Dragonflight Season 1 Week 10: Gearing Through Uncapped Valor/Conquest

Week 10 brought the final pieces to the gearing puzzle of the season. Valor and Conquest no longer has a cap, so one is free to spam dungeons to top off the gear one has. The second thing is that the catalyst now has reached 4 charges (if you did it every week since it was released). So one can simply complete whatever gearing plans one has, and either do alts or be set for next season. The valor uncapping has been a thing since it was introduced in Shadowlands at some point every season (some months in for 3, the last season had uncapped from start). So I have my opinions on it, and have planned around it, yet never really followed through for various reasons.

This season was already more about projects than goals, and mopping up the gearing will be the same.

What to do with the mainline characters (Dominator, Wutteät and Esmënet)

Dominator is very close to being geared, but could need another 138 rating (to reach 2400) and 18 concentrated thingies to upgrade the belt and the neck. Getting that should also provide the valor to upgrade the 411 things I have to 415. In BFA season 4 I topped off my main, this has not happened since. So this is what I will do now.

Wutteät has taken it's time to get anywhere much. Being overgeared for the score. The natural finale is 2000 score, and need a boatload of valor to upgrade all the gear to 411. And an even larger boatload of thingies for the crafted gear. Finishing that is the goal. Going for 2400 score in pugs, and getting something like 60 condensed thingies seems a bit to much.

Esmënet missed 4 Conquest pieces (ring, neck, trinket and legs), and sockets at the start of the week. And proper enchanting. Which is not a big task. Well, if I don't do m+ or raid, and can just pick sockets every week. The question for this character is where does it go? Is it done when gear is done? Is it done when I have the ranked pvp mount? Is it done when I have Bloodthirsty? Is it done with KSH and Curve? Finishing the pvp gear should be the "end" of gearing, perhaps at the back half of the season when everyone I know is no longer playing I will look for a guild and work on all the usual pve things. Or maybe not. At the end of the week, only trinket and sockets remained. And a non-tier chest to have the full transmog. So very close to done.

What to do with alts

I would normally dump all their valor into materials for crafting. And leech Esmënet for conquest chests. But I have seen neither of those "dumps" so far which is a bit puzzling. But if those things are introduced, or I find them hidden somewhere, that is what it will be spent on.

I have considered swapping out one of the Three for something that has a better time getting into raids which will not create situations where I become a backup tank. If the Three are all done, and I go for the raid guild attempt again, I should consider gearing ONE. ONE, not three. ONE, not five.

How to farm the valor

Currently I am not doing anything different than I would normally do, I just get more valor. However, if I were to speedfarm in the current climate, I would just do +11/12 or +16/+17 SBGs for the crafting material and valor combined. Doing +2s for valor will net you no vault of value (unless you only want sockets) nor crafting materials.

How to farm the conquest

Solo Shuffle seems to start out with 200 conquest for the first win of the day. Then 150, and at some point it drops off. Farming that for wins for the rated mount, or mixing with epic bgs for Bloodthirsty progress both works. It is also less volatile than valor, since you don't get the actual item with valor - only the ability to upgrade stuff you have. Actually winning shuffles on a fresh 70 might need a long losing streak first, though...

Character Summaries

Dominator [Social Dungeon Tank Progress Character]

Human Paladin [Level 70]

Weekly activities:

• 1 m+ dungeon (1x +17)

• World Boss/World Quests/Profession Quests/Accord

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Protection

Talents: BIEAwtJ2KpR8WbGzhz/jy2AP8USaikiodAtIJlWTSiERiEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0EJJpJQSUSRkElDoEA

Professions: Enchanting 64/100 [-] (Enchantment: 100 - Insight of the Blue: 45) - Alchemy 100/100 (Phial Mastery: 55 - Potion Mastery: 55) - Cooking 80/100 [-] - Fishing 100/100.

iLevel/PvP iLevel: 410 [+1] (4 set) / 405 [-]

m+ Score: 2271 [+10]

Valor spent/earned: 7425/7700 [+200]

Conquest spent/earned: 0/1320 [-]

Solo shuffle rating: -

Raid progress: -

Wutteät [Personal Dungeon Tank Progress Character]

Night Elf Demon Hunter [Level 70]

Weekly activities:

• 9 m+ dungeons (1x +13, 4x +12s, 4x +11s)

• World Boss/Profession Quests

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Vengeance

Talents: BUkACnvaHJn8GSPD6tpaeczPTBAgIIJRSAEJCQDQ0iEJJJJJJtkISSSokkEAAAAA

Professions: Skinning 100/100 (Tanning: 40 - Harvesting: 40 - Bait Crafter: 10) - Leatherworking 77/100 [-] (Leatherworking Discipline: 45 - Leather Armor Crafting: 50 - Primordial Leatherworking: 30) - Fishing 51/100 [-] - Cooking 51/100 [-]

iLevel/PvP iLevel: 401 [+3] (4 set) / 411 [-]

m+ Score: 1824 [+146]

Valor spent/earned: 8800/9300 [+1800]

Conquest spent/earned: 590/1545 [-]

Solo shuffle rating: 192 [-] (Vengeance)

Raid Progress: 1/8 LFR (as Havoc) [-]

Esmënet [Dungeon/PVP DPS Progress Character]

Dark Iron Dwarf Hunter [Level 70]

Weekly activitites:

• 1 m+ Dungeon (1x +10)

• Accord/World Boss/World Quests/Profession Quests

• Solo Shuffles (8x fully completed ones)

• Timewalking [TBC] Dungeons (x5)

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Beast Mastery

Talents: B0PAIlFMjeNhnEouGfV8Ij2uS5ACaJAIEAAAAAAAAAAAaEpIhWEJSiE5AhWCRIJEJJhGJRA

Professions: Herbalism 100/100 (Bountiful Harvests: 40 - Botany: 75 - Mastering the Elements: 40) - Mining 100/100 (Mining Process: 55 - Metallurgy: 40 - Mastering the Elements: 50) - Fishing 23/100 [-] - Cooking 35/100 [-]

iLevel/PVP iLevel: 390 [-] / 423 [+3] (4 set)

m+ Score: 1503 [+19]

Valor spent/earned: 2300/6900 [+200]

Conquest spent/earned: 5640/5750 [+1235]

Solo Shuffle rating: 1028 [-120]

Raid Progress: 8/8 LFR Vault of the Incarnates.

Rank Log

Esmënet: 101 [-5] (Did 1 dungeon, for no real score gain, so not so strange)

Wutteät: 17 [+4] (Did 9 dungeons for some score gain, but score change was not that different from last week.)

Dominator: 12 [-2] (Had not done any dungeons at the point I check, kinda surprised I had not dropped further. Really not an active week for tanks, this.)

Alt Log

Serwaswathan, Draenei Mage (Level 70 Unknown, Crafter [Blacksmith/Jewelcrafting], iLevel 379)

Adagabo, Night Elf Druid (Level 70 Week 8, Gatherer [Herbalism], iLevel 371)

Iwaz, Draenei Warrior (Level 70 Week 10, Gatherer [Mining], iLevel 360)

Dragonflight Season 1 Week 9: Profession Focus & Dungeon Weekly

I'm having an image problem. I think.

Or I don't? Or at least not in the literal sense.

Focus of the Week: Professions

This week I put some extra effort on professions. Mostly because I learned something new from a summary about professions on wowhead, and experimenting some in the game last week. So here's some things I have picked up and have been doing this week...

Sparks, Primal Chaos and Craft Orders from Alts

This has been the most important revelation. Recently a skip was added to the Spark questline so alts (even fresh ones off the coast) can get 5 at once. Also added was the ability to buy a box (with some tax) of Primal Chaos. With the result that any alt can have the limited resources to order the big skill upgrade items from professions. Which in turn makes it a lot easier to not only skill up the professions without trying to get in on the low amount of public crafting orders for recipes everyone has, but the alts also gets a bunch of really important gear when they hit 70, like 382+ weapons for everyone.

Knowledge vs Skill

Skill is obviously important, but it's also something you just get from crafting. No limiting factor, only materials. And what you spend knowledge on.... Choosing the right knowledge stuff on the other hand has been more tricky. At first I was very specialised, like wanted multicrafted drums and phials. But now I have tried to learn as many recipes as possible, since every craft gives knowledge the first craft, and then just have alts get different things. And as knowledge and skill is gained, can always recraft things to something better later. Also the amount of hard dungeons I do has plummeted since other people play less, and I don't do them on my own. Hence no need to mass produce drums, phials and other consumables.

Materials

Herbs and ore is easy to get hold of, and cheap to buy if somehow end up with low stocks (solo shuffle queues not being 30 mins for example). Elemental stuff on the other hand, I just gave up on. I am simply spending all the gold I earn each week to get enough for crafting the alt gear, and use the elemental mats I get on my own for consumables.

A note on quality levels

It can sod off.

Character Summaries

Dominator [Social Dungeon Tank Progress Character]

Human Paladin [Level 70]

Weekly activities:

• 4 m+ dungeons (1x +17, 1x +16, 1x +15s, 1x +11)

• World Boss/Accord/World Quests/Profession Quests

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Protection

Talents: BIEAwtJ2KpR8WbGzhz/jy2AP8USaikiodAtIJlWTSiERiEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0EJJpJQSUSRkElDoEA

Professions: Enchanting 64/100 [+1] (Enchantment: 100 - Insight of the Blue: 45) - Alchemy 100/100 [+2] (Phial Mastery: 55 - Potion Mastery: 55) - Cooking 80/100 [+3] - Fishing 100/100.

iLevel/PvP iLevel: 409 [+5] (2 set) / 405 [-]

m+ Score: 2261 [+39]

Valor spent/earned: 6000/7500 [+750]

Conquest spent/earned: 0/1320 [-]

Solo shuffle rating: -

Raid progress: -

Wutteät [Personal Dungeon Tank Progress Character]

Night Elf Demon Hunter [Level 70]

Weekly activities:

• 8 m+ dungeons (1 +13, 1 +12, 6 +11s)

• Accord/World Boss/Profession quests

• 1x LFR Boss (Ra)

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Vengeance

Talents: BUkACnvaHJn8GSPD6tpaeczPTBAgIIJRSAEJCQDQ0iEJJJJJJtkISSSokkEAAAAA

Professions: Skinning 100/100 (Tanning: 40 - Harvesting: 40 - Bait Crafter: 10) - Leatherworking 77/100 [+4] (Leatherworking Discipline: 45 - Leather Armor Crafting: 50 - Primordial Leatherworking: 20) - Fishing 51/100 [-] - Cooking 51/100 [+12]

iLevel/PvP iLevel: 398 [+7] (4 set) / 411 [-]

m+ Score: 1678 [+78]

Valor spent/earned: 6950/7500 [+750]

Conquest spent/earned: 590/1545 [-]

Solo shuffle rating: 192 [-] (Vengeance)

Raid Progress: 1/8 LFR [+1]

Esmënet [Dungeon/PVP DPS Progress Character]

Dark Iron Dwarf Hunter [Level 70]

Weekly activitites:

• 5 m+ Dungeons (1x +11s, 4x +10s)

• World Boss/Accord/Communal Feast/World Quests/Profession Quests

• Solo Shuffles (3x fully completed ones, 1x two rounds with leaver)

Character Stats

Guild: House of Small Gods

Main spec: Beast Mastery

Talents: B0PAIlFMjeNhnEouGfV8Ij2uS5ACaJAIEAAAAAAAAAAAaEpIhWEJSiE5AhWCRIJEJJhGJRA

Professions: Herbalism 100/100 (Bountiful Harvests: 40 - Botany: 70 - Mastering the Elements: 40) - Mining 100/100 (Mining Process: 50 - Metallurgy: 40 - Mastering the Elements: 50) - Fishing 23/100 [-] - Cooking 35/100 [-]

iLevel/PVP iLevel: 390 [+2] / 420 [+1] (4 set)

m+ Score: 1484 [+138]

Valor spent/earned: 0/6700 [+1000]

Conquest spent/earned: 4950/5750 [+550]

Solo Shuffle rating: 1148 [+84]

Raid Progress: 8/8 LFR Vault of the Incarnates [-]

Rank Log

Esmënet: 96 [-] (Did 5 dungeons, guess everyone around me on ranks did the same as me)

Wutteät: 21 [-] (Did 8 dungeons for some score gain, but it was not big score)

Dominator: 10 [+1] (Only did 4 dungeons, for a small score gain, but still advanced?)

At this point, it still seems like other people playing the same classes have about the same activity rate as I have. Which I find a bit surprising since a lot of people seem to take breaks or play a lot less at the moment.

The time has come

The time has come. To take the usual break. I don't feel motivated to make the time sacrifices to wow right now. Wow is not a game I like to play now and then. Cause of my fear of not being good enough, I feel that I have to keep pushing to not let people down. The last few weeks I haven't really had the drive to do so. I have been struggeling with finding both the time and energy to do as much as I'd like. Last week I did one dungeon and downed one HC boss.

Half-pug dungeon

The dungeon was a half-pug that did not leave me hungry for more. The HC boss was the next to last boss. We did several pulls on the last boss in the raid with the guild. But after careful consideration, they have decided to set the progression on pause. Because we do not have the required dps to reach each phase fast enough. We need more gear to be able to do so.

Raszageth heroic

My opinions of Dragonflight

There is much I liked with this expansion. The theme fits my heart. The class reworks with the new talents are a breath of fresh air. New dungeons and new raids are always fun. And the possibility to change the talents for free most of the time is a big quality of life change.

I think I am one of the very few that did not enjoy dragon riding that much. Limiting an entire expansion to just four mounts, and not being able to use flight form, is just not what I wanted. Yes you can customise them a bit, but it's not really that interesting.

I did not like the focus on professions either. Never really liked professions. And this time around you needed to read a doctor thesis to understahd what you should do.

Another thing that I think has been worse in Dragonflight than Shadowlands, is the amount of bugs. It was a horrible start, and there has been some bugs that has not been fixed for a while. I feel that Shadowlands were more polished. For instance, the evoker's empowered spells are so buggy that it is irritating, and sometimes even dangerous when healing.

Drachtyr evoker

Lavabloom in her human form riding on her new celestial mount

I love the dracthyr. How it looks and how it feels to play. Double jumping has saved me countless times. The special dracthyr staff from the raid was also super duper fun to play with! I do like both the dragon and the human for. But I do not like the limited transmog options.

Preservation

Playing as the new healer, preservation, has been super fun for me! I love how you can play around with the different spells, trying out which combos that works. It has its strenght and weaknesses to play around. The ability to get your party from low to full in a short time, but struggling a bit on continous incoming damage when you're out of cooldowns (oposite of the resto druid).

It feels a little bit too punished on some fights because of the short range, but feel very powerful when people are stacked. It is easy to do damage while healing as a preservation evoker. You don't have to use a lot of gcds to change between forms, and the buttons you press do damage right away. You don't have to commit to damage or healing, but can do a little bit of both, depending on the situation. If you struggle with mana, you can even spec one of your damage spells to leech mana.

Devastation

I am unfortunately not a very big fan of devastation. It can be fun bursting things down, but it feels more of a class that is good at padding, than a class that is actually helpful. I don't like the way their mastery works. Doing high damage at the start, and low at the end. It is always towards the end you need extra power.

The survivability of devastation is very low. When I am preservation, I am able to keep myself alive with my healing, but devastation does not have enough. It was easier for me to solo elites as my newly leveled affliction lock, than as a heroic raid geared devastation evoker.

Druid

Trollblomst with her fairy dragon

I have not played that much druid this expansion. Maybe because I played it so much in Shadowlands. Resto druid is mostly the same as in Shadowlands. After playing preservation, the resto druid just feels slow and clunky to play. Balance druid has changed a bit. It's dots are more important now, which means that it is a even less bursty class than it used to. I do love that they have gotten two new spells that adds to the class fantasy. Mushrooms and fairy dragons!

Warlock

Pulling several mobs as affliction

The first iteration of the affliction talent tree was very bad. So many spells to cast, so many debuffs to track and keep up in a short window. Even with all this juggling, the spec did very low single target damage. It has had an update, and is in a much better state now. If I was to pick a main at this point, I might have tried it again. But I'm still a bit worried, since it seems Blizzard likes to make the spec unplayable from time to time. As long as one of the warlock specs are on top, they don't care about the others.

Ruthe reaching level 70

Most fun spec

Tierlist of the most fun specs I've played in Dragonflight season 1

This is the tier list for the specs I was most excited about in the prepatch.

The picture at the bottom is from this bloggpost