Today I thought I’d check out the BETA tab on Wowhead again, but this time, to check on the changes coming to the ink traders. One of the easiest shuffles in BFA was buying cheap Roseate Pigments and shuffling them for higher-priced Old World inks via the ink trader, as it was very profitable on low-medium populated realms. Upon the release of Shadowlands, the inks required to purchase Old World inks will change. Today’s blog post will delve into these changes and what it means to you if you’re like myself and shuffle inks to flip or use them for Old World crafts within Inscription.

It’s essential to begin by reminding you that this is information from Shadowlands BETA. The developers can and will make changes up until release, so please bear this in mind and check for future updates.

The ink needed to do the ink shuffle from the ink trader in Shadowlands is called Umbral Ink. To craft this, you will need three materials,

• 1 Umbral Pigment
• 1 Aerated Water 
• 1 Rune Etched Vial

You will need one Umbral Ink to purchase one common ink, and you’ll need ten Umbral Inks to buy one uncommon ink, as highlighted below. As a kind reminder, when posting any uncommon inks to the Auction House, make sure your pricing reflects the cost of the ten Roseate Pigments. This can easily be forgotten and will lead to losses in potential profit.

As with all new expansions and the influx of new items to craft, materials are going to be very costly due to the demand being more significant than the supply. As the weeks and months progress, the supply will slowly move in line with the demand, and the prices will fall to an acceptable rate. The problem is, Umbral Ink is a required material for 18 crafts, including Darkmoon Card of Death, Contracts, and Missives. Later in the first patch, will come the release of the new Raid: Castle Natharia, meaning Vantus Runes will become important too. Umbral Ink will be in high demand due to the Darkmoon Card, Contracts (to help players boost their reputations), and Missives (which adds stats to crafted gear).

The Darkmoon Card was very profitable at the start of BFA, and as history shows Darkmoon Trinkets during the first patch are normally best in slot trinkets, and will undoubtedly be again in Shadowlands. With all these crafts in mind, the Umbral Ink will have an importance in crafting, so we don’t want to use it shuffling inks. As with the current situation with Roseate Pigment in BFA, as the demand for Umbral Ink declines, the value will drop, and the need to find alternative methods to sell it/trade it will arrive and Umbral Ink will be at it’s cheapest value, as you see today with Roseate Pigment.

So our alternative is, if you need Old World inks, I suggest stockpiling the inks you need using the Roseate Pigment shuffle now, while the cheap pigments are there, trade the inks you need and store them in your bank. Be sure to trade them before the ink trader changes in Shadowlands, or you’ll be stuck with large quantities of Roseate Pigment, unless you need them for Legion crafts of course!

I have already done this method on all my characters that have Inscription. The one thing worth bearing in mind at this point is the increase in players leveling in different Old World zones. As you’ll know, you can now level in whatever zone you wish to level 50, and this means that Old World materials might start flooding the Auction House. Thus herbs and pigments currently in low supply may start increasing in supply in Shadowlands, bringing the crafting costs of previous inks cheaper than the cost of the Roseate Pigment shuffle. Currently, it’s not easy to ascertain how much of a difference leveling will have on Old World materials, but we must keep a close eye on it and adapt where necessary.

Any method of stockpiling before a new expansion is always a gamble, so please only participate in this, if you have the capital to risk it. The risk is minimal if you have a Scribe. Otherwise, always note the average price point at which you purchased your Roseate Pigment before Shadowlands and make sure you sell your Old World inks (that you traded) or Roseate Pigment at a profit to avoid any potential losses.

I hope this post highlights the new changes to the ink trader in Shadowlands and maybe opens some new markets for you, to make gold in World of Warcraft.

Thank you to Wowhead for the source of information within my blog post.

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