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Wrath of the Lich King has added some wonderful crafting changes, from new abilities to better, more efficient systems.

Blizzard's intention is to move us away from feeling that we have no real choice when selecting a profession. 'I am a cloth-wearer, therefore I must take up tailoring' is a thing of the past.

Each profession has bulked up its profession-only benefits, as well as fun items and marketable goods, to the point that your choice can be more properly swayed by what you would like to do.

While you are leveling your chosen fields, you will notice many interesting recipes popping up at fairly regular intervals, giving you small goals to look forward to and work towards.

This week, I will be showcasing the highlights of Leatherworking and Blacksmithing, including when you can train these recipes, which factions have what you need, and what it is that makes you unique and important.Leatherworking
Most of your patterns will come from your trainer, your special vendor, or factions. In fact, there are currently no drop recipes for Leatherworkers in Northrend.

As you are leveling, you will hit milestones that will allow you to acquire key recipes that will benefit you in many ways. Here are the highlights:

400
Do you remember the craftable leg armor kits from The Burning Crusade, such as Nethercleft Leg Armor? At 400 skill, you will train your first Wrath leg armor kit, as well as one spell.

You see, you will learn one blue-quality armor kit recipe, Nerubian Leg Armor. The description for application can be somewhat misleading.

You can make this as a Leatherworker, and sell it to non-Leatherworkers on the auction house, but it can only be applied by a player with a minimum of level 70, to his/her own gear. This effectively prevents twinks from using it.

You will also learn a purple version that only you may use. Nerubian Leg Reinforcements is not a physical kit, but rather, a spell. It is a better version of the leg armor kit.

You also learn your Fur Lining recipes, which consist of bracer enchants that you can apply to your own bracers.

405
You will learn two more leg armor buffs. The first, Jormungar Leg Armor, works just like the Nerubian Leg Armor. You can craft it, and sell it. These kits focus on stamina and agility, while the Nerubian addressed attack power and critical strike rating.

Jormungar Leg Reinforcements also work like their Nerubian counterpart. It is a leg enchant that is better than the kit, and only for your own use.

420 and 425
As soon as your guild begins running Naxxramas, you will need to start thinking about Frost Resist Gear. You will have a tough time completing the Frost Wyrm Lair without it! You will be able to create the waist and boots at 420 and the chest piece at 425.

There is one "set" for Leatherworkers and one "set" for mail-wearing players. These patterns can be purchased from Braeg Stoutbeard in the Magus Commerce Exchange in Dalaran. Each recipe will cost you 3 Heavy Borean Leather, for a total of 9. It is important to note that he will also sell you epic recipes in exchange for Arctic Fur, which is skinned rarely from beasts as a bonus. The recipes are BoP, but the items made can all be sold!

In this skill bracket, you can also begin crafting yourself a PvP pseudo-set if you would like. There are two sets each for leather and mail, a spellcasting and a physical collection of pieces. There are 8 pieces available, for the head slot, shoulders, chest, wrist, hand, belt, leg and foot slots.

Again, each recipe costs 3 Heavy Borean Leather to acquire.

At 425, you will be able to complete your collection of leg armor enchants and kits. Frosthide Leg Armor produces a sellable kit that is the equivalent of the Jormungar Leg Reincorcements. The Icescale Leg Armor is the kit equivalent of the Nerubian Leg Reinforcements.

This essentially means that early on in your Northern Leatherworking career, you can cheaply enchant your own pants in a way that is better than anything you can give to anyone else at the time. Much later, you will be able to offer the same great enchant to the public, although the cost for the consumer is much higher.

Faction Rewards
There are no current Leatherworking dropped recipes, but there are several factions that offer interesting patterns.

• Completing the long but rich grind for Sons of Hodir reputation is more than worth it for any player, but they will also teach you how to make the 32-slot Mammoth Mining Bag once you reach honored and have a skill of 415.
• The Kalu'ak will teach you how to craft a 28-slot Dragonscale Ammo Pouch at honored, and a 28-slot Trapper's Traveling Pack, a Leatherworking bag at revered. Both require at least 415 skill.
• At honored, you can visit the Knights of the Ebon Blade to learn how to make a Nerubian Reinforced Quiver. This 28-slot bag requires a minimum of 415 skill.
  

Blacksmithing
Blacksmiths are learning new tricks in Northrend. While Leatherworkers are simply reworking their leg armor enchants, blacksmiths are doing something that no one else can do.

Of course, you'll have to level a bit to start! Here are your wintery highlights:

400
At 400, you will be able to add a socket to your own bracers and gloves. This is a skill quite unlike anything anyone else has. They do stack with enchants. On the off chance that you add a socket to an item and then drop blacksmithing, the socket will disappear, as it requires blacksmithing to use.

415
At this point, you will be able to make an Eternal Belt Buckle. This works like a kit that you can sell, and will add a socket to someone's belt. This is the only available belt modification in the game, aside from the new Engineering items to be discussed another week. The Engineering items work a bit differently, and will stack with the socket.

This item requires level 70 to use, which keeps twinks from being able to take advantage of it. It does not cause the item to become soulbound, however, it can only be applied to items with a minimum level of 60. According to Wowhead, 60 item level pieces reach as low as level 55 for a player.

The added sockets have no color, and thus any gem can be added. While these will not help you get socket bonuses on other gear, of course, they will count towards the activation of a meta gem in your head piece.

You should also head over to your Armorsmith or Weaponsmith trainer for a couple of level 78 blue-quality goodies. There are no epics yet, but hopefully that will change.

420-425
You too will need to think about crafting some frost resist gear if you want to push your way through the last two bosses in Naxxramas. The first two pieces can be crafted at 420, with the last item available at 425. This is a pseudo-set, and available from your trainer.

Also at 420, you will be able to train your Titanium Weapon Chain and Titanium Shield Spike, as well as the Titanium Rod that Northrend Enchanters will find most useful.

The weapon chain must be applied by a level 70 to his or her own weapon, and causes the weapon to become soulbound. Because you need not be a blacksmith to use it, you can sell these, although twinks can derive no benefit.

The shield spike, on the other hand, does not specify an item level, and will not cause a shield to become soulbound. The only stipulation is that the person applying it be at least level 70. Judging by the comments for the item in Wowhead, although this should mean that it could be applied to any level of shield, it does not.

Both modifications stand in place of an enchant.

Drops
There are a few bind on pick-up recipes for levels 73 through 77. This is green armor that can be found on mobs around Northrend. The items are BoE, and feature strength, stamina, resilience and critical strike rating.

• Reinforced Cobalt Chestpiece: Fnd the Venture Co. Excavators in Sholazar Basin.
  
• Reinforced Cobalt Helm: Kill some Iron Rune-Shapers in the Grizzly Hills.
  
• Reinforced Cobalt Legplates: Locate the Gundrak Savages from Zul'Drak.
  
• Reinforced Cobalt Shoulders: Dropped by Onslaught Masons in Dragonblight.

Faction Rewards
Unfortunately, there are no Blacksmithing faction rewards at this time.

Next week: Tailoring!

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