Can you share a couple of typical in-character advertisements?
I tend to make these up as I go, but I have a general framework I use for a few of them.

I woke from a sound sleep the other night, bathed in sweat and screaming. A breeze had blown up in the dark, carried down from the frozen North. On that breeze, the words of the Lich King Arthas Menethil were carried; cold, mocking words of death and eternal servitude. I paced for hours in the stillness of my home, unable to sleep again. Then I knew what I had to do. Picking up my great hammer I headed to my forge, and I began to ply my trade. If the Lich King wants confrontation, he'll get it -- and I will do my part to make sure he falls below the blows of my weaponry and armor! Get Titansteel armor and weapons with Gaius today!

The nighttime streets of Stormwind are silent and cool, the cobblestones slick with moisture. You wander along, hands jammed deep into pockets, fists clenched. Your brow is fevered, and dark thoughts flow through your mind. Thoughts of death and destruction, whispered to you by a dark passenger. Thoughts to rend, to main, to destroy ... to kill. The Dark Passenger within you points to the beggars and tells you to 'Make an example!' of one of them. DON'T LISTEN! Channel that anger, that powerful rage. Channel it into the parched and flaking hides of the Scourge and spill their rotting entrails on the ground. Do it with Titansteel Shanker!

And then I quote the price and say PST like a normal sale item.

Tell us about your goal of becoming a blacksmithing completist.
It's becoming harder and harder to differentiate myself from other Smiths on the server. In a way, I should be flattered. The ones who actively sell in Trade are starting to mimic my style of coming up with a story, and its not just Smiths. JCs and Enchanters have been doing it lately, too. They'll try and make up stories for their goods.

I have several ardent fans in Trade who always refer people to use my services, though, which is appreciated, but that can't last forever. I want to separate myself from the competition by having every recipe a player could want, from attractive RP patterns to twink gear to the most powerful items in game. I also just think it would be really neat to have a full list; it would show an incredible amount of dedication to the craft.

How much demand exists for Old World items?
On my server, this is a high demand for Old World items. Part of it is because people love to level alts, but the greater part is because there are some extremely attractive classic WoW patterns for RP. Items like the Arcanite Reaper and Arcanite Champion are still very popular from vanilla WoW, and the Fel Iron set from BC is seeing a resurgence in popularity thanks to it being the first significant upgrade for DKs once they hit 62.

What's the highest-demand item you make?
That's actually a tough question; I usually craft in enough volume that it's hard to keep track. There are a few clear-cut popular items, though. The 2H Titansteel Destroyer and 1H Titansteel Guardian are extremely popular. The Destroyer is hands-down the best 2H weapon you'll get until 25-man Naxxramas, and the Guardian is one of the most powerful caster weapons in the game. My Titansteel Plate Helms and Treads are really popular as well. Only the Spiked and Tempered variety, though; the melee and tank patterns are very, very popular.

What items do you receive the fewest requests for? Would you consider those plans obsolete?
I have never once sold a pair of Brilliant Titansteel Treads, and I've only ever sold one Brilliant Titansteel Helm. That's the Holy Paladin spellpower plate, and Blizzard made the pieces inferior to much of what can be found in 80 blues. Additionally, the Argent Crusade has a spellpower helm available at Exalted rep that makes the Brilliant Titansteel one obsolete. Blizzard either needs to buff the items, or remove them from the game, because right now they're worthless. I get about one inquiry a month about the spellpower helm, and I just direct them to level rep with Argent Crusade; it's not worth it to spend 600-700g on a helm that you're going to immediately replace.

What other activities do you enjoy in game -- casual play, PvE raiding, Battlegrounds, Arena ...?
I very much enjoy PvE raiding when I'm not crafting. I belong to a great guild called Severance, and we raid pretty much every night of the week. We do all the Northrend content, and then generally someone tries to sneak in a classic or BC raid here and there for old rep or for RP gear. I don't do very much RPing, but I like to tag along for the chance at rare Smith plan drops and for faction reputation. I also like to run guild alts and friends through heroics to try and get raid ready. I'm Ulduar-ready on my main spec (Retribution) and 25-Maly-ready on my alt spec (tank), so I'm geared out of heroics. When I run them, I can blow my friends through them quickly, and get them geared. Never hurts to have a geared group to run with.

What's your most recent rare recipe score?
My most recent score was the plans for the Arcanite Champion. They drop in LBRS, but I was able to get them for a song on the Auction House. As far as farming goes, though, I recently farmed Khorium Boots from Netherstorm, as well as Runic Armor from Alcaz Island in Dustwallow Marsh. Each one took a few hours, so I was glad to get them.

What's the most you've ever paid for a recipe?
I think the most I ever paid was 250g for the plans for a 58 twink sword called Sageblade. I doubt I'll ever end up making many of them, but the sword looks great.

I have a limit, though. I see a lot of people listing classic and BC recipes on the AH for over 1000g -- that's just crazy. My guess is they're checking Thottbot or some other source and getting a number that is grossly inflated because it's a remnant from when the plans were relevant. I don't know anyone who is willing to pay that much; even for the sake of completion, I'm not forking over that much money.

What do you do in real life, outside the game?
Until recently, I was a law school student. I realized that it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, though, so I withdrew. I'm 23, so I've got a lot of time to figure it out. Unfortunately, that also means I'm looking for a job in one of the toughest economic climates the country has faced.

Outside of the job search, though, I spend a lot of time reading -- Jim Butcher is my favorite author -- and hanging out with my friends. I live in the Boston area, so there's always plenty to do. Lately I've been helping my extended family with a lot of home improvement projects, which has kept me happily busy. It's also gotten me covered in more paint than I thought a human being was capable of being covered in! I love having a big, close, extended family, though, so it's absolutely worth it!

Sounds like you've got it all in balance. Enjoy, and may the market continue to treat you well!

"I never thought of playing WoW like that!" -- neither did we, until we talked with these players. Check out a whole year's worth of player profiles in our "15 Minutes of Fame: Where are they now?" gallery.

Filed under: Blacksmithing, Features, Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame