Patch 4.2: We Bid Thy Keyring Adieu

World of Warcraft has evolved quite a bit since the day the Keyring bag slot was added in patch 1.11. When implemented, the Keyring provided players with a convenient way of storing dungeon, quest, and other keys automatically. Back when the largest bag was a mind bottling 18 slots -- rumored to be bottomless -- the Keyring helped save precious bag space. But as things tend to do, time went on, bags got bigger, and designs for (literally and figuratively) gating content evolved through the years. In today’s Azeroth, keys don’t really serve much of a purpose except to take up physical storage space from the game (which could be used for other awesome stuff), and visual interface space from you. Because of this, we’ve decided to get rid of the Keyring in order to free up that space for new features. This change could also potentially allow us to play around with the amount of default storage space you’re allotted down the road. So, what does this mean for you and the keys you might not have looked at in the last couple expansions or so?

We’re currently working on the implementation of a system in patch 4.2 which will handle the removal of the Keyring, while causing you as little hassle with keys as possible. Some keys which no longer serve a purpose in the game will automatically be removed from your inventory. In return, you’ll be compensated for them with their respective vendor sell prices in gold. You might also have random leftover quest keys from outdated quests, or quests which were removed in Cataclysm. Keys that fall into this category have no use and no sell price, as they are labeled as quest items, and will be automatically removed from your inventory. Any remaining keys that might still potentially serve some use in the game will be transferred into your regular inventory. If there is not enough space in your inventory to hold any leftover keys once patch 4.2 hits live realms, the keys will be placed in a backlogged storage system. Once space is made for a backlogged key, the key will take that space after you log out or switch to a new zone (i.e. changing continents, entering a dungeon or Battleground, etc.).

We are continuing to work on new ways of allowing you to better manage the storage of various items in the game, and it is our goal to make sure the removal of the Keyring causes as little inconvenience to you as possible.

05/23/2011 10:08 AMPosted by Trilha

We still have a number of keys that serve a purpose. Heroic BC, for example. Karazhan. We still want to be able to access that content, so will key requirements be removed from those?

Key requirements are removed from the examples you gave, and should be for all other similar examples. Our intent is not to remove the Keyring and then throw a bunch of keys into your normal bags, so we're going through and making changes to more or less finalize the move away from using keys that began midway through Burning Crusade.

However, you've offered no insight. just at the moment, an empty statement. What needs to change to start to create a more positive lookout from your community is Something like this:

"We are announcing a change to our beloved keyring bag in the coming patch. While the keyring has served it purpose in the past, we now have heard from you that there are other items that are of more importance to seperate storage then keys. So we have changed the keyring to include to the storage of Tabards as well. The "bag" will no longer simply function as a regular bag, but have more of a similar interface to the Archeology tab you see in-game currently."

^ See... this provides a positive approach to a removal of an item from the game. It shows your listening to the customer base by fulfilling a much needed request, and it shows your actually developing in-game improvements to increase customer experience... not just finding ways to nickel and dime us.

We definitely like the idea of tabard management. We continue to like what they bring to the game, but they're obviously a big inventory management issue. If we had such an announcement to make, though, we would have. We're not going to hold off on removing an antiquated system just because we don't have a new inventory management system.

Also, don't you feel that's rather insulting to your intelligence? That we shouldn't make changes to the game unless we have something new and shiny to draw your attention with? I'd like to think that these changes can be seen with a bit more foresight than the impact of only this immediate minute.

05/23/2011 10:49 AMPosted by Elivana

Back when the largest bag was a mind bottling 18 slots --

That would be boggling, "mind boggling 18 slots."

No, you know, like when your mind is in a bottle.

So, just as a reference here are the keys we're currently seeing as ones that will not be converted to gold or removed upon release of the patch -- if you have them they'd be put back into your normal inventory. This isn't necessarily a final list, and it's possible we could cut the list down even further before 4.2 releases.

Grim Guzzler Key (BRD)
Secret Safe Key (BRD)
Dark Keeper Key (BRD)
Relic Coffer Key (BRD)
Jump-A-Tron 4000 Key (Nagrand)
Kolkar Booty Key (Barrens quest)
Ethereum Prison Key (Netherstorm – Blade’s Edge)
Captain’s Key (Tanaris)
Any Blacksmith keys (e.g. Titanium Skeleton Key)

05/23/2011 04:09 PMPosted by Driani

Actually, they amount to a 0 or a 1 in a single record in a massive database, nothing more really.

It's sort of splitting hairs because I understand what you're getting at, but a line in a database this complex is a bit more than an on or off switch.

Anyway to go into it a bit more, by removing the Keyring we can clear up some literal UI space for a Dungeon Journal button, and Raid button, and we also get some storage room back to use for upcoming features. Everyone is quite right without an announcement of what that is you just can't know, and this single change on its own seems rather lackluster (if not a step backward), but I can assure you we're well aware of what people hope to see added to the game.

It's also maybe worth noting that the Keyring accounts for 32 inventory slots on every character, whether they get used or not.