SmokeJumper Clarifies Research Assistant Changes

Earlier this week, we commented on a change to Research Assistants which would have an effect on Scholars (Sage, Jeweler, and Alchemist). Namely, it allowed players to Research a spell all the way from Adept to Master without needing the assistance of a crafter to make the Expert first. Some players have downplayed the ramifications of this change, pointing out that most players will not want to wait for the Adept -> Expert upgrade, as with a 28~30 day Master, it adds another 13~15 days wait.

After the jump, SmokeJumper has posted his own thoughts on this change and what it means for crafters going forward.

First:

Okay, I’m coming to this discussion late, but let me explain a few things:

1) I have a level 90 alchemist. I leveled it up the hard way and I’ve been actively making spells, buying rares on the marketplace, etc. I’m familiar with what you’re talking about (although certainly not as experienced as many of you on these forums).

2) I can’t sell Journeyman spells to save my life (okay, dribbles of them occasionally, but usually not), so I’ll exclude this from my explanation.

3) That pretty much leaves Expert spells for discussion.

That being said:

• Researching from Adept to Expert takes time. Unless you’re talking about the level 80+ spells, very few players will be in the pertinent level ranges to sit and camp and RA their spells up to Expert level.
• Those that *are* in that level long enough (rare) will even more rarely be willing to wait that long without breaking down and purchasing upgrades from crafters instead of waiting for the research to complete.

This change will not impact crafters very much, if at all. It will, however, make the ability to research spells in the first place much more obvious (players see the widget on their spellbook now instead of having to find a welll-hidden NPC somewhere). It also adds a bit more micromanagement fun (for the players that like that sort of thing) as players tinker with their research on the way up to the level 60+ spells…which is where most players start looking for broker upgrades anyway.

and:

Who will buy Experts? Answer: People unwilling to wait the many weeks to upgrade each of their 30-40 spells from Adept to Expert via the Research widget. (This is the vast majority of players who are almost always wanting their power upgrades NOW!)

In other words, you will see basically no reduction in sales from this. I think we can all agree that we’re not selling Journeyman spells anyway. (Yes, I have a level 90 alchemist.) And the market for Experts is not going to be greatly impacted, because the majority of such sales are from players that want an entire set of spells. Those people are not going to want to wait to piecemeal it up one spell at a time. You’ll still get your regular sales.