Scrapbot learning how to repair
by Eliah Hecht 
Jan 15th 2009 at 2:00PM
I don't put too much effort into crafting professions, for the most part. Something like Inscription, where I can get a number of points by just remembering to research once a day, fine. But Blacksmithing or Engineering, with stacks of metal per point? Not for me. (The exception to this is Tailoring, which I keep on my priest more out of tradition than anything else.)
Engineering is another profession that seems to take a lot of work per point (although I haven't gotten it very high myself, so I can't speak from first-hand experience here). On the other hand, there are a lot of really cool gizmos engineers can make for themselves, from hand rockets to motorcycles.
One of those gizmos is about to get significantly more useful: the Scrapbot will be able to repair your gear "in a future patch." The smart money is on 3.0.8 for that future patch, since Scrapbot repairs were added to the latest build of that patch on the PTR just yesterday. This means that once again, Engineers are the providers of in-instance repairs, and this time around it's significantly cheaper than last time, with 10 Saronite Bars giving you 5 of the little guys. And they're so cute!
Filed under: Engineering, Patches
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Andrew R. Jan 15th 2009 2:05PM
They are showing eng some love but they are just keeping up the tradition of giving them repair bots.
I'm sure everyone will agree with me when I say that the engineer should get the money from people using the bots to repair gear and buy misc things they need.
comradesean Jan 15th 2009 2:15PM
I'm not going to get into an argument about whether blacksmiths or engineers are worse off, but compared to a lot of the professions right now I'd like to see a way to make more money for both.
Even though after wrath launched engineers were charging 500g to craft their guns. -_- I'll just strike that off as profiteering from the launch since I haven't looked into it since I got mine crafted.
Marc Sadowski Jan 15th 2009 2:15PM
I totally agree. It makes no sense that this little robot keeps the money. What's it going to do with it?
Also, Blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and tailors should be able to repair their own gear. They can make it, they can fix it. It's only common sense.
Jay in Oregon Jan 15th 2009 2:29PM
Unless they're totally revamping the Scrapbot, the only things you can buy from a Scrapbot in the current live build are worthless grey items.
And I think the engineer should get to keep the money from people repairing their gear only if they have the pay their money to people selling their vendor trash. :)
With that said, woohoo! The basic repair bot requires someone with Jewelcrafting to help make one of the components (and a trip into Blackrock Depths to get in the first place) and the advanced model out is a zone drop out of Blade's Edge Mountain and takes a Khorium Power Core to make; I had a devil of a time farming the corse necessary for my swift copter.
This one only requires a pile of Saronite bars (unless they're changing the recipe as well). There's no reason why I can't keep a stack of these on me at all times.
Nick S Jan 15th 2009 2:40PM
500g? I was farming all the mats myself and charging 3000g each for the guns on the first weekend after Wrath dropped.
That's profit, right there. And my customers were happy... who else had an epic gun within a few days of Wrath's launch?
Since the first weekend, of course, I haven't been able to sell a single damn gun, because all the other Engineers are selling their guns below materials cost for reasons I can only assume stem from a basic inability to do math. (If the mats sell for more on the AH, why are you turning them into a gun at all, folks?)
Kolo Jan 15th 2009 3:11PM
Mainly useless gets slightly less useless...
OK maybe harsh, but the material costs for this make it totally not worth it. Most raids are 20 yards from a vendor.
Until this item has infinite use, I will not make it. I can sell 8 Saronite for 20g on the AH ty.
sickbox Jan 15th 2009 5:35PM
I was just thinking about how I was going to get some khorium without going back to outland or blowing all my Gs on the AH. I guess I'll just wait a year for 3.0.8 to come out.
jbodar Jan 15th 2009 6:43PM
Cool concept, but repair costs are intended to remove gold from the economy, not shift them. If the gold went to the engineer, the guild has essentially lost no money, aside from the cost of the bot, which is 2 Saronite Bars.
Eddy Jan 16th 2009 1:25AM
That's a terrible idea. If you got the cash, everyone would demand it back from you. For example, someone just shells out 40g to repair, and that 40g goes right into your pocket. They know how much they just spent, and why should you profit from their gear damage? I don't agree at all.
I think a minor tip is polite if you request one from the engineer.
Fizzl Jan 16th 2009 7:38AM
I don't need the money, I'd rather the bot just did cheaper repares for my guild!
I started WotLK with about 10k gold left over from TBC.
I was the first to 450 Engineering on my server
I spent about 18kg on my bike shortly after.
I then leveled Jewelcrafting by just chucking money at the AH.
I've now got over 20kg, most of it has come from engineering specificly the Armor Plated Combat Shotgun, IT PRINTS MONEY!
Plus the hand cannon is about to get better :D
Eversor Jan 15th 2009 2:05PM
This is bloody awesome! A gnome that repairs stuff! At least one nice thing as an engineer.
Returna Jan 15th 2009 2:10PM
Engineering has always been one of my favorite professions. At one point I had 3 max skilled engineers (@ 375).
They do need to keep up the tradition of the repair bot.
And personally I'd like to see more mechanical creations. Realistic-Looking Rhino anyone?
Saelorn Jan 15th 2009 2:12PM
The scrapbot requires 400 skill to learn (to start the quest to learn it, rather). The schematic goes yellow at 415, and green at 417. It's gray at 420.
And yet it requires 425 to use it.
Frijona Jan 15th 2009 2:20PM
Oops! I can't see any reason why Bliz would do it that way.
Domandred Jan 15th 2009 4:33PM
Bug report it recently? Probably not.
Rivana Jan 15th 2009 2:11PM
I still have three stacks of the old TBC repair bots in my bank.
Korriban Jan 15th 2009 2:23PM
The fact remains that, compared to other professions, we get shat on from a great height by being unable to sell many items that would be highly profitable to people who aren't engies themselves.
Tailors (and Blacksmiths to a lesser extent) can now clear up through the sale of their brand new shiny BoE epics. Engineers can only sell their goggles, as an example, to other engineers.
Why not add the option, like they did with some of the BC crafted leather, mail and plate gear: allow anyone to wear the item but remove some of the set/on equip bonuses.
comradesean Jan 15th 2009 2:38PM
Oh, here we go. Boo hoo, we don't make any money. Blacksmiths are in the same boat as you, my friend. And tailors aren't far off.
Why not look at the actual professions who are stupidly making crap tons of gold because of how blizzard set them up?
Yes, I'm looking at you Jewelcrafting and leatherworking. -_-
Nick S Jan 15th 2009 2:48PM
Taking Engineering, like taking Blacksmithing, is a choice you make because you like the profession... NOT because it's going to make you money.
I made money with Engineering only by dropping ~5000g worth of (at the time) high-priced Saronite and Cobalt to be one of the first 5 or so on my server to 450 and selling guns before anyone else was. Since that extremely brief (2 days!) period of extremely high profit, there hasn't been room for more than a couple of gold here and there for ammo boxes.
I'm sure the same goes for Blacksmithing - Titansteel Destroyers sell like hotcakes, but at such depressed prices that you can often buy one for less than the cost of mats from desperate Blacksmiths.
Korriban Jan 15th 2009 2:50PM
"boo hoo"? Grow up.
My point is valid. Personally I took Engineering because it looked like the most fun profession when I first started the game. That said, a LOT of other professions get a chance to see some return on their investment.
I can't speak for Blacksmithing being in the same boat but Tailoring? Do you even play or are you just trolling? Tailors can make decent starter PvP gear, a decent 70-75 multi role set with blue upgrades at around 78-80, epic healer gear, epic frost resist gear, epic DPS gear, spellthreads...even a funky blue pimp caster hat. And let's not forget that they also have Northern Cloth Scavenging to help with their acquisition of mats.
TBH if a tailor cant make decent money then they should give it up because they are doing it wrong.