Making Gold on the New Server

I’ve now moved my main characters from Nordrassil (EU) to Aszune (EU). Having some time away from work I decided to get the gold making endeavours back into practise. At the start of the week I was sitting with about 45k across the characters.
This was the order of events:

1. Check out the AH prices and the level of competition. There seems to be about 3-4 glyph makers with none of them really ‘owning’ the market. The usual market antics of glyphs selling for 40g one then selling for 2g the next. Aside from the ‘levelling’ glyphs, the general prices are in the region of 2.5g to about 40g.
2. Make the glyph seller and get kitted out with 4 big glyph bags. I’ve set my threshold at just over 4g, anything less then this is more effort than the reward justifies. It does mean I’m missing out about 1/4 of the market and that market sector is most certainly active but there just isn’t enough reward.
3. Getting mats is the biggest problem. Herbs are not cheap here. In Nordrassil I wouldn’t pay over 10g a stack , here there is little below that (lichbloom at 60g a stack? I mean seriously????). There have been times when I have had to gather the damned things myself, which while tedious will also be out of the question when back at work. There are still some bargains to be had with some herbs being listed with massively inflated buyout and very low minimum bids, I got a few stacks for under 1g each, but its not enough for full production. The net result on this will mean paying more for herbs than I’d like but I don’t have a lot of choice. Where are all these Chinese farmers and bots when you need them?

I’ve also been trying my hand at selling some gem. This is quite different from the mass production of glyphs. Aside from my daily transmute, I’ve been focussing on Meta gems. I currently have 3 main cuts which sell at reasonable prices Chaotic Skyflare, Relentless Earthsiege and Austere Earthsiege. This market is very different to what I’m used to. There don’t seem to be any main players and there quantities on the AH are always small, usually between 2-8. They do however get relisted often and I reckon aiming for sales of 2-3 of each gem is going to be the maximum potential.

The big advantage here is to have a transmute master (although I have yet to see a x5 proc) but the free gems on the back of this really add to the profit.

I’ve set up a second trader alt for gems and everything else:

• velums – slowish sales at 8-12g each.
• Nobles deck – which didn’t sell, even though the Darkmoon Faire was about.
• Sapphire Spellthread – very profitable but only sold a couple in the past week and had to relist 3 times per day).
• Some 16 and 20 slot bags – sold quickly for average if not outstanding return.

For gems the problem is still the mats. I don’t like paying 30g+ for an Eternal Fire. So I have been grinding these myself – which due to the lack of bots and farmers is fairly easy. I got 11 in less than 30 mins with about another 100g of vendor trash and greens at the same time. That gives an 800g+/hour ratio which isn’t too shabby for farming. DK with glyph of death grip is a real favourite for me for farming.

By the end of a week I’m up to about 60k, so 15k in a week is pretty good for me. I have also got the paladin to lvl 72 and have replaced engineering with enchanting although this is only at about 120. Levelling enchanting will either be a very expensive process or a very slow one, I’ll probably end up being somewhere between the two.

I’ll be curious to see what kind of target I can reach before Cataclysm comes out.

Achievements – Why do I do them?

Let’s have a look at my most recent Achievements:

1. Northern Vanguard – Exalted rep while ploughing through dungeons for badges. That’s reasonable.
2. Wyrmcrest Accord – Same as above, it was just the tabard of choice at the time.
3. Looking for More – Using the LFD tool in the quest for badges and upgrades. All reasonable.
4. Elders of Eastern Kingdoms –  Why the hell would anyone do this, especially me? There are no rewards for it, no upgrades, no gold, not even a silly pet at the end!

The first three above are Achievements that happen while you do other things. I wouldn’t sign up with random players just to get the Achievement, but as I need badges for upgrades, then I end up grouping with other players needing the same. The achievement is a by-product not the main aim.

Not so the Elders one. It is a grind of the most pointless order. The closest I can come to any form of justification is if you do the whole damn lot of the Lunar Festival achievements you can gain the title ‘ The Elder’ at the end. Which for a ‘more mature player’/ old swine (delete as you see fit) like myself does have marginal wry  appeal.  Its still no justification for travelling across 3 continents and several dungeons to interact with 75 characters on the way.

So why do it? Deep down on a truly Primal level I like the little Achievement earned box that flashes up on the screen. ‘Good boy, well done. Now move onto the next one (and keep paying the monthly subscription as you do)’.  I know I shouldn’t, I know its a device to simply keep me p(l)aying along – but I fall for it every time. I also know I’ll keep following – just need to finish off the dungeon ones and I’ll have that title….

And so it begins

My philosophy on WoW is simple:

• Play for pleasure.
• Play competently.
• Play either in good company (usually preferable) or solo. Do not play with people who take away the pleasure. If you wouldn’t talk to them in a pub why on earth would you listen to them for 3 hours on Vent?
• Horde characters always look better than Alliance, even Trolls.
• Never play a gnome – ever.

Grinding and repetitive raiding are the same to me – killing a boss the first time is exciting new content, farming him for loot for an entire guild is tedious. My playing time is limited and I want to maximise doing what I enjoy in that time. Anyone exalted with Hydraxian Waterlords needs clinical help and they won’t find it on this blog.

You will find me doing 5 man instances, a little pvp occasionally, playing the auction house, questing, doing achievements and levelling other characters and professions. Plenty to do without spending hours grinding Eternal whatevers and killing a boss for the 22nd time so the latest guild recruit can get geared up for ‘Progression’.

My level 80 characters consist of an Undead Shadow Priest, currently residing at an inn, an Undead Rogue who is the focus of my attention and a Death Knight who I would like a lot more if he wasn’t human and I’m too mean to pay for a faction change.
Supporting character are the usual banks alts along with a Blood Elf lvl 60 Paladin and a Tauren level 65 Druid. I’ve started another Death Knight, Blood Elf this time and female as well (more on that subject some other time). I also have a level 70 hunter I keep meaning to go back to.

You now have the ‘who’ and the ‘why’, next time I’ll talk about what I have been up to.