Glyphs: A Collection of MoP Resources

One of the most common questions I get lately is about glyphs and what will become of them in Mists of Pandaria.  There are a lot of rumors and uncertainty in the air right now and it's got a lot of scribes feeling a bit lost when they determine what they should be doing now.  So let's take a real look at the different routes to take while we gear up for Mists of Pandaria.

Stocking Glyphs

A lot of the speculation I've seen has stemmed from what we saw in the Wrath of the Lich King => Cataclysm change over. Most of the players who are worried about pre-crafting glyphs are worried because a large portion of glyphs in Cataclysm became charred and worthless. Fearing their entire stock might be rendered valueless some scribes are hesitant to craft glyphs.

Worry not, friends. I'd been privy to a few rudimentary lists colleagues had made early on but nothing that I felt comfortable sharing as it was neither public nor my work. However a very useful (and easy on the eyes) list has been created by Ravanys and posted at the Consortium.

Inscriptionist (I didn't choose the name!) showcases the side-by-side comparisons of Cataclysm glyphs and their Mists of Pandaria counterparts.  It's important to remember that Mists of Pandaria is still in beta and anything is subject to change. However I feel that this listing goes a long way towards realizing just how little stock will likely be impacted by the glyph changes in the upcoming expansion.

Armed with great resources like the above link I think it is not a bad idea to pre-craft most of your glyphs; I know I will be. The last thing I want to spend the first week of a brand new expansion doing is crafting a huge mountain of glyphs!

Stocking Inks

I plan on having a moderate stock of inks but most of my glyphs will be pre-crafted. But what inks to stockpile? Once again the Consortium and the wonderful folks who frequent the forums shine out. Meyer's done the math for us, giving a great breakdown of the ink distribution that a player stocking inks will want to follow.

Once again, beta's subject to change yadda yadda yadda. However this is a good general ratio to follow when stockpiling ink.

What will Faid do?

As I've stated previously I intend to have most of my glyphs pre-crafted long before the expansion arrives. Regardless of anything else the amount of time I save in the first weeks of the patch will be invaluable; working on new professions and new content will be a far more valuable use of that time than crafting a bunch of glyphs I could have had taken care of beforehand.

Odds are Mists of Pandaria herbs will stay fairly high for quite a while. This fact, combined with the fact that we will no longer be able to trade Blackfallow ink, means that I'll need enough stock on hand to keep from needing to restock from the AH for some time. Because of this I will likely have a few tabs of ink backed up as well to cover any hot selling glyphs that I may need to recraft before prices level out.

What should you do?

Your situation is probably different than mine. I've tailored my battle plan to how I know I will act both before and after the expansion is released. Unsure what plan will work for you? Check out Kathroman's excellent post. I believe he hit on most of the main points for scribes to keep in mind and laid out a simple, profitable plan for anyone unsure of what to do going forward.  Good luck in glyphs!

Off-Grid For a Bit

Howdy folks. I was just going to disappear into the shadows for a bit but was worried some folks might be like "zomg where's the new LiteCast episode zomg?!" so I should probably formally say "brb."

Some recent events have pulled my interest away from the games I usually play, blogging, livestreaming, etc. This past weekend a family member passed away, money is tight, and I've just got a lot on my plate at the moment. For a week, possibly more, I think I'm just going to be a bit of a hermit.

Please do still send any gold-making questions to GoClockworkRiot@gmail.com to be answered on the LiteCast, it will be nice to come back to a lot of great questions to answer.  Sorry if I've been overly snarky recently, I've just been in a terrible mood and I figure it's better just to take a break than to keep snapping at people who I truly enjoy having as fans and speaking with.

I'll still be around, on twitter and the like, just not engaging much in gold-making chatter. I'm sure you all understand. I'll see you soon.

The Deal with Netherweave Bags

Netherweave Bags. Whether we're discussing the most efficient way to stockpile (bolts!) or complaining about the ridiculously long crafting time, you've probably heard many gold makers discuss Netherweave Bags. These little sixteen-slot goldmines are a favorite among gold makers and rarely does anyone question what works.

I recently got into a discussion on reddit, however, about the value of Netherweave Bags from a gold-makers perspective as opposed to Frostweave or Embersilk, particularly talking about what's going to be important for Mists of Pandaria.  It occurred to me that not everyone realizes why Netherweave Bags are the favorite. So let's go over that right now.

What's the deal with Netherweave Bags?

Netherweave Bags have two things going for them.

#1. They're cheap. 

Netherweave Bags were the last normal bag made with basic cloth and some string. Afterwards Blizzard starting adding in enchanting dust and the like and greatly increasing the amount of cloth necessary per bag. This meant that every bag was significantly more mat-intensive. How  mat-intensive? Well, for a visual aid, here's the raw materials for Netherweave, Frostweave, and Embersilk Bags:

To be honest there's not more more that needs to be said here. One stack of cloth versus 3-4 stacks + dust and maybe thread? It's no wonder Netherweave's so cheap!

Just how cheap is it? On average, in the US, Netherweave Bags will run you 1g21s per bag slot. Frostweave will cost you 11g38s per bag slot and Embersilk will cost you 16g86s per bag slot.  When you consider that you will be paying roughly ten to fifteen times as much per slot most players are willing to drop a few slots for a good deal.

#2. People know they're cheap.

When someone brings their alt to the AH for the first time or buys bags to send off in the mail they usually know just what they're searching for. It's why you'll sell a lot more Embersilk Bags even if your Abyssal Bags are priced cheaper. Not many players really "browse" bags.

Netherweave Bags have been so cost-efficient for so long that they are the known go-to bags to get your alt a lot of space on a small budget. Generally speaking players will want bigger bags for their main and maybe their favorite alt but I don't know many players who are willing to buy humongous bags for every alt they roll. Even players like myself, with several alts outfitted with Illusionary Bags, likely have more bag slots on their account filled with Netherweave than any other type. They're just so damn cost-effective and everyone knows it, keeping the demand high.

I know you see that 200-500g price tag on the larger bags and you get all excited. There's no reason not to liquidate your ShuffleDust into Embersilk Bags. But as far as stockpiling for Mists of Pandaria goes you'll do yourself a great disservice if you're not filling tabs with Netherweave.

I'm in Hell but I'm not Dead!

Diablo III has launched and I've been going all-out with it. I was a huge fan of the Diablo series since long before WoW came about and it's been amazing fun getting back into the swing of things. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning WoW and gold-making; I've already received lots of great questions for the next episode of the LiteCast which should be coming out sometime next week.

So for non-Diablo playing WoW fans don't worry, there's plenty of awesome gold-making content on the horizon. But for the Diablo players and want-to-be-Diablo players I have a special treat!

Once the real money auction house was announced gold-makers seemed to flock to Diablo months before the game was even released. I'd read posts or listen to podcasts and hear people who hadn't played Diablo and thought it was going to be just like WoW. It was painful and I didn't want to be lost in the wave of people chasing the next big game, so I didn't make a Diablo blog.

The more I've played though the more I've just had to talk about the game. I haven't truly beaten it yet, I'm a level 54 Monk in Hell, but it's been an amazing week so far. I can't help myself, I have to blog about it. Knowing, however, that many readers may not care for Diablo, just as many Diablo readers may not care for WoW, I figured these blogs needed to be split. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to The Hellforge.  I hope you'll bookmark the site and enjoy reading about Diablo III as much as I enjoy writing about it.

So what about the folks who think they'll like Diablo but aren't sure yet?  Well, I'm celebrating the new blog by giving away a few guest passes. Over the next few days I'm giving out three guest passes and a free copy of Diablo II and Lord of Destruction, D2's expansion pack, in a series of giveaways at the Hellforge so do come enter! Click here to enter for the first guest pass!

Alright, back to your regularly scheduled WoW content!

New Video! Single-Toon Glyph Selling

Managing an entire stock of glyphs can be really intimidating for new scribes, but it doesn't have to be.  A lot of people think you'll need an army of posting alts to compete in the glyph market and I can tell you that's certainly false.

I've heard a few false claims, particularly when livestreaming. "A single character can't hold every glyph" or "You need three characters at least to manage every glyph, so you should just sell the most profitable to save time."

It's no secret that a huge portion of my gold has been made in the glyph market. It was my first market and will always be one of my favorites, though sometimes I question my sanity over that fact. Through the years I've sold glyphs I've experimented with many different styles of stock management and I've found what works best for me.

Here's the deal: A single character can easily hold every glyph and post them in a matter of minutes. You don't even need to worry about your mailbox or have access to a personal guild bank. Here's how I do it: