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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Missing Professions?
by Lesley Smith 
Jul 17th 2009 at 8:00AM
All in all the game is pretty well serviced in the realm of professions, both primary and secondary. However I can't help thinking there needs to be a bit more variety. People seem to pick the easy professions or the ones which make the most cash very quickly. Should there be tertiary professions, like lockpicking, and should they be made available to all? At the same time, do you think Blizzard were smart when they only provided two profession slots? Do you think people should be able to learn all of them, even if they could only take one or two to Grand Master level? Do you think, aside from first aid, cooking and fishing, there's a missing profession? If you could add one to the game, what would it be?
Filed under: Fishing, Mining, Skinning, Cooking, Engineering, Tailoring, First Aid, Blizzard, Breakfast Topics, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 9)
Ostego Jul 17th 2009 11:20AM
I agree... and it would tie into the lore; such as when the NE started attacking Horde and Alliance forces in WCIII because they were cutting down the forest! I always thought that was weird that we had all of these other professions but that one was missing (and that no one could make the staff, crossbow, etc).
Only problem i can see is that Blizz would have to make only certain trees harvestable (remember when inscription came out and everyone switched over to it... now apply that to a profession that has everyone destroying all of our virtual forests! it would be a virtual eco disaster! )
Percinho I give you ONE MORE internets!
Angus Jul 17th 2009 11:58AM
I must agree. Woodworking would be good.
Percinho, you sir, won. I was singing it as I clicked on the "read more link" and was not disappointed. Though your version is more awesome.
Kylenne Jul 17th 2009 12:01PM
@ Wolftech: Just like your dear papa? ;)
glarschnau Jul 17th 2009 2:43PM
Rather than harvest trees, Blizz could set it up so that beneath trees there are random spawn locations of branches that have fallen from the trees that could be harvested. LOTRO has a foresting profession that works this way and it essentially would function just like mining does.
Alithoe Jul 17th 2009 1:00PM
@Orrine
"Besides that I doubt that you can make a new profession without adding something to the game - you already can do almost all gear, enchant and socket it, buff yourself and tweak your abilities and spells. What else can you do with your character? I have no options here"
Keep in mind that Inscription and Jewelcrafting both added new customization to your characters that never existed before. Gem sockets don't exist on Vanilla gear, and there were no glyph pages on your talent (Previously spellbook) window. The main focus of the profession doesn't need to be an existing item, or work with an existing feature, but the secondary portion of the profession does (e.g. Jewelcrafting made ring/necklace gear and inscription makes scrolls and off-hands).
As for a new profession, I personally think they should make something that works with leather rather than adding in a new gathering profession that only gets used by the new crafting profession. Unfortunately, "Leatherworking" is a pretty broad subject, and I can't think of much else to do with leather besides making armor out of it. Parchment? Upholstery?
mrcomputers8563 Jul 17th 2009 1:33PM
Wow....I just posted this very same thing on the World of Warcraft forums yesterday! I totally agree, carpentry/fletchering (is that a word even?) would be an awesome addition to the game. We need some way to make bows, staves, polearms and arrows. And with enough trees everywhere in the game, add a lumberjack gathering profession as well. The inability to manufacture bows in this game has always kind of baffled me, especially when every other type of weapon is already available to the other professions to create.
Iain Jul 17th 2009 2:49PM
Woodworking++. Works perfectly with the Maelstrom too; after all, how will we get around without someone to craft boats?
ash Jul 17th 2009 3:30PM
I'm not sure if a whole new woodworking profession would work, but I thought there might be a chance for a sort tertiary/mixed profession. Basically, you would introduce a new profession called something like craftmanship, which would pretty much be aimed toward woodworking but would allow for other things. This new profession would not make items by itself but would make components combined with bop items from other professions.
So lets say you make the wooden frame for a crossbow, but then get the metal casing or gearing from blacksmithing or engineering. Same thing with staves and wands. You make the wood frame and then enchant it or something. The reason I would make it "craftmanship" and not just woodworking is so you can craft stuff like librams (combined with inscription?), totems or idols, etc.
The end products could be boe or bop but you would need the proper professions to make the combined components.
Ellemir Jul 17th 2009 3:39PM
Agreed - I wish there was a way to make bows in the game, and I hadn't thought about staff and polearm creation. That would be excellent. I'd like to see more involved with this theoretical woodworking profession too, but I'm not sure what.
avis Jul 17th 2009 11:12PM
A carpentry / woodworking profession could also be used for making wands. I think there are at the moment something like two craftable wands in the game, both made by enchanting. The furniture making thing would of course be a good idea if player or guild housing were implemented. Maybe they would also be able to carve gimmicky idols for druids that do funny things like turn all your forms pink or something.
As for a buff from the profession, Ranged weapon slot enchants anyone ?
Furiursa Jul 17th 2009 8:13AM
Re: "do you think Blizzard were smart when they only provided two profession slots? "
Absolutely. Otherwise there would be little to no need to interact with the other players in game, or the Auction House. That's not to say I don't have issues with the challenge (or lack thereof) with the professions you DO choose, and I do think there could be actual UTILITY to some of the crafting professions, but I think restricting the number of professions you can have on a toon is NOT a bad way to go.
MechChef Jul 17th 2009 10:30AM
Unless they took the EVE-approach with skills. In which, it is possible for your character to be all professions. However, unless you worked on said skills constantly for several decades, there's no way to be maxed out on all of them. So your choice is a couple maxed skills, or many mid-range skills.
I think they took the better route letting us take 2 primaries.
Oteo Jul 17th 2009 1:58PM
Wouldn't it be great if we could level our professions like in EVE, without even logging onto the game?
Blah! :P
Knob Jul 17th 2009 8:16AM
Only a matter of time before they allow three professions though....you can just feel it coming.
Zach Jul 17th 2009 8:42AM
Man, that would play hell on end-game balance...
mortiseraphim Jul 17th 2009 10:00AM
An engineering blacksmith jewelcrafter? Yea I doubt it. But the min-max'ers would cream themselves...
Terrë Jul 17th 2009 8:19AM
Last night, I was distracted. I'd just dropped skinning which was doing nothing for me, for mining, which, as a hunter, is essential for the saronite arrows (I'm not rich). I got confused when someone asked me what I was doing in Elwynn and I told him (on vent) I was leveling my ironing. This provoked much laughter.
Later, I was playing an alt. Some guildies were farming SM. I asked them if I could have the cloth that dropped (for that alt's tailoring). One of them said 'is that so you can level your ironing?'
So - maybe Laundry should be a clothie profession. You drop off your soiled robes after a raid to someone with Laundry. They get cleaned, repaired, ironed and returned for a tip. Better than repair bills any day.
themightysven Jul 17th 2009 8:33AM
Or they could just add an iron as a trade tool (makeable by an artisan blacksmith) and have new recipies all through the proffession for "pressed" items with extra awesomeness
+ spirit for the warmth of newly ironed material
+ hit cause you look so sharp
+ dodge because "hey, you're going to crease it"
Eli Jul 17th 2009 1:24PM
btw, dropping skinning = a no no as a hunter
did you forget about the +something crit? not to mention that it's being buffed in 3.2?
Microtonal Jul 17th 2009 3:30PM
@ Eli:
Meh. Once you get enough crit from gear, there are more useful professions to train, especially if you have a high-level alt that skins.