World of Warcraft Gold Guide

Auction House Secrets

2010-02-24T13:40:00.001-08:00

Welcome Friend,

I’ve said this many a time, but it needs saying again: the easiest way to make gold in World of Warcraft is to work the Auction House. There’s no grinding, questing or raiding necessary and the trading of even the most expensive of items is independent of level.

What this means is that even a level 5 player, fresh from the starter zone, can trade with the best of champions at level 80. Of course, a level 5 player is unlikely to have amassed the same amount of gold compared to a level 80 - but the opportunity to make money by artful and skillful trading is the same.

Now, Friend, there a number of things that stump many new player when they first encounter the Auction House. They can normally be summed up thus:

What to sell?
What’s it worth?
What quantity to post?
When to post?
How long to post?

Even if players think they have something to sell, it can be very hard to work out it’s true worth i.e. its ‘market value’. To do this, a player would have to scour the Auction House listings - of which there are thousands - and find the most frequently quoted price on any given day (called the median price) and average this over several days for any given item.

If this sounds like hard work, it is!

Fortunately, there’s an addon that can loaded that makes valuing an item a snip. It’s called Auctioneer and can be downloaded free at curse gaming or www.auctioneeraddon.com.

Take my advice, Friend, and download this addon today. It will transform your game - if you can learn how to use it. Many players load auctioneer and then wonder what to do with it or never use it to its full potential.

In my new guide, Auction House Secrets, I take you step by step through both the basic and advanced features of Auctioneer and show you how to automate your trading to just 15 mins a playing session. I also show you how to link the main trading strategies of the champions to the addon to max out your auctions.

Cheers
Marcus Ty
www.journalofmarcusty.com

Winter Veil Hints & Tips

2009-12-22T02:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a short video I made, giving you some hints and tips on some of the quests for Winter Veil.

Of course, one of the first quests is to make Gingerbread Cookies for Great Father Winter. This always creates a flurry of activity on the Auction House by last minute shoppers looking to snap up 'Small Eggs' - the main ingredient for the cookies.

I always keep a stack or two in the bank for this occasion and normally make a killing on the Auction House by selling Small Eggs in stacks of 5 (the number needed for the quest).

In the video I show one of the best locations to farm Small Eggs so that you too can earn some extra gold this Winter Veil.

Happy Holidays!
Marcus

WOTLK Gold Farming - Iceweb Silk

2009-12-14T12:24:00.001-08:00

Here's a short video I made of one of the better locations in WOTLK to farm Iceweb spider silk.

Enjoy

Is This Link Transparent?

2009-12-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Disclosure Statement
Over the five years or so that I've been playing World of Warcraft, I've bought many a guide and manual. Those commercial guides that I've found to enhance my game, or I've reviewed and think fulfill a niche, I sometimes write about in my posts and include an external link to the owner's sales page. This sometimes takes the form of an 'affiliate link'.

What's an Affiliate Link?
For those guides that I'm happy to promote - that is, I think they add some value to the game - I normally become an affiliate. As an affiliate, the product owner pays a commission on those sales made from the traffic I send via the affiliate link. This is how many sites are funded and remain free to you.

How to tell an Affiliate Link?
These links look like any other link, so it's difficult to tell. Unless it's blatantly obvious (the link is in the sidebar or takes the form of a banner), I'll normally tell you if I'm affiliate of the product I'm reviewing. But in case I forget, you should assume that any external link that takes you to a sales page is an affiliate link.

What's the big deal?
This is no big deal. The powers that be want to ensure that any commercial relationship between blog posters and product owners is completely transparent. And this is a good thing. You can then better decide on the merits of any posts.

Cheers
Marcus

Warcraft Companions

2009-11-15T03:32:00.000-08:00

If you have merged your Blizzard account recently with your Battlenet account, then you will have been posted the complimentary pet called Mr Chilly. I thought this to be a creepy little devil and decided I'll just show you some of my other pets.

Two of these pets you can't find in-game; they come as complimentary gifts when you attend a Blizzard event. The cute polar bear in the video is for having an account for over 4 years, I think. It just turned up in the mail one day. Pretty cool!

The other pet is much better and is called Grunty the Space Marine. This was a gift from Blizzards recent Blizzcon on-line event. Grunty is a bit of a hoot.

The other pets can be obtained as part of the Mysterious Egg hatching. See my previous posts on the Mysterious Egg on Youtube in HD or on my previous posts.

Check out my video on Youtube in HD called Warcraft Companions or watch below.

Cheers Marcus Ty

World of Warcraft Cataclysm Revealed

2009-08-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

The big news at BlizzCon 2009 for World of Warcraft fans was the announcement of Blizzard's latest expansion - Cataclysm. And listening to Blizzard developers and content creators, a cataclysm it will certainly be.

Deep within the bowls of Azeroth a terrible force is stirring. Driven mad by the whispering of the old gods, the black dragon aspect known as Deathwing has finally awakened.

And he is pissed!

This is the backdrop to Cataclysm. Deathwing's breaking through the elemental plan into Azeroth has caused a massive destructive force to be unleashed across land with tidal waves and earthquakes forever changing Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom.

And what a Cataclysm it is!

Blizzard have taken the opportunity to completely re-work the basic levels from 1-60 with much of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom landscape completely changed:

The Barrens have been torn asunder and split in two
The Thousand Needles has flooded
The Darkshore has been changed forever
Auberdine has been destroyed and the Elves decamped further North
Desolace has been greened

And this is just for starters.

Zones like Azshara have changed to a low leveling zone and many zones have been reworked to make them much shorter and better connected.

What this means is that the basic gathering nodes (Mining and Herbalism) will have changed along with all quests for the zones. The method of leveling will remain the same but leveling strategies will now be very different.

Another big change is that flying mounts are now enabled for all zones in Azeroth. I can imagine the skies of Azeroth dark with miners stripping the land of ore! Think how fast you'll be able to gather basic ores and herbs.

There is also a number of new zones:

DeepHolm - Located in the elemental plan; Deathwing's domain
The Sunken City of Vashj'ir - underwater combat and new underwater mounts
Uldum - modeled on an Egyptian them
Mount Hyjal
Twilight Highland - Grim Batol remade.

As with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, there are new Races:

Goblins - Horde
Worgen - Alliance

Each race will come with their own unique skills and talents.

This is just a flavor of the vast changes that will appear in Cataclysm. Probably Blizzard's biggest, most radical expansion to their World of Warcraft.

Marcus Ty

What's New In Patch 3.2

2009-08-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

If you are regular World of Warcraft player you will have, by now, downloaded the later patch 3.2 - Call of the Crusade. For those with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the Crusader Coliseum has been completed giving rise to a new raid dungeon. There is also a brand new battleground - The Isle of Conquest - which is great fun for those who have yet to try it.

But in this post I'll talk about what I think have been some of the significant additions and changes when it comes to the wow economy and the making of easy wow gold.

The Economy Deflates
As new items are patched into the game, demand for these items rises rapidly as players learn how to gather or craft them. This in turn makes older items less desirable and their price falls. If you browse the Auction House on a regular basis you'll begin to notice the prices on many items begin to fall. If these items are crafted, then there will also be deflation on those materials needed to produce them.

Tip - keep your eyes open for items that suddenly start to appear cheaper. If you snap them up too early, thinking you'll make a killing on reselling them, you may end up holding 'lemons' and make a loss. Let the market settle down for a few weeks and prices will eventually find their new level.

Epic Gems
The items in big demand with patch 3,2 are the epic gems. These are obtained in the following way:

Prospecting Titanium Ore
Alchemy transmutations
Purchased with honor
Purchased with Emblems of Heroism

The prospecting of epic gems has caused a huge surge in the price of Titanium with players buying up as much as they can. Flying around Icecrown recently, I noticed the sky thick with miners, scouring the outcrops for elusive Titanium nodes.

Tip - You can also find Titanium nodes in and around the Sholazar Basin. It's a little less crowded.

Less Walking More Riding
But for me the most significant change has been lowering of riding levels. It's now possible to learn Apprentice Riding (skill 75) at level 20 for just 4 gold and by up an riding for a few silver more!

So what's the big deal?

Gaining access to a mount earlier in the game will greatly assist those players with the gathering professions (Mining, Herbalism and Skinning). Players will be able to scour zones more efficiently and quickly for materials than in earlier patches and thus more gold.

In addition, players should in theory level faster. No endless running between towns or zones to complete quests. Leveling should speed up greatly.

This is no bad thing - as Scot Mercer of Blizzard says: 'It's a long way from Auberdine to Astranaar!'

Tip - If you have already reached level 20, you'll received a Blizzard mail in-game telling you to go to a riding trainer. Make sure you learn Apprentice Riding as soon as you can. You will, of course need at least 4 gold!

Marcus Ty

Mysterious Egg - Part 2

2009-08-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I describe grinding reputation with the Oracles to purchase one of their Mysterious Eggs. If you follow me on twitter or subscribe to my Gold Making Guide, you will know that the eggs can hatch into a number of different pets.

What you may not know is that on rare occasions you have a chance to obtain a proto-drake - which is what happened to me with my first egg.

I made a short video to show you how.

Enjoy Marcus

A Mysterious Egg

2009-06-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

The goblin trading principle of 'Hard to Find' states that if something is hard to find or difficult to attain, it will fetch much gold in the World of Warcraft. This fact was made clear to me one day in Dalaran.

I was hanging out at the Hero's Welcome (the Alliance Tavern in Dalaran) waiting for the Wintergrasp timer to tick down with a few mates when this goblin walks up from the sewers holding something mysterious. Without any introduction he walks right up and says "Have I got a deal for you!"

Now there's a few things that can to be said about goblins. One is they are very sharp traders and the other is that they don't take no for an answer. So it was the sucker in me that said "what's that your holding?"

"It's a mystery", said the goblin.
"Looks like an egg?"
"It's a Mysterious Egg!", said the goblin.
"Will it allow me to feed my group when on a raid?", I asked.

"That would be a Small Feast."
"Can I use it for a Monster Omelete?"
"No, no that would be a Giant Egg!", sighed the goblin.
"I give in"
"You keep it warm for 7 days and it hatches into a little pet".
"That great! What kind of pet?"
"That's the mystery."
I eyed my new, smelly little friend with suspicion.

"No really," explained the goblin, "no one knows until it hatches."

"OK, I'll take two."

"No can do, Amigo - it's soulbound. But I'll sell you the pet when it hatches which is BoE."

I said the goblin magic words: "How much?"

"For you, Friend, cos I like you, 200 Gold"

"By the Titans of Ulduar, are you off your trolley?"

"Listen, Friend," shouted the goblin, "you have no idea how hard it is to get these eggs!"

I admit, I didn't, but knew he was going to tell me.

"You have to first befriend a funny looking group of Murlocs in the Sholazar Basin; then fight ferocious, furry puppy dogs; and finally kick the butt of a really hard dude hanging out in cave until you are revered. Only then will these guys sell you an egg."

I was impressed. " Sounds like a steal."

"Sold to the Mage with the funny haircut!"

By grinding repution to at least Revered with the Oracles will give you access to their Mysterious Egg. Hatch the pet and sell it for much gold on the Auction House

Follow me on Twitter to learn of the pets that hatch!

Happy Hatching!
Marcus Ty

Gold Farming With Fishing

2009-06-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

Call me strange, but I've always enjoyed fishing in the World or Warcraft and especially in WOTLK.

And fishing has changed recently with the latest patch release, in case you haven't noticed?

I was propping up the bar at the Pig & Whistle (Stormwind), hanging out with my mates the Elves, when this Dwarf storms in looking all flustered and a might upset. In his hand he held the biggest fishing pole I'd ever seen.

"Blimey", I said, "that's a big en."

"No", said the Dwarf, "its called Big Iron."

The trouble with Dwarfs - now don't get me started - but they're not the most patient of types to - well fish! So I was a tad surprised to see this one armed with a fishing pole.

"So, Friend, what did you catch?"

The Dwarf fixed me with a steely glare. "I'm not fishing, you clown. I'm off to auction this Big Iron! But curse the sea Titans if they haven't nerfed my favorite fishing item!"

A collective gasp echoed around the tavern - which is no mean feat when it's full of drunken Elves.

"You don't mean Nat Pagle's been nerfed?" I nearly fainted.

"No, you idiot, Old Man Heming - Booty Bay"

Someone started yelling " OLD MAN HEMING'S BEEN NERFED!"

"No you bunch of morons. His book, his book - THE BASS AND YOU!"

I cursed - "Oh crumbs!"

"Call that a curse", said the Dwarf, "you've been hanging out with the Elves for far too long, Marcus Ty."

But he was right. No, not about the curse, but about Old Man Heming. You could always buy his book for 1g and sell it at auction for 3-5g. Easy money - if you knew where to find the book. And in World of Warcraft, some things are always hard to find.

Talking of which I meant to ask the Dwarf how he came by his 'Big Iron', but he had gone.

Follow me on Twitter to find out.

Cheers Marcus

WoW Gold From Spider Silk

2009-05-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Love em or hate em, spiders can be a good source of wow gold providing you know where to find them (not really a problem) and familiar with the items they drop.

Spider Silk

The main drop of interest - especially for Tailors and Leatherworkers - is Spider Silk. This item always sells well on most servers. Just find a good concentration of spiders and grind them until you have a stack of silk. A good example are the Giant Plains Creeper of the Arathi Highlands.

Grind Em and Cook Em

Of course, spiders also drop items needed for cooking quests. When items are needed for quests, they will always be sought after and thus sell well at auction. A good example is Small Spider Legs which are required for the Alliance only quest Recipe of the kaldorei in Teldrassil which requires you gather 7 Small Spider Legs.

Another example is the drop of White Spider Meat. This is in demand from those Cooks wanting the meat for the recipe 'Spider Sausage'.

Spiders in WOTLK

With the latest expansion of Wrath of the Lich King, the latest spider silk that is in much demand is the Iceweb Spider Silk. This silk is required for everything from Epic Spellthread to Magic Carpets. A great location for the farming of Iceweb Silk is Zul'Drak where the Trapdoor Ambusher spiders lurk, especially in a small area call Heb Valok, close to the Argent Stand.

Happy Hunting!

Grinding Sporeggar Reputation

2009-05-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

In the World of Warcraft your reputation - like a dwarfs stomach - always precedes you. The better your reputation, the more access you will have to a wider range of epic gear and mounts that only the faction quartermasters can provide. You usually need to be at least revered, or better still, exalted before a faction will let you buy its epic gear. An example is the Son's of Hodir outlined in this blog that supply the Ice Mammoth once your reach Revered.

If you haven't yet thought about gaining reputation with a particular faction, I'd urge you to reconsider as some of the quests can be great fun and eventually result in many of the daily quests so popular in the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.

How To Gain Reputation

There are a number of ways to gain reputation with a particular faction:

1. Complete an initial series of quests, thus gaining their favor and becoming friendly

2. Grind an opposing faction

3. Gather faction specific tokens which are redeemed for reputation points

The Sporeggar

The Sporeggar in Outlands is a good example. Here is a short video I made while in Zangermarsh. The gold making tip here is that any reputation item that is not BOP can be sold for much gold on the Auction House. The Glowcaps of the Sporeggar are a good example. Check out your own server and see what they're selling for.

Enjoy!

WOTLK Mammoth Gold Guide

2009-03-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

I was in Ironforge a few days ago doing a bit of trading with one of my alts when a group of level 80 dudes starting gathering in front of the Auction House.

All were riding mammoths!

I thought this looked very cool so I took short video and gave them a wave. Having finally reached level 80 several weeks ago, I thought it time to get me a Mammoth mount! But where do you get one?

The obvious place to look for a Mammoth once you reach Northrend is the Dalaran market place. There you'll find Mei Francis (Exotic Mounts) who supplies Reins of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth, an Epic mount that also carries vendors. Handy if you're gathering, but expensive at a staggering 20,000g if you are only Neutral with the Kirin Tor.

If you are still lusting after this mount and have the cash, then you might want to improve your reputation with the Kirin Tor to Exalted, which will drop the price to a mere 16,000g, but still a Mammoth amount of gold.

A much cheaper Mammoth option is to find favor with the frost giants of Storm Peaks by grinding reputation with the The Sons of Hodir. The Quartermaster Lillehoff will sell you two types of Mammoth: Reins of the Ice Mammoth for a mere 900g once you reach Revered, and
Reins of the Grand Ice Mammoth once you have reach Exalted.

Gaing reputation with The Sons of Hodir is straight forward once you have completed the quest chain They Took Our Men! began by Gretchen Fizzlespark in K3 within The Storm Peaks.

The quests that follow on from this chain turn into a set of 4 Daily quests that will increase your reputation with this faction. In addition, many NPC that you grind in this area will drop Relic of Ulduar which can also be traded in for additional reputation reward. Relics are not Soulbound and so can be traded on the Auction House for much gold if reputation with the frost giants is not what you want.

I'm now very close to gaining Revered with The Sons of Hodir so I'm off to buy my Mammoth.

How To Get To Dalaran

2009-02-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

The city of Dalaran in the Warth of the Lich King acts as a major hub to many World of Warcraft locations and is a major center of commerce for players exploring Northrend. So it's important for players get to Dalaran as quickly as possible and set their hearthstones to a friendly Inn.

But how do you get there?

Dalaran is magical city, torn from ruins beside Lordamere Lake by the powerful Mages of the Kirin Tor. To protect the city from Arthas, the Mages levitated the city high above Crystalsong forest where it floats today in the latest Warcraft expansion - Wrath of the Lich King.

Given that the city is floating high above ground, players new to Northrend can't simply ride there. Neither can they fly there before level 77 and the purchase of 'Cold Weather Flying' at a cost of 1000 gold.

Getting to Dalaran

1. Those of the Mage class can pick up the quest 'Attunement to Dalaran' at level 71 from Archmage Modera at Star's Rest encampment in Dragonblight. Horde players pick up the quest from Archmage Aethas Sunreaver at Agmars' Hammer. The quest reward will be a teleport to Dalaran.

2. Once Mages reach Dalaran they can train with the portal trainer Archmage Celindra and learn to teleport back to Dalaran.

3. At level 74 Mages can learn to create a portal to Dalaran. Players not of the Mage class can enter Dalaran this way. Be sure to tip the Mage!

4. Players not of the Mage class can pick up the quest 'The Magical Kingdom of Dalaran' from either Baron Ulrik von Stromhearth (Alliance, Howling Fjord); ArchMage Modera (Alliance, Star's Rest); Vas the Unstable (Alliance, Wintergarde); Magister Dath'omere (Alliance, Valiance Keep); Magistrix Haelenai (Alliance, Amberpine Lodge); Archmage Aethas Sunreaver (Horde, Agmar's Hammer); Magistrix Kaelana (Horde, Warsong Hold); Magister Varenthas (Horde, Vengeance Landing); Magistrix Phaelista (Horde, Conquest Hold); Magister Tyr'ganal (Horde, Venomspite).

Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way Start:
Once players complete their respective class quests to get to Dalaran, they should then complete the follow-on quest 'Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way' from Archmage Celindra in Dalaran. To allows players to use the teleport crystal will teleports then to and from a similar crystal located in the Violet Stand, Crystalsong Forest beneath Dalaran.

Leaving Dalaran: the Quick Way
For those players with an adventerous spirit should try leaving Dalaran via the sewer pipe exit in the Underbelly. But be sure you have a parachute or slow fall to hand as it's a long way down!

How To Farm Gold In WOTLK - Cooking

2009-01-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

If you are thinking of leaving the warmer climes of Azeroth for the frozen lands of Northrend, you’ll have to make sure that your bags have plenty of gold and your cooking skills are up to snuff. The nights can be pretty cold under the frigid Northern sky and you'll need more than a warm pair of underwear if you are to make through the night with only a frozen, Conjured Croissant to keep you warm.

Cooking is a great secondary profession to master right throughout the game, but it can help you make gold in WOTLK by showing you those basic cooking mats that will be in demand from Northrend players and thus useful to supply to the Auction House for much gold.

As I've mentioned before, it's important to ensure that your primary and secondary profession skills are up to Grand Master level to take advantage of those materials that require at least level 350 before they can be gathered (Mining, Herbalism and Skinning). Cooking is similar in that you'll need to level to 350 if you want to take advantage of many of the cooking recipes and quests in WOTLK. If you are not quiet at that level, then I recommend you buy the basic ingredients you need from the Auction House and level your cooking before you are too far into the WOTLK game.

Once you start cooking in Northrend you'll learn the basic Meats that are in demand and hence can make you gold. A good example is 'Chilled Meat'. This is a basic ingredient for many recipes but a favorite with both Horde and Alliance alike for the making of 'Northern Stew'.

Both Horde and Alliance players can obtain the recipe via the quest 'Northren Cooking' via NPCs in Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra. It's also required for the Dalaran Cooking Daily. Try farming the Daggercap Hammerheads in Daggercap Bay or the Great Reef Sharks in Howling Fjord or the Borean Tundra. Any surplus Meat will sell well on the Auction House and make you gold.

Happy Cooking

The Rides of Wrath of the Lich King

2008-12-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

A nice innovation in the Wrath of the Lich King is the large number of new rides and mounts that you get to use, which has added a new dimension to the game and a lot of fun.

You now get to mount beasts like the Wholly Mammoth in the quest 'Kaw The Mammoth Destroyer' (Borean Tundra) and fly planes and choppers, courtesy of the Gnomes at Fizzcrank Airstrip.

Those clever Mages of the Kirin Tor lay on a Dragon Flying service between Amber Ledge (Borean Tundra) and the Colderra, while the Dragonflights of Wyrmrest Temple have a Daily Quest to battle the Blue Dragons.

You also get to ride a strange collection of Siege Engines and mechanical marvels.

But Don't forget your parachute!

Introduction To The Borean Tundra

2008-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

My Mage has now completed most of the Alliance quests in the Borean Tundra and reached the grand level of 72. The quests were really enjoyable and the fun bonus is that you get to try some really cool rides.

Here is a short video of my first few days in the Borean Tundra:

How To Make WoW Gold On The Southshore

2008-12-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

A number of my subscribers have asked me how to make wow gold at a low level. So I've chosen the Hillsbrad Foothills and the Southshore as an example of a location where there is gold to be made - if you know how.

The Hillsbrad Foothills have long been associated with the Horde invasion and they have a strong presence in the northeast of the zone at Tarren Mills. The Alliance hang out in the south by the river at Southshore, a small hamlet with a strong reputation for Fishing and Cooking.

This is an excellent zone for both Horde and Alliance players who have reached level 30. Both factions will benefit from the tight number of quests in both habitations for leveling and this zone is abundant in animals, plants and minerals.

Making Gold With Herbalism

Those trained in Herbalism will make a ton of gold gathering Brianthorn, Speedthistle, Buiseweed, Wild Steelbloom and Kingsblood which are particularly abundant.

Making Gold With Fishing

The Alliance area of the Southshore is a great place to make gold from fishing. You'll find Donald Rabonne - Fishing Trainer - on the dock with sister Lindea Rabonne - Fishing Suppliers - if you need fishing lures to increase your fishing skill. Lindea also sells several fishing recipes, including Mithril Head Trout that sell well on the Auction House for several gold.

The shoreline just west of the dock is the Western Strand. This stretch of coast is abundant with shoals of Oily Blackmouth and Firefin Snapper, both fish in demand by Alchemist and which sell well for several gold a stack at auction. In fact, you'll find several shoals of Oily Blackmouth just off the dock!

If you venture onto the Western Strand, you'll be sure to run into Murlocs. So make sure you pick up the several quests that would have you slaughter them. Pick up the Quest 'Down The Coast' from Lieutenant Farren Orinelle. Always try to kill something associated with a quest as you'll level faster in double quick time.

Armed with your trusty fishing pole, lures and quests, you can now set off along the shoreline of the Western Strand and fish for stacks of Oily Blackmouth and Firefin Snapper. As an additional bonus you'll also find abundant floating wreakage which you can also fish. Few players realise that you can do this and miss out on the many 'Watertight Trunks' to be had which often contain much loot that you can sell at auction. On one outing I fished 20 bolts of silk and a stack of Medium Leather!

Making Gold With Cooking

The Hillsbrad Foothills is a great place to level your cooking. The area is abundant in Moutain Lion, Forest Moss Creeper and Elder Gray Bear, which at around level 25-26 are easy to kill. Alliance players should pickup the Quest 'Costly Menace' from Darren Malvew at the barn which will take you on a lion hunt. As a quest reward you'll earn the recipe for Tasty Lion Steak.

For the Horde, you should pick up the quest Elixir of Pain from Apothecary Lydon in Tarren Mill who will also have you hunt lion. You'll receive the recipe for Hot Lion Chops as a quest reward.

But the best beast to hunt is the Snapjaw turtle which you'll find all along the major river starting at Southshore.

Alliance should pick up the Quest 'Soothing Turtle Bisque' from Chef Jessen in town. This requires you hunt Snapjaws to acquire 10 Turtle Meat for the recipe 'Soothing Turtle Bisque'. This is a really easy quest given the large numbers of Snapjaw all along the river. You can sell the excess meat at auction or sell the recipe for several gold if you are not into cooking.

As a bonus, you'll find the river teaming with shoals of Sagefish which you can fish and sell at auction or cook into Smoked Sagefish which have great Mana producing properties. Herbalists should also be on the lookout for 'Liferoot' which grows along the banks of the river.

Have fun in the Foothills!

WOTLK - Death Knight End Game

2008-12-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

I've now completed the end game that starts with the Death Knight in Ebon Hold in the service of the Lich King. My Death Knight complete all the quests which had him riding the Frostbrood to destroy the Scarlet Crusade and the final battle for Light's Hope Chapel.

I've made a short video to give you a flavor of the game play. don't worry, I haven't ruined the scenes that take place at Light's Hope Chapel for you!

At the end of all the quests, my Death Knight has replaced all his gear with superior kit - all greens are now blues - and acquired a cool looking Rune Sword as the quest reward for the battle of Light's Hope Chapel.

The last quest - The Battle For Ebon Hold - sees the Lich King banished and the hold turned over to the remaining Death Knights. Ebon hold now becomes the permanent home for all Death Knights who return there using the newly acquired Death Gate.

As a finale, Alliance characters portal to Stormwind where they have the option to join the Alliance.

Enjoy

WotLK - Death Knight Video

2008-11-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm now fully into the Wrath of the Lich King expansion and have created my first Death Knight.

And what a character!

Blizzard have out done themselves with this class which combines both a tank and mage into a great character.

Remember, to create a Death Knight you must have an existing character of at least level 55 on the server. Don't worry, your existing character does not become the Death Knight; a completely, new and separate character is created. Once you have created your Death Knight, your character appears in Acherus or Ebon Hold as it is also known. Acherus is located in the Eastern Plaguelands and floats above the Crusader village of New Avalon.

And then the fun begins...

How To Create A Death Knight

2008-11-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

With the Wrath of the Lich King just around the corner, I expect there will be a rush to create a Death Knight on every server. I'll turn up at Howling Fjord to find the harbor full of players, clanking around in their black armor.

But how do you create a Death Knight character?

Blizzard have kept it simple: if you have at least one character at level 55, you'll be able to create a Death Knight on the same realm (server). Players will initially be rationed to one Knight per realm - a case of one Knight is enough!

Any race can become a Death Knight, so things should get interesting. Initially, Death Knights enter the service of the Lich King and must do his bidding. Eventually, after a number of quests, the Death Knight has the option to break free and return to either the Alliance or Horde factions.

Getting to Northrend
For the Alliance, take the steamship from Stormwind harbor to Borean Tundra or from Menethil to Howling Fjord.

Horde take the Undercity Zeppelin tower to Borean Tundra and Orgrimmar zeppelin to Howling Fjord.

The Journal of Marcus Ty
It's interesting to note that when I first started writing my Gold Making Journal, I started my character at level 60 in the Eastern Plaguelands, at Light's Hope Chapel. The Warth of the Lich King takes me full circle and back to battle the Scourge. Watch this space as I update my Journal with fresh content of WotLK.

For The Alliance!

Echoes of Doom - Video Update

2008-11-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging out in Stormwind, exploring the new content added with patch 3.02. I've been busy with the new Inscription profession and making some great gold selling Weapon Vellums and Glyphs. I've made a short video for the fun of it.

As we get closer to the release date of Wrath of the Lich King, all sorts of mayhem are happening in the major cities. I was talking to a mate in the Pig & Whistle, enjoying a few beers as you do, when he suddenly turned into a zombie and run amok in the tavern. The Scourge Invasion had begun!

Inscription and the WoW Economy

2008-10-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the coming release of The Warth of The Lich King, Blizzard has released their latest patch 3.02 or Echoes of Doom. This is a huge patch - 1.6G - opening up the additional content that is a feature of WotLK. The Stormwind harbor is now open to all and the new Inscription profession is up and running. You can even get a haircut at the local Stormwind barber and earn points with the new Achievement system!

As I mentioned in my last post, the release of WotLK content will have a major upheaval on World of Warcraft economy with the release of hundreds of new items and recipes. The Inscription profession, especially, will have a profound effect on the supply and demand of many basic items on the Auction House.

If you haven’t had time to try it yet, the Inscription profession allows ‘Scribes’ to enhance spells and abilities such as a Mage’s Fireball or a Rogue’s Backstab. A scribe does this by creating Scrolls, Glyphs and Vellums.

The basic materials for the Scribe are parchments and inks. Parchments are purchased from goods vendor (usually located near the Inscription trainer). Inks are made from pigments, obtained from milling herbs. It’s a similar model to Prospecting and Jewelcrafting. Once you train as a Scribe you acquire the skill of milling, but you must purchase an inking kit (like the Jewelcrafters kit).

So the basic materials of Inscription are derived from a variety of herbs; therefore, a good complimentary profession to have - you guessed it - is Herbalism. If you have Herbalism as one of your primary professions, you’re going to be in great demand. As a side note, those players with Herbalism as a profession also gain the ability ‘Lifeblood’ which allows you to leach health from the soil. Very cool!

I predict that Herbalism will become the new Mining with this latest patch release with the demand - and therefore price - of basic herbs going through the roof. As an example, the basic price of Peacebloom has risen from 5 silver a unit to over 50 silver a unit on my server.

A Scribe can also create Vellums which allow Enchanters to cast their weapon and armor enchants upon, which can then be sold on the Auction House like the products of any other profession.

This will have a huge effect on the Enchanting profession. No longer will Enchanters have to shout their wares on the Trade channel (although they probably will), but they will now have a hugely increased market for their enchants, which in turn will make this profession very popular.

Finally, the Scribes ability to create Glyphs will also be in great demand. Already I’m seeing folks hawking their wares on the Trade channel as players scramble to buy these items from the Auction House.

Wrath of the Lich King

2008-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

The World has changed. The Lich King Arthas is stirring and his armies of undead are unleashed. All life on Azeroth is threatened. The World of Warcraft needs heros.

Are you ready for Wrath of the Lich King?

On November 13th 2008 the long awaited expansion to World of Warcraft will be released, and the land we have come to know as Azeroth will be forever changed.

It was bound to happen. With every major release or patch of WoW there is some form of upheaval. We saw it with the Burning Crusade where the gold economy of the game shifted, and we saw it with the release of the Sunwell with the addition of daily quests and the gold obtained on quest completion.

And the same will happen with WotLK.

There is no doubt that WotLK will have a profound effect on the gold economy of the game and the strategies needed to level our characters. For one thing, the land of Northrend is entirely designed for level 68 and above. So, while it’s possible to purchase the expansion below this, your level 10 Gnome in shabby gear probably won’t be much of a match against a level 70 Death Knight with dark, necromatic power! This means that speed leveling your character to at least 68 is going to be essential if you want to survive the frozen wastes and the Arthas hordes of undead.

WotLK will also bring hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items. This will have a profound effect on every part of the wow gold economy and we’ll see huge shifts in prices over the months as players join WotLK and the market settles (sound familiar).

One thing the beta players tell me is that the gold price of many items will be through the roof. We’re talking of thousands of gold for a simple ring. So if you thought 5000 gold for your epic flying mount was a push, you had better tighten your belt for WotLK!

The gold economy will also be affected by the addition of the the new Inscription profession. This will allow you to permanently enhance your spells and abilities. A sort of enchanting with steroids. Inscription will demand new materials and reagents as well as recipes - some of which will be hard to find. These reagents and recipes will command top prices on the Auction Houses of Nothrend for those who understand and know where to find them.

So are you ready for WotLK?

Here’s the good news. I’m expanding the Journal of Marcus Ty and WoW Gold Guide to cover the content and gold creating strategies of the Lich King. For those who have subscribed, get ready to receive updates to my Journal.

The Wrath of the Lich King is coming.

Big World of Warcraft Bags

2008-08-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Since reaching level 70 and buying my epic flying mount, I’ve been on the look out for bigger World of Warcraft bags to hold all my loot. When it comes to grinding and making gold, it’s best to take heed of the Horde in this matter who have a saying: ‘Da bigger da bags da better’!

As I’m hanging out less in the Pig & Whistle these days and spending more time in Outland, I’ve decided to partake in the hospitality of the World’s End Tavern in the Lower City of Shattrath and pose at the bar with the likes of Haris Pilton - socialite (someone who likes to pose in bars). Since patch 2.4.3 Haris is now able to sell you a 22 slot "Gigantique" Bag. This nifty looking number, hangs nicely off the shoulder and is perfect accessory for all level 70 Mages - but only if you can afford the 1200 gold!

The "Gigantique" bag is now the biggest general purpose bag on the market (excluding carfting bags which do come bigger), but if you don’t think a Haris Pilton original is worth the 1200g, there is still the option to go down market and opt for a 20 slot Primal Mooncloth bag which sells for around half the price at auction, depending on your server.

Now the nice thing about general purpose bags is that they are not tied to a particular character level. This means even low level characters can equip high-end bags with many slots such as the 16 slot Netherweave bag (around 4-5g at auction) and the 18 slot Imbued Netherweave bag (around 50g at auction).

Interestingly, the "Gigantique" bag is bind on equip, which means that in theory it can be traded in the Auction House. I’m sure that as more players with plenty of gold visit the World End Tavern and find Haris Pilton we may well see some of these bags up for sale. So far they have yet to appear at auction on my server.

How To Level Faster in World of Warcraft

2008-08-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

While this blog is primarily concerned with making gold in the World of Warcraft, I'm often asked by new players how to level faster. It seems that everyone wants to get their epic mount as soon as possible. It helps if you can make gold easily in wow but you don't need much if you want to powerlevel your character up through the ranks - at least through the early stages to level 40.

As a young Mage in my early levels I quickly realized that I had to level-up faster if I wanted the XPs to obtain more powerful spells and to craft higher level potions. Only then would I be ready to meet the Horde in battle, atop my epic mount, gaining honor with the Alliance and increasing my reputation with the Argent Dawn. Unfortunately, I spent too many game hours hanging out with guild friends in the Pig and Whistle and brawling with the Dwarves in Ironforge with the result that my XP bar crept up at a Gnome’s pace.

It's easy to get distracted in this way in WOW and is something that most players fall foul of after they have experienced the game for a short time. They soon get tired of running the long distances between towns and want to reach the first milestone of the game, when at level 40 they have the chance to buy their first mount. Leveling faster, or powerleveling, usually goes hand-in-hand with learning how to make easy wow gold which is something else that many players need to do given the 100 gold necessary for the purchase of a mount.

Now, it’s not hard to move up a level in the World of Warcraft, especially in the early stages of the game. You simply have to find some unsuspecting Kobold and bash it over the head - looting the corpse in the process! The end result will usually be a few copper coins and some XPs. After grinding a mob of the beasties, most player go up a level. But just grinding for XPs (or gold for that matter), is only half the story. To level faster, you must grind with a purpose - and that, friend, means questing.

When a player receives a quest they are usually told to go forth and kill twenty or so of those pesky Kobolds and take their candles as well! Once the quest is complete, they return to the quest giver who normally rewards them with additional loot and yes, XPs!

Questing is the key to leveling faster, for not only do you acquire XPs for grinding the mob, but you will normally acquire an equal number of XPs upon completion of the quest. The more efficiently a player can complete a series of quests in a given location, the quicker he or she will gain XPs and hence, level faster.

As I've mentioned in previous posts Getting to Level 70 in Double Quick Time there are some good tools and addons that can help speed you through the ranks. Team iDemise, of which I'm an affiliate, is one such guide and addon combined which allows you to bring up quest clues and maps in-game without having to exit game-play for any length of time. The more in-game information you have about the quest, the quicker you'll complete and the faster you will level.

Another tip that most players forget about in their goal to level faster is the ‘Rested Bonus’. Provided a player can spend the required number of hours in a tavern between quests, they will be ‘rested’ and their XP bar will turn blue. This means that that they will receive an bonus for every kill - usually half as many XPs again!

So, friend, if you are struggling to level then heed my advice. Don’t simply grind - but grind with a purpose. Complete as many quests in a location as you can at your current level before moving on to the next location, ensuring you are rested between quests.

so, perhaps my time spent in the Pig and Whistle wasn’t a complete waste of time after all?

Farming Motes of Mana

2008-07-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

If you have reached level 70 and already have a flying mount, but are still trying for your epic, then check out this video on farming Mote of Mana by picking up a daily quest. This is a great way to earn gold. You can continue to grind the guardian Wyrms for Motes long after you have completed the quest.

The only catch to this quest is that you still need a flying mount to reach the location shown in the video. Still, a great way to earn gold.

Gold Secrets of The Consortium Traders

2008-06-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

If you read my ealier post on The Consortium you will know of their base, high up in The Stormspire of Netherstorm. Here is a short video of the traders that you should visit there.

How To Make Easy WoW Gold - The Burning Crusade

2008-06-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome Friend,

You have found an extract from my Journal, one of many pages that were ripped free of my gold making guide in an attempt to guard them against the decaying hands of the Scourge as I lay with the resurrection sickness upon me at Lights Hope Chapel. It was while I rested there that news was brought to me of a strange new race of traders that had come to Outlands, known collectively as The Consortium.

Not much is known of The Consortium, except that they are exceptional smugglers, traders and thieves, as any as one might find, to rival even the goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel. They are led by the infamous Nexus-Prince Haramad who is reported to hold domain over the great Stormspire in the heart of Netherstorm.

Heroic Alliance types that had taken up the banner against the Burning Legion and joined The Burning Crusade, first encountered these strange Ethereals at Aeris Landing in Nagrand. There they tell of a cunning trader who calls himself Gezhe.

To improve Reputation with The Consortium, Gezhe explained, is easy. Simply bring him supplies of Crystal Fragments , gathered in the region, around the mighty Oshu’gun or supply Pair of Ivory Tusk from the Wild Elekk of Nagrand for the ethereal Shadrek.

And you will quickly become Friends with The Consortium.

Now listen closely Friend, for there’s easy wow gold to made by gaining reputation with this bunch of horse traders, for the Consortium is well known for taking good care of its Friends and will reward you every month with bags of gems that increase in value as your Reputation rises.

Increasing Reputation with the Consortium will greatly enhance your gold making opportunities within Outland and will allow you access to Consortium rare patterns and recipes such as the patterns for Fel Leather Gloves and Boots sold by Consortium Quartermasters in Nagrand and Netherstorm.

To be granted access to the rare and epic patterns that the Consortium have to offer, requires you to be Honored, Revered and Exalted amongst them. To increase Reputation to these high levels requires that you run the deadly Mana-Tombs, found in the Bones Wastes near to the mighty ruins of Auchindoun. These are run in both normal and Heroic modes.

If running the tombs does not appeal, Friend, then you might like to take on Ogres of Nagrand who drop Obsidian Warbeads and which are highly prized by the Consortium, though why I haven’t a clue. Hand the beads into Gezhe who will grant you additional Reputation once you have reached Friendly status.

The Consortium are one of many factions now active in Outlands. By joining the fight against the Burning Legion on the Horde home world you will meet many more. I have written many entries in my Journal on these factions and on the gold making hints and tips of The Burning Crusade. So seek out my missing pages, Friend, by visiting the link listed in the box below and achieve gold mastery for you and your guild.

Getting to Level 70 in Double Quick Time

2008-05-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome Friend,

Those of you who have followed my adventures in my Gold Making Journal and in this blog will know that I started my guide at level 60. In my guide I take you through the fundamentals of making wow gold quickly and easily so that you can buy the best gear and eventually your epic mount.

I was happy to stay at level 60 for many months, but decided it was time to take up the banner against the Burning Legion and go forth through the portal with The Burning Crusade and strive to reach level 70 as quickly as possible.

One of the many strategies that Team iDemise (an affiliate partner) use and other leveling gurus is to level faster is a technique called 'Quest Circles' where they complete a set of closely related quests to gain maximum experience in the shortest amount of time. I used a variation on this technique which I call 'Quest Spirals' - but essentially they are the same thing.

The advantage of this system is that they combines them with a cunning in-game addon which lists and describes all the relevant quests enabling a player to quickly lookup details without coming out of the game.

And I finally did it. I'm now a fully fledged level 70!

Once I reached level 70 a number of options opened up for me. In Shattrath City the Flight Master bid me fly to Shadowmoon Valley and seek out the Dwarves of the Wildhammer stronghold. There I should purchase 'Expert Riding' from Isa Blusterbrew - but it would cost me 800 gold! I would then have to fork out another 100 gold for the mount.

Fortunately, 900 gold is not a problem for me, but if you are still struggling, I advise choosing one of the guides I promote on the sidebar. If you are still not sure, you can always subscribe to my free Gold Making Guide which will get you started. I'm currently working on version 2 as we speak which will expand on the gold making of The Burning Crusade and help you get gold for your flying epic mount.

Note: This option will only be available to subscribers of my first journal - so make sure you subscribe.

I created a short video on buying my first flying mount.

Farming Motes of Water

2008-04-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have reached the grand level of 60 and who have heroically joined the Burning Crusade - I salute you. But gearing up for Outlands can be expensive in gold, especially if you have still to earn enough gold for your first epic mount.

Here's a tip that will help you make some easy wow gold. If you are heading into Terokkar Forest make your way to Silmyr Lake. There you will find the water teaming with Shimmerscale Eels that are easy to kill and drop Motes of Water at a good rate (patch 2.4). Collect 10 Motes to make one Primal which are used by the higher level professions. Both Motes and Primals sell for much gold on the Auction House.

Here is a short movie I made to show you how.

How Not To Make Easy WoW Gold

2008-03-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

You have chanced upon a page from the Journal of Marcus Ty - a Gold Making Guide in which I have chronicled my time in the land of Azeroth and the labour bent upon the making of cheap World of Warcraft gold. In this part of my guide I talk about some of the ways that you can make easy World of Warcraft gold.

The cheapest WoW gold that you can obtain is the WoW gold that you make for free by the gold making techniques built into the game. Yet, Friend, folks seem at odds with making gold this way and tread the dangerous path of buying WoW gold from foreign lands. This, Friend, will lead you to be banned.

Blizzard has now declared war on all those who obtain World of Warcraft gold in this way. Their recent pronouncements on their website makes this clear. So, Friend, take heed and follow my advice on how to make easy WoW gold.

It’s not hard to make World of Warcraft gold - you just have to play the game as it was intended. Blizzard have built hundreds of ways to make easy WoW gold into the game, yet very few people
seem to heed these techniques and instead put forward difficult or mind numbing methods.

It’s not their fault. Blizzard does a lousy job at explaining the basics of how to make easy WoW gold. This gives rise to the ‘one hack wonders’ - those gurus of the message boards that give you a list of one shot fixes to make a little gold based on some hack or bug in the game that quickly disappears during the next patch release.

Then there’s the dude that reveals a ‘secret location’ at which the mobs spawn at some incredible rate and drop gear of epic rank. All you have to do is grind them for eight hours a day at level 60 and you might have enough gold to spend on the amusements of the Darkmoon Faire.

Give me a break!

There are plenty of ways to make easy World of Warcraft gold built into the game than simply grinding. Now don’t get me wrong: grinding is an important part of the game and delivers loot, coin and many of the basic materials and items needed for crafting. But it’s one of many techniques and strategies that you can exploit if you understand the basics of making World of Warcraft gold, easily and quickly.

The professions, for example, are the powerhouse of the gold economy built into the World of warcraft. Yet, folks seem to get this wrong as well. Choose two gathering professions, they tell, which are usually Skinning and Mining. It’s true these will earn you gold, but they will distort your game and prevent you from learning a crafting profession - which, after all, is half the fun.

It’s best to balance a crafting profession with a gathering profession and level you craft as you progress throughout the game. If you understand the principles of the World of Warcraft gold economy then you should be able to make enough WoW gold, quickly and easily to fund your craft, be that Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Engineering, Tailoring or Jewlcrafting.

As an example, I have a level 13 Human Warrior who has levelled to 125 in Mining and 165 in Blacksmithing and who still has over 100 WoW gold in his bags and some loose change.

I go into more detail on how to make easy World of Warcraft gold in my Journal and Gold Making Guide which is still free to subscribers in the form of a 6 part e-guide at the address below, or simply Google ‘Marcus Ty’.

Ironforge Airstrip Runway Expansion?

2008-03-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

From the Gold Making Guide and Journal of Marcus Ty

Welcome Friend,

You have chanced upon an extract of my Journal and World of Warcraft Gold Making Guide in which I have chronicled my trials at making easy wow gold. In this chapter I have stayed my hand at making easy wow gold to seek out the truth of the stories surrounding the Ironforge Airstrip.

Rumors are rife that the Dwarves of Ironforge are planning to expand the airstrip atop of Old Ironforge. This has caused a panic among the exiled Gnomes who feel they have been sold short by the new proposals and haven't been consulted.

The Frostmane Trolls are revolting (but we always knew that) and are planning a series of protests for fear that the frozen lake - sacred to many Trolls - will be concreted over to make room for the extra runway.

If you never knew of an airstrip atop Ironforge, then this short video will give you some idea of what is happening in this inacessible part of Dun Morgh. Getting there is another matter.

The World of Warcraft Big Bag Guide

2008-02-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome Friend,

You have chanced upon an entry of my Journal and World of Warcraft Gold Guide in which I have chronicled my efforts at wow gold farming. In this section of my wow gold guide, I concentrate on how to make easy wow gold through the canny use of buying, looting and questing of bags up to 16 slots.

As a young Mage in my early levels I had lost count of the number of boots worn bare by the constant running back and forth to Auction House to empty my puny little bags of looted items during my daily grind for wow gold. The Dwarves of Ironforge would fall about laughing at the sight of my tiny sacs when buying a round in the Bronze Kettle and I tired of the Elves giving me sympathetic advice on how best to increase their size. But it was a Gnome who gave me sound advice and told me straight: ‘Sonny, don’t sell yourself short. To grind efficiently, you need to buy more bags’.

Now when it comes to the subject of bags, don’t listen to those big girls the Elves, whose main use of their bags is as off-hand weapons during tavern brawls. Instead, listen to the Orcs on this matter who have a saying: ‘The bigger da bags da better’.

The fact of the matter is that when it comes to wow gold farming, you need as much bag space as you can afford as early as possible. There are number ways to obtain more bags: purchase a bag, as a reward from a quest, craft them or grind them.

Now bags come in all colors, shapes and sizes; but, if we listen to the Orcs, the only thing we need worry about when it comes to grinding for wow gold is the number of slots that they provide. The more slots a bag contains the more expensive it is to purchase. So in your early levels (5-10), you’ll probably only be able to afford a 6 slot bag for a few silver coin. You’ll find vendors selling 6 slot bags in many of the towns; but check out the Auction House, as you’ll likely find a few bargains from those players with the Tailoring profession. Depending on how well you make gold in wow, you may stretch to an 8 slot bag, but greater than 8 slots and you’re looking at paying in gold coin.

Now those with the Tailoring profession clearly have an advantage when it comes to their bags as they can craft all their needs and find ready buyers for their surplus in the Auction House.

The first bag that Tailors learn to craft is the 6 slot Linen Bag which can be found on the Auction House for a few silver. My strategy for low level alts is to fill all my available slots with these bags as early as possible. Tailors then move on to crafting 8 slot Woolen Bags or various colors, which are little more expensive, but should still be in your price range.

Now, if your purse does not contain the necessary coin to purchase a bag at this level, and you are not a Tailor, you are left with acquiring additional bags through drops and quests. Quite a few mobs drop 8 slot Leather Bags, but the frequency is not great; you’ll have more chance with those quests which reward you with a bag. In general, the greater the number of slots a bag has as a reward, the greater the difficulty of quest, and the higher the level you’ll need to be.

For a 6 slot bag, try the quest ‘Miner’s Fortune’ from the Wharf Master at Rachet, who rewards ‘Old Moneybag’, a 6 slot bag. For an 8 slot bag, try the quest ‘Captain Sander’s Booty Bag’ which is only available for Alliance characters at Westfall as part of a series of quests ‘Captain Sander’s Hidden Treasure’.

Alternatively, you could try asking a kind Tailor via the Trade Channel to craft you a bag - providing you supply the mats. Many Tailors will be happy to do this as they have the opportunity to advance their profession with no cost to themselves.

If you are really desperate - or just like fishing - you can try fishing in the canals and pools of the major cities. Drops of bags can be obtained this way, but you’ll need the patience of Pat Nagel!

After 8 slot bags, Tailors can learn to craft a 10 slot Silk Pack from acquiring a pattern drop; but, you’ll more likely find 12 slot Mageweave Bags for sale in the Auction House for several gold coins.

For those of limited coin, or who have yet to learn how to make cheap wow gold, try the quest ‘Digging Through the Ooze’, Wetlands. The reward is 10 slot Ooze-covered Bag. For a 12 slot bag, a ‘Sturdy Lunchbox’ can sometimes be had from drops from mobs of Venture Co. Foreman, Stranglethorn Vale. Alternatively, try grinding Swirling Vortex, Thousand Needles, which can occasionally drop a 12 slot Large Knapsack.

As your wow gold farming progresses, and you move up the levels, you’ll need to look to equipping 14-16 slot bags. For 14 slot bags, your options are limited. You either have to resort to the Auction House where tailors will be selling 14 slot Runecloth Bags or try for a drop of a Troll-hide Bag or Journeyman’s Backpack; however, these are not very frequent and the mobs are often Elite. For those with a few more wow gold to spare, you’re better off with buying either the 16 slot ‘Mooncloth Bag’ or a 16 slot Netherweave Bag. For those with the Tailoring profession of 300+ skill, the crafting of these bags is a good example of how to make easy wow gold, as the bags are always in demand - at least on my server.

How To Make Easy WoW Gold

2008-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Making gold in WoW doesn't have to be hard. By applying some basic gold making strategies, based on the gold economy of the World of Warcraft, anyone can obtain cheap WoW gold quickly and easily without having to grind away for hours at a time.

I'm always amazed when reading other peoples posts on blogs and forums when they describe the thumb-breaking methods they use to make a few gold coins in WoW. A typical post always seems to begin with someone’s 'secret' grinding spot where - at level 70 - they pull a mid-level mob and spend the next hour grinding them into oblivion for a few silver apiece and the occasional drop of a green. Rinse and repeat for the next 8 hours, they advise, and you might have enough gold coin to pay off your bar bill at the Pig and Whistle (Stormwind)!

Not that I'm against grinding the occasional mob, but I normally do it as part of a quest or to obtain a particular item that I know will sell well on the Auction House. By combining questing with grinding, you'll level faster and make wow gold with greater ease. This is, in fact, what Brian Kopps advises in his famous Alliance leveling guide. You'll level faster by questing and grinding - not just grinding.

And you would be wrong to assume that you have to have reached level 60 - 70 to farm for World of Warcraft gold. It certainly helps if your only strategy is to mass pull mobs and grind for hours, but there are many more ways to make easy wow gold than just grinding.

As an example, I created a Gnome alt based on the Warlock class - no particular reason, except I haven't tried that combination before. I leveled him to 5 in about 30mins and trained him in the Mining and Engineering professions - a gathering and crafting profession that compliment one another. Level 5 is the earliest that players can train for a profession. I then ran a route around Dun Morogh and built up a stack of copper which I then auctioned for several gold coins on my server. Copper still sells very well on most servers due to the high demand from all the crafters – Jewelcrafting, Blacksmithing, Engineering, etc.

Now, the gathering of a stack of copper took me no more than about 15mins, which equates to about 6-8 gold/hour. For a low level character, this basic strategy is a more efficient – and predictable - way of generating gold than trying to grind endless mobs. The same principle applies to the other gathering professions – Herbalism, Skinning and Fishing (yes, fishing). By supplying what’s in demand in the Auction House, you’ll make gold fast.

To continue with this example, my Gnome alt used his newly acquired gold wisely and bought and sold a number of selected items from the Auction House and quickly built up his stash to 25 gold coins and a few silver in loose change! Knowing how to work the Auction House in your favor is a big factor in building your stash of cheap wow gold. If you haven’t yet mastered the Auction House, I would recommend you invest in Lukes’s Gold Guide who has a very good section on Auction House strategies.

With a few more hours of gameplay under his belt, my Gnome alt is now level 10 and has a stash of a little over 50 gold coins. But here’s the thing: I’ve managed to level up his Engineering to 165! This was funded from buying most of the materials from the Auction House by careful and artful trading.

So, you don’t have to be a high level player to make gold in wow. With a good combination of profession and an understanding of the Auction House, you can make easy wow gold at any level.

PS. I’m now creating a whole tutorial on my Gnome’s gold making exploits – complete with video guide – free to my subscribers. So watch this space.

Farming The Blue Pearl

2008-02-09T07:42:00.001-08:00

Welcome Friend,

Here's a gold farming tip that's achievable for those players that can reach the Vile Reef in Stranglethorn Vale. Alliance players must get to the coast overland, but the Horde can get there very easily via the Grom ' Gol Base Camp by Zeppelin. Here's a hint: purchase an Elixir of Water Breathing potion from the Action House!

The Blue Pearl is used as a reagent for Flash Bombs and thus in demand. They are also a quest item via the Badlands 'Pearl Diving' quest. I've made a short video to show you how to farm the Blue Pearl which sell for about 10-20g a stack on my server.

Gold Making Secrets of the Goblin Traders

2008-01-08T01:37:00.000-08:00

From the Gold Making Guide and Journal of Marcus Ty

Welcome Friend,

You have chanced upon an extract of my Journal and World of Warcraft Gold guide in which I have chronicled my trials at making easy wow gold. I have written many entries in my Journal, but this one deserves special attention as it lists the hints and tip on making gold from those tricky of traders, the Goblins.

The Goblins are a strange – and some say, deranged – race that have managed to co-exist with both Horde and Alliance factions in many lands, relying on both their trade and engineering skills to barter an uneasy neutrality. As such, the major Goblin towns of Gadgetzan, Booty Bay and Everlook are perhaps the only locations in Azeroth where both Horde and Alliance factions can come together and freely trade with one another – provided their weapons are sheathed. These towns feature neutral auction houses that, while not linked to either Alliance or Horde establishments, enable trade items to pass between opposing factions. This has enabled some to establish a lucrative trade in ‘pets’, with fluffy rabbits from Dun Morgh a favourite among the Horde who prefer them tenderised. All auctions are cunningly handled by the neutral Goblins.

Now, no one trusts a Goblin, but all admire their skill in barter and trade. It’s wise to keep a firm hold on your purse strings when attempting to buy from these shady of wheeler-dealers lest you walk away from the transaction lighter in gold and without a shirt on your back. But much can be learned from these slippery of creatures when it comes to our own trading.

Here are five top Goblin trading tips:

1. Don’t be shy
The first lesson from the Goblin school of trading is ‘don’t be shy’. You’ll often hear the Goblin traders hawk their wares by shouting to all who walk within earshot. ‘Have I got a deal for you’, is commonly heard up and down the streets of Gadgetzan and the boardwalks of Booty Bay. A brief stroll through the Goblin streets of Everlook will have your ears ringing with the cries of the Goblin Merchants.

We can use the Trade Channel is a similar way. If we have just crafted a ‘Shining Silver Breastplate’ and posted it for auction, it helps to tell the world about it. ‘Get your Shining Silver Breastplate, now in the AH – good price!’ You’ll be surprised how many whispers you’ll get asking ‘How much!’ As the Goblins say ‘if you don’t tell, you don’t sell!’

2. Get the price right
Now the second Goblin lesson on trade was said to have been stolen from the Gnomes: ‘Don’t sell yourself short’. Make sure you don’t under price your goods. Always check the latest prices by searching for the item in the Auction House and price your item accordingly. At the same time, look out for items that have been priced too low. You’ll often find new players pricing their items at very low or silly prices. Snap-up these items by placing a bid or buying them out. It’s worth a punt. PS If you want some excellent gold making advice from a high level Gnome, then watch this video!

3. Avoid competition
The third Goblin lesson on trade was taken from the Elves who prefer to trade one-on-one. It can be summed up in the phrase: ‘A word in your ear’. The Elves often avoid the competition of the Auction process by announcing an item on the Trade Channel and asking folk to ‘whisper’ them if they have an interest. This technique needs some skill if you are to close the deal. Once a price is agreed, the trade is made using the Trade panel.

4. Seek out the lone traders
You’ll also find many a Goblin trader wandering around Azeroth. These lone traders often possess one-of-a-kind items that are much sought after in the Auction House and often sell far above the merchant’s price. An example is Kzixx (Rare Goods) found in Duskwood, on the road to Darkshire, who sells many limited supply items including the recipe for Holy Protection Potion. A good reference for traders selling rare and hard-to-find items is Valkors Gold Making Guide who has compiled a huge list of sought-after patterns and recipes and which sell for a ton of gold at the Auction House.

5. Seasonal sensitivity
The Goblins have a saying: ‘Snow in the dale, its time for the Winter Veil’. They also say: ‘Don’t eat Dragonbreath Chilli on your first date’, but that’s another matter! The point being that the price of many goods sold at the Auction House will have a seasonal value. For example, the price of Small Eggs are much in demand at the time of Winter Veil to make the quest item of Gingerbread Cookies. Luke Brown's Gold Making Guide goes into some detail on the wow money making opportunities of seasonal items!

So, be you Horde or Alliance, there’s something to learn from the Goblin traders.

Gold Secrets of the Darkmoon Faire

2007-12-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

From the The Journal of Marcus Ty - Gold Making Guide

Welcome Friend,

As an apprentice Mage in my early levels, I always looked forward to the first Friday of each new month when the cook at the Pig and Whistle (Stormwind) would lay out a feast of Smoked Sagefish and the carnival, known as the Darkmoon Faire, would pitch their tents in Goldshire , ready for a week of spectacle and amusements!

If you have yet to find the Darkmoon Faire, then never fear, friend, as they are known to rotate in appearance between Terokkar Forest, Elwynn Forest and Mulgore. Listen out for Barkers, in each of the major cities, announcing the arrival of the faire. Be you Horde or Alliance, you'll find wondrous things to delight and amaze you - and perhaps turn a small profit in the process.

Many exotic vendors travel with the faire giving you the opportunity to purchase hard-to-find items from the far corners of the land of Azeroth, which can be sold for much profit at the Auction House. Visit each vendor and see what takes your fancy.

You can also earn tickets for supplying gathered trade items to the vendors; tickets can be redeemed for gear and items of novelty value. I'm told that Horde players, for example, are partial to 'Last Months Mutton' which they use as a One-Hand Mace!

Unfortunately, tickets are soulbound and cannot be traded, but there is an opportunity for profit if you can identify those traded items used to earn tickets; these items will leap in price when the faire is in town as players seek them out or try to craft them. I've listed some of the more common items in my Journal and some of the Auction House strategies used to exploit the demand.

But the greatest gold making opportunity in the Darkmoon Faire lies with the collection of strange sets of cards -Ace to Eight - which have been scattered across the land of Azeroth. The complete set - or deck - of these cards can be turned in at the faire in return for a trinket of epic quality and magic. These trinkets are much sought after, but bind on pickup. Fortunately, the cards can be freely traded and can thus sell for epic amounts of gold in the Auction House. The guide that explains where to find these cards and how to make a ton of gold by trading them is Valkor's Gold Making Guide.

So, friend, before you spend all of your hard, earned gold on frivolous games and amusements, consider some of the gold making opportunities when the Darkmoon Faire next makes an appearance in a town near you.

10 Top World of Warcraft Gold Making Tips

2007-12-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips on making cheap World of Warcraft gold. You'll find a chest load more if you subscribe to The Journal of Marcus Ty - Gold Making Guide and search for all of my missing pages. In my Journal I layout for you the basic strategies for making easy wow gold.

1. Don't gear up too early. Avoid spending your gold on unnecessary gear during your early levels (1-20). You'll pick up most items for your level from quests and drops. Save your hard-earned gold for future investments.

2. Adopt a sensible combination of primary professions - one that gathers and one to craft the gathered material into useful gear and items to trade. The greater your skill in a given profession, the more valuable the items you will be able to craft.

3. Don't forget about the secondary professions: Fishing, Cooking and First Aid. There's gold to be made from them.

4. Seek out sought after patterns and recipes. Some of the best crafted items are learned from hard-to-find patterns and recipes - not from a trainer. Be on the look out for those cunning of traders, the Goblins, who often possess limited numbers of sought after patterns and recipes. You can make a ton of gold very easily by trading hard-to-find patterns - if you know their location. Fortunately, Valkor's Gold Guide lists all of the rare patterns and where to find them!

5.The bigger the bags the better. Save your gold and buy some really big bags as quickly as you can. You'll need them to hold loot from grinding, questing and gathering. Ask a friendly Tailor in your Guild to make you some if this is not one of your professions.

6. Use your friendly banker. Make good use of the Banking slots located in the capital cities to store items you can't use immediately. Start each round of questing, grinding and gathering with near empty bags.

7. Learn the Auction House. You must learn how to use the Auction House early on, for this is where you make most of your gold. Sell all Green, Blue and Purple items at auction (if you don't need them); Grey items are considered trash and can be sold to any vendor. The guide for the best Auction House strategies is Lukes’s Gold Guide who explains simple but effect strategies to dominate this part of the game. I use many of Luke's techniques to pile-up the gold and explain variations of them in my own e-guide.

8. Trash or trade? Remember, not all grey items are trash. Much mundane material is sought after for crafting. Research the Auction House and find out what is selling. Stone, for example, is widely used in Engineering and Blacksmithing.

9. Get the price right. Research the price of an item before you put it up for auction. Search for your item in the Auction House and make a note of the lowest and highest buyout price. Set both a bid and buyout price that is competitive - not too low and not too high.

10. Hawk your wares - by learning how to use the Trade Channel to shout about your auction items. Learn from the Goblins in this matter who often can be heard shouting - "We have what you need!"

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Fishing for World of Warcraft Gold

2007-11-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

From the Journal of Marcus Ty – Level 60 Alliance Mage of Stormwind

Welcome Friend,

You have chanced upon a page from my wow gold making guide where I have chronicled my trials at making gold – World of Warcraft gold! For this entry in my Journal, my thoughts are turned to that sedate of professions that we humans call ‘Fishing’ and which the Horde call Ka-Splash!

As a Mage in my early levels, I thought the secondary art of ‘Fishing’ a complete waste of time. Why, in Blizzards name, would anyone want to stand idly by watching his bobber – well bob? So I put aside the idea of Fishing and continued my daily grind for experience, oblivious to the gold making strategies at the end of a hook and line.

Now listen closely friend, for I’m about to impart an important gold making tip: there’s Warcraft gold to be made from the secondary profession of Fishing. For just a few copper coins you can purchase the skill of fishing from many a trainer throughout the land of Azeroth. You must then purchase a fishing pole.

Now a word in your ear, Friend, for here’s a tip. Don’t listen to those big girls the Elves, for when it comes to fishing, size surely does matter. The bigger your fishing pole the better as this will give you an advantage. Listen instead to the Horde in this matter. ‘It takes a big one to catch a big one!’ It’s well known that the Horde like to catch really big fish which they use as an off-hand weapon.

So, fork out and buy a Strong Fishing pole, as this will give you a fishing advantage. It also comes in handy for beating any Murloc over the head with, should one wander by and disturb your concentration.

Now the products of fishing are- well fish. But not always, for as your skill advances your chances of catching the odd loot locker increases along with other items of use and value. The fish can be eaten raw, but provide better sustenance if cooked, greatly adding to the health and stamina qualities of the food. The smoking of Sagefish for example provides the food with Mana. Any surplus cooked fish can be sold in the Auction House or used to feed your pet.

Now it’s easy to level-up the fishing profession. Just find a body of water and cast your bobber. Within a few minutes you will have caught some fish and increased in level. With increasing experience, you will be able to fish more zones (higher zones require a higher skill in fishing) and catch a wider variety of fish. Many of these fish can be cooked (thus increasing your cooking skill) or eaten, and some are required as ingredients in alchemical recipes and thus in demand in the Auction House.

For more on fishing and where to fish seek out my Journal at WoW Gold Mastery

Remember, Friend, there’s gold to be made from Fishing so guard my secrets well, lest the Horde discover them and gain an advantage!

The Art of Making World of Warcraft Gold

2007-11-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome Friend,

You have chanced upon a page from the Journal of Marcus Ty, level 60 Alliance Mage of Stormwind and servant to the Argent Dawn. In my Journal I have chronicled my time in the land of Azeroth and the labor spent upon a single quest. And that quest is for gold - World of Warcraft gold!

As a young Mage in my early levels I was keen to prove myself worthy to be in the service of the Alliance and had lost count of the number of boots worn bare by the constant running between towns in the daily grind to gain experience. I looked forward to the time when I could buy my first mount and ride swiftly to meet the Horde in mortal combat with my PVP Alliance crest proudly emblazoned upon my crown.

So bent was I upon the task to reach the higher levels that I lost sight of the fact that mounts cost money; instead, I spent my gold on frivolous drinking in the Pig & Whistle (Stormwind) and the amusements of the Darkmoon Faire. By the time I had reached level 30, my gold coin was all but spent and it dawned on me that I would be hard pressed to buy even a rabbit in Dun Morogh, let alone my first stead upon reaching level 40! It was then that I realized I had made a grave mistake.

If this sounds familiar to you, then rest assured, Friend, you are not alone. Be you Alliance or Horde, if nearing the landmark of level 40, you face a crisis of gold. It’s not your fault. The arcane book of knowledge we call the ‘Game Guide’ speaks very little of the art of making gold in the land of Azeroth and so we fail to incorporate this essential part of game-play into our daily grind for experience and the art of power leveling.

This crisis at level 40 is probably the reason the some seek to buy cheap wow gold from the many exchanges. This is madness for that path will lead you to be banned. There are in fact plenty of ways to make Warcraft gold without the need for cheats, hacks or bots, providing you adopt some basic World of Warcraft strategies for gold early on in the game.

The most basic money making strategy we are taught is that of grinding. But, Friend, there are many more ways to make wow gold than this one strategy. Many miss the gold making opportunities afforded by the primary professions (Mining, Herbalism, Skinning, Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Jewelcrafting, Leatherworking, and Tailoring) and any number of the secondary professions (Cooking, Fishing and First Aid), or start very late and miss making gold in time for there mount or epic mount.

So the Guild bid me to seek out and research those authors well known for their gold-making expertise and cunning and to chronicle the many World of Warcraft gold making strategies. This research is now complete and magically bound with Arcane cunning at WoW Gold Mastery along with my Journal containing the many trials at making Warcraft gold.

So Friend, should you chance upon my Journal take care. For the gold making secrets contained within work for both Horde and Alliance alike. So guard it well lest the Horde gain an advantage.