Consumables and gold buying

Mearis · 04/12/07, 5:06 AM

I am sure any results we will obtain from this poll will be heavily skewed by the type of audience that frequents this board, but I am very curious to hear some informal results about how raiders cope with the farming.

I am nowhere near as hardcore about raiding as I was during my undergrad - I tend to work most of the day, and I raid during the evenings. My playtime outside of raids is pretty much 1 hour after raid times maybe, and during the week-ends, giving me very very little time to farm outside of raid times. I still have not bought my epic mount, but I am slowly saving to buy it now.

I am curious how widely distributed gold buying is among raiders, and what raiders end up buying the gold for. I still have resisted buying it, more out of principle than anything, but it is looking very tempting, expecially as my welfare mount Rocinante is becoming the butt-end of many jokes when gathering for instances

I should also hasten to add that the guild I am in is relatively relaxed and not extremly hardcore - we have killed Gruul and are working on Magtheridon, so our demands for consumables are a lot looser than most serious guilds most likely.

marketa · 04/12/07, 5:13 AM

My guild sold items in bwl/aq40/naxx that were priced so high that the people buying them had to have bought gold.

Mearis · 04/12/07, 5:15 AM

Originally Posted by marketa

My guild sold items in bwl/aq40/naxx that were priced so high that the people buying them had to have bought gold.

This was an option that was available only for people who were trail blaizing at the start of the server and was lucky enough to have a consistent pool of raiding that never needed gearing up.

As a leader of a goone guild, we have a lot of advantages, like a strong pool of mostly intelligent players to recruit from, but we also have the disadvantage of having a constant influx of new people who we have to gear up, as such we were never really in the position of selling anything other than BoE epics.

Avenues such as those are really shut out now though.

Saens · 04/12/07, 5:39 AM

Voted 'I have never bought any gold from goldsellers'. I was close to buying it once. I think it was for an alt on a different server to get him an epic mount. But in the end decided not to.

I would buy gold if my main ran out of cash and I wouldn't have the time to farm some herbs on the weekends.

Netherblade · 04/12/07, 5:41 AM

I bought gold a couple times during naxxramas, when pots got low (and we were up to loatheb) and i could never be bothered to farm.

I *could* have farmed them myself, but personally i would rather just buy some gold, get the pots - and keep my sanity and go out/have a night off rather than farm endlessly personally.

Since the expansion i never bought anything tho, getting epic mount+crafted items etc is easy enough without it. But I can definetely see the 'average' player who doesnt have good professions to make income would certainly be tempted to buy gold to get some of this - especially his epic mount.

Mearis · 04/12/07, 5:43 AM

I wish I put the option to have people vote twice, because I suspect a few people who voted that they bought gold to sustain raiding pre-TBC have also bought it post-TBC.

It is interesting (and scary) that nearly 30% of people have bought gold to sustain raiding. To be honest, if I didn't make a point of not buying it, it really does make sense to buy gold.

I can buy 100 gold for around 2 pounds - or 1000 gold for around 50 euros. It really makes no sense to spend time doing things you don't enjoy when it is so trivial to buy it, but for me it is a matter of principle at this point.

subbawt · 04/12/07, 5:44 AM

I bought gold once a long time ago, for no particular reason other than the fact that it was a really good deal.

It was back when the farmers were doing their teleport hacks in Dire Maul, and 1000g was $30 on Mal'Ganis (and Major Mana potions were 2.5g per stack, at least that's what Lchangchen sold them to me for).

I doubt I will ever buy gold again, but I can certainly respect the fact that some people choose to buy gold and spend their time doing something more enjoyable in this game than farming.

Cirocco · 04/12/07, 6:52 AM

I'm not particularly well off, but I have a steady income that would probably let me. I play a rather insane amount of hours a week due to having lots of free time, but even then, and even taking into account I'm a herbalist/alchemist, I really really can't see how any raiding guild who are doing progressive content and are forced to flask and pot up the entire raid night after night
can afford it without gold buying.

I'm not saying that they do, perhaps all members have an exceptional amount of time free to both raid and gather *shrug*

So if this is what it comes down to, balancing raid content that costs several hundred gold a week, basically forcing gold buying I think I'll have to part company with WOW instead of encouraging my guild to continue to build up to get back raiding again.

It's a point of principle with me, I've left other games when real world money became mandatory for advancement instead of in game effort. I see wow as close to that now, all games so far that became rotten at the core like that have died/drastically diminished, wow will be no exception.

Egel · 04/12/07, 6:59 AM

I have bought gold several times after TBC. I never bought gold before TBC. The gold only goes to repair costs, consumables and enchanting and socketing gear upgrades. I'll never get a fast mount.

As I see it the goldsellers are just fixing Blizzard's game. I'm much more content handing my money to Chinese goldsellers than paying the subscription fee.

Stangg · 04/12/07, 7:01 AM

I finally gave in to the temptation two nights ago actually. I have been finding less and less time to farm for the consumables I need as well as trying to gear up my main in crafted epics and expensive enchants.

I just realised if I want to be the best I can therefore getting the most out of the game, I was either going to have to quit my job or use a bit more of the money I earn to fund it.

MatsT · 04/12/07, 7:04 AM

I have bought gold for all the above pruposes. I have just never been much of a grinder and grinding gold for really shitty hourly rates isn't worth it to me, rather spend my free time doing the fun stuff and use some cash to get the gold i need.

Pane · 04/12/07, 7:11 AM

Although I've never bought gold, I would if I would see an urgent need. Going rate is 50 euro's for 1000g? I earn 50 euro's in a rather limited amount of real life hours, compared to a fairly large amount of in game time it would take me to get the cash (I'm also hopelessly generous to friends/guildies with mats, so I never really save much).

Basically it boils down to valuing my time > my money.

Having said that, I'm not in the kind of guild that requires me to spend real time farming pots, and I've not found an epic flyer a real issue yet (and at EUR250, I probably never will). And 'casual farming' like grabbing a few primal mights for a craft or skilling up fishing actually is something I quite enjoy from time to time.

It's damn easy to make a few quick bucks in the game nowadays, so apart from buying the occassional epic recipy, I rarely fall below 500g even when I'm on a gem/enchant spending spree.

Bekah · 04/12/07, 7:17 AM

Originally Posted by Cirocco

I'm not particularly well off, but I have a steady income that would probably let me. I play a rather insane amount of hours a week due to having lots of free time, but even then, and even taking into account I'm a herbalist/alchemist, I really really can't see how any raiding guild who are doing progressive content and are forced to flask and pot up the entire raid night after night
can afford it without gold buying.

I'm not saying that they do, perhaps all members have an exceptional amount of time free to both raid and gather *shrug*

So if this is what it comes down to, balancing raid content that costs several hundred gold a week, basically forcing gold buying I think I'll have to part company with WOW instead of encouraging my guild to continue to build up to get back raiding again.

It's a point of principle with me, I've left other games when real world money became mandatory for advancement instead of in game effort. I see wow as close to that now, all games so far that became rotten at the core like that have died/drastically diminished, wow will be no exception.

I like to think that they're like this guy we have in guild. He controls Terokkar. He is the pinecone king. He spends pretty much every moment in wow outside of raids (and sometimes even during raids if we have a waiting list) farming terocone and turning it into pots. He actually gets angry when other people start farming terocone. He's got well over 6000 pots made and is keeping track because he wants to discover every flask in the game.

To be honest, that kind of dedication isn't my strong point lol.

I never considered it pre-tbc because my IP had the guild leaders account (my husband) an officers account (me) and the guild bank account. Getting banned would have pretty much been a tragedy- it wasn't worth even the possibility. I somehow managed to maintain raiding pots through Naxx by way of being incredibly ginger with pot use (almost nothing while learning until we were pretty much sure to go... buying superior mana potions, etc), saving up gold from MC/BWL runs (which were pure profit until we dropped them) and leveling up double gathering alts. Towards the end when the gold started running dry I had to spend hours out in EPL farming herbs =/

I really felt the sting in TBC though because I wanted an epic mount badly- but I had to level tailoring and enchanting to 375 + I started raiding with full pots immediately when I hit 70. I could break even if I were shadow spec by primal farming, but my few weeks holy spec were watching gold just fly out of my account. Before I got to the end of the gold though, we'd rerolled and I chose to change classes when we came back- which meant a run from 62-70 as a dual gatherer this time and no immediate rush for gold.

I'm leisurely saving up my epic mount funds while repping/gearing/questing while I wait for a mage slot to mysteriously open... I don't honestly know how I could do all of the things I'd need to do- crafting, enchants, pots, etc and still get an epic mount unles sI ahd 5k before TBC or I bought gold =/

Luckily time is on my side.

Linnet · 04/12/07, 7:25 AM

Originally Posted by Bekah

I like to think that they're like this guy we have in guild. He controls Terokkar. He is the pinecone king. He spends pretty much every moment in wow outside of raids (and sometimes even during raids if we have a waiting list) farming terocone and turning it into pots. He actually gets angry when other people start farming terocone.

Proving that there is a fine line between dedication and being a plonker

I'd be curious as how to the poll would look if buying gold wasn't against the TOS. I know in DaoC, it became de rigeur for people to have second accounts for their buffbots. I imagine in WoW it would be people spending the equivalent of a second account on gold monthly. (I don't think they should sell gold, it really does screw up the economy.)

Mearis · 04/12/07, 7:26 AM

Originally Posted by Bekah

I like to think that they're like this guy we have in guild. He controls Terokkar. He is the pinecone king. He spends pretty much every moment in wow outside of raids (and sometimes even during raids if we have a waiting list) farming terocone and turning it into pots. He actually gets angry when other people start farming terocone. He's got well over 6000 pots made and is keeping track because he wants to discover every flask in the game.

To be honest, that kind of dedication isn't my strong point lol

Is this person employed at all though? Does he have a job?

For someone who either works part-time or is unemployed this might be an option, but for people with real life concerns this is just flat out impossible.

I also want to echo something you brought up - I was holy prior to TBC, and switched to shadow as TBC came out. The difference in money making ability is extraordinary - mostly because you have other options available rather than just picking up herbs. When I can reliably farm 7+ primals per hours, the money adds up very fast, it means I can probably farm enough mats for two nights of raiding in just an hour or so, if I don't flask up.

Yes · 04/12/07, 7:35 AM

A human female mage on my server with a three letter name has bought gold Pre TBC to not have to farm for aq consumables. All that mage did was work a few overtime hours (which involved a lot of forum reading)

After that the same mage bought five alts worth of thorium and iron for 5/1 g a price and has been selling for 20/5g.

Ever since that mage has never had any finantial problems.

P.S. the vote options are not comprehencive

BeeLz · 04/12/07, 7:40 AM

We have a guy like that in our guild aswell. All he does is raiding and herbing, he made over 8000 pots and got 1 transmute discovery. Back when we were doing Naxx he provided 50% of the used pots per raid.
The guy has 30 stacks of mana thistle in his bank atm

Egel · 04/12/07, 7:40 AM

Originally Posted by Pane

Going rate is 50 euro's for 1000g?

It's less than that, a little less than half that price in fact. It depends on the server though and it's no fun trying to buy gold after a Blizzard banning rampage><

Bekah · 04/12/07, 7:44 AM

College if I recall correctly. Doesn't spend as much time in game as I do, but I waste a lot of time. >.>

Holy in TBC broke me in both bank and spirit, but that's a ramble for another thread.

Mearis · 04/12/07, 7:51 AM

Originally Posted by Bekah

College if I recall correctly. Doesn't spend as much time in game as I do, but I waste a lot of time. >.>

Holy in TBC broke me in both bank and spirit, but that's a ramble for another thread.

I really liked holy in TBC, I am only shadow because it is so absurdly powerful. I do think the disparity between earning potential between offensive classes and defensive really should be adressed. It is completely insane and you need to try it first hand to see it.

The gold buying is really a problem for people who have intensive jobs but still want to have it all raiding wise. I wonder if perhaps part of the problem is that raiding is not meant to be accessible to everyone who can only put in a modest hour investment most nights? That doesn't seem to make sense from a Blizzard's point of view, but at least for EQ, in the days before instanced raiding, you pretty much had to be available and on call nearly 24/7 to pick up spawns as soon as they were up.

Keline · 04/12/07, 7:52 AM

Originally Posted by marketa

My guild sold items in bwl/aq40/naxx that were priced so high that the people buying them had to have bought gold.

I once had a screenshot of one of our BWL "guests" saying he needed to go to the mailbox for some chinese gold.

I'm certain it's safe to say that 99% of all raiders have at one point used consumables that were directly or indirectly created through chinese farming.

Bekah · 04/12/07, 7:59 AM

Originally Posted by Keline

I once had a screenshot of one of our BWL "guests" saying he needed to go to the mailbox for some chinese gold.

I'm certain it's safe to say that 99% of all raiders have at one point used consumables that were directly or indirectly created through chinese farming.

All the best pots are farmer pots! Seriously- the DM exploit was probably the closest to mana pot nirvana I will ever experience =( I knew where my pots were coming from. When I resold stack upon stack after the nerf and made oodles of gold...

I didn't care. That gold spent just as well as any other gold. Nicely laundered.

Cannings · 04/12/07, 8:01 AM

How do I vote for all 4 bottom options?

Keline · 04/12/07, 8:08 AM

You can't.

Mearis · 04/12/07, 8:13 AM

Yeah, I wish you could vote for multiple options, but this gives us a clear idea of how many people buy versus not buy for high level raiders. I must say, I really didn't expect it to be THIS bad.