bind-on-equip
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Tree of Savior Q&A 13 on tradeable items, scouting, and more
Tree of Savior's latest English dev blog features some interesting gameplay nuggets, chief among them the binding/trading mechanics and the game's map system. Lead developer Hakkyu Kim says that all in-game items are freely tradeable, which differentiates ToS from many of its bind-on-equip or bind-on-pickup contemporaries. There is a catch, though, and it is that an item's Potential stat will decrease by one whenever it's traded. The map system generally shows the location of your party members but not other players. However, Scouts can "select a spot on the map to find out which players or enemies are there and share this info with party members." There's more to this week's dev blog, so click through the links below to give it a full read.
New interview sheds light on Black Desert's open world
Last week we told you about a new MMO called Black Desert. There was a trailer, it was gorgeous, etc. Today we've learned a little more about the Korean import thanks to an interview at Steparu.com. For one thing, all those beautiful vistas in the trailer are part of a seamless world. For another, the combat is action-focused and features the ability to dodge and block. There's also something called horse-drifting, which the devs say is part of a battle and movement system inspired by Red Dead Redemption. The game is class-based; current archetypes include Fighters, Sorcerers, Beasts, and Tamers, though the names will likely change going forward. Black Desert also looks to feature optional PvP as well as bind-on-equip items that don't drop if you're killed by another player. When can you get your hands on all these fine features? Not for a while, it seems. The devs say they're shooting for a Korean beta sometime in 2013.
Gold Capped: Spirit of Harmony crafting limitations
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Basil's re-reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! The Spirit of Harmony is going to be the limiting factor in a lot of craftable items in Mists of Pandaria. Just take a look at all the recipes it'll be a reagent for -- some 153 so far, and they haven't even finished designing the professions. The interesting part of this is that the Spirits (and the Motes you can turn into Spirits) are going to be bind on pickup, which means that you can't trade for them. Does this means that you will not be able to level a profession up to the new maximum skill level without farming Spirits and Motes of Harmony yourself? Will it mean the end of readily available, entry-level crafted PvP and PvE blues?
Some Assembly Required: How to screw up your sandbox
Between bouts of Global Agenda, Age of Conan, and a stack of single-player games, I've been taking my own advice lately and looking for a new sandbox. The end of Star Wars Galaxies is forcing my hand, and I figured I'd better start now if I don't want to be stuck with nothing to play on December 16th. While there is a veritable ton of different sandboxes to choose from, I must admit to being a bit frustrated with nearly all of them. If it's not one thing, it's another, and most are such glaring deficiencies that I can't help but wonder what was going through the minds of the development teams during the construction process. Join me after the cut for a few things you should consider if you're making an MMORPG sandbox.
WoW Fashionista: Creating that "super" summer look
Patch 4.1 might have just come out, but it's been months now that you've been sporting that same old tier. With the trade chat PUGs finally catching up to you on gear, are you worried about how you're going to get people to inspect you while you fake standing AFK outside the bank? Sure, you could mount up, but you know in your heart that Invincible mount is sooo last expansion. Fortunately for you, WoW Insider is here to get your bags ready for the summer slump with the hottest new look! With Thor already in theaters and several more costume-heavy blockbusters like Captain America and Green Lantern on the way, you can bet your Val'anyr that the superhero look is in. Better start dusting off those classic capes in the bank and hope to Elune you didn't shard that Netherblade Facemask.
Wings Over Atreia: All I want for Solorius is...
While admittedly they don't include two front teeth, there are definitely some things I would be thrilled to see in my virtual stocking this holiday season from the developers of Aion. At this time of year, you almost can't help but look ahead and dream about what things would make it a better world. Don't believe me? Name me one other time when you hear "peace on earth" more -- not counting a beauty pageant! But our desires for a better world need not be confined just to that real one we inhabit when our computers are shut off; in fact, wishing for a better Atreia (though peace among Daevas may be counter-productive) is right in the holiday spirit! I am not looking for any "I win" or easy button -- just a few things that will make for a better and brighter Atreia, some things that will put more fun into my time in Aion. I'm making my list and checking it twice. After all, 'tis the season of miracles, right? Sleigh ride past the break to take a peek at part of my Christmas... er, I mean Solorius... wish list!
Phat Loot Phriday: Northern Barrier
Been a while since we did a shield. And since we did a BoE, actually. So here's both in one.Name: Northern Barrier (Wowhead, Thottbot, WoWWiki)Type: Epic ShieldArmor: 7890 Armor (221 Block)Attributes: +42 Strength, +94 Stamina Increases defense rating by 63, which is just awesome. %Gallery-33600%
Phat Loot Phriday: Avool's Sword of Jin
That doesn't look like a sword. It just looks like a terrifying swath of death! We love it.Name: Avool's Sword of Jin (Wowhead, Thottbot, WoW-Arsenal)Type: Epic One-hand SwordDamage/Speed: 150-280 / 1.50 (143.3 DPS)Abilities: +38 Agility, +36 Stamina Improves hit rating by 31 and attack power by 62 Great sword for Rogues or Hunters, though the method of obtaining it (see below) probably outweighs the actual stats of it, unless you really, really want one. The hit is great, the fact that it can be dual wielded is nice, and the attack power is just icing on the cake. Plus, just look at it. If someone is running at you and holding that thing, it's pretty clear they don't want to give you a hug and take you out to dinner. It reminds me of the Kill-O-Zap guns from the Hitchhiker's Guide: "the designers of which decided to make it totally clear that it had a right end, and a wrong end, and if that meant sticking blacked and evil-looking devices and prongs all over the wrong end, so be it." %Gallery-33600%
The Engineer's dilemma
After a recent article on how the Engineering motorcycles of Wrath are going to be BoE items usable even by non-engineers, there's been a lot of commentary both here and on the forums about many Engineers' preference for the mount to be BoP -- or at least usable only by fellow Engineers. Last night we heard from reader Deftek who made the following three points: a). the motorcycle would be the only mount in the game beside your own faction's that doesn't require a rep/token grind or a profession; b). the vast majority of Engineering's gadgets have always been for Engineers only, and; c). everyone is going to have one if all you have to do is buy the reagents on the AH and track down an Engineer.It's an interesting conundrum. Profitability and accessibility seem to be zero-sum in the game, and Engineers have complained for years that the profession was a complete money sink because they could sell so few items or services. I'm leveling Engineering on my Warrior right now and it became apparent pretty early that the profession lacked the usual lucrative items available to others; there's no real equivalent to Tailoring's bags, Leatherworking's armor kits, or Alchemy's raid potions. I've made money selling Mechanical Squirrels and that's it. So while I understand where Deftek's coming from, I still think the profession would benefit greatly from the addition of marketable BoE items, and Engineers have just been handed something that basically sells itself.Having said that, a mount isn't an equivalent to, say, super mana potions or golden spellthread; you buy the motorcycle once and you never need to replace, consume, or update it, so the market for it will never extend beyond these one-time purchases. So while Engineering needs more moneymaking items, from an economics perspective the mount isn't a good choice and possibly should be BoP. But it sure looks cool, and I'd love to have one on my (non-Engineering) main.
Engineering motorcycles to be BoE
I met a player in the beta a few nights ago riding one of the brand-new Engineering ground mounts, and he was kind enough to pose for a few pictures and chat with me about it. At the time he confirmed that the mount was being sold in Dalaran for a fraction of its actual value, presumably for the sake of testing its passenger function (which unfortunately still seems to be bugged, so don't count on hauling a buddy along if you run out and buy one right now). He also said the mount was BoE, which both I and Alex had a hard time believing would remain a permanent feature. Blizzard seems to keep most engineering gewgaws in the family, as it were.Well, it looks like we were wrong; CM Valnoth has confirmed that the new Engineering-made ground mount for Wrath is going to be Bind on Equip, so I'd advise making friends with a good Engineer sometime soon (by the way, don't miss Jaylynn's #68 comment on the next page of the thread). We're not sure how expensive the mats are going to be once Wrath goes live, although the player I spoke to estimated it would be less than the current cost of a Turbo-Charged Flying Machine (though quite likely to be more expensive before the Northrend-fueled economy settles somewhat). Daniel Whitcomb's also observed it's likely to remain BoE as having one of these babies is linked to the achievement Get to the Choppa!, so with any luck Engineering is going to be a somewhat more lucrative profession in the expansion.
Scheduled AoC patch postponed by a day again
Age of Conan players will be feeling a bit of deja vu today. As was the case last week, today's scheduled patch is not in a suitable state to go live. A fix relating to "Bind on Equip" items in fact made certain items totally un-equippable, so the update is being held in order to correct the issue.As long as no other extra bugs come up, Funcom expects to have the patch out tomorrow, the 17th of July, at 4AM GMT.
Phat Loot Phriday: Precisely Calibrated Boomstick
Last week we did a high end raiding item, so this week we only do a piece of husky loot, but it's still pretty impressive. Why? It's the fastest gun in Azeroth, east or west. This... is my boomstick!Name: Precisely Calibrated BoomstickType: Epic GunDamage/Speed: 48-56 / 1.50 (34.7 DPS)Abilities: +14 Agility Ok you primitive screwheads, listen up! As far as I can tell (and it seems like whenever I make a blanket statement like this, our commenters always prove me wrong), this is the fastest non-magical projectile (not thrown) ranged weapon in the game. There's good news and bad news on that one. The good news is that for hunters, firing this fast will mean that any abilities that proc (Improved Aspect of the Hawk, Go for the Throat) will do it more often. You'll also get more crits, which is always nice, and some twink PvP hunters say this can actually keep casters from casting-- it hits so fast that their casting bar slows way down. But unfortunately, speed isn't everything-- as fast as this gun is, lots of hunters would rather have a slower gun that does more damage per hit. Not to mention that all this firing spends your ammo like it's going out of style-- more bangs means more money for new ammo. For BM hunters who autoshot a lot, this gun is nice at the level, but for most other hunters, it's probably not worth the time unless it falls into your lap. Rogues could also use it-- the agility in the ranged weapon slot is nice for the level. But anyone who takes it around 45 or so will probably be passing it up for something better within a few levels anyway. But that's how it is with lowbie weapons-- first you want to kiss them, then you want to kill them. Blow. How to Get It: It's a world drop, which means it could drop from almost anywhere in the world. So either you'll just get really lucky and have it fall into your lap while leveling or grinding, or you'll have to pick it up from the AH-- like other world epics, it is Bind on Equip. It's gone for hundreds of gold in the past, but even though I haven't priced it lately, I wouldn't imagine it being near that high these days-- 200g at the absolute most, and probably under 100g on most servers. You could probably get it cheaper, but only if you shop smart-- S-mart.Getting Rid of It: If you had it drop and don't need it, sell that sucker on the AH! Otherwise, a vendor will give you 2g 45s 40c for it, or it'll DE into a Large Radiant Shard. Hail to the king, baby. Gimme some sugar.
