Shadowlands 9.1

Solo Queue For Island Expeditions in 9.1?

/ Gra1980 / 1 Comment

Expedition Map

Solo Queue For Island Expeditions?

Blizzard is finally releasing their new patch, Shadowlands 9.1 – Chains of Domination, next week! Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial to quickly check out the PTR and see whether they’ve successfully incorporated the long-awaited solo queue for Island Expeditions.

According to Jeremy Feasel, he was hopeful that a solo queue for Island Expeditions could be incorporated in 9.1 but didn’t hold much hope for Warfronts.

Jeremy Feasel statement for Solo Queues for 9.1

What Are Island Expeditions:

For those unaware, Blizzard introduced Island Expeditions in Battle for Azeroth (BFA). Players could approach the Expedition Map and sign up to queue for four different difficulties, Normal, Heroic, Mythic, and PvP.

You needed a team of three players to participate, and it had a simple objective, reach the azerite goal first, and you won! In addition, Blizzard introduced further incentives and tasks throughout the expansion of BFA and made it worthwhile for players to continue participating in Island Expeditions for Companion Pets, Mounts and Transmog.

Why The Need For A Solo Queue?

With the release of Shadowlands and the lure of new content, players that continued to queue for Island Expeditions found it difficult to get groups due to a lack of interest. Thankfully, early in Shadowlands, there was hope. Jeremy Feasel informed the World of Warcraft community that they were trying to incorporate a solo queue. The community had hoped that the improvement was ready for Shadowlands 9.1.

The 9.1 PTR:

I quickly copied over my main character onto the PTR and hurried over to the Port of Zandalar. I interacted with the Expedition Map. To my astonishment, there was no method to solo queue for an Island Expedition.

When I hovered over the four difficulties, the tooltips expressed the need for three players to participate in the Mythic and PvP queue. However, the tooltip for Normal and Heroic had no minimum player requirement. Furthermore, all four options needed me to select find crew, suggesting there’s no solo queue yet!

With 9.1 due to release on the 29th of June for NA (30th for EU), there’s no way they’re releasing the solo queue unless they plan to release something in the next few days. So that would suggest that there’s no testing expected before the release of 9.1.

If No Solo Queue In 9.1, When?

Suppose there’s no solo queue in 9.1. In that case, I can only assume that Blizzard maybe hit a snag while making alterations to Island Expeditions. However, if they plan to release this during Shadowlands, then perhaps it will come in 9.2. It’s worth remembering that Blizzard usually waits for two expansions before making previous content more accessible for soloing.

What Does This Mean For Gold-Making?

The inability to solo queue for Island Expeditions means that players will continue to struggle to queue. Therefore, the need for offloading Island Expedition Transmog (as warned in my previous post) may not be necessary now. Gold-makers were worried that with the ability to solo queue, the demand for Transmog would drop. At the same time, the supply would increase, meaning a loss in value. What will likely happen now is the opposite, more demand and a lack of supply, slowly increasing its value!

But stay vigilant; Blizzard has in the past made changes where necessary, without warning. So expect Island Expedition Transmog to hold its value for now, but adapt if there are any late changes.

Feedback:

Any feedback is greatly received; please use the comment section below. If you need to contact me, use the contact me method. If you found this post helpful and believe it could be of use to someone else, please consider liking and sharing.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for reading.

Unobtainable Classic Recipes Obtainable Again

/ Gra1980 / 2 Comments

Unobtainable Classic Recipes Obtainable Again:

Some excellent news was revealed today regarding the imminent release of the Shadowlands 9.1 patch. Classic recipes that were unobtainable following the release of Cataclysm will now be obtainable once more.

How to Obtain These Recipes:

During the Event, Cataclysm Timewalking, it will be possible to purchase classic recipes from the Cataclysm Timewalking vendor called Kiatke. This news is excellent for players that do not own these recipes already. However, this will negatively affect gold-makers who have already invested in these recipes, as their value will drop considerably.

What Recipes Are Available Again?

The following profession recipes will be available for purchase from Kiatke.

Alchemy:
Cooking:
Engineering:
Tailoring:
Leatherworking:

My Recent BoE Recipe Guides:

If you’re familiar with my recent guides regarding BoE Recipes, you will know that these recipes were among the recipes I urged you to invest in if the price was right. However, following today’s news, I encourage you not to purchase these any longer and quickly look at offloading these recipes immediately, as their value will considerably fall.

I will immediately amend my guides to reflect today’s changes.

Blue Post:

For confirmation of today’s news, please check out the blue post below. The image was taken from Wowhead’s recent post.

Classic unobtainable recipes obtainable again in Shadowlands 9.1

Feedback:

Any feedback is greatly received; please use the comment section below. If you need to contact me, use the contact me method. If you found this post helpful and believe it could be of use to someone else, please consider liking and sharing.

Island Expedition Transmog in Shadowlands 9.1

/ Gra1980 / 2 Comments

Island Expedition Transmog:

I wrote a post called Island Expedition Transmog back in 2020, covering the Island Expedition Transmog you could acquire from completing Island Expeditions. Due to the low prices players were posting these items for, there was a market for flipping them for a considerable profit.

Once Shadowlands released in late 2020, and players turned their attention to the new content, the supply quickly fell. With the demand increasing, the value of these items increased significantly. For example, I could purchase the Stinkrot Smasher for 25k midway through 2020; today, it’s worth between 100-200k depending on your realm.

Sadly, players have made a valid point that Island Expeditions are difficult to queue, as you need a group of three players to participate. As a result, Blizzard has decided to introduce a solo queue, meaning it will become easier to participate in Island Expeditions. Unfortunately, this change could have a knock-on effect on the supply and demand of Island Expedition Transmog, thus driving their valuations down. 

No information has been released regarding any possible changes to drop rates etc. Any changes to the drop rates of loot will significantly affect the valuation of Island Expedition Transmog. I’d recommend checking the 9.1 Public Test Realm (PTR) as soon as it’s available and adapt accordingly.

I’ve added links to Wowhead’s Article and the interview between Jeremy Feasel and Vanion below.

Wowhead’s article confirming Solo queues

Jeremy Feasel’s interview with Vanion

Island Expeditions in Battle for Azeroth:

On the release of Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard introduced new content called Island Expeditions. Island Expeditions gave us four difficulties, Normal, Heroic, Mythic, and PvP. The aim was to pick a map from 3 choices, then your difficulty, and group up with two friends or two other players through a queue system. Once your group formed, it was a race to meet the Azerite goal; if you reached the Azerite goal first, you won, and a sack of loot was waiting for you at the end!

With new patches to Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard introduced more changes to Island Expeditions, none more so than the introduction of objectives. Completing particular objectives would influence your loot at the end of the match. However, players were still disappointed with the varied loot tables and not earning items they wanted. Finally, Blizzard succumbed to the player’s demands and introduced the Seafarer’s Dubloons and 8 Salvage Crates.

Seafarer’s Dubloons was an excellent incentive for players wanting to farm specific items. Earn enough Dubloons, and you were able to purchase one of 8 Salvage Crates. Now the crates weren’t as straightforward as you’d hoped. A weekly map cycle coincided with the type of Salvage Crate that was available from the vendor. If you wanted a specific item from Island Expeditions, you had to wait for the correct map that offered your desired Salvage Crate.

Island Expeditions in Shadowlands 9.1:

Sadly for gold-makers, the introduction of the solo queue will undoubtedly have a negative effect. As players can easily access Island Expeditions, thus the supply of the transmog will increase. As with supply and demand, the valuations of the transmog will decrease as the supply outnumbers the demand.

The only saving grace for gold-makers is if Blizzard incorporates changes to the loots drop rates and makes it difficult to obtain specific transmog. I don’t believe this will happen, but I urge you to be vigilant and adapt accordingly.

When the 9.1 Public Test Realm (PTR) is released, and you have access, please consider checking it. If there are no changes to drop rates and loot is more accessible, immediately consider changing the valuations of your transmog to get a head start on your competition. When 9.1 comes, and the transmog supply quickly increases, you could be stuck with many items you may struggle to sell.

Adapting quickly and being ahead of your competitors is where you want to be; come the release of 9.1!

High Tier List:

If you’re unsure of the big-ticket (high tier) items from Island Expeditions, then check out my list below, which I’ve had a lot of success flipping. For detailed information on the value of an item, check out The Undermine Journal; these items are ≥50k gold – EU Median Price.

Conclusion:

Upon the release of Shadowlands, the value of Island Expedition Transmog increased significantly as the demand outweighed the supply. Sadly for gold-makers like myself, this will undoubtedly change when 9.1 is released, and Blizzard introduces the Island Expedition solo queue.

If there are no other changes to the drop rates of loot, I urge you to reconsider the prices you’ve valued your items for and consider offloading items as promptly as possible. Failure to adapt quickly will leave you with a large stock of transmog that you will struggle to offload.

Accessing the 9.1 Public Test Realm (PTR) as soon as it’s available will give you an idea of the changes coming in the new patch. Use this information to your benefit and make the appropriate changes to your valuations. Continuously monitoring the market and adapting to changes is key to keeping you ahead of your competitors.

Feedback:

Any feedback is greatly received; please use the comment section below. If you need to contact me, use the contact me method. If you found this post helpful and believe it could be of use to someone else, please consider liking and sharing.

I hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for reading.