Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Buying food is humiliating

My era of self sufficiency is officially over.

It was humiliating and I hesitated for a long time but finally Larísa took the step. At level 73 she bought her first stack of food from a vendor. Ever.

Blizzard is playing a joke at the mage class in the expansion. While they did add new food to the vendors, they didn’t give mages any new rank for conjuring it. Our food is now only half as good as the sold one and won’t become any better until level 75, when we learn to conjure mana pies.

At first I didn’t believe my eyes when I happily went to the mage trainer at level 70 to train the new food spell. I took it for granted that they would give us one. But the trainer just stared at me with a blank expression in his face, offering me nothing at the moment.

Trying on my own
Until now I’ve tried to manage on my own, changing my habits slightly. There’s no point starting every gaming session conjuring food since it’s useless and I won’t eat it anyway.

In order not to leave Larísa starving, I’ve stopped throwing away or vendoring food dropping from mobs. Instead I’ve stored it carefully in my bags, swearing a bit over the fact that the diet is so varied; it takes up quite a few slots. I’ve also come into the habit of using evocation as often as possible – I gave it an inscription so it returns heath as well as mana.

But finally I realised that my efforts wasn’t enough. In my long journeys, following questlines all over the place and rarely getting to an inn, I saw there was a potential risk that I’d end up with nothing but the Mage Emergency Food. So for a few silver, but at the cost of my self respect, I gave in and bought my first stack of vendored food. It was a Salted Yeti Cheese and I hope Larísa enjoyed it. After all she’s had quite a few croissants in her days, perhaps it was time for a change, even though salt cheese doesn’t sound too tasty.

Still, on behalf of the mages, I’d like to grumble a bit about it. All classes have some benefits. Shamans can walk on water, druids can swim, warlocks can make health stones. Mages can make food, that’s one of the things that characterizes us. And why not let us make decent food then?
Vacation
However, I wouldn’t be Larísa if I didn’t try to look at it from the bright side. Because in my misery, I’ve also noticed that the devaluation of the mage food has an instant effect on the demand of it. I don’t want my own food anymore, and of course no one else wants it either. In every instance I’ve run so far, I’ve offered the group a table, as any decent mage would do. But it’s always turned down.

Maybe we should view this period as a short vacation, when mages are free from their duties to cook? Soon enough we’ll be back to baking pies, not only for ourselves, but for everyone else too. Proud and independent of vendor food.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow really? That sucks...

I guess it was good of me to decide to level up Cooking and Fishing. I'm now grand master for both and can make replenishment food for myself, including ones with decent mp5 buffs for leveling.

Cosmos said...

TRAITOR!!

>.>

I managed to get to 75 without succumbing to the temptation, and let me tell you... the pie is delicious.

Hang in there, it'll be over soon.

Captain The First said...

*giggles* A mage buying food from a vendor... this is some weird world we ended up in I tell you :P

I can just see you standing in front of the inn keeper eyeballing your salted cheese suspiciously.

Chris said...

:P I still get a table, the level 70 food won't fill up my health bar (never did) but it fills up my mana bar with like 3k to spare, and my mana bar fills up my health bar just fine :P.

For levelling at least, the Mage food is still great because you are rarely down at 0, its a top up rather than the master plan for me. Mind you I think as a tank my perspective is somewhat skewed, since 3k health and 0 mana just means go aoe pulling to refill both.

Am surprised though you don't get single food/water like you used to, though that was the mage schtick, but if they are giving you a combined mage table food at 75 I can understand it, though perhaps doing so is a step too far (same way a lock doesn't get cheap healthstones except in a party, Mages need 2 slots to get food / water except in a party).

Anonymous said...

To add insult to injury.. didn't cooking get some sort of "feast" that is required in order to cap cooking?

Nibuca

Anonymous said...

@Loronar: good for you... Actually I did level cooking to max level in TBC, so now I can make standard food for myself out of chilled meat. But seriously, to COOK ordinary food when you're a mage. That sucks.

@Basil: I'm sorry! But alright, I won't do it again. I'll make sure my 20 salt cheeses will last me to 75.

@Captain the first: yes indeed the world has changed. They smoothen it all out. Buffs raid wide... other classes making feast tables. Where will it end? Every single player can tank, heal, nuke, whatsover and do any kind of buff? They're really killing the pain - and pleasure of choosing and taking the consequences of it.

@2ndNin: seriously? But aren't you a Scot? That explains it all.. :)
Trust me - I wouldn't even feed a pet with my food now. It takes ages to get health back with it.

@Nibuca: yes, you're quite right. Actually I haven't yet figured out if I'll be able to make a mana pie table or if it's back to handing out stacks... Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this will turn out in raids. Will there be willing people to cook if the mages go on strike?

Anonymous said...

As a rogue, I was always admired the mage ability to sheep in combat and the food tables. Now I can provide feasts, but I still have to stand behind the boss breathing butt fumes while you guys live the high life hanging out with the healer.

:) You still have the upper hand.

Anonymous said...

@Deadlyslow: well, we aren't unique in that aspect any longer - what I've understood Druids have got their cc buffed to work indoors? But yeah: at least they can't make pigs..

But really: as a rogue you haven't got much to envy a mage. Every time I've played my rogue alt and go back to my mage I keep wanting to vanish and stealth. It's extremely helpful while levelling. All those "get that shiny item at the end of the cave" are done ever so quickly.

And about seeing the boss: I actually think it's fun to get a closer look at him playing a rogue, as a change. But that will have to wait for a while now - now it's mage all the way, of course.

Fish said...

This is why I like draenei herbalist mages. Evocation + HoT should fill health and mana pretty completely, unless you're doing some serious mana intensive grinding. . .

MarcusMaximi said...

Awww, I'm pretty sure that my warlock (sorry) just picked up Tome of Conjure Food XII" or something while he was level 70 or level 71.

Do the level 70 cooking quest from the Tundra and get the crit strike food. Yum Yum!