Transmogrification is a feature that will be added in Patch 4.3. This feature allows players the chance to change their appearance by having two sets of armor: Their main set used for stats and their transmogrification set used for looks. Players are able to transmogrify any piece of armor or weapon they own, with only a few restrictions.
Recently it’s been confirmed that PVP armor can be transmogrified, as well.
Your Armor Tells Your Opponents A Lot About You
PVP players – especially those in arenas – must process a large amount of information very quickly to get the jump on their opponents. Though several mods exist that tell you what classes you’re facing, there’s some information you can only gain visually. And for players on the tournament servers, this is really the only way to know who you’re up against before they start using abilities.
Just by looking at a player’s armor you can tell their class, how advanced they are, any additional abilities they might have from set bonuses, and sometimes even their spec. Knowing these things ahead of time allows you to prepare a strategy and identify the weakest opponents right off the bat. This is a particularly crucial skill to master in 5v5.
Transmogrification Gives You A Free Cloaking Pass
If used smartly, transmogrification can give PVPers a few extra seconds to surprise their opponents. Because this can often be the difference between winning and losing in more frantic brackets like 2v2, it’s a huge advantage. This is especially true for players that rely on big opening attacks or crowd control but may not have the convenience of stealth.
It’s deception: Faking out your opponent so you can buy some extra time for your team. This is particularly beneficial to healers who get targeted or crowd controlled before even casting a spell. You can transmogrify your armor to look like that of a DPS or even in some cases another class entirely.
Obviously this won’t work for very long. No one’s going to believe you’re a mage once you start tossing out heals, even if you’re wearing Mage T2 armor. And if your opponents are using mods like Gladius then the only thing you can hide is possibly your spec or your level of advancement in the bracket.
Transmogging Is Best Used For Very Specific Illusions
Most people see Transmogrification as a way to set themselves apart from everyone else, but this can be very dangerous in PVP. You make yourself an easy target in battlegrounds and large-scale arenas if you have a unique look. If you really want to get the most out of Transmogrification, here are some suggestions:
- Gladiator–>Newbie: This is used specifically to mask your skill. It won’t work at higher brackets, but when the PVP season resets you can transmog to the previous tier’s Honor set. Your opponents will think you’re just starting out and may not prioritize you as a threat.
- Healer–>DPS: This works best for priests and druids, but shamans and paladins can make use of it as well. Because most PVP gear looks remarkably similar regardless of spec, pick a tier of PVE DPS gear. You can easily pick up a cheap set by converting excess Honor to Justice Points.
- PVP–>PVE: This should only be considered valid in battlegrounds or low bracket arena games. Most players just starting out in PVP will have to farm Honor in a PVE set to get started, but this paints a huge target on them as being an easy kill for the skilled and geared PVPer. You can easily force players to make poor kill priority decisions this way.
October 6, 2011
PVP