Breakfast topic: Professions -- yay or meh?
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Mar 7th 2007 at 8:59AM
The idea of a profession system isn't unique to WoW. Most MMOs have some sort of crafting available to their players, usually with a high degree of risk -- you can fail and lose your materials, or even take damage or die. By comparison, WoW's profession system is forgiving. You always succeed at making things and never lose mats. But a lot of people still don't like professions, and consider them a waste of time and money -- particularly crafting professions like leatherworking and engineering, where there's not that much of a market for the products in end-game.
Personally, I love professions. One of my favorite things about starting an alt is looking through the professions and figuring out which one I should level up. My main is alchemy/herbalism, which I adore because it gives me a way to help a group as a rogue. My recently resurrected warlock alt is tailoring and extremely low-level mining, which I'm having fun leveling up to BC standards. The next alt I make will probably get jewelcrafting just so I can try it out.
Do you like the profession system? Which professions do you think can use improvement, and which are the most fun to level?
Filed under: Herbalism, Breakfast Topics, First Aid, Enchanting, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Engineering, Cooking, Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Skinning, Mining, Fishing, Jewelcrafting
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
IEArmand Mar 7th 2007 9:08AM
In TBC my Lock has been making a lot of cash through Skinning and as a Herbalist but equally I am spending quite a bit to get my Tailoring and Enchanting up. Taloring is great for me as a casual player since there are some really night Epic quality items I can craft for my Holy Priest when he hit’s 70 plus I can make a nice bit of cash every couple of days with transmutes. Enchanting is not cheap to level up but I really want to get it past 275 just so I can DE everything but I might take it all the way just because cash is so easy to come by. Sure I could spend cash on an Epic mount but where is the fun in that!!
Seper Mar 7th 2007 9:19AM
The only problem is.. that professions are fairly useless in most of the cases.
Alchemy, enchanting and jewel crafting are the only useful professions.
The other ones are pretty useless. I think they should work on making great gear with it. But they might need alot of mats and mabye the recipes are hard to get. But either way... they are useless.
mrRaist Mar 7th 2007 9:19AM
I like the idea, but I personally think that they need a lot of work. There isn't a lot of stuff that people would rather equip, made by a profession, vs something that is found in a dungeon or raid. Anything that is worth making usually needs massive amounts of materials, that are also outside of the skills used to create the items in the first place (fe: needing stuff that is mined when you're a leatherworker/skinner).
The most worthwhile profession I've found is herbalism/alchemy. Potions are always in high demand, and if you can't sell the potions, you can always sell the herbs. On top of this, you can use the potions that you brew up yourself. I think Blizzard got this one right.
I will keep my main as herbalism/alchemy, but any alt I have is a gatherer, usually skinning and mining. After all, I need money for my main's epic flying mount.
chaz Mar 7th 2007 9:22AM
Main = Tailor/Chanter
Tailoring got a lot more interesting in TBC, but chanting is still ftl. Chanting is just a money pit.
All my alts go gathering, mining is non-stop cash.
mr_disco Mar 7th 2007 9:28AM
My main is mining and blacksmithing, he's a mage and at first I tried tailoring/enchanting and just kep wondering why I was always broke... I pciked up skin/mining first, but after I made my alt: a BE Pally, (I know EVERYONE has a BE pally..) I picked up the bsmithing to make gear for him. The Pally has enchanting and jewelcrafting, but I'm thinking of dropping enchanting for mining on him too... everyone needs ore!
Matt Mar 7th 2007 9:48AM
Tailoring is cool, theres some cool stuff you can make in BC, and even before that there were items like Robe of the Archmage, which I didn't replace until I got to Outland. The Frozen Shadoweave set is crazy nice. On the downside, it's become a terrible prof to level (I need 108 netherweave, 12 arcane dust, and 2 netherweb spider silk to get ONE skill point at level 365). My other prof is enchanting. Enchanting has always been a pain to level, but it saves me money by not having to pay for enchants (well, those up to 329 ATM).
Sal Mar 7th 2007 9:31AM
I enjoy leatherworking, although it is a bit of a grind to get the materials. The best part are the nice consumables you can make, especially the clefthide and cobrahide leg enchants. Also the epic sets are pretty good and definitely a nice alternative to relying on an elusive raid drop.
More consumables would be a good thing.
Jorane Mar 7th 2007 9:33AM
I'm not a big fan of losing mats when crafting (some of them are hard enough to come by in the first place), but it would be nice if there was a bit more depth to the crafting system, so that everything that's made isn't completely identical.
For example, in SWG (please don't shoot me for bringing that atrocious MMOG up), the quality and specs of item you crafted varied with the materials you used to make it. So, if you used cheaper, more common materials, the item wouldn't be as nice. If you used more expensive, harder-to-come-by mats, it'd have better stats and work better.
That sort of system would at least differentiate between crafters, and allow crafters to establish reputations for quality products, or for a wider range of products. As it stands now, the only thing that makes one item better or more desirable than another of the same type is the price.
froglok Mar 7th 2007 9:34AM
Enchanting is still garbage to level. Whomever said engieering isn't useful is a moron, btw. The best PVP profession = engineering.
chaz Mar 7th 2007 9:37AM
I've been sitting here thinking about this (rather than working) and here is how I think they could make manufacturing profs better.
1. The best things should be manufactured.
2. The hard-to-find items required to make epic goods should drop off bosses.
3. Every prof has its specialties, like BS and LW. Enchanters, tailors, alchies and engies should all get specialties.
4. The purple recipes should be quests, and be BOP.
So, Mag should drop some Orb of Whatever every once in a while that is required to make some outrageous epic shield. Not only does this make the warrior who got it happy, but it makes the smith who's gonna make it for him for it happy too.
Vermeil Mar 7th 2007 11:55AM
Actually, Blacksmithing is pretty useful these days. As a casual player, not doing many instances, I was able to use my Hammersmith skill to craft a 81 dps mace, the likes of which I'd never see without some fairly heavy instance running.
Each Blacksmithing Professions (axesmith/hammersmith/swordsmith/armorsmith) has a similar item that can be made at 375 by any casual player, along with quite a few other useful items you'll make just while skilling it up. I'd call this profession far from useless.
Sylythn Mar 7th 2007 9:59AM
Blizz has done a real good job making the really high-end crafting worth it. Upgreadeable blacksmith items on par with Epics, great Tailoring BoPs, etc. But it's still a problem at low levels. You can keep up with the trained recipes, and usually those items are level-appropriate and don't get a replaced for 1-2 levels...but by the time you get a dropped recipe - it's useless to you, and once you hit instance loot it's almost all better than what you can craft until you get back to those peaks at 300 and 375. And then the ones at 300 - well TBC greens beat them out like crazy.
I had all the mats gathered for Sageblade for my lock...then TBC came out and made it pointless to craft.
jbob Mar 7th 2007 10:04AM
Leatherworking is such a PAIN to level in TBC.
There is TWO BOE recipe in the expansion - Drums of Restoration and Drums of Speed. All the rest are BOP drops off instance trash or bosses - nothing easily farmable.
From 365-375 there are no recipies that are not either:
- Epic Drops
- Require Primal Nether
- Require Exalted Rep
There is ONE recipe that is orange from 365-370 that is not epic or requires nethers (felstalker bracers, requires 4 Primal Air + assorted rare leathers).
At 370 your best bet is to grind exalted with Caverns of Time (LOTS of Black Morass runs) for Drums of Panic. That will be a yellow recipe with easy mats (leather and primal shadow).
Not to mention that the LW BOP specialization patterns are all 375 skill. Blacksmith and Tailors can start their BOPs much earlier (and actually gain skill points from them).
I'm at 361 now and determined to stick it out so I can get my windhawk set. It's a FANTASTIC set for feral druids that want healer gear.
engineering is underpowered Mar 7th 2007 10:09AM
"Whomever said engieering isn't useful is a moron, btw. The best PVP profession = engineering."
Totally true for levels 1-60. Beyond that, the profession has been left pretty useless. Many of our old trinkets do not work on targets greater than level 60, and many of our pvp useful items can't be used in the arena. There's no options to upgrade said trinkets. Some of the trinkets actually have better options available in other professions (an equivalent to the net projector can now be made by tailoring, and it's reliable. Jewelcrafting can make pets that can be used in arenas).
I've been able to make some guns and shells that sell pretty decently on the auction house, but probably not even close to the amount of money that could be made with other professions. Lately I've been feeling that I'm pretty much the guild bitch for repair bots nowadays. Occasionally I throw down a few smoke flares for comedic effect. You can't even make money with those because you can get them (for free!) from a vendor in area 52 (albeit only a few at a time).
I can make a sweet fireworks show though.
Derbeste Mar 7th 2007 10:15AM
What they NEED to do for gear professions is what many other MMOs do....
The highest bosses in FFXI, for example, don't really EVER drop gear. They drop matts used to make the highest gear in the game.
Personally, I think all (or at least most) tier 6 gear should be crafted. Yes, that would make it BoE, but when only the top guilds can usually get those matts, they are probably going to go to someone in their guilds anyway. And even if they get an extra matt to sell on the AH, it would finally make the profession a good source of MONEY for the guild!
It would also be a nice method for non raiders to maybe get some good end gear.
But yes....I do recognize that would be a "buff" of sorts to gold farmers.
Hopefully the soulbound nature of all equipped gear will help keep that in check though.
Hank Mar 7th 2007 10:31AM
My main is alc/herb, and I have alts with other combinations, like skinning/enchanting. My biggest issue is with things that professions can make that ONLY those professions can use, like you can't wear certain leather armor unless you're a leathercrafter, and I am sure there are the equivilent tailoring and blacksmithing items. The biggest issue with this is engineering; if you're not an engineer, you can't use 90% of what you can make. At least there, it makes some sense.
Jacob_THG Mar 7th 2007 10:47AM
In real RPGs (the ones with paper and dice), one of my favorite things to do is create items. My next Savage Worlds character is going to be an enchanter. MMO's are a substitute for my prefered hobby, and I can honmestly say taht I'd be much less likely to play WOW if there were no crafting professions.
Now, being a newbie player at the end of my 30-day trial with no previous MMO experience, I may just be easily imporessed, but I like. My main is herb/alchemy (troll rogue, FOR THE HORDE) and my secondary is skinning leatherworking (tauren druid, FOR THE HORDE).
The odd part about me is that in considering future characters, I am more interested in what class/race is best for the professions that I want to take.
Toward that, do any of you have advice for which class/race is best for someone that wants to do blacksmithing/enchanting? One rul that I have is that I need to be able to actually use what I make. It's not just for money (making money is number three on the lsit of fun things to do in WoW for me, following adventuring then crafting).
BTW, thanks to the admin types for being the only WoW blog that the firewall at work does not block:) Whatever you do to your metadata that lets me get here, keep it up and don't change a thing:)
MacKoroni Mar 7th 2007 6:29PM
I agree with Chaz'z comments, very well put. I have LW and skinning on my main and I confess my LW is no where near the level it should be, between leveling, questing and raiding I've found it hard to devote a lot of time to LW. My alt is a herbalist/alchemist and I've found that much faster to increase and more useful than LW at this point personally.
Strongmark on Arthas Mar 7th 2007 11:09AM
I love professions! My main is a miner/blacksmith and I find some good money in that. Also, quite the challenge as well, but I have tonnes of fun with it. My alts have tailoring/engineering and alchemy/herbalism respectively. I just started my first horde char on a server where I don't know anybody, so I have chosen herbalism and skinning, just so I can make some money as I have no one or any other chars to help me make some coin.
Zuuler Mar 7th 2007 11:09AM
@8
I think what thheymeant by enineering being garbage was that most of the stuff you make with engineering you can't trade or sell. I personally have never lvled engineering (or many profs for that matter) but most people I know who have it really like it, but wish it could be made better. There was a post on the official forums that professions would be getting a major overhaul in the next content patch, and engineering was the first one they were looking it.
My first character I started with herbalism and alchemy, which was a mistake. I should have taken skinning instead and later switched to alchemy. I recently started a new character on a PVP server, and I made him herb/skin, and we'll see what I change him to later.
I think maybe one way of overhauling the profession system and making them more worthwhile would be to make more quests that require a specific item. Skinners, Herb/Alchs, and Miners already make a decent living off warlocks, as their epic mount quest requires a lot of high lvl mats. I'm not entirely sure but I believe the Pally epic mount quest also requires some high lvl mats. And there are all sorts of other quests scattered about that require some crafted item to complete the quest (any Horde on Nathrezim that can make me a Strong Troll's Blood Potion, pst Deathfiend, I probably already have the mats).
What I am saying is, make more quests like this, that require a craftable item to complete. These quests usually end up with me going to the AH to buy this item (always a lot of deadly blunderbuss', but no strong tollds blood potions for some reason). Then add in some really good craftable items (riding crop seems like it makes leather working worth it, they sell for a nice price), and let engineers trade and sell more of their crafted items.
And probably the most important thing bliz could add for professions is a "Looking for..." type tool that lets people post an item/mat/enchant that they are looking to purchase or trade for. This tool could continue to operate after signing off, allowing for people online at different times to arrange a purchase through this tool. Maybe even add a LF enchant tool that lets you search for a specific enchant, and then get a list of people who can provide you with that enchant, making it easy to find enchanters who might not be in a major city.