Although the new patch of World of Warcraft does a lot of good, Blizzard cannot get a problem under control: the annoying Valor Stones.
Those who want to have good gear in World of Warcraft not only need to acquire the corresponding items but also upgrade them. For this, you usually need two different items – namely Emblems and Valor Stones. The Valor Stones especially keep dividing the community. While one group has virtually unlimited amounts, others never have enough. A problem that Blizzard acknowledges but cannot provide a good solution for, even in Patch 11.1 Lorenhalt.
What is the problem with Valor Stones? Valor Stones (Valor Stones
) are basically needed permanently. You earn them for almost all endgame content in the game – whether Dungeons, Raids, World Quests, or events in the open world. Many are permanently at the “cap” of 2,000 Valor Stones and have no issue with that.
It is different for Twinks. Especially second characters usually have a lack of Valor Stones, as they engage in fewer activities than on the “main”. However, when they want to venture out to actively farm the stones, there are so few that the joy quickly fades.
Why are Valor Stones important? One suggestion from the community is to simply eliminate the Valor Stones, as they are just “annoying and unnecessary”. In fact, however, Valor Stones also have a regulatory factor. They influence how expensive it is to upgrade different armor pieces.
While you need only a small amount of Valor Stones to upgrade bracers, you need significantly more for chest armor or a weapon. Only the Emblem costs are the same per upgrade.
This makes upgrading a chest armor “more expensive”, which is fair because it offers more stats and improvements than, say, bracers.
An additional suggestion from the community is to simply bind Valor Stones to the Warfront so they can be sent back and forth between characters. This would drastically reduce the problem for many.
Valor Stones are important, but Emblems were more important
What does Blizzard say about it? In an interview with “But why tho?”, Morgan Day from Blizzard was addressed regarding the issue. He acknowledges that there is a problem here but cannot yet offer a real solution:
We know that Valor Stones are a hot topic in the community. But a large part of our focus, especially in the Mythic+ area, has been on Emblems, because we know that they are often the limiting factor.
You can acquire Emblems much more easily and in greater quantities in Patch 11.1. Even Depth fans can snatch the best Emblems, while everyone else is rewarded a bit more from dungeons.
Valor Stones are currently a bit odd, we acknowledge that because they are so important at the beginning of a season. Especially before you have all the Emblems you need, Valor Stones are important for the [first] upgrades. Then you reach a saturation point where you no longer need them, and Emblems are the limiting factor. At the start, you care a lot about [the Valor Stones], then that interest fades.
We really understand that [the Valor Stones] are currently not in the healthiest position. We believe there is still a lot we can adjust in Season 2.
At least there is a small change for everyone who enjoys participating in raids:
I want to mention that there are some increases for raids, you’ll get a few more [Valor Stones]. […]
We hear the community’s feedback and understand the problem here.
Even though the problem is known, Blizzard evidently has no appropriate solution for the start of Season 2 and will probably only provide this in the coming weeks. A somewhat curious response when one considers that Valor Stones are important in the first weeks of the season – and then not so much anymore. Again and again, Blizzard does not have a one-size-fits-all solution – as also with heirlooms, which have sharply declined in the fans’ views.
