WTFaid?: Blizzard screwed up with beta invites.

Welcome to another installment of WTFaid?, a semi-regular column in which I discuss things that might not directly impact gold making, but that I want to talk about nonetheless. If you're looking for gold-specific tips, check out my archive and blog roll! If you're looking to get some insight into the mind of Faid, God help you. Also, read on!

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Mists of Pandaria beta invites are being dispensed now. Eluniar's received one and he launched the beta for the first time tonight; he seems to be enjoying it though I've not talked to him much about it. While it interests me I've decided I'd rather experience it first-hand when I, some day, receive an invite.

Now, don't worry, I'm not going to complain about how I've been been playing WoW non-stop since launch day so I'm more deserving of an invite than others. I can't imagine what's happening in the minds of those with the audacity to say they are more important to Blizzard than another fan. 

I think, though, you have to admit Blizzard's not going about this invite/beta process very well.

First off, like it or not they did give the impression that annual pass players would be given instant access when the beta went live. Mike Morhaime said "in addition to getting Diablo III free you will also get guaranteed access into the next World of Warcraft expansion beta when it goes live."

I'm not sure if it was in the fine print that what he said wasn't actually true but they certainly worded it to give the impression that players will get access to the beta when it goes live, also known as instant access.

So there's a point to the upset fans.  Still, fine print and semantics abound here so I try to push this aside. (Plus the multiple times Blizzard have been inconsistent and fickle in other statements has lead me to take anything Blue with a grain of salt.)

Here's my issue, and where I think Blizzard really screwed up on this.

Many people don't even want the beta but are taking spots from those that do. 

The majority of invites going out right now are going out to Annual Pass holders.  The problem is that the Annual Pass had three perks: MoP Beta, an in-game mount, and free Diablo III. 

In other words if you knew you were going to be playing WoW for a year there was no reason not to get a pass. It was essentially saying "I'll do the same thing I was already doing but now I get a free new game, yay!" It was just a smart decision for WoW players interested in D3.  That's not even taking into account folks who were most interested in the mount.

I have no statistics, I'm sorry to say, but I will dare to say that many, if not the majority, of players who signed up for the Annual Pass did it for free D3, not beta access.  And there's nothing wrong with that at all.

The problem is that Blizzard assumed that anyone who has the Annual Pass wants and will use beta access when that's flat out not true.  I have two guild members who have beta access who have said plainly that they don't intend to install or use it at all since they want to avoid spoilers.

Then you've got people like many of us in the gold community who are chomping at the bit to get in but still haven't received an invite.

I'm not going to say anyone is more deserving of a beta invite than anyone else. I am going to say that it sucks that beta invites are being sent to people who don't even want them.

Blizzard could have fixed this easily. They've already got the system in place and it could give them better testing data.  Put annual pass holders at the front of the invite queue but require anyone who is interested in the beta to fill out a beta profile. This way those not interested in the beta could have avoided opting-in and those who really wish to try out the new content could have those wasted invite spots. 

At the end of the day I'm excited to get guaranteed access to the beta at all. It will be my first time in a beta and I look forward to testing a lot of stuff out. So all in all I'm pleased, I just wish there'd been more thought put into the Annual Pass/Beta combination.

From the Vault: The Behemoth and Large Brilliant Shards

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From the Vault:  Every Tuesday and Friday we'll be shining a spotlight on some of the most popular and timeless posts from Nerf Faids here on ClockworkRiot. Folks who missed them the first time around can enjoy some of the best pieces and folks who have seen them can maybe be reminded of a trick or two that they'd forgotten.

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Large Brilliant Shards. Needed for almost all good heirloom enchants, these items are in high demand. The news that heirlooms will soon be able to sent to other accounts on your same Battle.net account may also spike demand a bit.  You've seen from my most recent Faidian Slip that I tend to farm my Large Brilliants in Lower Blackrock Spire.  

But what about that guy who doesn't want to farm? He just wants everything handed to him like some entitled, laz-- Oh, wait, there's an app for that. I mean, a rare spawn.

Jim at Power Word: Gold mentioned in the most recent JMTC Q&A session that he often found The Behemoth patting around the entrance to BRD.  I decided I would go find out just how quickly he respawned.

The Numbers

What I found was very encouraging!  After killing him about fifty times I have pegged his respawn between 6.5 and 7.5 minutes.  He always spawns in the exact same location and will always drop the Vilerend Slicer, a blue BoE fist weapon that DE's into a Large Brilliant Shard.

He sometimes will drop Runecloth, greens of various use, and basically anything else on that level's loot table for an added bonus.  

He's level 50 and hits pretty hard on a target of his level but anything higher or an alt with heirlooms should be able to handle him without much issue.

What This Means to You

So how do we use this information?  Well, it's not uncommon for people to camp an alt next to a vendor with valuable limited quantity items and the same can be done here.  Due to his fast respawn he is pretty much guaranteed to be up at any given time, assuming no one else on your server takes this advice!  Park an alt within the quarry and anytime you're switching characters, anytime you log in, and before you log out go give him a slap and get a Vilerend Slicer.  Once a week take the alt to a mailbox and mail them to your enchanter. Voila, stacks of Large Brilliant Shards without moving a muscle.

Another option is  to actually camp him.  Now, this can be boring if you don't have much else to do but, say you've got bag fulls of cloth to turn into Netherweave Bags, or some other time consuming task. Consider doing it here for that extra added benefit.  I personally have one account camping him while the other account is flipping auctions or crafting!  It's an amazing passive way to farm shards without having to move a pixel!

Thanks to Jim at Power Word: Gold for mentioning this mob and getting me interested enough to check this out.

Below is a video that may be of interest. There shouldn't be any "new" information beyond what's in this article, but it will give you a nice visual of how to get to him, his spawn point, what he looks like, etc.

This video is hosted on my old YouTube account; don't forget to subscribe to the new Youtube account for up to the minute gold making tips!

From the Vault: Three Tips for New Auctioneers

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From the Vault:  Every Tuesday and Friday we'll be shining a spotlight on some of the most popular and timeless posts from Nerf Faids here on ClockworkRiot. Folks who missed them the first time around can enjoy some of the best pieces and folks who have seen them can maybe be reminded of a trick or two that they'd forgotten.

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Check Out => Cold's Gold Blogging Carnival!

Last month Cold's inaugural blogging carnival topic was about farming. I pouted around since I don't really farm as a regular gold making tactic and chose to sit that one out. This month, however, I feel I can at least ramble on and maybe make some sense!

What 3 Pieces Of Advice Would You Give A Little Goblin? (3 Top Tips For New Auctioneers?)

Because this is apparently aimed at Auctioneers and not just "gold-makers" (though many of us will often use the terms interchangeably) I'm going to try to focus on tips that deal with the auction house specifically.

Many players reach max level, clear raid content, achieve awesome PvP ratings, and do all of this oblivious to the real power of the Auction House. Many people will say the most powerful tool in a gold maker's arsenal is a transmute specced alchemist. Some will say it's knowing certain addons like Auctioneer inside and out. Others will say it's consistent and dedicated farming. But at the end of the day the single most important tool you have is the AH.

It can be frightening at first, and possibly overwhelming. Sure you can buy and sell now, but against the big dogs of your server you may feel overwhelmed with how many addons they use, how they always seem to undercut you. How can that guy sell something that cost you 50g to make for 25g? There's a lot to learn and a lot to practice with, but here's three of the biggest tips I can give you:

What 3 Pieces Of Advice Would You Give A Little Goblin? (3 Top Tips For New Auctioneers?)

Know how to use addons. Know how to function without them.

There are some amazing addons for using the AH. There are behemoths with many features like Auctioneer or Trade SkillMaster or there are less extreme ones like Auctionator. All of them have great uses and you can research each of them yourselves and find out which ones work best for you.

My advice here is to know how to function without them. If TSM breaks, like it's predecessor Quick Auctions 3 did on possibly the biggest day in the history of auctions, will you be able to make a profit or will you be stuck in the mud?

Do you know how to configure that addon you're using? I can't count the number of auctions I've bought up at <1% of their value because someone's addon malfunctioned and posted that Truegold for 7g instead of 700g. If you're not comfortable letting an addon post for you or buy for you don't. Things can go terribly wrong. Learn to buy and sell without addons, then use addons for ease. Don't rely on them completely. 

Don't be hasty. 

It's tempting to want to jump right in when you've found a good deal but take a step back if you're not knowledgable in the market. Personal anecdote time. It was BC, I was a level 68 Blood Elf mage. I was so excited because I'd just installed Auctioneer and was going to take on the world. I'd done two auction house scans and noticed that this particular market looked great! It was Fel Iron Bars and according to Auctioneer there were only 4 stacks up, all of them at 60% of normal price! I bought them all at 400g a stack! Yay, I'm going to make so much! Well, turns out of course, that they aren't worth nearly that much and Auctioneer, with such a small amount of data to go off of, was comparing an inflated price against an even more inflated price, making my deal look great when in fact it was just terrible. 

Learn about what you're buying. Watch the markets you're interested in for a while to notice trends, average prices, etc. And never ever ever buy something just because your addon tells you it's a good deal. Your brain > Addon brain!

Don't tie up all your assets in one market.

Many brand new auctioneers probably only have professions to hit one or two markets, or at least they may feel that way. Knowing one market inside and out is great, but if suddenly something happens to that market that makes it less lucrative you can be out in the cold with a bunch of inventory you can't move.

Diversify! Are you a miner/blacksmith? Don't just make Bloodied Pyrium! Sell belt buckles, enchanting rods, and open lockboxes with your keys. If your server prices are great for it buy Elementium and Volatile Earth, smelt it, and sell Hardened Elementium Bars at a markup. Just because you only have 2 professions doesn't mean you can only sell two things!

Orgrimmar Roundup - Low Level Gold Tip

Don't worry, Horde players, I didn't forget about you. A follow-up to my previous run around Stormwind, this video focuses on items which can be purchased in Orgrimmar to resell for a profit. This probably won't be "worth it" to most max-level players but it's my favorite way to make gold on a new server or faction.

If you are interested in making gold selling vendor items be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Collections available from the ClockworkRiot store!

From the Vault: Which professions should you stack?

I received a comment on one of my videos and attempted to answer it via a Youtube comment but my explanation quickly grew too large for the comment box.  Well, let's get this sorted out right here right now!

Hi Faid, I am subscribed to ur channel and absolutely love watching ur vids. I am on a wow break because of school, but I am coming soon to the game and I have a question which I think u most qualified to answer. What profession(s), other than gathering and regardless of race/class/PvE/PvP, is most beneficial to have on multiple characters for profit? Also, it would be great if u refer me to 1 of ur videos that shows, explains or supports ur answer. Thanks in advance. -ralfzmina 

So the question is basically: If you're going to have multiples of the same profession, what profession is the best to do this with?

Well, there are several different options which will have varying degrees of importance for you and your gold making set up.  Here's the basic rundown of every profession, and how it may benefit from having multiples.

Alchemy

Most people will recommend Alchemists. I would be remiss if I did not mention that there was a great WoW Insider article by Euripides about Alchemists and their CDs, first off. I may repeat some of what he says, but I just want to cover all bases here, while giving credit where credit is due for a great post on the same subject.

• Cooldowns - Alchemy has some of the strongest gold-making cooldowns.  They had epic gems in Wrath and many believe they will get Cataclysm epic gems in the future as well.  They currently are the only source in the game for Truegold on a one-day cooldown, and can also turn Life into any other volatile using their cooldown.  This creates a powerful gold making opportunity for any alchemist, and having multiple alchemists allows you to use more cooldowns per day for the same thing or multiple types of cooldowns. Pretty simple stuff.

• Specializations - Most will tell you that the best bet for gold-making with Alchemy is transmute spec, and I don't disagree.  However, keep in mind that if you have multiple alchemists you can have multiple specializations.  You can get top dollar in potions, flasks, and proc off your daily CD on one of your alchemists! (The other alchemists still get their transmute cooldown, they just won't proc.) 

Blacksmithing

This profession, like many other crafting professions, used to have a specialization a la Armorsmith and the like. These specializations are now gone from the game and at the time of this posting there will be no direct gold-making benefit to having multiple Blacksmiths.

Enchanting

Like Blacksmithing, Enchanting lacks cooldowns and specializations and so there is no obviously beneficial factor to having multiple enchanters. However, Enchanting does pull ahead of Blacksmithing since, as you're leveling the character or running dungeons on it, assuming it is not just a profession mule, you can DE more items that would otherwise have been vendored, which could allow you to come ahead in profit. I know many players will level every character they have with Enchanting as one profession then drop it later, all so the quest rewards don't go to waste.

Engineering

Engineering is an interesting situation.  Engineering was one of the few professions that did not have its specializations removed.  For a while in Cataclysm your specialization didn't matter from a gold making perspective, any engineer, after going through the proper channels, could make both of the new pets. That's been "fixed" however and you now must have either Gnomish or Goblin to craft their specialized pets.

There is likely some benefit to having an Engineer of each type if you are heavy into the pet market, however, this is a small factor for most gold-makers and I would not recommend multiple engineers from a gold-making perspective. 

Herbalism

Herbalism, to my knowledge, has never had any cooldown or specialization associated with it.  This can benefit in the same way Enchanting can, in that if you play the character a lot this would allow you to gather while you're on it which you otherwise would not be able to do, but beyond that it has no amazing gold-making factors associated with multiple herbalists.

Jewelcrafting

This profession is another that can definitely benefit from multiple characters having it.

• Cooldowns - The Jewelcrafting cooldown is in the form of Icy and Fiery Prisms and Brilliant Glass.  Icy Prism no longer has a cooldown associated with it.  Fiery Prism takes the now lesser-valued green quality Cataclysm gems and can turn them into rare quality gems, JC gems, and perhaps one day even epic gems.  This can be a very nice CD to use multiple times if that is your preference.
• Dailies/Tokens - JC is interesting in that earning the cuts is a rather long, drawn out process.  For both Wrath epics and Cata blues you must do dailies and after a few days you get enough tokens to buy one cut; this greatly limits the amount of cuts any one person is able to get right off the bat.  However, if you have multiple Jewelcrafters you can buy more patterns more quickly, allowing you to meet demand when it's at it's peak.  When you've bought all the patterns you can also start turning your multiple tokens per day into Chimera's Eyes/Dragon's Eyes, giving you more income on the AH!

Leatherworking

Like Blacksmithing, this profession once had specializations associated with it that are now removed form the game.  Lacking any daily, cooldown, or specialization I will say I don't see any strong benefit to having multiple Leatherworkers.

Mining

Mining has had an interesting history.  As far as I know it's the only gathering profession that once had a powerful gold-making cooldown associated with it in the form of Titansteel. However, the cooldown has been removed and it lacks specializations and quests as well; thus it is similar to Herbalism in that it will allow you to gather on more characters, but has no direct gold-making benefit.

Tailoring

Like the other crafting professions, Tailoring had a specialization in the bygone days that is not around anymore.  However, unlike the others, this profession still has a cooldown associated with it.  Each tailor can make a Dreamcloth per type of volatile once per week, so five Dreamcloth per week plus whatever they can gather in Chaos Orb form.

So if you want more Dreamcloth you can always get more tailors; the problem is that Dreamcloth is currently soulbound and cannot be traded around on your Tailors.  Thus, if you have two tailors, you can make 10 Dreamcloth a week, but you won't be churning items out any sooner. However, when you can make that item, you can instead make one for each tailor, so you won't make items faster but you can deal in larger quantities.

Skinning

Like all the other gathering professions, skinning does not have any associated cooldown or specialization, and will only benefit you in that you can gather on more characters.

Inscription

Inscription's benefits are very similar to JC, but without the longevity.  In Jewelcrafting, once you've covered all the gem patterns, you can start moving extra JC tokens into Chimera's Eyes to sell.  With Inscription, you can possibly learn all of the glyphs faster, but once you've learned them all you'll see no benefit to multiple Scribes.

• Training - Scribes learn new glyphs mostly through research.  If you have multiple scribes you can do this research more per day. However, since you don't choose your pattern like JCs do, you have a chance of learning the same Glyph and effectively seeing no benefit. Also, as stated above, once your scribes know all the glyphs, there is no benefit to multiple scribes.

So what to pick?

With all of this in mind I usually will toss Alchemy into free profession slots.  My runners up for what I would choose if I couldn't choose alchemy would likely be Enchanting or Jewelcrafting.  However, keep in mind your own gold making situation.  Do you only have limited play time?  Then Alchemy's probably your best bet as you can see great results from just a few minutes of toon-hopping and transmuting while if you have lots of time you may get more benefit out of multiple Jewelcrafters and playing the cut gem market.