Ask a Beta Tester: Tradeskills, training, and rep gains

Are they planning to put in recipes for green items between 350-375 to make it easier to grind up professions? Or should i just suck it up and make (obsolete) blue/purple items to level up.
Many professions start with new recipes at 350 skill in Northrend, and some of them at 360. Nobody starts at 375. 360-375 is usually taken up by 'end-game' items so you won't have to grind those out to skill up before Northrend. I recommend checking Wowhead to see where your particular profession starts out.
Locke asked...
I know there's the Wrath Gate cinematic and so on, have you come across or know any other cinematic events like this, or was this the only one? I'm sure there has to be in game scripted events. Thanks.
That was the only one that is actually a cinematic, but there are a ton of scripted events. Wrath's storytelling is incredible, and I think you'll be surprised by just how much happens before your eyes rather than off in the background somewhere.
Chris asked...
In the Classic world, we got new spells and abilities every even level. In the Outlands, we got them at every level after 60. Is it the same for Northrend? Will we get new spells and abilities ever level after 70?
There are new spells or new ranks of spells every level. Not every level has something exciting and not every level has something for your spec, but every level has something. I found myself looking ahead when I was leveling in beta. "Well, I just trained level 73. Should I come back at level 74? Oh, looks like I only get a new rank of Renew. I don't need that soloing as a Shadow Priest, I'll get that at level 75 when I come back to get Mind Sear!"
Those aren't the levels your train some of those things, I just pulled it out of the air as an example, so no spamming the comments with Wowhead links telling me I'm wrong, eh?
barbarion asked...
I really enjoyed The Ring Of Blood in Nagrand. Have they got anymore quests like that in northrend and is there any information about it yet?
Yes. It's in Zul'Drak. You'll love it. I don't want to spoil it because it has a lot of giggle worthy stuff, but I'll say this much: If you're an old school WoW player, you'll run into an old friend there.
Fuster asked...
Will there be any inscription recipe drops or will we only be able train and discover glyphs and books?
I don't know what there will be later in the game, but currently I don't think there are any glyphs or glyph recipes that are drops. It's purely trained stuff and discovered glyphs. I have no doubt we'll see more recipes as the game progresses, but how we'll get them is up to Blizzard. Drops? Reputation? I only pray Scribes don't have to go through what completionist Enchanters had to go through in The Burning Crusade. I still don't have some of them. I shiver with nerd rage.
ermansup asked...
Are there any reputation grinds that make completing quests linked to said reputations unoptimal before a stage such as honored is reached by other means. Like it is in TBC with the Cenarion Expedition and the Unidentified Plant Parts.
I haven't encountered any factions that have those turn-in style rep gains. It's much more heavily based in quests and dungeons, and dungeons don't seem to grant reputation until you're running the level 80ish versions. I may be mistaken and simply missed stuff like that, but I think Blizzard recognized the silliness of early Burning Crusade reputations and axed the turn-in stuff in favor of more quests tied to each faction. The Valiance Expedition has an asburd number of quests tied to it.
Jeger asked...
For most players, the rewards you got from the first couple of TBC quests were good upgrades to the epic gear we already had. Just wondering how long will tier 4,5,6 last us in Wrath? Will I still use my current gear at level 75?
Remember that Burning Crusade had some stat rejiggering that inflated how good early BC pieces were. Stamina values were doubled between Classic and Burning Crusade. So while Wrath has some really great stuff for people that aren't twinked to the gills, it'll be nothing like BC. My Tier 6 and partial Sunwell gear lasted me until the high-70s. I was still wearing most of it at level 80. Level 80 dungeons start replacing it, and you can safely wear it into Naxxramas.
I think it's safe to say Tier 5 will last you from the mid to upper 70s, and tier 4 will be replaceable by 75, and some pieces will have been replaced already. That's just what I figure from my experiences, though. Those numbers may be slightly off.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Expansions, Wrath of the Lich King






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Lab Monkey Oct 29th 2008 4:07PM
http://wow.crafterstome.com for recipes inc. WotLK
Naix Oct 29th 2008 4:13PM
Go away spam!
Lab Monkey Oct 30th 2008 12:18PM
Not sure if you're joking or not. I'm just trying to be helpful.
Naix Oct 29th 2008 4:13PM
I have a question for a Beta tester...
Can I haz yur Beta Key?
Jeff Oct 29th 2008 4:14PM
Regarding Heirloom items... Can you put enchantments/enhancements on them? If so, can you transfer those buffs between characters? Seems a little too good to be true to have my level 1 alt starting out with a pair of shoulders with Aldor inscriptions on them.
Ken Oct 29th 2008 4:21PM
As I understand it, all the heirloom items are item level 1 which means you can't put an enchantment like Mongoose on them which requires an item with an item level of at least 35.
http://www.wowhead.com/?items&filter=qu=7
Ken Oct 29th 2008 4:28PM
Ah, you actually have a good question with the purchasable enchantments like the Aldor ones. Those don't seem to have the item level restrictions, but, instead, make the item soulbound. I wonder if it would make an heirloom item soulbound. I wouldn't want to test that on when it goes live. :)
Suraci Oct 29th 2008 4:19PM
Are there class trainer in Northrend or do we have to go back to our Horde/Alliance cities to train new spells?
MDC Oct 29th 2008 4:26PM
I'd also like to know.
It was mildly annoying to ding, fly back to Shatt, portal to Ironforge, train, hearth back, then fly back out to the field...
Elmo Oct 29th 2008 4:58PM
there are no Class trainers or AH's in Northrend either...
but SW is very well connected to Northrend so it should be less of a pain
Faar Oct 29th 2008 4:59PM
You train in the old world, just like always.
I really doubt you train often enough for the process to become even slightly annoying (10 visits tops, in the 2 or so years Wrath will run - hardly an onerous burden). You want to scan the auction house anyway every once in a while, where's the problem? :P
Suzaku Oct 29th 2008 5:53PM
Trainers and Auction Houses are still in the "old world". However, Northrend is much more connected to the "old world" than Outland was, which only had the dark portal for entry and portals back from Shattrath.
Dalaran has portals to all of the capitals, and there are zeppelins/boats from Northrend to the capital cities. It's very much like traveling back and forth between the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, which we all did for the first 58-60 levels of the game.
RogueJedi86 Oct 29th 2008 5:48PM
I'm pretty sure there are Mage trainers in Dalaran though. It wouldn't be a mage town without a few mage-specific pleasantries. :)
Jay Oct 29th 2008 4:21PM
Using inscription, can you enchant other peoples rings now by having an enchanter enchant the velium or whatever it is called and then trade that to someone that isn't an enchanter?
niko Oct 29th 2008 4:26PM
The vellums are for weapons and armor only.
Rings don't count. They are enchanter-only recipes.
nice try, though.
Deep.Grave Oct 29th 2008 4:27PM
I'm aware that recipes start at 350 for enchanting, but will an Eternium Rod be necessary for crafting the next rod up, so we'll have to go back and make that rod once we do hit 375 in wrath? Or can you skip from the 350 rod straight to a Northrend one?
VSUReaper Oct 29th 2008 5:21PM
Pretty sure that you can just stick with your BS rod. Early in the beta, I was crafting a ton of the cobalt rods for people, and then my business suddenly tapered off. When I checked wowhead, I found this: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=44451#comments
Read the last comment.
I then read this one:
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=44452#comments
dcwdvl Oct 29th 2008 5:38PM
You will need a Runed Eternium Rod to make most lower level Wrath enchants. You will also need one to make the Runed Titanium Rod, the only other rod in Wrath (Cobalt being removed several months ago).
ironblade Oct 29th 2008 4:30PM
regarding Gear what sort of HP will a lets say lvl 80 naxx epics geard tank have? coz i heard ppl say entry level raid in wrath should get you around 20k ish true?
Neil Oct 29th 2008 4:40PM
In T5/badge gear I've been able to reach 25K HP, fully raid buffed, as a feral druid.
I would hope to have more when I'm wearing level 80 epics.