A new item in World of Warcraft fosters unity. Everyone can contribute something and all work together on the buff food.
Many things in World of Warcraft have changed over more than 17 years. Yet one constant has always been there: buff food. They strengthen the character, grant small bonuses, and are a must for many players. But as old as the strengthening food are the excuses for why one unfortunately doesn’t have any today. But with Patch 9.2 End of Eternity, this excuse is no more, because everyone can contribute something to cook a delicious ‘stone soup.’
What is the stone soup? The stone soup is a new food in World of Warcraft and available from Patch 9.2. It belongs to the variations of ‘feasts’ – these are foods that can be consumed by entire raids, so not everyone has to bring their own buff food.
Unlike previous feasts, the ‘stone soup’ is a dish that all players can contribute to.
How does it work? The basic preparation of the unfinished stone soup is simple. Only three components are needed, which are relatively inexpensive:
- 1x Empty Cauldron – costs 250 Gold at the crafting supplies
- 1x Darkened Stone – Can be mined by miners
- 5x Refreshing Spring Water – Available in many inns
The unfinished stone soup can then be placed like a feast in the world, but does not yet serve as food.
For the meal to be successful, all players nearby can interact with the unfinished stone soup and open a new menu.
Meanwhile, a progress bar indicates how many materials are still missing for the soup to be finished. Each donation contributes 10%, so 10 players must contribute to the stone soup – or fewer players more frequently.
Contributions can include:
- 5x Proto-meat (New meat in Patch 9.2)
- 1x Precursor Placoderm (New fish in Patch 9.2)
- Meat mixture (1x Ethereal Meat, 1x Creepy Crawler Meat, 1x Phantasmic Club, 1x Raw Seraph Wing, 1x Shadowy Thigh, 1x Shadowy Ribs)
- Fish mixture (1x Lost Soul Tongue, 1x Iridescent Mackerel, 1x Silvergill Pike, 1x Pockmarked Fish, 1x Thorny Piranha, 1x Elysian Thade)
If the bar reaches 100%, then the stone soup is ready and up to 35 fellow players in the raid can help themselves to it, becoming satiated for an hour and receiving a +20 bonus to their primary attribute.
The materials can also be deposited in the cauldron even if they are currently not in the inventory, but perhaps in the bank.
Simply ‘snorkeling’ should thus be in the past for many. And also, it’s a nice feeling to work together as a community on a strengthening buff that benefits all players.
Where does the idea come from? The story of the stone soup goes back to an old European tale. Strangers come to a village only with a large cauldron. The locals do not want to help the strangers or give them food. The strangers then begin to heat water in a cauldron and drop a stone into it. Gradually, villagers come and ask what the strangers are doing here. The answer is always that they are preparing a delicious soup, but only one ingredient is missing. So the villagers one by one contribute a little of their supplies into the water with the stone until ultimately a tasty soup is made and the stone is removed.
In the end, everyone enjoys the soup together. The moral is clear: If everyone is willing to contribute a little, something wonderful can arise.
What do you think of this idea of a communal buff food? A cool idea? Or far too complicated, because in the end one person pays for everything?
