Darkmoon Faire Incoming 04.10.2020

/ Gra1980 / 5 Comments

On the 4th October at 12:01 am (tonight) brings the return of the Darkmoon Faire. The Faire is a very profitable event which turns up on the first Sunday of each month. What makes this more worthwhile is that it’s the last one before the release of the Shadowlands pre-patch (13th October) and the incoming level and item level squish.

I won’t go into great detail of the ins and outs of the Darkmoon Faire today; however, if you do want that information, I’ll redirect you to this post which delves into it in more detail.

Today, my post is concerning the elixir that’s discontinued in the Shadowlands pre-patch called Elixir of the Rapid Mind. You may be fortunate to have some left in your inventory and given the 15-minute usage; you may be apprehensive at how best to use it. If this is you, please consider using the elixir before handing in all your Darkmoon Faire quest items and dailies. Upon using this elixir, it will grant you: Increased experience gain by 300% for 15 minutes.

I must remind you that there’s a maximum level restriction of level 99 – this will not work for players above level 99! Also, be sure to have heirlooms equipped and any other experience buffs (e.g. Carousel buff – whee!) active.

Darkmoon Faire quest items:

Monstrous Egg (10  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Fallen Adventurer’s Journal (5  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Banner of the Fallen (5  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Captured Insignia (5  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Imbued Crystal (10  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Mysterious Grimoire (10  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Ornate Weapon (10  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
Soothsayer’s Runes (15  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)
A Treatise on Strategy (10  Darkmoon Prize Ticket)

TSM Import String:

I know using the elixirs whilst completing objectives (e.g. within Draenor) return incredible amounts of experience. My example today is just a more straightforward method that will produce a fair amount of experience, without the added fuss of trying to complete as many objectives as possible within the 15 minutes.

If you don’t have any elixirs in your inventory and want to power level your characters, you may be fortunate to find some on the Auction House. I think if you can find them up to 10k, then it’s well worth the return. I’ve been fortunate to see a lot around the 6k mark. If you have some alts that you want to level quickly, then it’s worth considering this method.

If this method is of no interest to you, and you have elixirs at your disposal, consider placing them on the Auction House for the benefit of other players to use. You have until the pre-patch releases to use them or sell them, before they’re discontinued and turn in to a grey painful looking item. As of the date of this post, you have 10 days till pre-patch releases!

If there’s anything further, that I may have missed out, please drop a comment below.

Please consider sharing this post if you found it helpful. If you want to contribute towards the upkeep of the website and are in a financial position to donate, please check out my donation page for more information.

Thanks for reading!

Shadowlands Delayed!

/ Gra1980 / Leave a comment

Shadowlands Delayed!

After a lot of pleading from the World of Warcraft community, Blizzard and Activision has taken the tough, but correct decision to delay the release of Shadowlands. They agree that they need more time to sort a lot of the issues, issues that a lot of players participating within BETA have brought to their attention. Not only did they confirm the delay of Shadowlands, but they also confirmed the release date of the pre-patch – 13th October 2020. You now have ten days (as of today) to get the Reins of the Mighty Caravan Brutosaur mount!

Statement from John Hight, Executive Producer of World of Warcraft

A lot of players within the community (including the Allcraft stream) are anticipating a late December possibly early January release date for Shadowlands; this would mean that the pre-patch could last between 2-3 months. This would also be a good time for Blizzard to continue with their realm connection plans, connecting low populated realms with other realms to improve populations.

The Pre-Patch:

With the pre-patch coming on the 13th we get the level, item level squish, so if we get 2-3 months, this should be enough time to get accustomed to the new changes before the release of the new expansion. That might mean there’s enough time for me to adequately gear all my level 50 alts to ilvl 100 (equivalent to ilvl 440 at level 120) *Evil laugh*

Also coming in the pre-patch is the removal of experience gains from heirlooms, Death Knights and Demon Hunters will now start at level 1 (instead of level 55 and 98 respectively) meaning the introduction to a new starter zone called Exiles Reach. I urge anyone that wants to take advantage of the level squish, to create as many Death Knights and Demon Hunter’s they want before the release of the pre-patch. Level 55 Death Knight’s will squish to level 23, and level 98 Demon Hunters will squish to level 39. This will save you a lot of time and effort in the future.

Please bear in mind, that there is a throttle on the creation of a new Demon Hunter character. It’s believed to be 24 hours per creation, and the throttle can reset if you try to create a new Demon Hunter within the timeframe, so be careful!

Pre-patch will also bring changes to professions, notably Tailoring, Blacksmithing and Leatherworking; because of the new Relic of the Past system. Check my previous post if you want to understand more about this. The Relic V will only upgrade an item to ilvl 87, so I urge you to take advantage of the pre-patch gear, if you’re looking to gear your main or alt(s). As mentioned earlier, pre-patch gear is ilvl 100 at level 50 (equivalent to ilvl 440 Ny’alotha Normal loot at level 120)

I want to take this opportunity to warn you to be extremely careful, with the Relic shuffle. The method of crafting a Relic to upgrade gear and to sell it to a vendor for a significant profit margin, could be deemed as an exploit by Blizzard if done on a grand scale. I’d argue that because of the testing within the PTR, that if Blizzard were concerned at this method being an exploit, they would/should have made changes to limit this. So participate at your own risk!

If you want a comprehensive guide to whats coming in the pre-patch, then check out this guide from Wowhead.

My Thoughts on the Delay:

It’s a shame we’ll have to wait till the end of the year for Shadowlands, but I believe this to be in the best interest of the game and the franchise as a whole if Blizzard wants to bring us a great expansion. There’s a lot on the line for Blizzard and them taking extra time to iron out the issues, reassure me that we’re not going to experience another, Warlords of Draenor or Battle for Azeroth expansion. Both were rushed and released with issues just to meet a deadline.

How do you feel about the delay? When do you think Blizzard will release Shadowlands? Share your views in the comment section below.

Please consider sharing this post if you found it helpful. If you want to contribute towards the upkeep of the website and are in a financial position to donate, please check out my donation page for more information.

Thanks for reading.

Tankard O’ Profit Update

/ Gra1980 / 1 Comment

For those that may have missed my updates on Twitter, I’ve had some epic sales with the new Brewfest ilvl 82 Tankards. The Terrific Tankard O’ Terror and Tremendous Tankard O’ Terror have proven to be very profitable on certain realms. I emphasise certain, as I believe this market works best on a low/medium populated realm – but I wouldn’t rule out higher populated realms. If you missed my previous post regarding the Tankards, I originally suggested that these may be difficult to flip, due to the low ilvl of 82, but it appears there is a market after all.

The benefit of this market is the issue surrounding the ilvl when players post on the Auction House. TSM only recognise the ilvl 82 tankards as ilvl 44 which is incorrect. By using the default Auction House UI, we can shop specific tankards by ilvl 82 that have been miss-priced. At first, I only purchased cheap tankards, to test how the market would be and a week into the World Event, it’s proved very profitable.

The lowest sale I’ve had so far is 35k, but I’ve also sold four Tankards at 70k or above. The average price I purchased these at was 6k. Below I’ve added my TSM Ledger for the tankard sales.

I have included the other sales within a gallery below, click the image to enlarge. I will continue to update this market via Twitter, so keep your eyes peeled for updates. If the price is right and you have some gold that you can afford to risk, get involved and make some decent profit before pre-patch hits. These Tankards will not be worthwhile once pre-patch hits as the items available will have a greater ilvl. My guess is pre-patch being delayed further may have aided these sales.

Since posting this post, I’ve been in discussion with @TheSlickrock on Twitter and he was kind enough to transfer a character on to the PTR with the Uncanny crafted Gear and Tankards and I was surprised to see how they were affected by the incoming ilvl and level squish.

Update: The Tankard squished to ilvl 82 (previously ilvl 425) dramatically below that of the incoming pre-patch gear of ilvl 100 at level 50. The Uncanny gear squished to ilvl 72, which is a greater reduction to that of the PTR.

Sadly I have no explanation as to why someone paid for 3 Tankards at 70k each, the only thing that I could imagine is the delay of the release of pre-patch and someone needed sufficient ilvl maybe to enter Normal/Heroic/Mythic Ny’alotha for a boost?!

If you’re participating in this market, let me know how you’ve got on too or get involved in the discussion on Twitter. Thanks for reading!

EDIT: Since the release of the Shadowlands pre-patch, the items mentioned above have since had their item levels reduced, all Tankards posted above have had their item levels updated to reflect this. If there’s any I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments. [14.10.2020]

Brewfest Tankard O’ Profit

/ Gra1980 / 1 Comment

Tomorrow September 20th sees the return of the World Event: Brewfest. In the past, it’s been a great way to earn vast amounts of gold, merely flipping two items. The items we’re interested in are Tremendous Tankard O’ Terror and Terrific Tankard O’ Terror these are looted from within the Keg-Shaped Treasure Chest.

Part of the ludicrous profit margins was due to the importance of the weapons ilvl but also the inability of casual players posting the weapons at the correct price point. Players were incorrectly posting the weapons and undercutting those from previous expansions. Also worth noting that when checking the tooltip, it showed ilvl 136, which in fact it was ilvl 395. I was buying all the ilvl 395 weapons between 1k and 10k gold and flipping them at 75k-150k (realm dependant); then they dropped off to approximately 35k-50k post 8.3. They still occasionally sell now, but not as prevalent at before the release of 8.3 due to ilvl 400 weapons from professions.

Edit: As of this morning (14.10.2020) I can confirm that the Tankards are of ilvl 425 as shown below. If you shop using TSM, it will show the item incorrectly at ilvl 136! As shown in the second image, that shows the exact same item, but at ilvl 425 using the default WoW interface. At this early stage, I don’t believe the ilvl 425 to be significant to invest in, as World Quests and Shadowlands pre-patch will offer better alternatives. There may have been some value if it was level with normal/heroic Ny’alotha gear.

It the weapons are not your cup of tea, remember there are several other flips available to us which generate some decent profit margins. Here are some ideas.

If you farm dungeons or Raids at Blackrock Spire, and you haven’t acquired the Direbrew’s Remote yet, I suggest doing the daily dungeon queue for Coren Direbrew; this is where Keg-Shaped Treasure Chest drops once you complete the dungeon objective. You may be lucky to loot a decent BoP Trinket, BoP Mount, the Direbrew’s Remote or as mentioned above, the Tankards.

As a kind reminder, remember that when the event is available, items will drop in price, and when the event has finished, the items will become more profitable. So if you feel there’s value, pick up any cheap items on the Auction House. If you’re unsure, always check our trusted friend The Undermine Journal and check those stats. 

Please remember to justify the ilvl of any Tankards before purchasing them.

Here’s some images of my Tankard purchases and sales that I could find. More to follow if I find them!

Island Expedition Transmog

/ Gra1980 / Leave a comment

Today’s blog post is concerning Transmog from Island Expeditions. Since the release of patch 8.3 I have been regularly buying up cheap Transmog from the Auction House and successfully flipping them for profit. Today I will inform you how you can either earn these running Expeditions or buying them off the Auction House; for flipping now or in preparation for Shadowlands.

This post is written to help those unaware of this market, maybe dipping their toes in to something new. However, if you feel this may help someone, or offer some different information than highlighted before, please feel free to share.

What’s the Benefit?

At the moment, the Auction Houses are saturated by Transmog from Island Expeditions. The Expeditions are a great way to level, and some of the rewards are extremely good, ranging from Transmog, Mounts and Battle Pets. With the lack of content, people are farming; thus, a lot of these items are on the Auction House cheap waiting for players like us to soak them up.

We should buy these up, so when Shadowlands is upon us, and people are enjoying the new content, the supply will drop, increasing the value of the Transmog. As with most things in life, the best items will always demand a higher price, so keep your eyes peeled. I will add later some of the items that I believe are of interest.

Always remember, Transmog is a very fickle market; an item might look nice to you, but may look entirely different to someone else and vice versa. So always take care when purchasing Transmog.

What is Island Expedition Transmog.

The Transmog from Island Expeditions is armor of ilvl 310 or weapons (Plundered) at ilvl 325. These have recolor skins of previous raid/ expansion content.

Island Expedition Transmog sets.

How to earn Transmog Doing Island Expeditions.

Most people use Island Expeditions to power-level characters/alts, complete their weekly objective or farm for Transmog, Mounts or Battle Pets. At the end of each run, you will receive loot and  Seafarer’s Dubloon based on objectives completed and how successful you were. If you didn’t earn any Transmog on your run, don’t worry, you can purchase salvage with  Seafarer’s Dubloon from your factions vendor. They’re situated by the Expedition Table.

Alliance – Boralus
Captain Nightrunner

Horde – Daza’alor
Captain Kitt

These vendors sell a salvage crate from between 50 to 175  Seafarer’s Dubloon. The crates change on a weekly cycle dependant on the current maps. You also have the chance to receive Mounts and Battle Pets, so if you’re farming for these too, this is a great way to obtain them. Click on one of the vendors above, to check the crates available as each crate has different/specific items.

Island Expedition Strategies

Alternative to Running Island Expeditions.

As the Transmog is bind on equip (BoE) we can purchase them off the Auction House if we deem them cheap enough. Remember, the gear is currently saturated on the Auction House, so prices of some items are extremely low. When the demand and the supply change in Shadowlands, so will the prices. Be prepared when the prices change, to make the most amount of profit, adapting is key!

Make sure you consider the size and economy of your realm. Check out The Undermine Journal and see how much 310 and 325 items are. Also, don’t post too many of any one item as the posting costs are extremely high!

I recommend grabbing yourself a few pieces of each, but only spend what you can afford to risk losing. After all, we’re gambling here, and you don’t make large amounts of profit, without taking a calculated risk.

Items of interest

Duskhaven Top Hat
Flamecaster Stave
Stinkrot Smasher
Firekin Items*
Beacon-light Bulwark
Bear-Carved Fists
Tranquil Path items*
Razorfin Items*
Blade of Northern Kings

(*Helm/Shoulder/Chest items demand a higher value) Bracers will be the lowest.

(To be Updated)

TSM Import String

Here’s my TSM import string for Islands Expedition Transmog. There are no operations, but they’re simple to create. The values within the groups are merely for reference.

Screenshots

I can understand that some of you reading this blog post may seem very sceptical of all this. But to provide some reassurances, I’ve added some screenshots below, covering some of my sales. Bear in mind these sales are during Battle for Azeroth, and these prices will only increase once Shadowlands releases.

Have you been buying and selling Island Expedition Transmog? how’s your sales? Do you have a sufficient inventory ready for Shadowlands? Let me know how you’re getting on, in the comment section below.

As always, a shout-out to Wowhead for use of their database. All links directed to them. If you enjoyed this post, please share. Thanks for reading.

Complete Realm Connection List for European Region 2020

/ Gra1980 / 1 Comment

I’ve created this comprehensive list of all the realm connections that have been completed this year 2020. I’ve also included realms planned for connection with a TBA. This list will be updated regularly as and when Blizzard make any future changes. The source of all this realm connection details can be found here. This post has been created for ease of use.

European Region.

English:

Normal Realms:

  • Kilrogg, Runetotem, Nagrand, Arathor and Hellfire. (21.08.2020)
  • Burning Steppes, Kor’gal, Executus, Bloodfeather, Shattered Hand, Darkspear, Terokkar and Saurfang. (10.09.2020)
  • Aggra, Grim Batol and Frostmane (13.08.2020)
  • Karazhan, Lightning’s Balde, Deathwing, The Maelstrom, Dragonblight and Ghostlands (10.09.2020)
  • Auchindoun, Jaedenar, Dunemaul and Sylvannas (04.09.2020)
  • Bladefist, Zenedar, Frostwhisper, Darksorrow, Genjuros and Neptulon (28.08.2020)
  • Skullcrusher, Xavius, AliAkir and Burning Legion (26.03.2020)

Roleplay Realms:

  • Scarshield Legion, Sporeggar, The Venture Co, Ravenholdt, Defias Brotherhood, Darkmoon Faire and Earthen Ring (10.09.2020)

TBA:

  • Blade’s Edge, Vek,nilash, Eonar, Arie Peak and Bronzebeard (17th Sep)

English Support Channel – for Breaking News regarding any maintenance

German:

Normal Realms:

  • Garrosh, Nordormu, Shattrath, Perenolde and Teldrassil (10.09.2020)
  • Lordaeron, Tichondrius and Blackmoore (13.08.2020)
  • Baelgun, Lothar, Azshara and Krag’jin (13.08.2020)
  • Echsenkessel, Taerar, Mal’ganis and Blackhand (04.09.2020)
  • Arthas, Vek’lor, Blutkessel, Kel’thuzad, Wrathbringer, Durotan and Tirion (21.08.2020)
  • Dalvengyr, Nazjatar, Frostmourne, Zuluhed, Anub’arak and Aman’Thul (08.07.2020)
  • Nefarian, Nera’thor, Mannoroth, Destromath, Gorgonnash, Gilneas and Ulduar (05.08.2020)

Roleplay Realms:

  • Todeswache, Zirkel des Cenarius, Die Nachtwache, Forscherliga, Der Mithrilorden and Der Rat von Dalaran (28.08.2020)
  • Das Syndikat, Die Arguswacht, Die Todeskrallen, Der Abyssische Rat, Kult der Verdammten, Das Konsortium, Die ewige Wacht and Die Silberne Hand (28.08.2020)

TBA:

  • Ambossar, Kargath and Thrall (17th Sept)

German Support Channel – for Breaking News regarding any maintenance.

French:

Normal Realms:

  • Drek’thar, Uldaman, Eitrigg and Krasus (04.09.2020)
  • Eldre’Thalas, Sinstralis, Cho’gall, Dalaran and Marécage de Zangar (28.08.2020)

Roleplay Realms:

  • Confrerie du Thorium, Les Clairvoyants, Les Sentinelles, Kirin Tor, Culte de la Rive noire, La Croisade écarlate and Conseil Des Ombres (17.08.2020)

French Support Channel – for Breaking News regarding any maintenance.

Spanish:

Normal Realms:

  • C’Thun and Dun Modr (10.09.2020)

Spanish Support Channel – for Breaking News regarding any maintenance.

Russian:

Normal Realms:

  • Подземье (Deepholm), Разувий (Razuvious) and Галакронд (Galakrond) (21.08.2020)

TBA:

  • Король-лич (Lich King), Седогрив (Greymane) and Голдринн (Goldrinn) (17th Sep)
  • Черный Шрам (Blackscar), Гром (Grom), Термоштепсель (Thermaplugg), Борейская тундра (Borean Tundra), Пиратская бухта (Booty Bay) and Ткач Смерти (Deathweaver) (17th Sep)

Translations in brackets.

Russian Support Channel – for Breaking News regarding any maintenance.

Unsure if your realm is connected? then use this easy to use script within the chat window in-game.

/dump GetAutoCompleteRealms()

This will list all the realms connected to you. If it returns no realms, this means you’re not connected to any realm.

Realm Connections for EU and US Regions

/ Gra1980 / Leave a comment

Here’s this weeks (16th & 17th September) confirmed realm connections for the E.U and U.S regions. Extra dates for maintenance have been scheduled. Check the Breaking News screen upon logging in-game or Blizzards Support channels on Twitter (E.U & U.S) for updates.

For a comprehensive list of all the European realm connections (to date) in 2020, click here.

E.U Region

17th September:

  • English – Aerie Peak/Bronzebeard connected to Blade’s Edge/Eonar/Vek’nilash
  • German – Ambossar/Kargath connected to Thrall
  • French – Conseil des Ombres/Culte de la Rive noire/La Croisade écarlate connected to Confrérie du Thorium/Les Clairvoyants/Les Sentinelles
  • Russian – The Lich King/Greymane connected to Goldrinn
  • Russian – Booty Bay/Deathweaver connected to Blackscar

Source – Realm details.
Source – Confirmation of locked realms.

U.S Region

16th September:

  • Aman’thul connected to Dath’Remar/Khaz’goroth.

17th September:

  • Hydraxis/Terenas connected to Drak’thul/Mok’Nathal/Silvermoon/Skywall/Shadowsong/Borean Tundra.
  • Darrowmere/Windrunner connected to Draka/Suramar.
  • Ghostlands/Kael’thas connected to Grizzly Hills/Lothar/Malfurion/Trollbane/Gnomeregan.
  • Black Dragonflight/Gul’dan/Skullcrusher connected to Andorhal/ Eonar/Velen/Scilla/Ursin/ Zuluhed.
  • Exodar/Medivh connected to Alleria/Khadgar.

Source.

Comprehensive list of all European realm connections in 2020

Legion 101 BoE Sales

/ Gra1980 / Leave a comment

A selection of recent sales of Legion 101 BoEs. Please bear in mind that Shadowlands is almost upon us, and it will introduce a level squish, meaning this category will change it’s name, due to the change in ilvl and level details.

I’m unsure how well this gear will scale in Shadowlands, but I’m sure the speed sets will still be very profitable. Posted below are sales at the end of Battle for Azeroth and where highlighted, during Shadowlands.

Battle for Azeroth sales. Updated: 11.09.2020

Shadowlands Sales.

TSM4.10 Guides

/ Gra1980 / 1 Comment

I don’t create TSM guides, but below I will add some recommendations of some guides that I believe will be a great asset to you getting started. Please drop by their websites, social media platforms and drop them some feedback.

I will update this post, once more guides become available for TSM4.10

SamadanPlaysWoW

An excellent beginners guide, showing every aspect of TSM. Each guide posted below for ease of use.

[TSM4.10] All New Features and Updates
[TSM4.10] How to Install
[TSM4.10] Beginners Guide | Basic Groups & Operations
[TSM4.10] Profession & Crafting Operations
[TSM4.10] Sniper Setup | Create Sniping Operations & Groups

TheLazyGoldmaker

If you prefer a written format, check out this great guide. Although it was written back in 2018 (upon the release of TSM4), it still guides you through the fundamentals of the TSM.

Other Guides (outdated)

HazelNuttyGames

Sheyrah

To be updated.

Confirmed Realm Connections for EU and US Regions

/ Gra1980 / Leave a comment

On reset day yesterday (for U.S) and rest day today (for E.U) we saw another set of Realm Connections to help increase the populations on some of the lowest populated realms. Below are all the confirmed connections, please be aware that for E.U there is a planned maintenance tonight for the realms that were connected, confirmation of this is below.

U.S Region:

  • Frostmane/Ner’zhul/Tortheldrin connecting to Cairne/Cenarius/Korgath/Perenolde
  • Borean Tundra/Shadowsong connecting to Drak’thul/Mok’Natal/Silvermoon/Skywall
  • Eredar/Gorefiend/Spinebreaker/Wildhammer connecting to Hellscream/Zangarmarsh
  • Auchindoun/Cho’gall/Laughing Skull connecting to Elune/Gilneas
  • Burning Blade/Lightning’s Blade/Onyxia connecting to Garona/Icecrown/Malygos

E.U Region:

  • ENGLISH: Darkmoon Faire/Earthen Ring connecting to Defias Brotherhood/Ravenholdt/Scarshield Legion/Sporeggar/The Venture Co.
  • ENGLISH: Darkspear/Saurfang/Terrokkar connecting to Bloodfeather/Burning Steppes/Executus/Kor’gall/Shattered Hand
  • ENGLISH: Dragonblight/Ghostlands connecting to Deathwing/Karazhan/Lightning’s Blade/The Maelstrom
  • GERMAN: Perenolde/Teldrassil connecting to Garrosh/Nozdormu/Shattrath
  • SPANISH: C’Thun connecting to Dun Modr
  • RUSSIAN: Borean Tundra connecting to Blackscar/Grom/Thermaplugg

Confirmed Maintenance Tonight for E.U.

Reminder – Potential Character Issues:

If you’ve previously completed a realm transfer to a realm mentioned above, be sure to check that all of your characters can be accessed. As mentioned here, it’s possible (as I can verify) that characters can become inaccessible, due to the realm connections. Immediately contact support (as I have) if you experience any issues.

Unsure if You’re Connected?

If you’re unsure that your realm has recently been connected, use this command in chat, and you’ll get confirmation of the realms you’re connected to.

/dump GetAutoCompleteRealms()