Project Lore

According to a government-issued press release, China's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Commerce (that's right, they've got two Ministries on the job!) have filed an injunction against anybody who would sell or trade virtual currency for real goods or services. This comes as the country's first official ruling on the matter, which defines what does and does not constitute virtual currency (game cards count, apparently), and cites concerns of gambling and illicit trade using the the funny money as a go-between. Now, your average gold seller probably spends at least half his day in a tiny room filled with cigarette smoke and the ambient buzz of a dozen or so computers running non-stop, farming up mobs and resources just so he can earn his meager paycheck. He's the computer-age equivalent of your average "working joe." It almost makes me feel sorry for I wonder if Cash4Gold would accept all of my virtual WoW money? those guys, but hopefully the enaction of this new law will curtail the more malicious brand of online crooks: those that hack and ravage player accounts. Even if you haven't experienced it yourself, we almost all know someone who's fallen victim to the practice, and we understand how much of a pain in the butt it can be to get things squared away again. So, does this mean bye-bye Susan Express? As one of the more noted gold-selling sites, perhaps, as the Chinese government no doubt has their eyes on certain firms. But, as with just about any illegal trade, it will be all but impossible to completely stamp out. Gold farmers will go further underground or move their operations to other countries that have yet to ban the practice, though I believe that the law works both ways, meaning that Chinese players could be indicted for buying, as well as selling. The press release cites "QQ Coins" (yes, they're really called that) from Tencent.com as the most often-traded virtual currency in the country. Originally, they were used to purchase clothes and accessories for online avatars, but have come to be used by a variety of online stores seeking to capitalize on the incredible popularity of the associated online/networking services provided by Tencent. The new law makes exceptions for legitimate content providers, and the company has stated their intent to cooperate with the government in stopping online theft (just look at their "vision:" To be the most respected internet company). According to tech-related business site Information Week, the gold-selling business currently bring in "between $200 million and $1 billion annually." In addition to simply curtailing crime, the regulation seems apt to prevent the virtual trade from becoming too much of a burden on China's real-world economy in the future. I, for one, am glad to see China taking a stance on the issue, especially since the country is purported to house at least 80% of gold-selling operations worldwide. I can guess what most of you think of this development, at least from a WoW player's standpoint. But what about the global economy? These illicit operations may be a thorn in the side of real-world governments and creators of virtual goods (like Blizzard), but is stunting the growthy of a new economic avenue worth it in the long run? Just as digital distribution of products like movies or games is becoming a steady alternative to buying physical copies from the store, is it possible for money to effectively be traded in a similar fashion?

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I have shared a few different ways for players to make money in World of Warcraft over the months.  From getting top dollar for your TBC loot, maximizing your quest reward income, to abusing the transmutation of cloth to bandages.  By following my own suggestions, I managed to stockpile a few thousand gold with a relatively small amount of playtime invested.  Aside from the need to purchase Cold Weather Training and a new epic flying mount, I knew the gold would come in handy one of these day.  I went Katia Verber on my bank yesterday.

With Solidsamm in desperate need of upgrades for several slots, I bit the bullet and began spending where applicable.  My first purchase was to replace my aging pair of daggers, Merciless Gladiator's Shiv and Fang of the Desolate Soul.  The Shiv served me well through TBC, but it was in definite need of an upgrade.  The Fang's speed is simply not suited for a Mutilate-specced Rogue. Out with the old and in with the new, a pair of Librarian's Paper Cutters.  Not only does their model remind me of Death's Sting, but they just so happen to be the best Mutilate daggers available outside of Naxxramas.  With no weapon upgrades coming in the immediate future, the 650 gold dropped on them (bidding not buyout) should be well spent.  Following that same logic, I knew I had to get some enchants applied ASAP.  The offhand cutter picked up a Greater Potency due to the fact that I already had the materials.  The mainhand will get a little more love - and burn additional funds - thanks to an upcoming application of Mongoose that will further increase the pair's sick attack speed.  A lot of TBC enchanting mats remain quite expensive, causing me to farm the required 40xArcane Dust unless I see the price drop. The purchase and enhancement of the new weapons ran me about 700-750 gold in the end, not all that expensive in Wrath's terms.  What really did me in was going for a new head item.  Currently I am sporting the lower version of TBC's engineering goggles, the Deathblow X11 and they simply won't do for...doesn't matter, I should have gotten rid of them awhile ago.  While on my high from my shiny new daggers I decided to go for broke and level my engineering from 372 to 440 for the new headdress.  Now I can no longer swim in my reserves. Being the forward thinker that I am, I saw this coming and stopped selling my stacks of Cobalt and Saronite as soon as the Wrath market crashed.  The stockpile that I had accumulated on my bank alt managed to push me through 415, at which point I hit a wall.  I simply did not have enough Saronite in reserve to finish out the last 25 skill points.  After picking up a handful of stacks - and dropping another few hundred gold - 437 was mine.  Three freaking points away. A few relogs later, I had everything I needed and then some.  My spree scored me 440 Engineering, some new on use effects for my gloves (breaks stealth), boots (doesn't break stealth) and cloak, a Gnomish Army Knife, Moll-E, Scrapbots, crap to sell and all the mats for Weakness Spectralizers.  It took me just over half of my gold reserves, but I replaced three slots I desperately needed to with some of the best non-raiding pieces available. Solidsamm is still a far cry from the needed 214 expertise rating, but he is slowly getting there.  Thanks to all the new gear, the 315 poison hit cap isn't far off.  Hopefully these changes help out my pitiful DPS from the other night.  Now to get rid of this god awful belt... As I type this my Weakness Spectralizers are currently being hammered out.  Crap, now I need some gems.../me heads off to the Auction House, good thing I still have over 2,000 gold left!  Yesterday wasn't the biggest drain on my account ever, but it certainly was the most time consuming series of purchases.  What's the most you've ever spent in one day?

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Many players have been griping that the gear they have seen on their first five levels towards 80 have not been good enough. Generally speaking, these players are decked out with Tier 5/Season 3 gear, or better. Heck, one of my characters has a combination of heroic/Karazhan/Season 2 and their set is still going strong. Blizzard Poster Bornakk even addressed the lack of upgrades by stating that those with concerns should "keep leveling and keep instancing, you'll find upgrades soon enough. :)" The flip side to this discussion is that this is exactly the opposite situation from The Burning Crusade's release. After TBC went live, people who had been raiding for the previous two years realized that their gear was being replaced by early quest rewards and instances. Mind you, these players had the best gear available in the game, making them feel that all their hard work was pointless. The reversal of fortunes is not perfect, but I feel it is a much better way to go than the itemization from The Burning Crusade. However, it remains to be seen if Blizzard made the end-game stuff difficult enough to force players to upgrade. While TwentyFifthNovember has now beaten all of Wrath, the hardest way possible, they are the best of the best. Many other guilds are now tackling endgame heroics with their Sunwell gear, and blowing them away. Hopefully they have upgrades available to them, and need them to complete the end-game raids. It remains to be seen. While I have been complaining the majority of this post, that isn't my only point. Many of you out there are in the same boat as me, seeing quest reward after quest reward being wasted because you can't use it. In the interest of helping with your personal economy, I have another gold creating tip for you. If the quest reward isn't a solid upgrade then buy the plate or weapon reward and just vendor it. As tanks know, plate gear costs way more to repair, but on the flip side, sells much higher than Cloth or Leather. The Auctioneer Suite used to be able to tell you exactly how much things would vendor for on mouseover, but the last version I grabbed does not have the updated information. It will likely be updated soon, if it hasn't been already in an alpha release. So for the players out there complaining about not getting upgrades, perhaps this is Blizzard's way of handing you 1000 gold for the Cold Weather Flying fee. Seriously, if you do 300 quests with item rewards on your way to 80, average 4 gold per vendor, you'll bank 1200 gold. Remember, the harder it is, the better it sells.

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