Kirin Tor Rings Making A Good Return
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[caption id="attachment_8815" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Geez, You'd Think The Resale Value Would Be Higher!"]
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Reputation farming is a fact of life in World of Warcraft. Even before Solidsamm, or Solidsagart for that matter, hit level 80 I was already thinking of reputation grinding. Heck, I was working on Sons of Hodir for both toons before that fateful day came to pass. After grabbing my head and shoulder enchants I honed in on the one faction that I thought would be worth grinding ASAP, Kirin Tor. Sure, the Band of the Kirin Tor is only lvl 200, but it was one of the best rings available outside of Naxxramas. Another bonus is that it was a guaranteed item, no grinding heroics for the chance of winning a roll. All of that pales in comparison to the rings use effect, a free teleport to Dalaran that is on a unique cooldown timer.
There was a catch though. Actually 8,500 catches, all of them being gold pieces. The reason Solidsamm had to farm Kirin Tor reputation was for the faction discount. After dinging exalted with the neutral mages, Solidsamm was able to slid the ring onto his finger for a still-steep sum of 6,800 gold. Then came Patch 3.1 wit the Inscribed Band, followed by Patch 3.2 and the Etched Band. Each costing 1000g to upgrade (after faction discount). Bornakk announced that Patch 3.3 would bring a third, and probably final, update to the costly rings. Bringing the grand total to a whooping 9,800 gold spent. Upon hearing the announcement, I asked myself "Was it worth it?"
Easily. I had this debate with a friend when I was going about spending the initial 6,800 gold. I realized that it'd take me awhile to score a comparable ring from raiding due to them being lusted after by a few classes. So I spent that initial sack of gold to guarantee Solidsamm's possession of a Naxxramas 10man quality finger adornment. The same logic followed for each upgrade. Instead of having to get lucky, I'd plump down another 1,000 gold and have at least one capable ring.
The secondary benefit, the use teleport, has been icing on the cake - a cake made of all icing. The loot is all fine and dandy, but the clincher was the port. When initially purchased I assumed the ring would become useless as gear, but would offer me quick mode of transportation to Dalaran for as long as I needed it. It's enabled me to have two hearthstones, one for Dalaran and the other where ever I need to be most frequently. First it was outside Naxxramas, then it was in Storm Peaks and now its at the Argent Tournament grounds. Team the band with my not-so-safe transporter, and I can go to any place a level 80 would need to be in a heartbeat. I'd estimate that I've used the ring a few hundred times, saving me countless minutes, probably hours, of flying.
Best piece of gear I have ever purchased.
If you didn't plunk down the 6,800 early on, I wouldn't recommend you do it now, unless you're Mr. Moneybags (Solidsagart won't be getting it). Even though the incoming update will raise the flimsy metallic circle to ilvl 251, you probably won't use it enough to see a gainful return of 9,800 gold. Who bought in to the mage-crafted bands early on? Have you continued purchasing the upgrades? Have any hybrid classes purchased multiple versions for the same toon?
[/caption]
Reputation farming is a fact of life in World of Warcraft. Even before Solidsamm, or Solidsagart for that matter, hit level 80 I was already thinking of reputation grinding. Heck, I was working on Sons of Hodir for both toons before that fateful day came to pass. After grabbing my head and shoulder enchants I honed in on the one faction that I thought would be worth grinding ASAP, Kirin Tor. Sure, the Band of the Kirin Tor is only lvl 200, but it was one of the best rings available outside of Naxxramas. Another bonus is that it was a guaranteed item, no grinding heroics for the chance of winning a roll. All of that pales in comparison to the rings use effect, a free teleport to Dalaran that is on a unique cooldown timer.
There was a catch though. Actually 8,500 catches, all of them being gold pieces. The reason Solidsamm had to farm Kirin Tor reputation was for the faction discount. After dinging exalted with the neutral mages, Solidsamm was able to slid the ring onto his finger for a still-steep sum of 6,800 gold. Then came Patch 3.1 wit the Inscribed Band, followed by Patch 3.2 and the Etched Band. Each costing 1000g to upgrade (after faction discount). Bornakk announced that Patch 3.3 would bring a third, and probably final, update to the costly rings. Bringing the grand total to a whooping 9,800 gold spent. Upon hearing the announcement, I asked myself "Was it worth it?"
Easily. I had this debate with a friend when I was going about spending the initial 6,800 gold. I realized that it'd take me awhile to score a comparable ring from raiding due to them being lusted after by a few classes. So I spent that initial sack of gold to guarantee Solidsamm's possession of a Naxxramas 10man quality finger adornment. The same logic followed for each upgrade. Instead of having to get lucky, I'd plump down another 1,000 gold and have at least one capable ring.
The secondary benefit, the use teleport, has been icing on the cake - a cake made of all icing. The loot is all fine and dandy, but the clincher was the port. When initially purchased I assumed the ring would become useless as gear, but would offer me quick mode of transportation to Dalaran for as long as I needed it. It's enabled me to have two hearthstones, one for Dalaran and the other where ever I need to be most frequently. First it was outside Naxxramas, then it was in Storm Peaks and now its at the Argent Tournament grounds. Team the band with my not-so-safe transporter, and I can go to any place a level 80 would need to be in a heartbeat. I'd estimate that I've used the ring a few hundred times, saving me countless minutes, probably hours, of flying.
Best piece of gear I have ever purchased.
If you didn't plunk down the 6,800 early on, I wouldn't recommend you do it now, unless you're Mr. Moneybags (Solidsagart won't be getting it). Even though the incoming update will raise the flimsy metallic circle to ilvl 251, you probably won't use it enough to see a gainful return of 9,800 gold. Who bought in to the mage-crafted bands early on? Have you continued purchasing the upgrades? Have any hybrid classes purchased multiple versions for the same toon?
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