Insider Trader: Profession-specific buffs part 2

Last week, Insider Trader discussed the profession-only bonuses associated with Inscription, Jewelcrafting and Enchanting. This week, I'm going to walk you through the rest of them, and include a final summary and comparison at the end.
Tailoring Perks
Tailors have the ability to enchant their own cloaks. Other players can get cloak enchants from Enchanters, although the Tailoring ones are superior in many cases.
- Darkglow Embroidery: Chance to restore 300 mana on spell cast. There seems to be a 60 second internal cooldown, with a proc rate of 35%, which is equal to 25 mp5.
- Lightweave Embroidery: Chance on spell cast to increase your spellpower by 250 for 15 seconds.
- Swordguard Embroidery: Chance for melee and ranged attacks to sometimes increase your attack power by 300 for 15 seconds.
For example, after 45 seconds, each spell has a chance to proc the effect. If you managed it at the 50 second mark, the average becomes +75 SP.
Casters who are not Tailors can currently choose between Enchant Cloak - Wisdom and Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed.
Wisdom grants you a measly 10 spirit, as well as a now obsolete 2% threat reduction. The +23 haste rating is nice, but provides neither mana nor spellpower.
Enchant Cloak - Major Agility grants you +22 agility to cloak. Agility is inefficient to everyone except rogues, hunters, shamans and druid cats, who would get +22 AP from it as well as the crit/dodge/armor. In terms of attack power alone, the Swordguard enchant is the clear winner.
Leatherworking
Leatherworkers have the ability to sew fur linings into the insides of their own bracers, adding enchants that are better than what Enchanters can offer everyone else.
Aside from the resistance linings, here is what you can get:
- Fur Lining - Attack Power: +114 AP. Enchanters can provide Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault, which gives +50 AP. Therefore, Leatherworkers get a bonus of +64 AP.
- Fur Lining - Spell Power: +67 SP. Enchanters can give Enchant Bracers - Superior Spell Power, which grants +30 SP for a difference of +37 SP for Leatherworkers.
- Fur Lining - Stamina: +90 STA. Enchanters can provide Enchant Bracers - Major Stamina, which offer +40 STA. Leatherworkers get +50 more.
Blacksmiths are able to add two extra sockets to their armor, and this modification does stack with enchants. This means that you could attach the sockets to your bracers and gloves, and still enchant those items. The sockets are prismatic, meaning that you can attach any color gem. This means that however sub-par the sockets on the rest of your gear might be, you will have at least two ideal gems. Of course, the Eternal Belt Buckle makes three, but because anyone can use those, it is not a Blacksmithing-only benefit.
Harking back to the upcoming Jewelcrafting nerf, which will render all Dragon's Eyes no longer prismatic, a Blacksmithing JC would be able to take up Blacksmithing, equip a belt buckle, and still have three prismatic sockets in order to work around the nerf.
Engineering
The Engineering bonuses are a bit odd. They are convenient in that, fun abilities such as rocket boots to boost run speed temporarily or certain trinkets are no longer items that you need to carry or equip in place of your regular armor. Now, they can be added right onto your raiding or PvP set!
Unfortunately, it seems that these fun abilities seem to use up itemization points in some cases. In addition to their quirky abilities, they offer the following enchants:
- Nitro Boosts: +16 critical strike rating to boots. The most comparable boot enchant for non-Engineers is Icewalker, which grants +12 critical strike rating and +12 hit rating. Nitro Boosts are clearly superior if you are hit capped, or if hit is not important to you, as it would not be to a raiding holy paladin.
- Reticulated Armor Webbing: +800 armor to gloves. This would be applied in place of +15 expertise rating or +35 AP.
- Hyperspeed Accelerators: These would be a huge upgrade over the above armor webbing to gloves, especially for non-tanks (or non-plate-wearers!). They grant 340 haste rating for ten seconds every minute. This is about 10% haste at level 80. You can macro this by typing /use 10. The stackability is the main point here. There are plenty of abilities that, when procced together, would make you go wild! In addition, it is useful for healers, especially for when a big heal needs to be popped!
- Hand-Mounted Pyro Rocket: This may not be as competitive, but it's certainly fun. This will reset your swing timer. Ret paladins can use it to pull from range. The range is 45 yards, which is huge, and can also be used within melee range. Just like the accelerators, create a macro by typing /use 10. It is an instant cast, and has the ability to crit. This is especially good for PvP!
- Springy Arcanoweave: This is a cloak enchant that adds +18 SP. There is no other spell power to cloak enchant in the game. The main option for non-Engineers is Greater Speed, which adds +23 haste rating. Unfortunately, the Lightweave enchant for Tailors is undoubtedly superior.
- Flexweave Underlay: +15 agility to cloak. Unfortunately for Engineers, Enchanters can offer Major Agility to anyone, and it adds +22 agility. Of course, you can't parachute off of things with your regular cloak, but an extra 7 agility will be more useful to raiders.
Alchemists get a somewhat controversial benefit called Mixology. This will double the duration of your flasks and elixirs, as well as boost the effectiveness of those consumables. Mixology only works for potions/flasks/elixirs that you actually know how to make.
Mixology affects each flask/potion/elixir differently. The main reason that I call its benefits "controversial" is that, however well they might balance with the rewards from other professions, the effects are only active while the consumable is active, whereas gems and enchants are working all the time. Of course, with a two-hour flask duration, applying these buffs while raiding, PvPing and even questing, is not painstaking. Elixir Masters especially will benefit, as they randomly create extra, free, flasks and elixirs, reducing the cost even further.
- Flask of the Frost Wyrm: Alchemists gain an additional +37 SP.
- Flask of Stoneblood: Alchemists gain +320 HP. Because it is mainly tanks that use this, this bonus is really dismal. As I've said before, tanks gain more benefit from stamina. This is equivalent to 32 stamina for most players, and roughly 25-28 stamina for tanks, whose talents would boost that much stamina up to around +320 HP worth.
- Flask of Endless Rage: Alchemists get an extra +64 AP, which is on par with the Leatherworking attack power to bracers enchant.
- Flask of Pure Mojo: MP5 is a stat that is currently in high debate, with most classes now preferring spirit, intellect or critical strike rating for their mana instead. Because of this, Ghostcrawler has hinted that they may make MP5 cheaper (translation: there will be more of it on your gear, and/or it won't nerf other stats as much just by it existing on the gear), as well as other changes. An Alchemist gains an additional 13 mp5.
- Flask of Distilled Wisdom: Alchemists get an extra +20 Int. This is currently better than the Flask of Pure Mojo, even though it does not come from Northrend. This is because of the (perhaps temporary) relative uselessness of MP5.
Filed under: Herbalism, Insider Trader (Professions), Enchants, Buffs, Guides, Raiding, Features, Jewelcrafting, PvP, Tips, Analysis / Opinion, Enchanting, Leatherworking, Engineering, Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Inscription






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tresser Jun 12th 2009 3:05PM
*cough*Lightweave*cough*
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55642
tresser Jun 12th 2009 3:07PM
i can't brain today. I have the dumb.
astemusdraight Jun 12th 2009 3:16PM
It seems like there are alot of enchants missing from this list, and the math doesn't seem right to me. I'd go thru and actually check, but I'm not being paid to write here.
I thought rogues get 2ap per 1agi? Where is the armsman gloves enchant? I think there are alot more but I'm not really an editor here.
Selene Jun 12th 2009 3:34PM
No, rogues do not get 2 AP per 1 Agil. Due to the other bonuses of agility (like crit), 1 Agil is often considered equivalent to 2 AP, but that's only a very rough rule of thumb.
Of course there are more enchants. The point of the article is enchants/enhancements that require a profession to use. Anyone can get Armsman, so there's no point in being an enchanter if that's all you want.
astemusdraight Jun 12th 2009 4:13PM
"Reticulated Armor Webbing: +800 armor to gloves. This would be applied in place of +15 expertise rating or +35 AP. "
Clearly leaving out an enchant in this statement is incorrect. It wouldn't be applied in place of +35 AP. This is what I meant by missing enchants. The enchants are missing in context.
" Agility is inefficient to everyone except rogues, hunters, shamans and druid cats, who would get +22 AP from it as well as the crit/dodge/armor."
Another misleading statement, as well as being incorrect. For tanks this is largely considered one of the most useful enchants if you don't require the DEF rating. Yet no tank classes are even mentioned.
I chose a few examples to illustrate my point. If you post an article on comparisons, or include math, you should take the time to make sure they are correct. Or stick to writing things that don't require those things. Leaving things out in the context of this article is careless at best.
Sedirex Jun 12th 2009 3:35PM
"The sockets are prismatic, meaning that you can attach any color gem." FAIL. There's no such thing as a prismatic socket, only sockets without socket bonuses. You can put whatever color gem you like in any socket, you just lose the bonus if they don't match. It's ridiculous that someone who's paid to know about the game doesn't understand mechanics from 2 years ago.
Selene Jun 12th 2009 3:39PM
I thought it apparent that the author meant "you can attach any color gem without compromising any socket bonuses". Perhaps the wording could have been clearer, but perhaps it is also not necessary to spell out every obvious detail to an audience that already understands most of the game.
J Harrell Jun 12th 2009 4:12PM
There are prismatic sockets in-game, the belt buckle being one of them. You'd be surprised at the number of people in-game who hasn't realized that they don't have to stick to whatever color a particular socket is (including prismatics). For all of a week or so, when I got my first belt buckle, I did have a prismatic gem equipped because I didn't know better (and thought it was similar to meta sockets). So yes, possibly bad wording on the point of the author, but those sockets ARE prismatic.
RetPallyJil Jun 12th 2009 3:37PM
I was about to drop Armorsmithing, until I heard I'd be getting extra sockets. SCORE!
TY Blizz, you did something right for a change!
stylewalker Jun 12th 2009 3:38PM
"now obsolete 2% threat reduction"
Why is 2% threat reduction obsolete now? Did they change something?
tim b Jun 13th 2009 4:43AM
I'm guessing the author doesn't play a destro warlock - we for one know that threat reduction isn't obsolete.
Zhiva Jun 13th 2009 9:04AM
or fire mage...
Paul Jun 12th 2009 3:43PM
I'd just like to point out that, for the engineering perks, the hand rocket USED to reset the swing timer, but that was changed in 3.1, and it no longer does. In addition, with the change of its cooldown to 45sec, it's generally considered the superior dps enchant to Hyperspeed Accelerators.
Finally, I wish people would consider Saronite Bombs (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41119#contained-in-item) to be an additional dps perk. They're off the GCD, they don't reset your swing timer, they do AoE dmg comparable to the palm rocket, though it can't crit. They don't trigger the 10sec collective Engineering cooldown, and they're dirt cheap to make in large quantities. A stack of saronite bars and 4 unstable triggers will give you upwards of a hundred bombs.
Adamanthis Jun 12th 2009 3:42PM
I've noticed on both of my servers that the price of Eternal Life has risen dramatically. Life to Fire was, until recently, the most profitable single transmute for my two alchemists. Life has now risen to be approximately equal to fire in cost, with Water to Fire becoming the most profitable transmute.
Any ideas on why Eternal Life is suddenly so dear? I was wondering if something in the last patch increased demand for it.
Evildanny Jun 13th 2009 8:39AM
My best guess is that scribes are buying Eternal Lifes (lives?) to make Darkmoon Cards, it being Darkmoon Faire time this week. That's what I'm buying them for anyway.
yokumgang Jun 12th 2009 3:51PM
When I saw that picture, the first thing I thought of was Goaste.
Blacknimbus Jun 12th 2009 4:04PM
I think I'm seeing Lightweave proc off Fel Armor ticks. If I get a stam buff with Fel Armor on, I get a proc. If I jump off a cliff and take some damage with Fel Armor on, I get a proc.
J Harrell Jun 12th 2009 4:10PM
There are a lot of enchants missing, since the point of this list isn't to point out every single enchant in the game. Rather, this list is to compare the various professions' buffs with each other. Armsman is one that can be given by any enchanter to a tank, but reticulated armor webbing is only used by an engineer (to focus on the same item slot and role).
There has been lots of discussion about how engineering is so off compared to the other professions, and as a relatively new player to the game (especially one who hasn't gotten to end-game with many professions), its nice to see a comparison on how the professions stack up.
astemusdraight Jun 12th 2009 4:27PM
A great point, however, if that was the case, there wouldn't be any normal enchants in the article. I think this attempt was spread too thin, and should have been kept strictly to the enchants from tradeskills, and perhaps another article comparing them to the stock enchants available.
Ravon1981 Jun 12th 2009 4:17PM
As you can see practically nothing for LW. possibly the most useless prof there is