Twink

A twink is a player character that exploits the PVP system by making itself disproportionately powerful for its level, possessing potent items and high-end enchants that are far beyond the means of other players at that level in order to easily kill newer players as a compensation for a lack of real PVP skill. Twink items are acquired through rare drops, drops off of bosses in instances, as rewards from very difficult to complete quests, as gifts, or from the Auction House. Twink items on the Auction House are usually very expensive. The enchantments twinks typically have on their equipment can be performed only by higher level characters at the top of the enchanting profession and are usually very expensive. Therefore, twinking usually requires significant assistance from high-level alts, friends, and / or guild members. However, there are examples of self-made twinks that generate the necessary gold from Auction House trading or other in-game methods. Twinks are mainly used in PVP fighting or in Battlegrounds.

Twinking is common in MMORPGs, including World of Warcraft, though many mechanisms are in place that limit a player's ability to equip a character with gear beyond its level. Twinks are very controversial in World of Warcraft. Few, if any, topics, have generated as much cyber-ink as twinking. Many players compare twinks to higher level players that have acquired epic or legendary gear. Others argue that twinking is a waste of gold and detracts from the fairness and fun of PvP combat. Blizzard remains neutral on the subject and has confirmed that they neither condone nor disregard twinking.

Examples

Examples of twinking include

• Having a high level character provide uncommon, rare, or epic Bind on Equip items to a low level character, or the gold to purchase those items,
• Having a high-level character farm an instance or accomplish high level quest chains with a lower-level character for the sole purpose of getting some items,
• Enchanting or applying arcana to a low-level character's equipment with bonuses that require large amounts of gold or high-level materials.
• Sending massive bulks of ingredients to a low level character so it can power level its professions, in particular Engineering, which allows the creation and use of equipment without level requirements.
• Also leveling their fishing skill up to 150 and using shiny baubles to raise it to 225 and fish in Stranglethorn Vale in the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza for a Hat and Boots.

Twinking is most often done in order for a level 19 or 29 character to compete in the 10-19 and 20-29 battleground brackets. Two popular classes for twinks in World of Warcraft are rogues and hunters. This is because rogues gain the most from twinking, and hunters do well in battlegrounds, especially at low levels since many melee classes have no way to stop a hunter who can kite. Their damage is largely affected by the gear they have, so they can go above and beyond what other classes could twink to. Also, because many of the best items in the 10-19 bracket are leather and have agility and stamina on them, rogues and hunters gain the most from these stats.

Game design

World of Warcraft has several mechanisms in place to reduce twinking, including:

• Minimum level requirements to use or equip items.
• Minimum level requirements to do quests and thus receive quest reward items.
• Minimum level requirements for potions, buffs and healing spells.
• Minimum level requirements to advance in professions.
• Minimum level requirements on enchantments in the Burning Crusade expansion (new enchants have an item level requirement of 35).
• Binding of items on pickup or use to prevent "hand-me-downs."

Noticeably absent from this list is a minimum level requirement for pre-Burning Crusade enchantments and Arcana.

On the flip side, patch 2.3 was arguably the best pro-twink patch in WoW history, encouraging players to solo level (by reducing the experience needed to do so) and increasing experience awarded, while at the same time upgrading most or all dungeon loot and even adding in an epic ring requiring level 29, the high end of one of the popular twink brackets.

Starting with patch 2.2, Blizzard is adding gear as a factor in matching BG groups/players, so twinked players will be more likely to face twinks and characters passing through a given level will be more likely to face others like themselves. Also, max level raid geared players will tend to get opponents in epics and casual players in green/blue gear will face gear similar to their own.

Twinking resources

Class-based

• Druid twinking guide
• Hunter twinking guide
• Mage twinking guide
• Paladin twinking guide,
• Rogue twinking guide
• Shaman twinking guide
• Warlock twinking guide
  • Twinking a warlock
• Warrior twinking guide

General or topic-based

• Healer twinking guide
  • Guide to twinking a healer
• Teebu's Twinking guide
• Twinking for battlegrounds
  • Peregrine's Guide to Battleground Twinking

See also

• Power Leveling
• Cheating
• Exploitation
• WoW Special Olympics

External links

http://www.gameolosophy.com Xeniba's Ultimate 29 Rogue Guide

UTwink.com All Class twinking guide

Warcraft-Twinks.Com World of Warcraft Twink Resource

Battlegroundforums.com Twink and other PvP discussion

DeadlyTwinks.com TONS of WoW 19 Twink info for all classes

shadowpanther.net Commonly used twink armor

shadowpanther.net Commonly used twink weapons

Wikipedia Twinking in MMOGs