Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: Are you leveling your Professions?
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Nov 20th 2008 at 8:00AM
I admit, I'm not, which is new. When BC came along, while I leveled to 70, I always stopped to mine the Fel Iron nodes. Even on my initial tramp from 1-60 on my characters, I usually stop every few levels to make sure their chosen tradeskill is up to date. But this time, on my Death Knight, I'm not stopping for a thing. It's a weird feeling. I'm conscientious about making sure my characters are well-rounded, making sure they have the skills to pay the bills, so to speak, first aid and cooking in addition to a set of well maintained trade skills, but on my Death Knight, I just can't bring myself to let up on the questing and grinding for professions, even if it means leaving piles of dead, unskinned Bog Lords in my wake.
Admittedly, this may have something to do with the fact that his trade skills start at level 1 while he's level 55. In the end, I'd rather level in Hellfire Peninsula instead of picking daisies in Elwynn. Can you blame me? Still, I promise at level 80 that I will make time to level up his Inscription.
While I have asked about this before, I thought I'd see if the responses were any different now that Wrath is underway. Are you taking breaks on the road to 80 to level your tradeskills? Why or why not?
Filed under: Herbalism, Fishing, Mining, Skinning, Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Cooking, Engineering, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Enchanting, First Aid, Items, Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, Jewelcrafting, Leveling, Wrath of the Lich King, Inscription
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 6)
Kaz Nov 20th 2008 8:45AM
When I was level 78 I decided to go for realm's first Engineer, so a few hours later and 8000g poorer I was 450 engineering :)
Kraas Nov 20th 2008 8:46AM
Right now I'm wanting to level engineering, but I need to get my engineer up to level 58 so I can get past 300 (I haven't tried bugging my guildies to port me to Shattrath or summon me to Thrallmar). I *will* have the flying machine & motorcycle, even if it takes me a year!
Aerei Nov 20th 2008 8:46AM
My main has been levelling mining, but other than prospecting and the daily I haven't done anything with her jewelcraft. My death knight I've made sure to level her mining before going to Outland, and levelled smithing alongside it as best I could. Now taht her mining is ready... I still find myself wanting to get the last 40 points of her smithing to 300 before I tackle Hellfire.
As for my four other characters I had to 70 before Wrath? Barely touched any of them for any reason, except to do Minor Inscription Research on my rogue every day.
Hendrata Nov 20th 2008 8:47AM
For me, I've anticipated this long time ago since I knew that DKs would start from level 1 professions. So I started leveling an alt with 2 gathering professions (mining + leatherworking). That alt is now level 40 ish, and the income from selling the mats can help finance my DK. I plan to have 2 crafting professions for him but still haven't decided which ones.
Grant Nov 20th 2008 8:51AM
My DK is still level 58, haven't touched a quest since meeting the King of Stormwind, and I've got my mining to about 240, and herbalism up to about 255 or so. I just can't stand the thought of passing by all those mining and herb nodes while I'm leveling my DK. Besides, the herbs are helping my guild with a second scribe, and the ore is going to help my wife level her first engineer.
Fugmug Nov 20th 2008 8:56AM
I've got about 7 gains in enchanting putting +8 stats on guildie's chestpieces. That's about it. My cooking might have gone up while clearing my inventory, but I didn't even watch if it did. Didn't care.
I get to play in the evenings, and for 3 hours at the most. I'm getting actual levels, not crafting skills. As the saying goes, "Real gamers don't pay subscription fees to bake bread".
Supposedly Blizzard is removing the craftsman requirement to use the better epic items (IE best crafted epic axe in the game wanted you to have like 350 weaponsmith or some crap) which is progress, but I don't see the other obstacle going away.
And by other obstacle, I mean that crafted items usually suck compared to raid drops.
But if Blizzard makes it so crafted items are comparable, and easier to obtain while getting an desired raid item to drops, I'll pay through the nose for the mats.
Otherwise, Blizzard hasn't given me a reason to give a damn.
Fug
Will Nov 20th 2008 8:57AM
I don't see a point in leveling the crafting professions yet because the market for raw materials is still overly inflated on all servers, however this means that having gathering professions at 375+ is the BEST money maker at this point with all the inflated prices and people will pay a premium for even lower level raw materials since a lot of people are trying to power level their professions.
http://www.wowconfidential.com
jabbawonga Nov 20th 2008 8:58AM
465 herb and currently 430 alch but hard to get higher than that without spending a fortune on the ah on icethorns? only in dragonblight atm tho so not doing too shabby! :)
quite liking the new alch "find a skill"once per week ability as i only ever got 1 proc in tbc from making pots etc. I feel it should start at 380 or something tho, and the ability to test for new items should be more frequent as u get more skilled in the craft. ( a max skill alchemist should really be bit more efficient!)
Shaun Nov 20th 2008 9:01AM
I have a death knight, so I'm doing the exact same thing. I thought of maybe going back to work on professions, but I just don't want to take time away from questing. I'd rather go back when I'm 80, between raids and dailies, to work on it. I'm making good progress though. 55-68 in 3 and a half days.
Ulug Nov 20th 2008 9:00AM
I couldn't do it. When I first stepped into Hellfire and saw all the boar carcasses littering the landscape, I dropped everything and powerleveled skinning to 305. My other prefession is enchanting (leveled to 175, omw to 250 to shard all these quest greens i wont need).
With so few DK skinning, the above posters are right, it's like fields of AH gold just laying there. Not to mention the crit rating! How could I NOT spend the couple/few hours to get it leveled
Tinwhisker Nov 20th 2008 9:02AM
My main has crafting professions and I have an alt with gathering professions to support my main. When my main hits 80 I'll start leveling that alt and feeding mats to my main to level professions.
Thomas Jespersen Nov 20th 2008 9:06AM
I don't. I am tailor / enchanter and I desperately need money so I started selling cloth and enchanting materials instead. 40 gold for a stack of Frostweave Cloth is too good to resist. I have leveled fishing and cooking though and I do the daily cooking quest in Dalaran every day.
vanye111 Nov 20th 2008 9:07AM
I am having problems leveling my tailoring. I'm just not getting enough cloth to do it, sadly. I'm not going to drop it, but it's not going quickly. And there is no way in hell I'm dropping 6g on a single piece of frostweave cloth.
Skinning, OTOH, is maxed out. My gf's leatherworker is appreciating all the extra leather, too.
Nith Nov 20th 2008 9:11AM
Overall if I was still levelling b/s I dont think I would have gotten far, though my mining would probably be close to maxxed out. But since I switched to herb/scribing I had no trouble leveling either. The only problem is that after finishing HF I decided to do all the quests in BoTu but the rare pigments have lower milling rates at the lower level plants in the same tier so getting icy pigment is a bit of a challenge. Im heading out to GH and ZD so hopefully better flowers there.
Also some scrolls can make you very rich. I was selling Glyph of Lava on Aerie Peak, Alliance AH for over 90g, and for a short while Glyph of Stormstrike topped 120g. But the mats cost me almost nothing.
Keith Nov 20th 2008 9:16AM
I took the time to level my mining and enchanting up to 300+ before I did a lot of questing with my DK. I figured the enchanting thing would come in handy and it has. I had my own personal 3 tab guild bank full of stuff to dechant. I have made a lot of gold standing around Honor Hold doing enchants for all the new DKs. Mining was a one night thing with almost all my toons being miners I had a lot of ore on hand that needed smelting. I would smelt it until I could not get a point off of it then go out and mine it till I could smelt the next one.
Now I am taking turns leveling my 70s to 80 and working on my DK with my wife. I hope everyone is having as much fun with the new class as we are!!!
Corrytrevor Nov 20th 2008 9:13AM
I'm slowly leveling my Blacksmithing to make the very decent Cobalt tanking gear for my brother who is also leveling a paladin. Since he was Ret all the way 70 and wrath came out soon after he made the BC level cap he didn't really have any tanking gear. This set is great for the few first instances in wrath (along with a few other items he picked up just before wrath came out).
I am mostly looking forward the the item slotting which I will be filling with healer gems.
Corrytrevor - Healadin - Skullcrusher (US)
Trilynne Nov 20th 2008 9:16AM
As a pally tank, I lvled mining and black-smithing on my way to 70. Once at 70 and gearing up for raid tanking, I was alerted to the existance of the beautiful Alchemy-only tanking trinket. So, I dropped mining, power-lvled alchemy via purchased herbs, and made the trinket. I wore it for the longest time, through Mag, Gruul, SSC, TK, and MH. But with the expansion, I knew if I kept both bsmithing and alchemy, I was looking forwards to a very long, very broke road to lvling them. So, I said screw that, dropped alchemy, and took up mining again. I power lvled it, and finally hit 350 yesterday, just in time for my power to go out after mining exactly 1 node of cobalt. Azeroth hates me. x.x
ha1ku Nov 20th 2008 9:18AM
I'm actually spending a bit more time with my professions than completing quests. It's more relaxing for me.
Unlike my BC experience, this time I'll hit 80 when I hit 80. I burned out on the leveling grind and quit the game for eleven months.
I'm taking my time soaking in the storyline. And, I am having fun doing all kinds of roguey stuff: ganking and trying out my new potions and cooking recipes. -- Oh, and fishing -- can't leave out the fishing.
Andrew Nov 20th 2008 9:20AM
I got my enchanting to 350 so I could get it to grand master and DE everything I would vendor. Enchanting Mats are crazy profit right now becuase of those power leveling it and people who need new enchants, etc. I am level it later when I get to 80, buy cold weather flying, and prices come down.
The new dust is going for 9-10g per on my server as of last night.
Tailoring I have been casually leveling with just the cloth that I am looting and then DE the greens I make to recoup the cost. I really want a magic carpet :)
islndrs22 Nov 20th 2008 9:18AM
yes... i want that damn Flying Carpet!!!