Insane in the Membrane x4: Too Easy Now?
by Raimondas the Insane on Jan.05, 2012, under Reputation
Updated during Patch 4.3.0
Today Valaak has completed my fourth Insane in the Membrane title. Has it become too easy to get this title?
This “grind” was over four months of real time, though nearly half of that was waiting for the next Darkmoon Faire to get the easy reputation that it has begun offering since Patch 4.3. Having done this grind so many times now, it does seem easy overall to me. I can probably bang out a few more without really breaking a sweat. There’s also no denying that it has become easier since the release of Cataclysm.
The question is, though, is it too easy?
Occasionally I see complaints on the WoW forums from people who got the title long ago and now want it made unobtainable because it’s easier now than it was then. I even saw the same thing this week from someone who was still working toward Insane!
Before we answer that, let’s review what Insane takes now compared to what used to be required.
Honored with Bloodsail Buccaneers: Discounting one annoying bug, this actually got easier. Intentionally. For most people, anyway. Blizzard provided a clear path for players to grind Bloodsail rep in the Brashtide invasion event by ensuring that none of the quests involved in that phase decrease Bloodsail reputation. And with Cataclysm virtually the entire zone’s quests were reset, making the phase accessible to veteran players as well as new characters. If you were unlucky enough to have completed this event, you can still grind low level mobs elsewhere for Bloodsail reputation.
Exalted with the Steamwheedle Cartel: It’s almost not worth mentioning this. Just turn in some cloth and go kill a few pirates in Tanaris and boom, you’re exalted. No more months-long camping trips to Dire Maul. No more repeating an annoying quest that only granted 25 reputation.
Exalted with Ravenholdt: The mechanics of this are virtually unchanged. But with the addition of an extremely good junkbox farming spot, this doesn’t suck nearly as much as it once seemed to.
Exalted with Darkmoon Faire: Forget making expensive decks to turn in for trinkets you’ll have to hope you can sell to make your money back. You can Whack-a-Gnoll your way to exalted in 3-4 months. Long-term this is going to put upward pressure on the price of Darkmoon Faire trinkets, as Insane grinders were a significant source of these trinkets. But not many of them will miss that part of the grind.
Exalted with Shen’dralar: This was the hard one. Removed from Cataclysm for strictly lore-related reasons, and not simply to nerf the grind, this involved lengthy trips to the Plaguelands, Dire Maul and the Auction House searching for elusive BoP materials and expensive diamonds which would grant a paltry amount of reputation when turned in. The only bright side to this portion of the grind was the small chance to get the Baron’s mount. Which most of us never did.
So is it too easy now? After four of them, it’s certainly easy for me. I think I can get it to seven before Mists of Pandaria is released. Stay tuned.
For those of you who haven’t finished your first one yet, you’ve probably discovered the terrible truth about this Feat and title: It requires you to actually be nuts. Just describing the grinds, or even following my guides for them, doesn’t give you the complete picture.
Even after all the nerfs, completing even one Insane grind requires an amazing amount of persistence and dedication to task. It may be easier, but it is by no means easy. After you’ve whacked thousands of Hoggers, taken hundreds of cannon trips, and killed pirates beyond counting, you still have to pickpocket tens of thousands of orcs. It doesn’t sound bad, but it can wear you down over time, grinding your soul into a fine powder that the breeze picks up and blows away. Then you will be one of the many who tried and failed, even post-nerfs.
It’s not a title for everyone. Few will ever attempt it, and not all of those will succeed. It’s not yet “too easy” – and it won’t be unless players can get it without the lengthy mental grind.
So, congratulations to me for being far crazier than you could ever hope (or fear) to be. Here’s to number 4, and many more to come.
January 17th, 2012 on 5:23 am
Patch 4.3.0
Insane is still stupid hard to get. Granted you dont have to mill more herbs than you ever thought possible and deal with horrible rng as far as cards go, but its not like those of us who did that part aren’t sitting on a pile of gold roughly the size of blackrock mountain. Mostly though the difficulty ranges based upon your server. Mine is dead therefore I almost feel like I should have gotten the title “Totally Fu%$ing Insane”. From soloing Booty Bay guards that crit for 50k+ and require eating after every single kill to endless low lvl instance grinds for cloth that was just never on ah, this achievement was like leveling fishing a thousand times, while standing in the opposing factions city, as a lvl 1, with a name like Hordesuckdonkeypud and emoting /spit /lol at everything in sight…..only worse. The only near complaint I’d have about this achievment being too easy is the change to Darkmoone rep. Grinding out all the other reps is exactley that, a mindnumbing, soul killing GRIND that results in nothing other than rep. Making the DM daily quests games instead of actual quests, and offering new mounts as rewards for doing them as well is a bit too much.
February 5th, 2012 on 5:09 am
Patch 4.3.2
Hey quick question i have bloodsail to honored now working on my goblin rep. C an I turn in cloth and dye to get rep and not lose my Bloodsail rep? Or does it matter if i lose it? Ty.
February 5th, 2012 on 5:10 am
Patch 4.3.2
You will lose your Bloodsail rep if you turn in cloth. But you don’t need to keep it to attain Insane. This is clearly stated in the guides. At least I thought it was clear…
February 5th, 2012 on 5:13 am
Patch 4.3.2
K thx didn’t see that part.
March 4th, 2012 on 2:39 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Patch 4.3.3
I have just reached friendly with Bloodsail and hated with BB but now I’m seeing lvl 85 bruisers mixed in during the phased invasion, so farming BB for rep is impossible now. Also I have accepted the Avast Ye Scallywag quest but am unable to turn it in as when I got to the Crimson Veil all npc’s disappear. When I’m in the ship the quest turn in marker remains but the npc is gone.
Other than that I’m enjoying this grind immensely, now I just need to lvl a rogue lol
March 4th, 2012 on 2:41 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Pudding,
While doing the Brashtide Invasion event, the Crimson Veil is the ship next to the island with the giant goblin statue.
I’m also aware of the level 85 Bruisers. If this starts happening, leave the phased area and come back later.
March 4th, 2012 on 2:58 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Thanks I didn’t see that! Incidentally, the location of the Crimson Veil to the south also has the quest turn in point on it.
March 21st, 2012 on 3:45 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Hello, I started this way back in wrath, just before the LK hit, but got stuck with the Shen’dalar rep grind and eventually tapered out.
However I think I started to try and undo some of my bloodsail rep and fix the goblins, but I honestly can’t remember if it was pre-cata or post-cata.
Is there any means to check its status or am I going to have to slaughter my way through booty bay again?
Thank you.
March 21st, 2012 on 4:18 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Kael, check the FAQ for a way to track your achievement progress.
April 15th, 2012 on 8:13 pm
Patch 4.3.3
Unfortunately, this is definitely way easier now than it should have been, and no longer requires you to be nuts. I just finished my 8th Insane, and I must say that it’s an absolute joke compared to what it used to be. My first Insane that I finished at the beginning of 2010, that took dedication and time. These days it’s literally handed out for nothing.
Blizzard is basically implying that we’re all insane just for having an active subscription for 5-6 months.
April 27th, 2012 on 6:50 pm
Patch 4.3.4
The quest Super Sticky in Un’Goro Crater has been removed, unfortunately. Whats the lowest level toon that has achieved the title so far? Back to grinding pirates
May 8th, 2012 on 12:20 pm
Patch 4.3.4
I was able to do everything but the darkmoon faire in 9 days, im not sure that you ever went over this, but the game’s coding requires that a certain amount of mobs be alive at all times, especially in questing areas. where this is relevant is with the pirates in tanaris.
I took 3 people down there, and just grinded the southern part (the part with no goblins), by seperating the area into thirds from north to south, and killing them as fast as possible.
Doing this, we were able to force the minimum population mechanic, with infinite respawns.
I grinded 2 toons to exalted with the goblins from friendly, in about 4 hours of total killing.
I suggest doing this, and the bloodsail portion both in a group, so you can take advantage of this mechanic.