Outland Inconvenience

There are class trainers and auction houses in Shattrath now.

(Dalaran too)

There are class trainers and auction houses in Shattrath now.

(Dalaran too)

That's nice that trainers and auction houses are in those cities now, as they should have been all along; but that presupposes that the primary reason players used portals was for those two things, when that is not the case.

Listen here city slicker, ridin' into town with yer silver tongue ready to make ginger water flow from the wells! I reckon you got them words from the back of a soap box cause I ain't never herd them afore, and I ain't never seen soap neither! HEE HEEEE!!

01/28/2011 12:02 PMPosted by Arcamedes

I have said it elsewhere and will say it here as well: removing the portals was not a wise decision because it disregarded how game flow is being utilized by a significant portion of the vast variety of players, and especially players who frequently farm for herbs, skins and ore that are not available in other places.

That's not a bad thing. We should have portals so people who want to farm up materials can do so more easily? No, that's ok.

01/28/2011 12:02 PMPosted by Arcamedes

It doesn't even take into account that some opt to switch crafts, which are now even more time consuming than ever because of the convenience having been taken away, and how I'm not likely to help someone lower in level when getting there is arduous.

I don't understand your meaning. So you're 85 and decide to drop something and pick up herbing. You herb up to skill level with the Azeroth 1-60 areas, head into outland and herb there, fly out and head up to Northrend, herb there, then hit Stormwind/Org for portals to Cataclysm areas.

Are you saying the single flight to the dark portal, and then the single flight back out to a boat ride to Northrend is arduous?

01/28/2011 12:02 PMPosted by Arcamedes

What's more, nothing prevents anyone who wants to from taking the "scenic" route if they wish to do so; but when this impedes many others ---for no justifiable reason when considered in its proper context--- it does nothing to reinforce what used to be reasonable and fun.

I may not be a smart man but... wuh?

01/28/2011 12:02 PMPosted by Arcamedes

Now we have lag-choked cities and nearly empty ones, an unequal compromise and sad situation, to say the least.

*Now* we do? That has always been the case sir.

01/28/2011 1:24 PMPosted by Arcamedes

There were only two reasons for leaving Dalaran in WotLK: to visit the auction house or a trainer.

Sorry. That statement is patently false, and an absolutist view that discounts other legitimate reasons, which are many. By a single example, farming, it destroys that argument, and that is besides the point that the decision to remove portals hasn't improved a thing worth mentioning.

I also spent many hours exploring, and distinctly remember running into other players throughout Azeroth then, which are now almost completely dead since the change took place. That's not an accident, and probably one of the many contributing factors that have chased some away.

Lastly, should Blizzard pride itself on making sour what many thought was sweet? If that's how they rationalize changes, then they're in deeper than I thought....

I like reading the things you write. You've got brass ones, I will give you that. Most people that want portals don't actually come out and mention that they want them back for farming. So far your justifications for what made them great beyond instant travel to make you lots of money have been loosely based on personal experience or assumptions. I don't much find a stable beam within them on which to stand.

I will give you credit for keeping the hope alive brother! Keep it alive. Keep fighting the good fight.

Portals existed to give people access back to capital cities to reach auction houses and class trainers. Auction houses and class trainers were kept in the old world capitals because we knew that if we didn't require people to go back the old world would be a ghost town.

Those portals had a few fun side effects like letting people warp all around the world toot-sweet at the shake of a nose to do anything they felt like. This was not the intent of the portals and regardless if people enjoyed being able to zip around, it is not the intent of our travel as it exists now to allow them to do so.

Now that the old world capitals are the major hubs in the current expansion, the expansion zones are in Azeroth which keeps more people around, and we've decided to add trainers and auction houses to Shattrath and Dalaran to aid in the leveling experience, the portals no longer serve their original purpose and were removed.

01/28/2011 1:46 PMPosted by Xukuth

"we don't want it to be easier to farm" is just as stupid a reason to take portals OUT as "I want portals to farm" is as a reason to put portals IN

if you're doing it deliberately to make the game more of a pain in the ass say so, so we can make our own decisions about what (if anything) to do about it. don't be cutesy about it, and don't pretend that wanting to farm is a bad reason to want portals.

Yes, yes, well well the intent of this thread was to help the OP find the class trainers and auction houses he so desired, and it's been taken and twisted for this again.

We have no plans to implement the old portals back in the game, but thank you for you reasons as to why they should. They've been noted.