Warcraft's economy is becoming unbalanced. Initially there was a natural progression of wealth that existed alongside character and profession progression. This is no longer the case.
Well, there is. The problem is players with multiple level 80 characters skewing the economy.
I doubt if I'm the only one to have reached a server full of level 80's (I multibox, So 5 at a time in about 6 week's real world playing time with multiple refer-a-friend bonuses). But I know I'm not alone. Several guild buddies have four or more level 80's, achieved the more usual way "one at a time".
So what happens when you start a new toon?
Well, I do this from time to time. Just to see what a new combination works like. Then, once I have got to level 30 or 40 I might look at the professions. Generally, like most people with a stable of level 80 characters -I just buy the materials to level my profession up to say 225. Spending whatever is required to buy the ingredients and reagents on the way.
Then - having done this, I will quite often get bored of the character and have to decide whether to carry on levelling.
I do not progress them past say level 40, never finish levelling the professions, and often end up deleting them to make room on the server for something else. What's even more asinine is that I will often then repeat this process with a different race or class (Doh!!)
This is adding to the imbalance of the game. Crafting is now a huge gold sink. Until you max these professions out they make little that sells and are pretty much a universal waste of time. Especially when you compare them with gathering professions that will make you an absolute fortune. Blizzard know this, so expect a big change in patch 4.0
Expect patch 4.0 and Cataclysm to bring in some big changes. Most of this is informed speculation at the moment buy I predict;
A huge overhaul to crafting. Low level crafted items will be tweaked, or new ones added to make them appealing to use. The better ones will cost a little more to make, but will be decent enough to be vendored, and will offer more than one skill point to the maker.
Blizzard will add gold skinks. The biggest gold drains yet. Expect to pay a premium for the rights to fly across Azeroth. Speed perks (nerfed back in 2.3 - unless you are level 69) may well return - and cost more than your flying epic cost you originally.
Archaeology will provide ingredients to "boost" existing items. Either with a stat increase or with a fundamental change to the way the item is crafted
Consumables will go up for level 81-85. Not just the graded step that they went up with Wrath of the Lich King, but a huge increase. Food, Drink, Ammo, repairs and in game flights (which you may well have to take before getting proficiency to fly over Azeroth) will cost exponentially more than the current equivalents in Northrend
The game will be altered in such a way as to make each characters "right of passage" from 81-85 unique. We multi boxers may well come across obstacles which mean we are forced to split our parties up for the duration of levelling.
Blizzard has the choice to either totally revamp the economy of Warcraft, or at some point in the future get rid of the idea of an in game economy altogether. The current system is uneven and is getting more out of kilter by the day. The laws of supply and demand have become unbalanced in a way that would not happen in the real world.
Luckily for those of us who enjoy the professions and economic parts of the game, Blizzard seem to have noticed this, and are putting some efforts into getting it right. If it fails however, then perhaps 5.0 will be the end of in game crafting and a proper economy altogether. - 30202
Well, there is. The problem is players with multiple level 80 characters skewing the economy.
I doubt if I'm the only one to have reached a server full of level 80's (I multibox, So 5 at a time in about 6 week's real world playing time with multiple refer-a-friend bonuses). But I know I'm not alone. Several guild buddies have four or more level 80's, achieved the more usual way "one at a time".
So what happens when you start a new toon?
Well, I do this from time to time. Just to see what a new combination works like. Then, once I have got to level 30 or 40 I might look at the professions. Generally, like most people with a stable of level 80 characters -I just buy the materials to level my profession up to say 225. Spending whatever is required to buy the ingredients and reagents on the way.
Then - having done this, I will quite often get bored of the character and have to decide whether to carry on levelling.
I do not progress them past say level 40, never finish levelling the professions, and often end up deleting them to make room on the server for something else. What's even more asinine is that I will often then repeat this process with a different race or class (Doh!!)
This is adding to the imbalance of the game. Crafting is now a huge gold sink. Until you max these professions out they make little that sells and are pretty much a universal waste of time. Especially when you compare them with gathering professions that will make you an absolute fortune. Blizzard know this, so expect a big change in patch 4.0
Expect patch 4.0 and Cataclysm to bring in some big changes. Most of this is informed speculation at the moment buy I predict;
A huge overhaul to crafting. Low level crafted items will be tweaked, or new ones added to make them appealing to use. The better ones will cost a little more to make, but will be decent enough to be vendored, and will offer more than one skill point to the maker.
Blizzard will add gold skinks. The biggest gold drains yet. Expect to pay a premium for the rights to fly across Azeroth. Speed perks (nerfed back in 2.3 - unless you are level 69) may well return - and cost more than your flying epic cost you originally.
Archaeology will provide ingredients to "boost" existing items. Either with a stat increase or with a fundamental change to the way the item is crafted
Consumables will go up for level 81-85. Not just the graded step that they went up with Wrath of the Lich King, but a huge increase. Food, Drink, Ammo, repairs and in game flights (which you may well have to take before getting proficiency to fly over Azeroth) will cost exponentially more than the current equivalents in Northrend
The game will be altered in such a way as to make each characters "right of passage" from 81-85 unique. We multi boxers may well come across obstacles which mean we are forced to split our parties up for the duration of levelling.
Blizzard has the choice to either totally revamp the economy of Warcraft, or at some point in the future get rid of the idea of an in game economy altogether. The current system is uneven and is getting more out of kilter by the day. The laws of supply and demand have become unbalanced in a way that would not happen in the real world.
Luckily for those of us who enjoy the professions and economic parts of the game, Blizzard seem to have noticed this, and are putting some efforts into getting it right. If it fails however, then perhaps 5.0 will be the end of in game crafting and a proper economy altogether. - 30202
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