Douglas

Alternate mechanisms to get to the same destination, with different play styles giving the benefits at different rates.

Blizzard seems to be moving in the direction of "every play style gets you to the same destination eventually", in the direction of "your play time doesn't have to be taken up doing things you don't like doing". The PvP gear progression was the start of that, the various raid-specific flasks also relate to this, and so does the badge loot mechanism. The tournament realm thing too -- they're basically saying "PTR-style premades for everyone!" with that.

I'm far from sure they'll do it, but it doesn't seem completely outrageous that they'd move in the direction of "if you're logged into the game and doing something you don't enjoy doing, then something is going wrong". And who likes farming? (Some people do. I don't know many.)

 

Darkmantle

This is the greatest indication that you aren't playing arena at a high level. My Sl./SL lock semi-regularly bursts warriors down in 2's when I force their druid to go and drink. Not to mention 5's where warriros are attacked all the damn time.

 

Metrosexuelf

The epic gem badge change is good. People need to realize this was going to happen sooner or later with the expansion -- all this does is give non-raiders the opportunity to enjoy these items before they become largely irrelevant.

From a business standpoint this will keep people playing who would have otherwise quit due to lack of content and/or new items to farm. The expansion is still at least six months off and they want to retain as many $15/mo. subscriptions as possible.

From a raider standpoint this essentially ends the spinel problem. Even if you have zero badges saved on your main you will still get two or three per 25 man raid boss which amounts to at least one free guaranteed spinel per raid instance clear. I'm sure there are also many people in the same boat as myself who have had nothing to spend badges on (the gear isn't an upgrade) but now can buy as many as twenty or more epic gems with what we have saved. It is nice to not have to worry about whether or not a gem will be there in the bank when the item you want drops.

 

Darkrenown

Well surely you'd still need to find an alchemist or enchanter if fel lotus or LPS could be bought for badges.

 

McInaction

Does the price of the epic cut patterns seem.. well ludicrously low to anyone else? 6g? Honestly now, it's a bit out of place for a solid star of elune design to go for 800-900g and then being able to buy better cuts for such a low cost. Shouldn't they cost badges as well?

 

• Chicken

They're the same prices as the existing epic gem patterns are in Hyjal. The only difference between the new and old patterns is that the new ones require Shattered Sun Offensive reputation and not Scale of the Sands reputation.

buff /bʌf/ Pronunciation[buhf]
–verb (used with object)
- to reduce or deaden the force of

 

Dryssa

If anything this will help lower the ludicrously high cost of JC patterns when compared to other professions.

 

• Vulajin

You are trying to compare an AH value of a recipe, which is determined by the market and the players and heavily influenced by limited supply, to a vendor value of a different recipe, which is fixed by Blizzard since the recipe is of unlimited supply.

They probably decided that the rarity of the blue recipes was a mistake, and are aiming to correct that mistake with this.

 

Thamb

I agree and welcome this change. There are a number of JC patterns I want to get just for the sake of having them but I refuse to pay the 700-1000g they currently cost (i.e. Runed Living Ruby.) I can wait until well after 2.4 and pick them up at greatly reduced prices like I had to with the Crusader enchant and BC (curse my miserable farming luck.)

 

Zaq

One can only hope it was based on the conscious recognition that the blue patterns are beyond dumbly implemented.

A quick question, if the Badges-Gems vendor is the last part of the town to be unlocked, doesn't that mean that every JC on the server will have ample time to get exalted, and all the recipes? If so that seems like a good way of spreading the ability to cut the epic gems beyond say, just me.

"I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions. I'm just, like, inviting you to join me on the bandwagon of my own uncertainty." -Taylor Mali

 

Renew

Who cares about all these 'nerfs'? Seriously if you have been progressing faster than the 'casuals' as people like to label them then you just need to realize that and smile. They usually nerf content to make it more accessible to the masses, this time though they are pretty much setting everyone up for an easy time leveling in WotLK, and so they can also experience as much content as they can.

If Sunwell gets nerfed to the level of the normal BC content we have had, then you can complain. All the epic gems, gear is not going to allow anyone without a well led guild to clear Sunwell (until the pre WotLK patch!). This is going to let us gear up our alts, maybe we will need them to class stack for a certain fight etc.

Confidence is not Arrogance.

 

Jebraltar

Yes, but that would remove Herbalists from the picture, and it would cheapen one of the main money-makers of Enchanting. This isn't something I'm really seeing happening with rather expensive gems being available through vendors that still need to be cut.

 

Sokia

The cost of getting the epic gems cut will most likely end up being less than getting rare gems cut. All of the patterns are available for SSO rep, and most jewelcrafters will have this in abundance, if for nothing more than the BOP trinkets. I wouldn't be surprised if prices average out to 3 g/epic cut, 6 g/ rare, and 12g/meta, or something similar.

 

Endoscient

Except that the patterns will be super common because you can buy them all with reputation. If they changed it so it wasn't as easy to get a lot of the patterns, like Magisters drops or cost BoJ and reputation, it wouldn't be nearly as bad for Jewelcrafters.

 

Krag

I really can't see how this will negatively impact jewelcrafters overall (maybe those who are sitting on a whole bunch of the very rarest patterns), the majority of the people using blue gems now will continue to do so for a foreseeable future; you just aren't going to start using badges on gems that are very marginal upgrades, when you still have 2-300 badges worth up bigger upgrades available.

This change in effect (maybe not in "newsworthiness") seems more aimed at filling gem holes for raiders than what you would call casual players. I can see some endgame raiders maybe buying some gems for twinks or alternate gear, but I doubt those players were going through the trade channel and paying for gemcuts previously.

For me personally (having recently killed Illidan for the first time) I have at least a good 3-400 badges to spend on badge gear before even thinking about using badges on gems, so I will still snatch blue gems off the AH if we don't have what I need in the bank or if it's for alternate gear.

 

Tristesse

Can anyone explain what made the new Eredar twins so much harder then the old ones?

 

Madara

WoW Insider is reporting the inclusion of a few Inscription spells/files hidden in 2.4, released early for WotLK.

Demonic Runes

 

Copernicus

Who is K'iru, and why is he giving a K'iru's Song of Victory - Spells - World of Warcraft ? And oddly enough, the buff on the PTR is +79 stamina and +40 intellect.

Also, it looks like [Essence of the Immortals] can't be turned in anymore after the last gate is opened. Which is slightly disappointing.

 

Giske

It seems that Essences can be disabled from loot tables as well since we had no drops last time we were on the PTR. Enjoy them while they last I guess.

 

Enova

Judging by the name, I'd venture a guess and say another naaru. Why he grants people a buff and where exactly he comes into play, is just a speculation, but we can safely narrow it down to a turn in drop from either M'uru or Kil'jaden, or a scripted event that comes into play upon defeating one of the above.

Guilty as charged ^

 

Copernicus

Oh, he's a Naaru. His location is on the second level of the Sun's Reach Harbor, and he won't talk to me. He's not on the US-PvP realm, just on the US-PvE realm. Also, the buff extends into Magister's Terrace. Haven't checked Sunwell Plateau, but I assume it won't go there.

 

Prinsesa

He also has his name on the Shattered Sun rep reward healing mace: [K'iru's Presage], if that means anything

"We do want Sanctuary to be the tanking seal"

- Ghostcrawler

 

gia

My wild guess is the usual "turn in the end boss head" quest, most likely Kil'Jaeden. See: A'dal's Song of Battle - Spells - World of Warcraft

On the topic of gems for badges of justice, this is great news for all arena players that don't raid, having to pay absurd amounts at the AH to max out my pvp kit was not cool. This gives me and everyone else something to keep busy on while waiting for S4 (stockpiling BoJ).

 

Unseen

Here's for hoping they add them to arena rewards aswell I'm currently sitting on ~2k arena points with my full set and an extra pair of weapons already bought, and im far from the only one in a similar situation. Arena players need something new to spend points on.

 

PSGarak

On the other hand, disabling the Essence turn-ins is one way to make sure that players don't hold back on the turn-ins in order to stymy other guilds' progress. I wonder if that was intentional...

http://sig.gamerdna.com/quizzes/INFL...erks/Garak.png