Insider Trader: Woodworking in the expansion continued
IntegrationTo really integrate, Woodworking would need to use other materials, and other professions would want to use wood.
Woodworking could utilize Skinning, which would fill another hole in WoW. Herbs are used by two professions, Mining by three, and Skinning by one! But hides could be stretched over framework to create portable lawn chairs, rolled into strong strings for bows, used to hang carvings, construct bags/boxes, cover or line items, and more.
Scribe inks could be used to make paints (by either Scribes or Woodworkers, or even transmuted by Alchemists) that could decorate or imbue objects.
Wood could be used in wand creation in place of vendor woods for Enchanters and enchanted to make special woods used in crafting. Pulp, as a by-product of Milling, could be used in the creation of better papers by Scribes. Engineers would certainly have plenty of uses for wood, and Tailors and Leatherworkers could probably find a use as well.
Sap, as a by-product of Logging, could be used as an adhesive, flavoring in Cooking, mixed into certain inks, or go into potions, elixirs and flasks. Dust, as another possible by-product, could be sold to Enchanters. Roots could be dug up and used in Cooking.
Alchemy oils could be used as finishing coats on many items. Metals could be used for hinges, uncut gems for decoration, disenchantment materials could be fused into things, and much more. Pick anything that isn't used enough, or end-game materials that need to become more scarce, and use your imagination.
Engineers could create a new gadget that combine the Logging axe and shovel, as well.
Whether this balance would be achieved by modifying reagents from older recipes, or creating new ones (likely both), it could be done.
Nethaera also mentioned that art concepts are important when adding a new profession. I think that Native art elements, as well as Troll-esque art, rune-like images, Pioneer styles and "primitive" elements would be quite welcome.
The story behind it all, and the next expansion
So who would bring this craft to the masses? Why, the Venture Company of course! Well, ex-Venture Company. In the next expansion, if Goblins do indeed become playable, we can expect that the (likely Horde) Goblins will have their own story, and of course, the neutral Goblins wouldn't be left out of this development. Some Venture Company members could have defected and found a home within neutral boundaries.
Eager to prove/redeem themselves, and make a little coin of course, they will pass along their most valuable skill; that of gathering, transforming and creating with, wood. Trainers could show up in Ratchet, making them accessible to young Trolls, Orcs and Tauren, in Booty Bay to be more accessible to some Alliance, and later, in other neutral Goblin towns.
In addition, in towns that contain a Goblin or two, an ex-Venture Co. member could be tagging along, able to reach out to small Horde and Alliance outposts, selling their know-how while the Goblin sells wares. This could even be an opportunity for a new Goblin faction that would grant reputation, although you might think that it is they who really owe us a reputation grind!
Later, in the sanctuaries of Shattrath and Dalaran (perhaps in the sewer), neutral ex-Venture Co. would be free to set up shop in peace. Not all of these NPCs would need to be Goblin, as there are plenty of other races in the Company, but the new playable Goblins could indeed get a profession-related racial.
CM Drysc has also hinted that we haven't seen the last of the Venture Trading Company, making all of this seem even more plausible.
As a point of interest, in Wrath, several Tailoring patterns were added for Lumberjack and Workman shirts. Could this have been a hint of things to come, or merely a questionable fashion choice?
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 6)
devilsei Jul 25th 2009 7:03PM
Heh, careful or you might just get those cruddy shoes with the pop-out wheels
Moonkinmaniac Jul 25th 2009 7:28PM
And don't forget about us Alch's! We could have a potion that works like a mount that turns us into something or gives us wings. ...or hell I'd take a flower mount if it'll get us closer to the 100 achievement.
Khaeleth Jul 26th 2009 6:14AM
it would be a profession that fills out more trinkets and also idols for druids etc would be good
Roxton Jul 25th 2009 6:37PM
This was a very nice, well-written and composed article, but:
ARTHAS ISN'T EVEN DEAD YET!
Is Wrath really so boring that people feel the need to speculate about an unannounced, un-timetabled expansion after less than a year into the current one? Every other post on WoW.com these days seems to be rather futile speculation; Worgen, Goblins, Naga, Murlocs and other fanservice.
Dulock Jul 25th 2009 7:15PM
"Is Wrath really so boring that people feel the need to speculate about an unannounced, un-timetabled expansion after less than a year into the current one?"
Yes.
Also, the next expansion, if it follows Blizzard's release time line, is only a little over a year away.
sprout_daddy Jul 25th 2009 8:11PM
The answer to this question could have been yes six months ago. People are looking to the expansion because the existing content is all played out. When 3.2 comes out, it'll be played out two weeks. I hope Blizzard (a) speeds up the pace of new expansion packs or (b) figures out a way to make incremental content more evolutionary/involved - it's becoming a struggle to see any continuing reason to play this game I love.
Natrii Jul 25th 2009 6:43PM
being able to make like 5 min target dummys would make SP really op on static boss fights...dot, dot, then mind sear the dummy...be out of control lol
henderson-94 Jul 25th 2009 8:28PM
If you're saying people would get a damage increase just because they put DoTs on a dummy, that's not at all true. I mean you're not doing extra damage to the boss, although sure it does show up on damage meters, it would just be a cosmetic thing. Someone could easily hover over their recount to see that you actually did half as much damage as everyone else did to the boss, because you were too busy putting DoTs on the dummy :S.
Roflpanda Jul 25th 2009 8:46PM
He means dot the boss then spam mind sear on the dummy, obviously. Mind sear >>>>> mind flay.
heroichogger Jul 25th 2009 6:46PM
They could craft wooden chests: possibly the first bank-only bags with 32 slots or so.
Just an idea.
Sven Van Herck Jul 25th 2009 7:01PM
Now that would be a great idea! This is something blizz should implement immediatly, it doesnt neccesarily need a new proffesion to happen. This sounds very engineering to me.
Antonia Jul 25th 2009 6:44PM
Umm, am I missing something or do we not see logging in other places then just the venture co.? I mean both sides have logging in mind.. Elwynn Forest, even Westfall, for Alliance? Ashenvale and the whole battle over WSG for the Horde?
IDK, it just seems very short sighted that the idea presented by the article, as speculative as it maybe, would put all the hopes and dreams of this profession in the hands of an organization we've fought since the beginning. Really any race (with the possible weird exception of the Nightelves, since wood just seems to magically appear for them or something) has the need/drive/purpose for wood and things made of it.
Boydboyd Jul 25th 2009 6:45PM
Miners get "Track Minerals" and "Smelting", so why would there need to be two professions for a woodworker to do the same? Loggers could get "Find Timber" and "Lumber Milling". No reason to over-complicate, as we WoW'ers often do.
Ommadon Jul 26th 2009 9:21AM
Mining is a gathering profession. Lumber Milling would be a gathering profession. But what would we do with all of that lumber? See where I'm going?
Woodworking or Carpentry or whatever they decide to call it is the Crafting profession, not the gathering one, as Mining is to Blacksmithing or Engineering or Jewelcrafting.
Think before you post please.
onetrueping Jul 26th 2009 1:42PM
He was referring to the article having separated the gathering resources and converting to woodworking-usable resources tasks into two separate jobs, not logging and carpentry as separate professions.
Think before you post, please.
Scritty Jul 25th 2009 6:46PM
I want house building...woodworking...pet breeding....and a trading skill to allow those who love the game economics to set up their own specialist "shops".
And lots more.
But woodworking is the obvious one I guess
Shial Jul 25th 2009 6:49PM
Woodworking needs housing. Period.
It was awesome back in UO. I remember paying a well known carpenter to decorate mi house. That guy knew his bussiness.
Noscy Jul 26th 2009 8:11PM
I heard wolves especially the 'big bad' type have a tendency to blow them down... Brick Layer would be a better Trade for that...
Sven Van Herck Jul 25th 2009 6:58PM
I don't like the idea at all, current proffesions are fine as they are. We have tons of non-combat items: toys, trinkets,... Adding a whole proffesion for it seems a bit useless imo, even with the other things that were suggested also.
And as mentioned, it would be a hell of a lot of work for blizz and I think there are hundreds of better ways for them to spend their time.
Gelvon Jul 25th 2009 7:12PM
I think tattooing would be an interesting profession. The tattoos would appear on the body, and could work like enchants/gems.