Interview with Sauron

Behind the Sewing Workshop

For those who do not know, Sauron is the Treasurer of Bonta. He is an avid crafter, with three Profession skills above level 60 and another two above 50 at the time of interview - he may have stormed through another few levels since.

I met with Sauron at the Sewing Workshop beside Nina Richa on 5th Bond Avenue on the afternoon of the 28th of March. I was told that it was his favorite workshop. We sat at one of the tables at the back, where there was a beautiful view of the azure waters surrounding the trade bridge.

We talked a bit about his guild Mystic, where he was an officer. He mentioned that life within the guild was lively with many active members. There were always hunts and events runs going on.

Sauron had played Wakfu since the beta, since the beginning of beta late in 2007. He had played Dofus before that. When Wakfu came around, he jumped at the chance to be a part of something new. He had witnessed Wakfu's development over the years, with more islands and nations added.

Our conversation then turned to crafting. Sauron excitedly mentioned that it was his favorite feature of the game. "Professions have always been my forte," he said. He had been crafting in Dofus and in the beta of Wakfu.

When asked how he had achieved such high levels in the crafting profession, he said, "What got me so high is careful planning." It involved planning the right amount of material to gather for the best efficiency, time and money-wise. Whatever he had planned must have worked for him to raise his Profession levels so high with the server active for less than a month.

He mentioned that he gathers around 90% of the materials himself, with the rest from trading with other players. Harvesting for hours may be tedious, but what got Sauron through was music and the goal at the end. He would play music in the background as he worked.

We talked a little about farming, where some ingredients just required harvesting, while for others, it was a three-step process of harvesting seeds, cutting the plant, and replanting. The trouble was when players leave out the first and last steps of the three-step process. He shared ruefully that there were players who just reap what they needed and left.

I asked about the best part of crafting for him. Was it the items produced, the XP gained, the sales made or the actual crafting?

"I guess everything has a charm to it," Sauron replied. There was the pleasure of selling a high-level shovel or reaching a new level of crafting. There was also the smell of iron of the first Conquered Raziel, a legendary sword with a history extending back to Dofus, that was made for a friend.

Having achieved the milestone of crafting the Conquered Raziel, Sauron's next aim is to craft the Crobak Bow implemented in the latest patch. One day, he hopes to max all professions.

We then discussed about politics. As the Treasurer of Bonta, Sauron managed the treasury. It involved allocating funds so that they would be available to be spent on challenges, the ecosystem and the weather.

Unfortunately, the government had experienced a bug while messing with the climate (the warm weather at the time of the interview was natural and not a result of climate control). Because of that, they had decided not to spend more Kama on weather until they were sure that the bug was gone.

In addition, the treasury was not deep enough to justify buying challenges with vanity rewards (those that gave pretty statues to put in Haven Bags). Thus, there was little work in managing the treasury until the economy picked up. Hopefully, no expenditure would be necessary to repopulate areas depleted of wildlife and plants.

I asked about his thoughts on Bonta's development.

"Bonta has grown to be the most populated nation with the most funds and the strongest economy with an organized government, and a rich ecosystem," Sauron said. He was optimistic that there are many Bontarians who did their part to build the nation. He opined that many players had joined Bonta because of the many advertisements on the forum for Bonta-based guilds.

Our discussion turned back to crafting since it was our mutual interest. We talked about the long time it took to craft large batches of products. Sauron usually did something while waiting for the products to be done. It could be chores around the house, checking the news, watching a series or going to the store.

The recent patch had changed a lot of recipes, to which Sauron exclaimed, "Ouch, that hurt!" The new recipes had messed his plans. It made stockpiles of certain materials unnecessary. On the bright side, some of the new recipes were easier to gather material for. That would make it easier to train crafting professions.

I ask about Sauron's goal in Wakfu.

"My goal is the same as ever, just have fun!" he said. He found enjoyment in crafting, from playing with guildmates and from just enjoying life in Wakfu.

For budding crafters out there, Sauron's advice was to be patient. "If you invest time and effort, just like everything in life, it will pay back."

"And keep an eye on the bargains on the market," he added with a smile. He pointed out that there were rare occasions when there were good bargains.

Lastly, to all players, Sauron urged, "Just have fun. After all, this is just a game. Remember there are bigger things to worry about. And treat others how you would like them to treat you. Be fair and enjoy."