Operation Godfrey - Can F2Ps hit 21?

It all started here. Can an F2P go from 19 to 21 in one go? The question made my mind run wild immediately. I knew that even if it would be a waste and I'd stop 1 XP from 21 I would give it a shot. This myth must be solved. And I WILL be the one to do it.

At least 16601 XP is needed to go from 19 to 21 in one go. 3050 XP is given by the random dungeon finder. Refer a Friend adds +300% XP, Heirlooms add +20% XP, and a 5 man group adds a +40% XP bonus. Totals out to +360% XP. I have verified that they do all indeed stack.

4612 XP * 3.60 = 16603 XP. Completing a random dungeon at 19 gives 3050 XP. That leaves us 1562* XP to clear. I tested 2 20s 2-manning Mutanus the Devourer (level 20 boss). That gave me 1045 XP. Getting there, but not quite.

XP awarded goes up if the AVERAGE level of your group is lower. The lowest level to enter SFK is 11. I've come up with the absolute ideal setup for this mission.

3 level 11 characters. Any will do, 1 must be a P2P.
The level 15 P2P that is Referring the trial.
The level 17 - 22 P2P that will be forming the group in the dungeon.
The level 19 F2P that is going to *hopefully* hit 21, must have Shoulder and Chest heirlooms.
The high level toon that will clear up to the boss while the others are zoned out.

The scenario will set up like this;
The 19 F2P will group up with the 17 - 22 P2P. Once inside, the rest of the group is kicked. The P2P invites the high level to clear the dungeon up to Godfrey. Once cleared, the high level leaves the party. The P2P invites the P2P level 11 and leaves, that toon then invites the other 2 level 11s, and the 15 P2P RaF partner.
This forms the ideal group of a level 19 with his RaF partner in range for receiving the RaF XP bonus, as well as the level 11s to lower the average level of the group.

(19 + 15 + (3*11))/5 = 13.4 is the average level of the group.
This puts the XP multiple at the highest possible point. 1562* XP (or 2138 XP) is all that the 19 needs to be awarded in order to make the jump from 19 to 21 in one fell swoop.

What can you do to help?
Create a level 11, or offer to be the 17 - 22 P2P that will help shape the perfect scenario. I have none of the 3 level 11s I need. I also require a level 15 to test this theory. I have a level 20 with XP-on for testing with 3 level 11s, and the 15. If the level 20 can get 1562* XP from Godfrey, the level 19 will be all set. Test runs will be taking place within the next few days, and if we can get far enough over the 1562* XP mark the +20% from heirlooms may not be required (and this will remove tons of hours of farming for gold and then honor).

*Full group XP bonus is not yet fully tested. If this fails the plan will go ahead without the +40% XP bonus, changing the calculations slightly. 5188 XP * 3.20 = 16601 XP. Leaving 2138 XP to clear instead of 1562 XP.

I have a level 19 Free-to-Play Warrior ready if the test runs go as planned.

So what do you say? Interested in making twink history? Let me know.


also posted on Twinkinfo here.

Colossal Parachute, Goblin Surveyor Jr. Grade, Arathi Basin travel tips

Sitting atop one of the Twin Colossals in Feralas is Kalin Windflight. He sells a particularly interesting item for 20 twinks, especially Hunters. Colossal Parachute, costing 20 silver, is the only no requirement Slow Fall for any level, is one of the more interesting situational items.

Unfortunately, this item has some restrictions. First, in order to even get to the vendor and buy it, you must be summoned, or flown up there on a multi-person flying mount, because as of Cataclysm the teleport NPC that used to port anyone up there no longer does so. Second, the item is Bind on Pickup and Unique, so you will only have one at a time. Third, the item has a time of 20 minutes on it, so I suggest queuing for WSG at the top and buying the parachute when the queue popped.

Alternatively, there's a parachute inside chests in Gnomeregan. Sharing most of the same restrictions minus the 20 minutes duration tag and requiring level 19, these might be easier to obtain for players who are completely solo, or people who want to have 2 for a battleground (assuming they can get summoned to the peak). Thanks Karazelle from Twinkinfo, for the tip.

This item, combined with Swiftness Potion, will provide very interesting launches with the flag off of the tunnel roof on either side. Be sure to use this in clutch situations and not waste it early, just remember it will disappear when your WSG timer hits about 5 minutes. This item becomes even more interesting for hunters that can Speed off the tunnel roof, disengage and then parachute all the way past mid.

I'll have a video up soon. Oh, and there's a rare spawn there once every few hours, so be prepared to take out Diamond Head when he spawns.

If you need your Slow Fall, this is your guy.

Next up on the bag of tricks is the Goblin Surveyor Jr. Grade, which by now is a rather well known combat NPC that Horde has access to. This gal is accessible after doing the chain of quests at the Rocketway point closest to Orgrimmar, just MAKE SURE TO KEEP THE QUEST once you obtain the Surveyor's Beacon! Not that to get the quest you have to do most of the quests in the small hub where you get the quest, so don't get scared when you can't pickup the quest.

This is Horde only, so Alliance toons are unfortunately out of luck. She'll act as a pet (Hunters and Warlocks can still have their pets/minions out) and do small damage, but it will be helpful for keeping people out of stealth, and apparently she even follows enemies into stealth, as well as pushback enemy casters.

Free damage and stealth tracking!

Arathi Basin weekend is coming up, so get ready to farm some honor. And with that, here are some tips on quick mount travel from either side of BS into BS using the tiny spawned boxes. You're going to have to practice this to get from one side to the other easily without falling into the water. Even if you do fall after a box or two, it's still faster than swimming or going around. The images should be self explanatory.

 

Stay away from the voodoo,

~ Thirk

Horde numbers increasing, Reputation Satchels, Vend-O-Tron D-Luxe!

FOR THE HORDE! This weekend saw what was probably a new record for the F2P Horde of Aerie Peak. We had 40 people online at the same time for a consistent 2 hours, NOT during the fishing tournament, and when the tournament came around even more people came online. I don't think I saw the number drop below 20 until well into late night. At this point I think I can say that, if Wargame battlegrounds were working for low levels, we'd be able to run a full 15v15 Arathi Basin with Horde alone.

If only Alterac Valley was possible.

By now absolutely everyone playing Free to Play should know this, but in case they don't, here's a tip I meant to post LONG ago, but did not get around to. For every city faction you get revered with, you can buy a 16 Slot Satchel. There's a total of 6 bags that you can buy, enough to fill your bag slots and 2 in the bank as well. Alliance, however, can also get 2 more 16 slot bags, the Harpy Hide Quiver and Gnoll Skin Bandolier, from Gaelden Hammersmith, that sadly Horde cannot get.

Each city has their own version of the reputation satchel.

Ever find yourself stranded while farming, leveling professions? No durability? Forgot that damn Skinning Knife again? Well, there's no need to run back to org as of Cata, thanks to the Dungeon Finder system and Cata's overhaul of Deadmines! The Vend-O-Tron D-Luxe, added in Cataclysm to the entrance of Deadmines, is a godsend for those moments. Simply queue up for Deadmines, Enter, grab the stuff you need, repair, and leave right back where you were. No running back to the city.

The best thing to happen to Deadmines.

Mok'ra,

~ Thirk

Profession Guide: First Aid (1 - 225) SOLO

I finally decided to finish up my First Aid, and decided to go ahead and get through the gruesome farm. But it turned out a bit easier than expected (blame it on the class if you'd like), and I found an interesting area that more than just people doing First Aid might be interested in.

Linen Cloth of course is the easiest, and while leveling you should be collecting as much as you can. I suggest farming the low level areas with Humanoids. Silverpine Forst or Durotar is great for Horde and Alliance can stick to Teldrassil or Dun Murogh. This is easily the fastest part of leveling First Aid and honestly you should have it done by the time you're 20.

Wool Cloth should be farmed in Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep. Both places have tons of Humanoids with pretty good drop rates.

Now I'm sure most people have no problem with Linen and Wool, so here's the main point of this guide. Silk is normally only dropped in decent amounts off level 30 - 40 mobs, but I've found a very nice farming area with level 25 - 26 mobs. Silk Cloth drops off Saltscale Warriors at a 12% drop rate. The area they're found in has nothing but these murlocs. In addition to Silk Cloth, I've gotten a few greens and a good amount of Healing Potions. Not to mention these mobs have some of the higher drop rates for the coveted Hyacinth Macaw! There's a good chance that after a few toons leveling First Aid you just might nab yourself the parrot. In about 30 minutes I've gotten, on average, 30 Silk Cloth and 6 Healing Potions, along with 4 or 5 greens.

However, there is a catch. You're going to need to breathe underwater to effectively farm these murlocs. Do NOT attempt to farm without it, you're really wasting your time. Luckily, you can get all the mats for Elixir of Water Breathing within the area, and there's no reason you shouldn't be an Alchemist already. The Elixir lasts for an hour, not 30 minutes, since you craft it yourself. Once you're down there, just move around in circles, they're in packs of 5 - 10 and you should have no problem farming them. It took me about 3 hours total to farm ALL my Silk Cloth, from 150 - 210.

Once you can breathe underwater, you're set for a nice farming session.

For Mageweave, and your final tier bandages, I've got a small tip for Horde. Andra, a Silvermoon vendor, sells 2 Mageweave every few hours. Once you're fully geared, head over there and stock up. Unfortunately Alliance is out of luck in this aspect. Aside from that, you can get higher level help or try and farm level 39 - 42 Death Singers in EPL. Good luck, and happy farming!

Her cloth sales bring all the Horde to the yard.

Dabu,

~ Thirk

Perfecting the Hunter, Alliance Gear IS a problem, Macros, Hunter Spreadsheet!

After my venture into rolling a Shaman and gearing one up rather well, I decided that I wanted at least one twink to be fully completed. I went back and started mercilessly grinding for my Ring of Precision and Arena Grandmaster. I've yet to get any closer to my Arena Master or my ring, but I've decided I want my hunter to be completely Best in slot. Slowly starting to regret not being Blood Elf or Human...

The difference between a fully geared Human Hunter and a fully geared Troll Hunter.

While we're on the subject of races, up above are the exact calculated differences between a fully geared Alliance Hunter and a fully geared Troll Hunter. Obviously, the Human wins, and by a big margin. As far as Survival goes, considered the most viable spec, we have a gain of 1.46% Crit, 0.46% Hit (Troll being 0.38% under the cap), 9 AP, 1.85 white DPS, 2 damage and 104 HP. It's nothing to laugh at, and I'm not so sure Berserking makes up for it. 

Macros are an important part of any "Big Game" Hunter's arsenal. I recently started using 2 VERY useful macros that might help you out.

This macro will automatically use Lifeblood and Berserking when available and cast Steady Shot, which will reduce your attack speed  nicely. All "ability is not ready" errors are suppressed, so this is perfect for replacing your normal Steady Shot bind. In clutch situations (arenas), you may not want to use this, and instead choose to bind Lifeblood and Berserking seperate from Steady Shot (but together).

#showtooltip Steady Shot                             
/run sfx=GetCVar("Sound_EnableSFX");                 
/console Sound_EnableSFX 0                           
/petattack                                           
/cast Lifeblood                                      
/cast Berserking                                     
/cast Steady Shot                                    
/run UIErrorsFrame:Clear()                           
/run SetCVar("Sound_EnableSFX",sfx);                 

This next macro is useful for pet ability management. My mount macro also dismisses my pet, because I never know what I'm going to encounter next in battlegrounds. I have the following bound to 3 and my Bird of Prey to Shift-3 instead of adding a modifier to the macro, so I don't need to mess with my other character's binds. When I know whether I need an interrupt or disarm, I summon the required pet and then use 3 for it's ability.

#showtooltip                                         
/cast [nopet] Call Pet 1                             
/cast [pet:Bird of Prey] Snatch                      
/cast [pet:Moth] Serenity Dust                       

Lastly, I recently released my spreadsheet for hunters, which was used to calculate the differences between Alliance and Horde hunters a few paragraphs above. You can find more information and a download link over at Twink Info.

Strength,

~ Thirk