Possible server transfers to any server

[vor_lord]

This is kind of old news if you're a Blue Post Tracker junkie like me, but Blizzard is considering allowing paid transfers to whatever server you wish sometime in the future: Clicky!

I assume they will not allow cross-ruleset server transfers regardless but you can read the frothy-mouthed debate in the thread about it if you wish.

I mention it here in case anyone is in my position. I leveled a character to 60 with the same four other people. Once we started wanting to raid, we discovered that we hadn't built up an immunity to pickup groups that you need in order to not be continually frustrated. After a failed attempt to establish a good guild relationship, all five of us have abandoned our characters there and have moved to Terenas to find more like-minded players. Playing with the lurkers on Terenas has been awesome (even though we aren't that many we do a lot together), and I really regret not being on Stormrage with our Alliance group from launch.

If there is a server transfer that would allow me to move from Doomhammer to Stormrage, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and there might be other lurkers who are "isolated" and thought you might like to know.

[Tal]

If there is a server transfer that would allow me to move from Doomhammer to Stormrage, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and there might be other lurkers who are "isolated" and thought you might like to know.
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I wouldn't transfer to Stormrage. I hear the GM there charges the Lurkers a monthly fee to stay in the guild!

Though this is good news. I have friends on other servers that would love to kill Shar/Shal on Stormrage (they're horde) ;)

[Darian]

I wouldn't transfer to Stormrage. I hear the GM there charges the Lurkers a monthly fee to stay in the guild!
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And as long as you keep giving me my cut... nobody gets hurt, capice?

[Tal]

And as long as you keep giving me my cut... nobody gets hurt, capice?
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*borrows more money from Leeah to pay off Darian*

[vor_lord]

I wouldn't transfer to Stormrage. I hear the GM there charges the Lurkers a monthly fee to stay in the guild!

Though this is good news. I have friends on other servers that would love to kill Shar/Shal on Stormrage (they're horde) ;)
[right][snapback]84552[/snapback][/right]

I'll keep all my "Chipped Boar Tusk"s to send as my tribute. You can't complain about that!

[Brista]

I see lots of abuse coming, Thank goodness they're charging

So basically you can level somewhere quiet then triumphantly turn up on a busy server and make life hell for the lowbies in Stranglethorn Vale. Gold farmers can farm gold on a quiet server and sell it on a busy server. Uber players can collect their top end stuff on a busy server in a guild that farms end-game content, then jump into demi-godhood on a newer server. And of course a string of competitive pvpers can jump around looking for the servers they have the best chance to get Rank 14. Serial griefers and ninjas have a new way to evade social consequences

On the plus side, it's money the company makes that I won't be paying myself. So it keeps the whole carnival going longer - provided that is that the amount of players who get frustrated and move on is more than offset by the fees of people taking advantage of this

Presumably they won't be allowing transfers between different types of servers which means there's even more reason to re-roll on the RP PVP server when that comes out

[Darian]

So basically you can level somewhere quiet then triumphantly turn up on a busy server and make life hell for the lowbies in Stranglethorn Vale. Gold farmers can farm gold on a quiet server and sell it on a busy server. Uber players can collect their top end stuff on a busy server in a guild that farms end-game content, then jump into demi-godhood on a newer server. And of course a string of competitive pvpers can jump around looking for the servers they have the best chance to get Rank 14. Serial griefers and ninjas have a new way to evade social consequences
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As a general rule, games with server-side character databases which have offered server transfers have done so with the stipulation that you transfer naked and broke, specifically so that the system isn't abused to make people money. Odds are Blizzard won't do anything differently, and they'd also possibly wipe PvP rank.

[savaughn]

As a general rule, games with server-side character databases which have offered server transfers have done so with the stipulation that you transfer naked and broke, specifically so that the system isn't abused to make people money.  Odds are Blizzard won't do anything differently, and they'd also possibly wipe PvP rank.
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Actually, I'd be surprised about this. A huge chunk of what you use in WoW comes from questing. Zeroing out someone's inventory is going to kill everything you gained from questing and put the character on a massive disadvantage. On the flip side, if you zero out the quests you open up similarly abusive situations.

Personally, I'd be surprised if they EVER allowed arbitrary server exchange - paid or otherwise. It's abusive, a paid service carries negative PR, and by NOT allowing transfers they encourage players to spend another 9+ days bringing up a character on a different server to join friends -- which keeps the subscription flowing longer.

They lose by allowing it and win by disallowing it, so it'd surprise me entirely to see it. But then, that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.

[vor_lord]

Actually, I'd be surprised about this.  A huge chunk of what you use in WoW comes from questing.  Zeroing out someone's inventory is going to kill everything you gained from questing and put the character on a massive disadvantage.  On the flip side, if you zero out the quests you open up similarly abusive situations.

Personally, I'd be surprised if they EVER allowed arbitrary server exchange - paid or otherwise.  It's abusive, a paid service carries negative PR, and by NOT allowing transfers they encourage players to spend another 9+ days bringing up a character on a different server to join friends -- which keeps the subscription flowing longer.

They lose by allowing it and win by disallowing it, so it'd surprise me entirely to see it.  But then, that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.
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I'd go naked and broke. It costs them nothing to do it (the technology is already there and tested). I don't see how they lose out assuming that they do something to prevent abuse (I think a cost and a limit should be plenty sufficient).

Even if the number of people that do it might be small, it might be enough to keep those people playing. To get my first character to 60 took me 6-7 months, with no alts. I'd pay to keep that character if I could move to Stormrage, naked or not.

Interesting question though -- if you were level 60, broke, and naked, how would you go about getting yourself geared up? There's obviously begging but that's hardly a good way to start out a guild relationship.

[Tal]

Interesting question though -- if you were level 60, broke, and naked, how would you go about getting yourself geared up?  There's obviously begging but that's hardly a good way to start out a guild relationship.
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On Stormrage the same way we've always geared people up. We bring you along and get you gear. :)

[Brista]

It does bring to mind some kind of event idea

All start naked at 11am, gear up and duel at 5pm, just wearing what you've found today

I guess I'd rush to a lowbie zone, grab something that at least stopped me looking nude then jump into LFM groups and loiter at the back not doing much except typing "n"

It would be rather comical in some ways to blag your way into a pubbie strat run wearing nothing more than a cracked sash and tabard but not really fair on the others I guess

[Darian]

Interesting question though -- if you were level 60, broke, and naked, how would you go about getting yourself geared up?  There's obviously begging but that's hardly a good way to start out a guild relationship.
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Solo Deadmines naked; get some trivial gear.
Solo Stockades in trivial gear; get some minor gear.
Run Gnomeregan in minor gear with with one friend; get some better gear.
...and so on.

[Hillary]

Take up mining. Sell coarse stone at a disgustingly inflated price.

Take up fishing. Fish for deviate fish in the Wailing Caverns.

Take up tailoring, spin up bolts of wool and sell them singularly on the auction house for 20 to 25 silver a piece.

Pick flowers. There's always a need.


There are many ways to make money if the baby instance grind doesn't appeal to you.

[vor_lord]

Solo Deadmines naked; get some trivial gear.
Solo Stockades in trivial gear; get some minor gear.
Run Gnomeregan in minor gear with with one friend; get some better gear.
...and so on.
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So (still in what if land) if I were to do such a transfer, it would be with 4 other level 60s. I think 5 level 60s could do naked. I was thinking to start there, then hit Maraudon after that.

There are many ways to make money if the baby instance grind doesn't appeal to you.

I think farming cash will have to be done -- while I'm a paladin and bonemage is a warlock (so we won't lose our mounts), the other three will lose their mounts as they are part of inventory.

Some items can never be replaced either -- glimmering mithril insignia, carrot on a stick, linken's boomerang (Nooooooooooo! I NEED it!). Could I obtain the teleport staff (for Maraudon) again? I'm not even sure I could get things like the key to Scholomance as it is part of a quest sequence. I think it should be simple to get the key to Strat again, isn't that just a looted item?

Maybe these reasons are some indicators that this kind of transfer will never be done.

[Kevin]

Quest items and unique items already have some sort of flag to prevent you from getting more than you can carry, etc. It's very possible that you transfer naked and broke except for quest rewards. Even if you held on to every single one you got up to L60 then sold the ones you could on transfer you would have no gear and not much money. Seems hard to abuse. Solves many of the issues raised. So you could have a linken's and mithril insignia and goblin engineering membership card, etc. But not your Draconian Deflector or purple belt or Stormrage Cover.

To me if I was on a server with a small group of friends and could move to a server with a large group of my friends, losing that stuff would be an easy choice to make. Sell it off and give the money to people I'll be leaving behind or take up enchanting and break it all down and give up the shards to people that are staying that I've built a bond with. Hell maybe twink out that alt that will stick on that server before transfering over. :)

I think they can pull it off so that it works and doesn't really open up abuse or major annoyance doors.

[MongoJerry]

Another possibility that's a little less extreme than transfering a character naked and broke is to do what they did once for one beta patch: Allow characters to transfer with the items that they are wearing but with no gold, or anything in the bank or mailbox. That would allow people to keep and transfer some of their more precious items while not allowing gold farmers to transfer massive amounts of gold or items efficiently.

[vor_lord]

Another possibility that's a little less extreme than transfering a character naked and broke is to do what they did once for one beta patch:  Allow characters to transfer with the items that they are wearing but with no gold, or anything in the bank or mailbox.  That would allow people to keep and transfer some of their more precious items while not allowing gold farmers to transfer massive amounts of gold or items efficiently.
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It does seem that soulbound items in particular would be hard to abuse in a transfer. A few extra shards might make it in the market, but this would seem to make more sense than going naked.

[vor_lord]

Blue blizzard post today confirms that fee-based character transfers are definitely being implemented:

Clicky!

[Lissa]

Quest items and unique items already have some sort of flag to prevent you from getting more than you can carry, etc.  [right][snapback]85059[/snapback][/right]

Actually, that's not true of quest items. It is possible to get multiple of a quest item, but it requires the server to go down before your flag is set. I've had it happen to me personally as I got two of the daggers from the quest in DM due to the above. I ended up DEing both (Warlocks don't need +mana/5 seconds like other classes).

[martini]

Actually, that's not true of quest items.  It is possible to get multiple of a quest item, but it requires the server to go down before your flag is set.  I've had it happen to me personally as I got two of the daggers from the quest in DM due to the above.  I ended up DEing both (Warlocks don't need +mana/5 seconds like other classes).
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I thought that was because there was a bug with that quest, and they had to reset it, similar to the way that the MC attunement quest was reset?