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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 5 of 9)
Shnutz Jul 17th 2009 9:20AM
I always thought it would be cool to have a cosmetic secondary profession, named like "Dyeing" for example, that would allow you to use the pigments already in game to change the color or appearance of gear.
Maybe they could add more utility to skinning by using some of the leather, or scraps and by products of skinning, in that cosmetic profession to attach or modify the look of equipment (this may be asking for a bit much due to the extensive graphic programming that it would involve).
Other than that maybe some First aid specializations, like Pharmacist, MD or Dentist! (My gnome really could use some dentures...)
Palisis Jul 17th 2009 6:50PM
EXACTLY!!! This is so desperately needed. After so many years of gear and lot of the same gear worn by those of your faction or role, it would be an awesome idea to throw in Dyers. It would help with all the mismatch gear you get throughout the game.
ghola Jul 17th 2009 8:58AM
Woodworking is an obvious one for adding craftable guns, bows, arrows, staves & idols. Lumberjacking would be a collecting profession to support this. A couple other options for professions: Dyeing for altering equipment & spell colorations, and Animal Training for capturing creatures as mounts & pets (non-combat only).
Secondary professions could use a lot of expansion also. Some options could be Pathfinding for faster travel in certain circumstances, Tactics for small combat bonuses against regular mobs you have a lot of experience fighting, and Politics for better rep gains with factions and better prices from friendly factions.
Bearimus Jul 17th 2009 9:09AM
A bard. Imagine you make your own instruments and use them to cast buffs on your party. Like shouts, but various effects. A tank bard could play a long song on its' healer from +heal crits. Whenever you're ready, Blizz.
Sepkoski Jul 17th 2009 10:39AM
If there was a bard profession (which I would like, I want to play the fiddle) it would have to be a secondary profession.
Or, work like this: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/features/bard/bardclass.xml
Szass Jul 17th 2009 10:20AM
Tinker !
They could repair.Make toys or cookpots and things of that nature.Maybe they could make special flasks.
Or.
Trapper.
Hunting those critters for profit ! make a mini game out of it.
Wither Jul 17th 2009 9:06AM
How about:
Knitting - create epic sweaters and scarves, ok too close to tailoring. ..
Gardening - grow special herbs as consumable or reagents, grow carnivorous minion plants.
Entertaining / Music - Create and play instruments (for party / raid buffs or special effects).
My favourite hobby:
Sleeping : Regain mana and health in combat using /sleep.
Mordockk Jul 17th 2009 9:12AM
Zookeeper - Allowing you to raise and breed non-combat pets and companions. (catch a rat, breed it with a rabbit...make a wolpertinger)....make these non-combat pets increase a certain stat!
Woodworking- def need a prof to make staves bows arrows etc...(boats for maelstrom)
Architect- construct tents/huts to allow yourself to become rested whilst not at an Inn. Allows you to see blueprints of a building/cave and all NPC's/Enemies within.
denis_krah Jul 17th 2009 9:10AM
Tatooist.
Very interactive & needs ink like inscription.
Gabrael Jul 17th 2009 9:14AM
I think the profession system as it is now is fine. Two primaries and all the secondaries works well.
I also think they could do something that would allow folks to make wands / staves / arrows as a new profession (Woodworking? hehe).
However, I think that Blizzard has really fallen off the wagon when it comes to professions. I really do NOT like how they have dropped a lot of the consumables from the game. I understand they say they have to set the raid encounters up to account for them and they don't want to do that, so they got rid of them. Fine enough I suppose. But why not let consumables be exactly that, an "extra" for the players, not a requirement. Allow them - they provide a marginal individual benefit for the most part anyway - and set your raid encounters up so folks weren't required to bring them. Besides, I think Blizz is a little hypocritical on this point anyway ... Fish Feast is a consumable, and that's still in the game, and I miss my sharpening stones!
I'm also fairly peeved about their decision to effectively remove some of the specialized sub professions ... I'm a Blacksmith (and a Swordsmith) ... and as far as I know there are no epic sword recipes strictly for those who put the time and effort into the quests and profession itself. Nor does Blizzard have any intention of adding them ... /sigh.
I understand that Blizzard is busy rebalancing all of the classes and figuring out what they screwed up last time that they're going to have to fix next time and all ... meanwhile they're simultaneously developing new content (which I'm really looking forward to) ... but I would honestly like to see them working on making some of the existing content (Professions being chief among those) a bit better, because they've honestly only gotten worse in every way (excepting providing profession specific buffs).
I like the system, I just wish they'd actually spend a little more time on it.
Tib Jul 17th 2009 9:17AM
I always thought that you should your two professions AND a gathering profession. We have certain professions that are in many ways intended to work with a specific gathering profession. An example is that Alchemy and Inscription are both made easier (and no doubt cheaper) by herbalists. Likewise Blacksmiths, Jewelcrafters, and Engineers benefit from having mining. I just feel that at this stage in the game, having a free gathering profession would allow more people to enjoy a wider variety of professions. It makes sense that an Engineer would know a thing or two about blacksmithing (how else could you forge those precious copper tubes?) or that someone who's an expert at mixing inks would know how to make a potion or elixir.
As far as NEW professions go, I kinda wanted to see woodworking. They've already created a mechanic for acquiring wood with the Tournament dalies, so there's your new gathering profession as well. This way you learn to make staves, wands, maces, and various other goodies that could benefit the wow community.
TLDR: Give us 2 professions AND a gathering profession, and add Woodworking and lumberjacking as new professions.
-Tib
Helmhammer Jul 17th 2009 9:35AM
I'd be happy if you could just farm water the way you can farm food.
Steve Jul 17th 2009 10:01AM
I agree with the woodworking idea. Make it possible to gather pieces of wood from forested regions and craft staffs, bows, crossbows, fishing poles and arrows. Along with the wood other components could include leather which would help boost the profitability of skinning. Perhaps even craft Wand "blanks" that could then be turned into various wands by enchanters providing another synergy between professions. Also be able to craft some off-hand items and trinkets (BOP perhaps).
I'd also like to see Brewing as a secondary profession. Similar to alchemy in that it would use herbs (and some fruit/foods) but the concoctions wouldn't be as potent as alchemist's potions and would have the side effect of making you drunk. More of a "for fun" profession than game critical. At higher levels the brewmaster could even craft beverages that would give you a fiery breath, break out into dance or other such humorous effects.
KilgoreTrout XL Jul 17th 2009 9:38AM
I don't know if there's room for another fishing/first aid/cooking type profession, but I think "Athletics" would be fun.
This would require some work, setting up games, fields, events, (stadiums even) all over the place. But there's a lot of room for creativity in the types of sports that we could participate in, skiing in storm peaks, whitewater rafting in grizzly hills, beach volleyball in STV, "noodling" in zangarmarsh, fox Hunting/getting chased by DELTA in borean tundra, curling (EVERYWHERE, obvs) etc...
You could easily give some kind of passive bonus for leveling it up (agility, haste, etc...) and any trophy, medal, uniform or equipment, you might attain could provide individual or raid wide bonuses for sale on the auction house.
It would be tons of work so it'll never happen. Would be kinda cool though.
outlier Jul 17th 2009 9:39AM
Bard, may as well use the april fools from a year ago as a secondary profession. You specialize in a instrument and using a guitar hero like mini game, you can play a song that on a one day cool-down (to prevent it being required in raids) provides a party-wide buff depending on the type of song you play. Heavy Metal Song gives strength, high-tempo song gives haste, classical gives intellect etc. the better the song is played, the higher the buff gets in a stacking manner. for example;
Poorly played Heavy Metal=5 strength
Perfectly played Heavy Metal=30 strength
and everything in between.
Felinae Jul 19th 2009 7:28AM
You can calibrate your console for 'ping time' effects with Guitar Hero, not so with WoW, would most likely make it impossible for people outside of the states or with flakey internets.
You'd have to do it like the Simon Says game in BEM, which I suspect would get very tired very quickly as a profession.
Candina@WH Jul 17th 2009 9:55AM
I think we need another 'class' of learnable skills. An earlier poster made a passing reference to 'hobby'. I think we need to go further with that.
Hobby's would not level to 450. A hobby would give a specific skill set that either buffs a profession, or has out of combat usefulness.
Gardening either gives a greater chance to pick herbs, or the ability to cultivate herbs.
Bowyer gives an engineer the ability to make bows, reduces the costs of making arrows.
Musician gives the ability to make instruments and perform music that give a raid wide buff to spirit. (can only be cast out of combat).
Brewer enhances an alchemists proc rate on potion making, while also allowing the brewing of non-combat alcoholic beverages and mana restoratives.
Artist allows the creation of painting (using vellums)-simple code add to add a 'canvas' effect to a screen print or something. The creation of vellums from skins, Certificates of achievement (PDF documents of your toons achievements, etc).
Etc.
Not 'new' professions, but professional 'enhancers'.
/shrug. Just a different idea.
Sepkoski Jul 17th 2009 11:01AM
I like the idea of a hobby, but I think it should be 100% vanity, with no way to make money from them. Hobbies could be dancing, playing different instruments, juggling, etc.
Sarabande Jul 19th 2009 11:33AM
I love the idea of hobby and don't mind making money / helping friends with them. Though I think they should work LIKE professions, just not give you any gameplay benefits (just for fun). That way, you can take it or leave it. Also, make the various items "discoverable" rather than instance or raid drops, on top of those you can learn from trainer.
I've taken some of the ideas already discussed and maybe added a few new ones (didn't read ALL the comments yet).
Costume Designer: Make non-combat clothing (similar to holiday clothing) that are for fun, for parties or just sitting around town. They would most likely be kind of clunky and childlike in the beginning, and have more sophisticated designs at higher lvls. Maybe things like Cardboard Robot, Faeries (with sparkly wings), demons (exaggerated and more colorful than you see in the game), animals. I see how much people love things like Nozzenfogger and Savory Deviate Delights and also the holiday clothing. I think this would be fun.
Hairstylist / Dyer: Create hair styles and color / highlights that you can't get from the barbershop. Some would be BoP designs and other . . well, there must be a way to do it for your friends. How about being able to walk around as a human with purple hair and extensions?
Toymaker: Make things like balloons, kites, throwing objects (similar to the leather ball but more fanciful), stuffed animals that can be equipped in the "off hand" slot, so it looks like you're carrying one, "pets" that are just toys (maybe a pull-toy) and other simple items, just for fun.
Bartender: For drinks that have cool effects, like the Brew of the Month stuff.
Maybe the hobbies can be "enhanced" if you have certain professions, such as, tailors might have an easier time lvling costume designer (but maybe not by much) whereas Alchemy might enhance Bartending.
Hiwa Jul 17th 2009 9:59AM
How about Security Guard? A couple days ago my lvl 80 rogue was leveling mining in wetlands and came across three level 6 priests (all appropriately bubbled) who looked to be on their way to Menethil.
"Oh lord," I thought, "this is a recipe for mayhem!"
So I decided to follow them and try to troubleshoot the various crocolisks and raptors that were going to smell fresh, tender clothie meat from 5 miles away. I saved their butts about 20 times I guess. Then, like the Lone Ranger, I tipped my hat and rode away once they were safe inside the Menethil walls.
Of course I don't know how there could possibly be any money in this. Level 6 toons seldom have more than a bit of copper on them. Maybe Blizzard could just hire me to prevent disaster and pay me real money instead.