Breakfast Topic: Shifting professions
by Jennie Lees 
May 4th 2006 at 7:54AM
Professions are an interesting sideline in WoW, and allow us to make money as well as some interesting items.
However, there comes a point when the professions we've chosen become expensive and slow to level, and we face a
decision: continue or change?Changing profession isn't something to be done lightly -- you lose all acquired skill in your existing professions, as well as any recipes you've learnt. On the other hand, switching can have its benefits -- if you're not needed as a guild enchanter after all, you can save money by picking up gathering professions and loading the AH up daily. If you're bored of running around levelling a gathering profession, you can switch to a crafting profession, though you'll probably need some spare cash to make the change.
Have you ever changed professions? Did you regret it or have you not looked back since?
Filed under: Herbalism, First Aid, Enchanting, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Engineering, Cooking, Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Skinning, Mining, Fishing, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike May 4th 2006 8:34AM
My first character was a Dwarven Priest which I started out as a blacksmith/miner. Realizing around lvl 20 or so that I couldn't actually use anything that I was crafting (with the exception of maces) I switched to a tailor/enchanter. A few levels later I abandoned that character :)
Karine May 4th 2006 8:56AM
The professions are one of my favorite things in WoW. I find I create several characters, and level them up, just so I can enjoy several professions at once. But it's true that gathering seems to be more profitable than crafting... but crafting's way more fun :)
Ceej May 4th 2006 9:04AM
I also have a Dwarven Priest, who is 300 herby/alchy, but I decided I really wanted to try and make myself the Truefaith vestments.
So I dumped the herbalism (I could probably get it back to 300 in an afternoon or two) and took up tailoring. At level 60, I can farm the mats with ease after all. Once I make myself the TFV... who knows? Maybe afterward I will go back to Herbalism - good cashflow selling herbs, yknow.
Bloodfeast Island Man May 4th 2006 10:21AM
Well, I started Tailoring/Enchanting without too much forethought, and golly, was I surprised when I hit 35 and found that I had to go into bleedin' Uldaman to get Artisan... I seriously considered dumping them to take up Herbalism/Alchemy, at the behest of a friend who told me that "that's where the money's at". Prior experience coroborated this, but I just couldn't see giving up tailoring, especially. Ultimately, I decided against dropping things.. far too much money invested in levelling up to that point. It was, however, very tempting.
Nuno May 4th 2006 10:23AM
My hunter was a LW/Skinner until he hit 49. I was too focused on level grinding that I ignored my crafting, and could only items inappropriate to my level. I decided to switch to Engineering, figuring I'd use bullets and scopes more than armor I'd be replacing with raid gear.
Engineering turned out to be a real fun craft, with great stuff aside from bullets, guns and scopes. Haven't looked back since. :)
AcceptableRisk May 4th 2006 10:33AM
I switched to Herbalism/Alchemy from Tailoring early in my character's life and stuck with it for a long time. Eventually, I dropped Herbalism to get Tailoring back so I could make my Robe of the Void. Then once I had that, I dropped Tailoring again and switched to Engineering. So now I'm Alchemy/Engineering and I have an alt to collect all the material for me.
Lanza May 4th 2006 11:17AM
My main (56 hunter) is an engineer/enchanter. I only use the enchanting to disenchant and sell on the auction house... it more than supports my need for bullets, gear, engineering supplies and pet food. Selling enchanting mats is a major cash cow.
Lanza May 4th 2006 1:13PM
Gah. I forgot to say what I originally meant to -- I was a skinner/enchanter, but I dropped the skinning in my mid-40s. It was a rough, expensive grind to get to the point where the engineering was useful, but it was worth it in the end.
crsh May 5th 2006 1:30PM
Skinning is useless, and the money made off it is dubious, but it's certainly the easiest gathering prof in the game; there are beasts everywhere, gather exp by grinding on them, and then take the leather off their back.
My rogue is the stereotypical skinner/leatherworker, LW is useless, most of the patterns you get are for items you've outgrown already, I have yet to hear from anyone making a decent profit off it too; the high-end patterns are nice, but the materials are crazy, so you basically only craft those for "special orders" or guildies, you don't mass-produce them and sell them on the street (hide of the wild, corehound boots, etc etc).
I've thought of dropping my professions, actually I think I wonder about dropping them at least once a week; herbalism and alchemy are awesome, everybody need pots, especially in end-game, and there are some super nice recipes in the game.
Well, I can definitely drop skinning, no biggie, herbalism is going to be more helpful to my guild for sure.