Legion: Alt Management and Goals

It’s been a while since I set up goals for my toons. I guess it was around the Highmaul and Blackrock Foundry introduction time. It is interesting that situation is very similar now: my toons are at very different stages, many things to do, so we must set a focus for them.

Here goes my progress chart, which defines my daily routine:

Goal 1: Micromantica

Micromantica has always been my flagship. She’s the first to experience quests, stories, dungeons, raids. She’s the one to dig archaeology and gain reputations. Obviously she already got farther than the others.

As you see, she’s already Loremaster and Explorer of Legion zones. She completed class Order campaign and is Honored with Suramar. She just dinged 810 ilvl and ready for Heroic dungeons.

My daily routine is doing something with her – at least something small. A profession hub, a dungeon, some reputation quests – she’s the one to ascend every day at least a little. Her current major goal is to experience all the Legion lore possible and be ready for Emerald Nightmare raid – LFR-style when it comes out.

Goal 2: The Pawn Move

As you may have noticed, only 2/12 of my toons are not 101 or higher yet. There is a reason: getting your alts from 100 to 101 is one of the most important things now.

At 101 you will immediately get quests at your Class Order Hall. This will give you followers and missions. I can’t stress enough how important this is.

Missions mean Artifact Power and leveling your followers. Sitting at your Order Hall and doing ‘Garrison’ routine with your morning coffee you are leveling your artifact weapons and alts (and yourself – Schlitzchen dinged 102 -> 103 via follower missions).

Gardell and Mindebad both did only half of Stormheim zone. They were sitting in their garrisons ever since. Gardell has her Ashbringer at level 4, Mindebad has her swords level 7. It came from missions, nothing else.

I call this ‘The Pawn Move’. Like in chess, move your alt one square forward and gain initiative.

Goal 3: Leveling alts

Well, that’s obvious. Eventually every toon will be at 110, so I just pick up the one I feel like playing today.

The best thing is that I can do a quest hub or two, and then switch to another toon if I feel so. In two hours I’m able to get some progress for two to four alts! They are also questing in different zones, so I pick up the questline I want to play now.

This bit-by-bit leveling is extremely enjoyable, because you’re not getting tired at all. You’re just eager to do the next questline, because you know you can stop any moment! And when you leave the game, you feel you did a very significant progress – because it’s on many alts.

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I am in no rush, I am enjoying the game. The pace of everything is slow, there’s many things to do and experience. And I like it.

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It’s the Last Garrison Day…

Yesterday’s Evening & Today’s Morning

Just kept logging on all my toons all the time, giving out missions. At least those of 40 resource, 37 gold were appearing very often.

Today’s Evening

Today when I’ll be home from work, it will be pretty much the same. I’ll be checking the missions for my toons every 2 hours.

In between missions I am leveling my priest, mostly through dungeon runs. She’s currently 59 and wearing all the heirlooms possible. I happen to do only a quest hub or two with her before I outgrow a zone and leave it for good.

At midnight I will have my last trading session. I’ll send the toons and ships for the last gold missions if there are any left. Then I’m selling all the resources on every toon – to zero point. I’m getting rid of Primal Spirits – some came from missions in these days. I’m opening all the crates and selling all follower upgrades.

Then I go to bed to see the morning come :)

Tomorrow’s Morning

It is important that there won’t be a scenario on Broken Shore tomorrow. It happens after invasions in August, which is only logical.

Thus, I assume there won’t be Dalaran either, as they send you to Dalaran after this scenario. It’s on Broken Shore as well.

 Which still leaves us with plenty of job to do.

1. I’m going to tune my graphics settings, because they will be bummed (always happens). There will be delays, shitty graphics and everything from the start.
2. I’m gonna tune my interface and get used to it. I didn’t like health and resource panels under my character on PTR – at all, because it ruins my involvement in game so  bad, even if it was convenient. Imagine there was some technical information on screen when you are watching a movie? Luckily we could switch it off.
3. I’m going to get used to my classes. I’m juggling ability panels and setting them for LFR for stress test. It is important that your Fury Warriors and Frost DK might get 655 weapons automatically tomorrow. Frost DK can’t equip zweihanders now (which I did and was happy about before), Fury Warrior can equip two zweihanders only. At PTR I got new 655 weapons, although my Fury Warrior had 685 zweihanders already. Probably it happens on live too?
4. I’m going to free my bags from toys and mogging items.

Gnomification

I’ve been leveling this priest of mine, and it just didn’t work with Night Elf. I guess the only nice option of face/colors/everything – I already used with my druid. I recall that settling a face was a big problem back then. The rest are plain ugly. I didn’t feel any bond with the new priest, and I hated to login with her.

Solution? Gnomification.

There was another toon I needed to turn into a gnome, and that would be my Death Knight Draenei. Her rotten skin was not something I felt comfortable with Draenei. Besides, I have a proper living Draenei now :)

So I turned the DK Draenei into this badass:

Luckily she will dual-wield in Legion, which also solves the problem of a huge zweihander scratching the ground.

Yay, I’m playing 6 Gnomes now!

Household Chores & Tanking BRF

Two completely unrelated topics.

Oluu & Her Tanking Towards Epic Ring

I stepped into Blackrock Foundry yesterday. Tanking went extremely easy. I failed just once at Gruul – I failed to notice one of his infernal *swish* in time, and when I just started to move to a group of players, I was dead.

The other bosses went down easily. I found out how cool it is to learn the encounters to the bone as a DPS (ranged and melee), because when you come afterwards as a tank, you know exactly where to put a boss for them to kill easier. So “movement” issues become not issues at all, and I can concentrate on my survival. By the way, although I’m mostly dressed at 650 baleful things (which makes all gear from BRF an improvement), I keep my health bar up really well. I don’t feel like I’m on the verge of death – almost never.

The first week gave me 230 runes as of now, and I guess more are coming through shipyard missions before cooldown reset, plus I have 2 more bosses to kill. I’m quite busy at Tanaan every day – I need a solid batch of Apexis to cover the weekly epic quest. It’s 20k Apexis exchanged for 75 runes. Not impossible of course, but some daily discipline is required to complete all quests every day :)

Household Chores

Suddenly I’ve noticed that I enjoy doing some peaceful stuff ‘at home’ from time to time. Both Halfhill farm and Garrison missions/Salvage Yard – I’d rather do that than go elsewhere.

It would have been awesome to have this option of peaceful activity, and at your own place – while waiting for raids, for example. Yet if the activity will bring some profit, then profit will make it obligatory for all alts, so it quickly grows into routine, and you grow to hate it. On the other hand, I guess no one will do some vain activity.

Could there be an option?

Mounts For Sale

I have always been a collector type. WoW serves this part of my nature well – one of my big attractions in the game are different collections: achievements, mounts, toys, and (to lesser extent) pets.

Acquiring mounts is probably one of the most complex things in game. While you could easily get a vast amount of them, the others require hard work. Straightforward farming, like badges at Argent Tournament, or Apexis crystals in Tanaan/Garrisons or some reputations, raid cooldowns with 1-2% drop rate – we’ve all been there.

One of the hardest things for me personally were expensive mounts. I’ve always been making money as my side activity, as a reward for doing quests or running dungeons and raids for other reasons (never did an old raid for cash). I’ve almost never sold things at Auction House, it’s always chaotic and I tend to spend pretty big money there as well. I would spend thousands for mogging items, for flight lessons and profession mats to help my alts.

Still, money stopped being a problem in Draenor. Garrisons and Shipyards suddenly began to bring my army of alts some vast amount of cash. I’m sending followers and ships for gear and follower gear to sell, runes (which stack and cost good money), and obviously gold itself. A stack of 20 crates processed through Salvage Yard would bring me 500-600 gold too – I won’t bother with auction house, and I would vendor everything.

And so, this cash flow resulted in this mount list (prices are very approximate):

4 multicolored panthers – 28,000 to 40,000 each
Jeweled Onyx Panther – 80,000
Grand Expedition Yak – 120,000
Champion’s Tradeblade (Alliance Chopper from the TV show) – 100,000
Minion of Grumpus – 40,000
Crimson Deathcharger – 45,000
Garn Nighthowl – 35,000
Vial of Sands – 42,000
Geosynchronous World Spinner – 70,000
Depleted-Kyparium Rocket – actually crafted it, but mats cost much

I don’t include any 5,000 cost mounts in the list – they’re relatively cheap.

It’s over 750,000 gold I was able to spend in Draenor for mounts only. Terrifying, actually. But at least I need nothing in this part of the Auction House anymore :=)

My six Alliance toons are sitting at a heap of 5,000 each now. My five Horde toons are sharing a 100,000 pile of cash between them. I would carry out all the gold leftovers from Garrisons before pre-patch, but I think we’re good now. We’re done with our Garrisons, bring the demons!

Garrisons: Next Expansion?

I know, I know: it’s probably not the best time to talk of next expansion, as it was not even announced yet. But I want to meditate a bit about the “personal place” issue – what it will be like in the future.

The Aspect of Emotion 

Before Pandaria, you were a seasoned adventurer who saved the world, but when you entered some cozy house or posh decorated hall while doing quests – you may have told yourself: I want to call this place home. You were a hobo. You had to carry all your belongings with you.

So, the whole story started in the Valley of Four Winds. Blizzard gives you this farm which doesn’t only require doing household CHORES but which is more, it becomes actually YOURS. You fill it up with domestic life and decorate it with trees and furniture, and suddenly you know that it’s your place with no one running over your crops. You know that you can do some wash up and let your clothes dry here in the Four Winds while cooking something at your personal steamer and reading a book in YOUR OWN bed :=)

At Frostwall or Lunarfall Garrisons, it’s both more and less homely feeling. You definitely feel more protected behind these walls, you know that each and every person here knows who you are and reveres you, you run around the grounds while bossing everyone and giving away orders, but… if you think twice, there’s no personal corner for you. You either sleep in Barracks or in a Tavern. Again, you’re a hobo, though a respected one.

• The future of “Farm – Garrison” in the next expansion as I see it from emotional point of view: it is very important to have your own place where you return every day. But it’s gotta be PERSONAL and HOMELY. You must have your own bunk bed in your own hut (and a customizable one too – mind the races not factions!).
• And it shoudln’t be overcrowded: after all, you’re the lone wolf type of adventurer. When you go further, what will all these followers and workers do without no one to give them orders? Probably become drunks and form gangs, pillaging Draenei and Frostwolf Orc villages. 

The Aspect of Customization

Farm lacked it – like at all. Whatever you did, you got the same orange tree, the same furniture, the same animals in the yard.

In Garrison, you can choose what and where to build and which guards will there be. But you’re obliged to have a Herb Garden and a Mine. You’re obliged to run a full base of many buildings. You want something personal, but you end up in a traditional Alliance or Horde city. Like the guys who came from portal carefully listened to what you told them and then did like the were used to anyways.

– “Listen, I’m a Tailor, so could we please put here a Tailoring Emporium?”
– “Okay, a Tailoring Emporium – 1 piece. Mine – 1 piece. Herb Garden – 1 piece…”
– “Wait, wait, wait! What Mine?”
– “Oh, but you can’t do a base without a mine and a herb garden. We never built one without a mine and a barracks and a townhall!”
– “I – don’t – need – it. Got it?”
– “Aye, Commander. So, Mine – 1 piece, Herb Garden – 1 piece…”
– “*sigh* Mine it is…”
– “1500 gold please for your Mine”
– “What?!”

• So, as I see it: the next expansion’s “Garrison” consists of:
• My own shack (Gnomish or Trollish or Elvish – depends on my race). A place to crush at. A totem and skins for Tauren, a shack with gadgets for Gnome etc. No one there: no followers, no thralls and varians, no aide-de-camps. 
• A pair of grounds for my Professions – like Profession shacks. If I’m Herbalist or Miner – ONLY then there should be Herbs or Ores income. Slaughterhouse for skins – only if I’m Skinner. And no more extra stuff. The good example maybe the Outposts: there’s only 2 buildings, a Tavern and a building YOU chose.
• In other words, this place shouldn’t mix up the functions of a big city and your home. At your home, you get busy with your professions and have a rest. In a big city, you trade, meet people, get quests, and well, go adventurous.

What do you think? Would you like to have your own special place in the next expansion and how do you see it? Or you better return to good old hangout in capital, go rampaging somewhere else?

Skins And Furs: Filling The Barn

One of the most frustrating things about Garrison that I was complaining about is the skins/furs income. The problem is: as long as you can gather herb/ore literally from under your feet, it’s unfair for Leatherworkers and Tailors that collecting THEIR resources is harder.

Now I changed my mind.

Last week I had to go out of town for a couple of days, and I spent the last hour in the game to charge all my workshops with orders before leaving.

It’s All About Time

So, as clearing up a full Lv 3 Mine takes you approximately 4 minutes, it appeared that capturing beasts at Nagrand doesn’t take you much longer, however it may seem.

When I set off with my leatherworker Chitsuro to get beasts for Lv 3 Barn, I prepared for like 15-20 minutes of running around. Actually it took me 5 minutes to pile up the stock of 26 cages (maximum Barn capacity). That is 13 beasts to aggro (you know that you can capture one beast twice, right?). If not for the trap cooldown, it would be even faster.

When I came home after 2 days, I found that my leather stock is so full that I may not worry about leathers for like a long time. And suddenly my one and only disasterous profession (Leatherwork) looks very good and I manage to do some gear for my toons.

Mind you, it’s without severe grinding. 5 minutes, and you’re good for 3 days.

Isn’t that nice?

Now For Something Completely Unrelated: 

My best shot of clash with Garrosh ^_^

Garrisons: Blue Collar Experience

Now that my all 10 chars set up their Tier 2 garrisons and got themselves their profession shacks each, the Garrison becomes a daily chore like it was at Pandaria’s farm.

Of course it’s more fun! Even with herb garden and mine, it doesn’t get me very tired of the routine. I understand what and where I’m doing.

Your Daily Resources Income

My 5 Alliance characters dig the mine and provide an enormous amount of ore daily. The only character that benefits from ores is Microfury, my jeweller, so now she doesn’t even know where to pile up the said ore. She got herself mats more than enough for daily craft and orders – and even more than that. Crafting rings and necklaces for 4 chars (need 92 and 95 level to use them) didn’t influence much on her stocks.

Mayluna and Backston share the herb income for their Alchemy and Scribing respectively. Even with only 2 gardens level one, it’s already almost enough.

My 5 Horde characters have vice versa situation. Schlitzchen and Ilmari have to share ores for Engineering and Blacksmithing, while Zindari gets full advantage of all of the Horde’s herb income for her Alchemy.

The big trouble now is pelts and furs. Yes, you can go out of your garrison and meet HERDS ready for trapping (will take you 5-10 minutes to fill your Barn), but it’s like: I need to go outside somewhere there… meh. And getting Dust for Enchanting – you must quest, mon. So I think it’s not that fair between professions.

Garrison: Time Consuming

Collecting resources, placing orders, sending mats to each other – takes my 10 chars nearly one hour daily. And I even didn’t upgrade most of my buildings much further than level 1. Are we ever going to play and quest and do dungeons?

Good news everyone: when all the recipes and schemes will be learned and all necessary crafts will be made, I guess there won’t be a big need in resources unless you want to make some money. Even then, I see the light in the end of the tunnel. So a routine won’t be a routine anymore.

– Let’s teleport out of here and get ourselves some real action! Oh wait, there’s a new ready order from Mine that I need to pickup…

Still Not Happy With Cooking

Cause the meat drop from the animals is disasterously low and fishing is so time-consuming. I want the old schemes back! If I catch a fish or get a lump of meat, I want to fry it at once.

What’s The Endgame Of Garrisons?

Micromantica got herself Garrison Tier 3 and upgraded few buildings to Tier 2. I guess she needs some orders achievements to upgrade everything and a HUGE load of money. Her last thousand gold, she spent it to get the beloved Excavation level 3. More digging!