this soulbound stuff, and there is far more amazing gear out there than there is space to put it all.
But I'm not the only one bitten by the transmogrification bug. There are a ton of blogs out there that have popped up on the subject. There's WoW! Fashion! and the unrelated WoW Fashion, both of which feature all kinds of original and outstanding sets. World of Wardrobes is an amazing resource site that has a list of armor models sortable by type and more importantly by color, complete with links to Wowhead so you can find all of that gear. Wowhead itself has its own transmogrification tool that lists all of the outstanding matched sets you can find in game. And then there's Go Mog Yourself, which features both author and user-submitted outfits and info on where to get the sets.
Obviously I'm not alone in my transmogging obsession -- and I seriously doubt I am alone in the dire need for more bank space. Blizzard gave us an amazing, innovative, and downright fun new toy with transmogrification, but unless we get more space, that tool is going to become way more of an annoyance than the super-fun toy that it is right now. I'm seriously hoping it adds more void storage slots or tabs in the near future; otherwise, Mists is going to be a painful bout of trying to decide what exactly I can part with in my bank -- something that I thought void storage was supposed to fix.
Patch 4.3 lets you transmogrify your gear to look like any other gear your class can wear -- but you have to collect it first. Check out our coverage of transmogrification and start running those old dungeons!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Transmogrification
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
dmberreth Mar 2nd 2012 9:14AM
I, too, am becoming addicted to building unique sets. But lo... I find that the game has a sorry and sad lack of ONE-PIECE SHOULDERS. I have characters of all types, from cloth to plate, and these shoulders just keep crying out in the back of my mind as awesome.
We just can't FIND them.
Luotian Mar 2nd 2012 9:39AM
I'm going to have to second this notion. I think the one shoulder shoulder pieces are awesome looking. They're just REALLY hard to find.
Jorges Mar 2nd 2012 9:47AM
I can point you to this quest http://www.wowhead.com/quest=14318 which has a one-piece leather shoulder. And I think theres a recolor on another quest in the same zone.
Luotian Mar 2nd 2012 10:00AM
@Jorges: Got any of those in mail? All the same model tab gives me is leather.
Nathanyel Mar 2nd 2012 10:15AM
http://www.wowhead.com/item=55910#same-model-as
the mentioned shoulder item and its lookalikes and recolors
Melissa Mar 2nd 2012 10:31AM
There is an addon called MogIt available from Curse. It is a huge list of transmog gear that you can see displayed on your character. You can sort through it by armor, level, etc. If there is a one shoulder item for you armor level, you'll find it in there.
Thundrcrackr Mar 2nd 2012 1:26PM
I'm addicted as well. Void storage solved my previous bank space woes, but now i need a whole other bank and void storage just for mog gear!
Another site for mog ideas: http://www.reddit.com/r/transmogrification
dmberreth Mar 2nd 2012 9:01PM
@Melissa
I do have Mogit on my system. It was my sincere hope that, somehow, there were more than just Leather options that I just wasn't seeing - as really, my only leather wearing character that is played heavily enough to get dressed up is a Druid.
We all know what Transmog for a Druid is like.
josh Mar 2nd 2012 9:15AM
Fox Van Allen wrote a big boy article!
Look!
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/weird-gun-future-attacks-words-not-people-193050045.html
Jamie Mar 2nd 2012 9:56AM
He does that a lot it would seem:
http://www.tecca.com/author/fox-van-allen/
Although, you never implied WoW Insider is his only main gig!
pfl.guy Mar 2nd 2012 9:16AM
hi, my name is kryna (@azxuremyst), and i'm addicted to transmogrification.
this week i paid 2.5k gold for a green chest with a .08% drop rate ...i would have paid twice that AND i still need the pants and gloves.
Chris Mar 2nd 2012 12:13PM
Which piece was that? And what else are you seeking?
Inquiring minds (like Fox and Basil) want to know...
Snuzzle Mar 2nd 2012 2:03PM
If you're talking about the Buccaneer Vest.. I want it too, but being as it's a green level 18 item, I refuse to pay over 1k for it. I'll just... keep wearing my tabard over my incomplete goblin battle medic outfit. :|
Alysandir Mar 2nd 2012 3:41PM
You want to know what bad is? Bad is when you spend over 2000g buying BoE pieces to complete the perfect set...for your boomkin.
/facepalm
zubbiefish Mar 2nd 2012 6:05PM
Saltstone? The legs on my realm are up on the AH for 5k. I'm tempted.
pfl.guy Mar 2nd 2012 9:22PM
it's the chest from bloodlust set. paying big gold for legs and boots. ;-)
votlemnouk Mar 4th 2012 12:09PM
I was lucky enough to collect full Bloodlust set for my Shaman back in 2009, before the idea of transmogrification even came to talks. Back then, some pieces cost me as much as twenty gold... but I simply had to have it.
Luckily, I stopped playing shortly after, so I never got rid of it. It's a wicked looking gear, although more plate than mail, and thinking about it, it doesn't even look like shaman stuff.
Right now I'm in the process of collecting Battleforge set for my huntress. Got everything but gloves and chest now, and I'll probably skip the chest altogether (too ugly to bother)...
wybenga42 Mar 2nd 2012 9:18AM
@Anne Hi, I wanted to post a few other links of resources that I use for my transmogrification addiction (I am in no way affiliated to any of these).
Disenchanting Azeroth - weapon design analysis
http://deazeroth.blogspot.com/
Disciplinary Action - guides by armor type
http://disciplinaryaction.wordpress.com/illustrated-transmogrification-guides/
Orcish Army Knife - non-raid weapons
http://www.orcisharmyknife.com/2011/11/non-raid-transmog-weapon-compilation.html
wybenga42 Mar 2nd 2012 9:20AM
...3 URL per post limit...
Orcish Army Knife - other mog related articles
http://www.orcisharmyknife.com/search/label/transmog
Wowhead - NPC look-alike guide
http://www.wowheadnews.com/blog=194683/npc-fashion-dress-like-your-favorite-character
Transmog Fashion - an outfit a day
http://transmogfashion.tumblr.com/
Tiek Mar 2nd 2012 9:33AM
I try to make that perfect set and then stop. With all but 2 of my characters I'm there. Trying to find a mace (1h) to go with my Judgement set and the Shattered Sun shield (the darker one). I am having a hell of a time finding one that works, but my attempts, and ultimately failures, are starting to fill up my void storage.
I feel your pain.