Posts with tag darkmoon-cards

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first born to him.

Last week on Gold Capped, I discussed how to make money playing the glyph market. It's hands down the most popular way that scribes try to make money. Problem is, it's probably the hardest route to riches I know. Glyphs tend to fester on the Auction House, and most go unsold. And yet despite this, no single profession has made me more money over my WoW lifetime than inscription has.

Confused? Don't be -- I'm about the blow the lid clear off the most profitable aspect of inscription: Mysterious Fortune Cards. Yes, seriously. They're still making people boatloads of money.

New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. WoW Rookie is about more than just being new to the game; it's about checking out new classes, new playstyles, and new zones.

Last week, we talked about what it meant to be a rookie and casual in this crazy patch 4.2 world. Tharenar asked about something much different in the comments, though:

Could you do a wow rookie: darkmoon cards column please? I started playing just before wrath and this whole section of the game is a mystery to me. What are the cards for? Why do I want them? Which cards are good and which are a waste of money etc. Thanks

Fellow commenter Revnah provided a pretty good, short explanation of Darkmoon Cards, but I wanted to take the time expand on that this week. Darkmoon Cards are a big enough part of the end-game dynamic that it's worth our time to make sure we understand it.

First, a little history. Darkmoon decks were created by combining crafted "cards." (The cards are made via Inscription.) You would then take these decks and turn them in at the Darkmoon Faire to get trinkets. Some trinkets, like those created by the Nobles deck, were so perfectly itemized that they never stopped being really, really good in the previous expansion.

It's not that these trinkets possessed a very high item level. It's that they wasted no points on stats that weren't absolutely perfect. So later, when higher item level gear became available and spread their points among sub-optimal stats, the Darkmoon trinkets still had more of the stats that you really really wanted.

Insider Trader is a column about professions by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, who also writes Gold Capped about how to make money using the auction house. Email Basil your questions.

We've all heard someone say something to the effect of "I don't make Darkmoon cards because I don't have enough gold to beat the random number generator." What do they mean? Here's the situation: Darkmoon Cards of Destruction are craftable by maximum-skill scribes, and they award a completely random card. There are 32 possible cards they can give you in four different "suits" of eight, and if you match up a whole suit, you can create one of four Darkmoon decks. These decks start a quest that, when turned in at the Darkmoon Faire, provide one of the best trinkets in the game.

The Darkmoon greatness decks last expansion "outlived their iLvl" in the sense that since they were so perfectly itemized for quite a few classes that they would reward their owners with better performance than later-tier trinkets, especially token-bought trinkets. Looking at the new decks, they are almost as perfectly itemized, so I suspect that they will provide their owners many months of use before they get overshadowed by some new drop. What this means is that everyone wants one of these, and they're very expensive to make and thus very rare.

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today.

I think we can all agree that the above picture is not a kitten, thus ending the cute-baby-animals theme used in header images in The Queue once and for all.
The Dark Wayne asked:

There's one question that's been on my mind ever since 3.3 came out: Will we be able to obtain Shadowmourne or at least Shadow's Edge in Cataclysm? If we can, will we also still be able to get the fancy box of lore trinkets that drop when you kill the LK with it?

Given that it's part of the We Are Legendary guild achievement, all signs point to yes.

Every week, Gold Capped brings you tips on how to make money on the auction house. This article from inscription specialist Steve Zamboni has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com.

With its myriad of materials and finished items, inscription can be one of the more complicated professions for a crafter who's trying to track his expenses and profits (or even to know if he's made a profit at all). Herb prices have changed dramatically over the past several months, dropping to record lows as farming bots proliferate and climbing just as dramatically during the ban wave that followed. After months of being spoiled by a market overflowing with cheap herbs, many players stopped paying attention to what they were paying to make each item. Now that herb prices are climbing, it's left a number of sellers scrambling to reprice their items and to take a closer look at what they're paying for their supplies.

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Allison Robert is your hostess today again (our condolences).

I'm in an autumnal sort of mood, hence today's picture. Yes, I know that Barrens trees always look like that. We got a really interesting question about trinkets the last time around that really caught my attention, so a lot of today's Queue is going to be comprised of an Enjoyable Stroll Down Memory Lane and Into Holy ^$*# Look At That Trinket From AQ40 How Has That Not Been Nerfed Yet.

Starlin asks...

So, what's up with Brewfest this year? Anything new or updated?

Fortunately or us, Kisirani posted on this same question yesterday. To summarize, there are no major changes to the holiday, but Coren Direbrew has been updated to level 80, the mount drop rates haven't changed (nor are they now required for the Brewfest meta-achievement), and no new pets or mounts have been added. You can reasonably expect a beefed-up holiday boss with a new loot table (most likely of ilevel 200 items, possibly 219 if they want to match the gear from heroic Trial of the Champion), but otherwise the same experience as last year. I'll have an OverAchiever for the good folks seeking Brewfest achievements up on the site soon.

Now that that Silas Darkmoon and his merry bunch are in town -- well, if you'd like to call outside of desolate Shattrath your town -- it's a good time to take a look at the four new Darkmoon Cards that have come out in Wrath of the Lich King. The method of acquiring the cards, unlike in the past, is no longer as random as it used to be. The new darkmoon cards can be created through the Inscription spell Darkmoon Card of the North, which is learned from Grand Master Inscription Trainers at skill level 400.

It still isn't easy to get the right cards, of course, as each Darkmoon Card of the North can produce one of eight cards from four different decks. With a little patience and a lot of resources, it's possible to get the right cards or trade for them. Failing that, there's always the Auction House, which is still the most common way to complete a deck. You will also sometimes see entire decks for sale. Realm economies notwithstanding, the most expensive deck will be the infamous Nobles Deck. What is the this deck and what Darkmoon Card does it give? A look at all the new Darkmoon Cards in Wrath after the jump.

Once again, those funny little circus guys are coming to town. They'll be right outside Shattrath this week, so the ghost town which used to be bustling with activity will see a few visitors swing by if only to claim their new Darkmoon Cards. After that, Shattrath will be empty once again, echoing only with the hooves of Deathchargers and the synthesized laughter of Death Knights. The traveling circus will sell drinks, frogs, and have some amusing games for about a week and then merrily pack up and disappear again. Anyway, so, the Darkmoon Faire is coming around.

Does anybody else feel like these guys deserve something a little more than being just a stopover for epic trinket turn-ins? I mean, there aren't even any Achievements for them. Shouldn't getting shot out of the cannon without dying be an Achievement? How about sampling all the crazy food and drink they offer? That should be an Achievement, too, right along with owning a frog or a Darkmoon Card. These guys have entertained us, stuck with us for years, and they don't get so much as a welcome or a thank you whenever they roll into town.

Considering it's a monthly event, what else do you think can be added to the Darkmoon Faire to make it more of a stop? I think Achievements are in order, at least. Professor Thaddeus Paleo receives more visitors than anyone in the faire, but nobody ever remembers him. Silas Darkmoon may be a gnome, but he's everybody's circus gnome. Who doesn't know Jubjub? Let's give these hard-working guys some love. What's your best memory about the Darkmoon Faire? What would you like to see? Would it be cool if they visited Northrend, too?

Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.

For the past two weeks, Insider Trader has been helping you level your Inscription cheaply and efficiently.

Beginners should read through the walkthrough up to skill point 100, as it not only shows you how to reach it, it discusses the basics of Inscription in detail and offers some helpful hints.

Once you've reached 100, move on to the guide to hitting 200. You will need to be at least level 20 to complete this!

This week, I am walking you from skill 200 to skill 305. At 225, you will need to be at least level 35, and by the time you hit 300, you will need to be level 50 in order to train from 301 to 375.

Remember to click on any of the Wowhead herb links to view detailed maps of where to find each herb!

Each week Arcane Brilliance gathers energy from the nether, spinning it from the bowels of the universe itself, then threads that dark matter together into a tapestry of destruction. This is a fancy way of saying that Arcane Brilliance summons up a column about Mages each Saturday. Then, over the course of a 5 second cast-time, it balls that column up into a giant ball of flame and nukes your face with it.

Patch 3.0.2 hurled a new profession into our little virtual pond, and like Jewelcrafting before it, Inscription has plunged beneath the surface like a cannonball. We'll likely be sorting out the various waves and ripples that splash has created for months to come, but having spent the better part of three weeks with it, we can begin to see some results of the impact. Some of us have dived right in, picking up the profession and leveling it with gusto. Some of us only know that we saw a big splash, and that we are now very wet.

As a Mage, this profession intrigues me more than most. Several of the glyphs for Mages are quite powerful, the Scribe-only shoulder enchants are pretty spectacular, and the off-hand weapons Scribes can create and equip seem like an attractive leveling option going into Wrath. What are the pros and cons of this new profession? Is it worth dropping old standards like Enchanting or Tailoring for? As a Mage, is Inscription worth learning, or am I better off just buying glyphs when I need them?

Though we're still in the early stages of learning about this new tradeskill, we're at a point now where we can start to weigh its costs and benefits. After the break, we'll evaluate Inscription as a profession for Mages, and go over the glyphs available to us both now and after November 13th.

Autumn in the World of Warcraft is a time for celebration. A mere two days after the two-week drinking binge that is Brewfest ended, the Darkmoon Faire arrived outside of Thunder Bluff this morning to hang around awhile. When it departs for another month-long hiatus on October the 12th, you'll only have to wait until the 18th before Hallow's End begins.

If you are Alliance, all you need to do to participate is hop a boat to Ratchet and ride/run west. Alternatively, you can approach it from Darkshore, although you'll have to run down through Ashenvale and into the Barrens, so it might be a long walk.

Here is a rundown of some of the festivities, quests and prizes available:

1. We've created a comprehensive Darkmoon Faire deck guide that will help you pick up one or more of their amazing trinkets.
2. Learn all about the Darkmoon Faire's ticket reward system. Yes, they have prizes!
3. Check out what the various vendors have to offer. From exotic foods to unique drinks, herbs and potions to rare gems, you might just get away with a steal.
4. There are tonk controllers!
5. Visit Sayge to have your fortune told!
6. Are you a blacksmith, leatherworker or engineer? Do you collect non-combat pets? Stay tuned this week for our Collector's guide to the non-combat pets of the Darkmoon Faire, and this Friday's Insider Trader: A Crafter's guide to the Darkmoon Faire.

It's June 9th, and it's the time of the month for the Darkmoon Faire set up camp again. This time, they're stationed in Elwynn Forest, just outside of Goldshire. If you're looking for stuff to do at the Faire, or have never figured out just what it's all about, you're in luck. You can check out WoW Insider for all you need to know about getting the most out of the Faire.

• Check our Darkmoon Faire card deck guide for information on all the powerful trinkets you can pick up, and to find out if one of them is right for you.
• Check out our Darkmoon Faire ticket system guide for information on how to turn that tradeskill junk cluttering up your bank into fabulous prizes.
• Check out Alex's Gallery of a day at the faire to see all the fun you can have just hanging out, from food and drink to fortune telling to Tonks. Also, be sure to check if Professor Paleo or Lhara over at the exotic goods booth have any of their more valuable items up for sale: they can have potions, herbs, and even rare gems in stock from time to time.

The Faire will be here until June 15th, after which time it will disappear again until July 7th, when it will return to Mulgore. Be sure to head over to Goldshire before then, and we'll see you at the Faire!

Remember, tomorrow will be the last day you can attend the Darkmoon Faire this month. If you haven't had an opportunity to turn in your decks or acquire your tickets yet, you should hurry! Even if you don't want any material rewards, at least shoot yourself out of a cannon before it's all over.

If you haven't finished your decks yet, you'll be waiting quite awhile for another opportunity to do so. The Darkmoon Faire will return on June 9th and no earlier. As always, if you haven't been able to visit the Faire in person for one reason or another, you can always check out our image gallery below!

Here's a friendly reminder for everyone: The Darkmoon Faire starts today in Terrokar Forest, just to the southeast of Shattrath City in Outland.

Be sure to check out our guides to the ticket system and the card decks, as well as Alex Ziebart's gallery of a day at the faire, as well as all our other Faire news and information, then start planning your trip there. If you're lucky, Thaddeus Paleo and Lhara will have some rare items that'll catch your eye, or Sayge might give you a quest in your written fortune as well.

And since Children's Week is still going on, if you haven't sent your Orphan back to the orphanage yet, why not give them a treat? Show them around the faire and buy them an Iced Berry Slush (and get yourself a Darkmoon Special Reserve at the same time)!

Also, if you're not level 58 yet, don't despair, you can still join in the fun. A Mage can teleport you to Shattrath City any time, so if you can bribe or convince them to open a portal for you, you can still make it over.

The Darkmoon Faire is in town, and it's on time this month! This time around you'll find it in Mulgore, just outside of Thunder Bluff. For future visits to the Darkmoon Faire, you can always check the official Events Calendar to find out when and where!

If today will be your first time at the Faire, Daniel Whitcomb has a few neat little guides of you to take a look at, right here on WoW Insider. First, we have a guide for those interested the Faire's ticket system(why you would be, I do not know), and another about the very cool trinkets you can get via the Darkmoon Decks.

The real awesome part about the Faire, though? The Iced Berry Slush. I'm serious! Go try one! Go go go!