Project Lore

[caption id="attachment_9182" align="alignright" width="300" caption="So much fuss over one little sword..."][/caption] A.K.A. "Blizzard Doesn't Know What To Do With The Battered Hilt." Almost all of the changes in this round of fixes revolves around equalizing the availability of everyone's new favorite trash drop. First, players had a high chance of obtaining the Hilt, and when it wasn't being used to actually procure Quel'Delar through the quest chain, it was going for beaucoups bucks on the Auction House. Then Blizzard nerfed the drop rate, but that just caused people to farm the weak skeleton mobs found in the beginning of the Pit of Saron. Now, the drop rate has been bumped up again, but epics can no longer drop from said mobs:

Listed below are recent fixes we have applied to the game. Keep in mind that some of these changes may not be active until after the realm has been restarted. To review previous in-game fixes, please visit: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=20677858456&sid=1 12/15/09

• Quel’Delar in now unique equip.
• Naxxramas can now be cleared in any order for the Immortal and Undying achievements.
• The drop rate for the Battered Hilt has been increased.
• The Skeletal Slave in the Pit of Saron has had the ability to drop the Battered Hilt and other random drop epics removed.

So is this the end of the Battered Hilt saga? It's hard to tell, but here's what Zarhym has to say about the tweaks:

Based on feedback we’ve been provided by players, we’d like to make you aware of a couple of changes we are applying to Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls via in-game fixes. Firstly, we are increasing the drop rate of the Battered Hilt in all three wings of this Heroic five-player dungeon. We have seen a great deal of discussion about this item’s chance of dropping since the release of patch 3.3.0 and agree that it is currently too low. As a result, players should find greater accessibility to this item while running these dungeons, or while trading with other players who have it. In light of this change, we are also removing the chance for the Battered Hilt or any other epic item to drop from the Skeletal Slaves in the Pit of Saron. The need to “farm” these creatures for the Battered Hilt should be reduced by our first in-game fix and will no longer result in a chance for epic loot or Battered Hilts. You’re welcome to discuss these changes in this thread and provide us with any additional feedback you may have. Please refrain from creating additional threads about these in-game fixes at this time.

All I know is that I've already gotten a Quel'Delar for my Shaman, Nuggnuts, and I'm pretty happy with it. I have yet to try and farm the Hilt, and even if I did, I see the market for them tanking very quickly (and it already sort of has). Have any of you actually pursued this means of income, and what kind of luck did you have doing so?