Thursday, September 29, 2011

Transmogrification Testing on the PTR

Hi folks, this is just a brief post to share our experience with transmogrification on the PTR to help clarify a few points and answer some lingering questions.  Keep in mind this is from the PTR, and is subject to change.

Weapons without "stats" are eligible
1) All of the items (Epic, Rare, Uncommon) without "stats" (Chance on hit, On equip, etc.) that we have tested appear to be eligible for transmogrification.  The items can be used to transmogrify the weapons you are using, and they can also be transmogrified, themselves.  Below is an example where we've transmogrified Nightblade with Destiny.  So it's likely the majority of these items will be eligible. We'll be updating all of our charts going forward to reflect this.

2) You can vice-versa transmogrified items. We were able to transmogrify Nightblade into the Destiny model, and then equip Destiny and transmogrify it into the Nightblade model and both transmogrifications were intact. So even if you transmogrify a weapon, like Nightblade, with another weapon, like Destiny, you can still use Nightblade to transmogrify another weapon.

3) You cannot pass on a weapon look through another weapon. Transmogrification is direct. In other words, if we transmogrify Nightblade into Destiny, and we then use that transmogrified Nightblade to transmogrify another Two-Handed Sword, that sword would be transmogrified into Nightblade - not Destiny. Make sense?

4) You only need one (1) copy of a particular model to place it on multiple items. So, for example, we equipped two (2) Krol Blades and were able to transmogrify them with a single (1) Teebu's Blazing Longsword.

Using Teebu's model on one item did not exhaust or bind it to that item, we were able to use it to transmogrify the second Krol Blade as well (see below).  Though it has not been applied in the screenshot, we were able to apply it with success.  So one (1) model can be used to transmogrify multiple items, and Blizzard also confirmed this to a degree yesterday via their customer service handle on Twitter: "Not all of the details have been hammered out yet, but I do not believe items are consumed in the 'mogging' process."

Two weapons successfully transmogrified with one
5) Once you have used a model to transmogrify another, you no longer have to carry that model in order to retain the transmogrified effect.  In other words, once we transmogrified the two Krol Blades, we were able to not only place Teebu's Blazing Longsword in our bank, but we could also place it in Void Storage, and the Krol Blades maintained their lightsaber looks.

6) Once you have transmogrified an item, if you place it back in your bags or in your bank, it will continue to maintain its look.  We unequipped both Krol Blades, placed them in the bank and came back later after logging out to find them still transmogrified with Teebu's lightsaber looks.

7) If you place a transmogrified item into Void Storage, you will lose the transmogrified look that has been applied to it (see below). After transmogrifying Destiny into Nightblade, we tried to place both items into Void Storage and were given the following alert below for each item.  We proceeded, and found that once they entered Void Storage, they indeed lost their transmogrified look.

Items put into Void Storage lose their "looks"
8) Items you wish to use to transmogrify your weapons and gear must be in your bags.  We tried to simultaneously open the Void Storage and transmogrification windows to try and use items in storage to transmogrify our equipment, and it was not possible.  They function independent of each other, and both windows cannot be open at the same time.  So each time you acquire a new item with upgraded stats if your desired look is in Void Storage, you must pull it out and get it into your bags in order to transmogrify it.  Some concern has already been raised about the potential high cost of having to swap items in and out of Void Storage in this fashion on an ongoing basis, and Blizzard has already commented on the fact that current prices on the PTR are not yet final.

9) Main hand / Off hand / One hand rules are in effect.  We attempted to transmogrify the Blade of Wizardry (MH) onto 1H and OH swords, and were given an alert that it was not possible.  This led us to do a bit of digging, since the lightsaber look is unique enough that it warrants a bit more evaluation.  We discovered that for wielders of One-Handed Swords, the blue lightsaber look is currently only attainable with the Spellfire Longsword - but it is a Main Hand weapon.  Technically there are some MH One-Handed Swords available for melee (heirlooms), but nothing powerful enough for endgame raiders.  So unfortunately, unless you already had the Argent Avenger (no longer available), there is no way to raid with endgame stats using the blue lightsaber look.  

That said, it therefore makes Teebu's Blazing Longsword, which is a 1H sword with a red lightsaber look, the only sword currently available in-game that will give One-Handed Swords with endgame stats the lightsaber look.  Not only that, since the Spellfire Longsword is a MH, it means Teebu's is the only widely available model eligible for dual wielding lightsabers since 1H can be applied to both MH and OH weapons.  The only exception is for Gnome Fury Warriors that can dual wield Two-Handed Swords, as Cataclysm introduced a quest line for new Gnomes where they could acquire the Very Light Sabre.  But as we understand it, with our Faction-Transferred-Gnome-In-the-Field-Reporter reader Dreamsofisorath, the quest is likely only available to those Gnomes that were created after Cataclysm.  Talk about a niche advantage.

10) Some really cool items have already been spotted on players in the PTR, like the Arcanite Ripper, a Two-Handed Axe model no longer available in-game that gives players a skeleton guitar look.  Be prepared to see some amazing stuff when 4.3 is released!

11) Be prepared for an elbow-to-elbow crowd and a bit of lag in the transmogrification/void storage room come 4.3.  The PTRs have these rooms packed with players, which is likely a sign that there will be a deluge of interest in these locations once 4.3 goes live.    

Please post any additional questions you may have about transmogrification to us here or on Twitter @DEazeroth and we'll try to get some answers for you from the PTR.  Follow us on Twitter for regular updates, and stay tuned as our review on Daggers is nearing completion.

-Keelhaul

3 comments:

  1. Fantastic! Thanks for being our eyes and ears on the PTR Keelhaul! I'll be sure to let WL readers know about this post.

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  2. Thank you for doing these tests! I was curious about being able to use one weapon to mog two (Answer 4) so you could get a matching dual wield look without extra farming. I am disappointed that you can't mog MH to One Hand and locking it to MH (Answer 9) because there are so many unique and appealing MH only models. I guess caster looks are still restricted to casters. Maybe they'll change this in the future as it would probably take a lot more work to do it so people couldn't equip backwards fist weapons or something. Either way I'm glad I'll be able to let my Death Knight dual wield two Sword of a Thousand Truth-- err Slayer of the Lifeless without having to get two to drop.

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  3. Thanks for the cover on transmogrification on the PTR, keep up the good work. I regularly check this blog so it's great to see you guys are actively posting weapon models, ptr news etc. <3

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