If you’re like me, and have decided to make the faction jump with one of your characters, you were probably itching to go as soon as the news broke on Wednesday that Faction Changes were now available. But before you hit the “Faction Change link on your account management page, there are a few to do’s to make the experience a better one:
- Read the FAQs. Even if you’re not a reading the instructions kind of a person. They link out to conversion tables for gear, achievements, and mounts. This way you’ll be mentally prepared for all the changes ahead and not wndering why you have a bunch of chocobo mounts
- Since you read the FAQs, you’ll know you can only bring over 20,000 gold on your level 70-80s. So if you have more than that, you’ll have to convert it into items you can use or sell once your change is complete.
- To make the most of #2, CLEAN OUT YOUR BAGS! Delete every easily-replaceable food/drink, thread or other cheap crafting materials, etc. Are you really ever going to use those old clown pants? Are you? Be ruthless in your assessment.
- If you plan on a server change after your faction change, determine if your name is avialable. If not, put some thought into alternative names you’d like, and see if they are available. The easiest way to do this is to /friend mycoolname while logged on to that server. What you want to see returned is player not found.
- OK your bags and bank have been purged, your name researched, and you’re ready to go. There’s one last thing you should do: document the moment. Take a screenshot of your character in one of your favorite faction-specific places to remember them by.
I’m moving my shaman over this weekend and am really excited. I’ll be saying goodbye to an old friend in doing so, but will actually get to avoid the leveling slog to get to play her. At this point, it’s highly unlikely I’ll make a return to the Alliance, and certainly not on my server home of the past 3.75 years.I’m excited at the new possibilities.
Cheers!