BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professions, part 3
Q&A: ReforgingWhat will Engineers be able to Reforge?
Blizzard mentioned trinkets, but I would also guess that guns and goggles would be on that list. They also claimed that we might see Engineers making bows and staves, in which case, they would likely also be able to Reforge those.
Keep in mind that Reforging is not just about the items that you make, it's about the items that you can make. This means that an Engineer would be able to Reforge trinkets acquired through badges, raiding, heroics, PvP, and more. It will also be a skill that we will allow us to perform the service for others.
Couldn't we use Reforging to repair armor and weapons ourselves while keeping the cost built in?
This question refers to something that I touched on last week. When asked if Reforging will allow us to finally repair our own gear, Blizzard answered that they like the way that repair costs work now, and the upcoming related changes (for example, guild talent trees that could increase gold gains and lower repair costs), it isn't something that they want to do.
A couple of readers mentioned in the comments section that the cost wouldn't have to be eliminated. Rather than paying it to the <Repair Guy>, we'd pay the Trade goods vendors for the materials, such as thread.
Blizzard has ruled out this possibility as well, stating that repair bots already perform this function. In fact, Ulduar has a vendor that will repair your gear that you can teleport straight to, and many parts of the dungeon are considered to be "outside," allowing players to mount up. Anyone with a Grand Caravan Mammoth, purchasable in Dalaran from Mei Francis, can mount up and allow players to get repairs.
Hopefully, Blizzard will continue to use and expand on this design.
Read more about Reforging in BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professions, part one.
Woodworking: Will we ever see it?
Despite our best imaginary efforts, Blizzard still does not feel that there would be enough craftables to warrant making Woodworking its own profession. Yet.
Gathering lumber has been a part of Warcraft history, and so the possibility of a related profession is "on the back burner." It seems that if at any point there would be enough relevant objects that could be crafted to fill out the profession, Blizzard would implement it.
Profession Specializations
It seems that Blizzard is dissatisfied with the way in which professions specializations work. Originally, specializing was a means of creating variety and niche work. Now, Blizzard is claiming that they would rather see this happen through gameplay.
This would mean that we would all be able to learn the recipes from the different specializations within our professions. Through drops, reputation grinds, and who knows what else (Archaeology? Path of the Titans?), we'll be able to differentiate ourselves.
Profession Buffs
Finally, I am skipping over one big announcement because it was summed up so well by Michael Gray: Class Specific Buffs Become Craftable Items. Blizzard has devised a way to use professions to grant raiders access to important class buffs (such as Kings), without having to bring that class, which can be an issue, especially in 10-man raiding guilds.






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jack Spicer Aug 28th 2009 4:12PM
I wonder if JC reforging will be changing the color of gem slots.
Rhabella Aug 28th 2009 4:24PM
My gut response is no. Sockets are in the gear as a way of balancing the stat itemization with stats you actually need. The “penalty” for not utilizing a properly colored gem is the loss of the socket bonus. There are already enough players who forsake socket bonuses for straight up BiS gems for your specific spec. I can’t imagine Blizzard would want us having that much control over the stats of gear.
When I think of JC reforging, I think of necks and rings, but I could be totally wrong as well.
Angus Aug 28th 2009 7:33PM
Rhabella: "The “penalty” for not utilizing a properly colored gem is the loss of the socket bonus."
The problem here is that the socket bonuses on gear are so inferior to epic gem stats there is no longer a reason to bother.
As a tank: Solid zircon. Unless the socket bonus is 9-12 stamina, I lose too much from gemming for it. So I go with the socket bonuses that give me a bunch of stamina in order to meet the meta requirement, and then I ignore them on gear.
My current gear:
blue socket with +12 stam bonus. (Solid zircon)
yellow socket with 6 stam (def/stam gem) I needed the defense to stay above cap.
blue+red with 9 stam (solid + a agil/stam) Most effective health and threat. (meta gem)
yellow with 4 defense: solid zircon
blue with 4 hit: solid zircon
belt buckle: solid zircon
yellow and red with 6 defense: 2 solid zircon
blue with 6 stamin: solid zircon
I met my gem requirements and only got 2 items with socket bonuses that weren't blue slots.
If they want people to gem for socket bonuses, those bonuses need to be in line with the lost stats on the gems. +4 or +6 to stats like hit or defense aren't compelling or even worth looking at.
Finnicks Aug 29th 2009 5:05AM
Solution:
Make socket bonuses scale w/ gem quality.
Everybody wins.
Steve Aug 28th 2009 4:19PM
PopCap and Blizzard team up for Archeology minigames = InstaWin
Crash Aug 28th 2009 4:49PM
Zuma minigame for Archeology! Hell yeah!
Charlie Aug 29th 2009 12:16AM
Oh. My. God.
Yes.
Alchemistmerlin Aug 28th 2009 4:22PM
"Through drops, reputation grinds, and who knows what else (Archaeology? Path of the Titans?), we'll be able to differentiate ourselves."
*groan* This just means more work for the individual crafter, as we will be expected to know every recipe. "That's not in my specialization" will no longer be an excuse to not know a recipe.
Though I guess that's to Blizzard's advantage, as that means more repgrind time = more timesink = more paid subscription time.
Rhabella Aug 28th 2009 4:41PM
Who expects you to know every recipe? I was a little disappointed in the Lich when they removed recipe farming for decent enchants. Having highly sought after recipes helps people make cash through tips and/or the AH. The complete profession process was dumbed down so much in Lich that everyone was leveling professions and now no one can really make any money because so many people all have recipes.
It would be nice if those player, hardcore raiders or casuals, were able to farm recipes and make a little extra cash. There should be a cost associated with how you decide to spend your wow time, and the new casualcraft that Lich king gave us removed many of costs for just the game perks, whether it’s the ZOMFG leet purplz or just the casual player who likes to spend an extra hour one day trying to farm up a recipe.
This is the real tragedy of Lich. So many people are crying about how easy raiding has gotten, but look at how easy everything in the game has gotten. Blind one arm monkeys could play the game and walk around in epics if gave them computers and wow subscriptions. It’s less about any sort of devotion since you can just skin your way to better DPS. I miss the specializations and the rare farmable drops. They let people know you actually worked on your professions and to some players that badge of honor means as much as some hard mode epic.
In the attempt to cater to everyone, WoW is starting to cater to no one, and I hope that Cataclysm is able to address that.
Jack Spicer Aug 28th 2009 4:53PM
@Rhabella
They didn't exactly dumb down the game completely. The way you describe BC Enchanting is that Wrath was like for Jewelcrafters.
Heilig Aug 28th 2009 7:29PM
Only for the first few weeks. After that every JC on the server had the 8-10 cuts that everyone actually wanted. getting all the crazy cuts that might sell once a month just cost you money you could have been making on dragon's eyes.
bob Aug 28th 2009 4:36PM
Cultivation is a Tauren racial, not Druid.
Sleutel Aug 28th 2009 7:02PM
You'd think they'd have noticed that Druid is a class, not a race, and that Night Elves don't have this bonus.
The WoW Insider Lack of Editing before Posting gremlin strikes again!
Kimyas Aug 28th 2009 4:51PM
I hope they won't change fishing too much. It's nice and relaxing how it is just now. I remember the days leveling it standing all alone in feralas casting for fish. Just enjoying it hehe
maybe I should pick up irl fishing :)
Hagu Sep 1st 2009 10:49PM
^^this
I fear they want to make everything in WoW by and for twitchers. Maybe they could make it so you tied a fishing line to a jousting lance and chased the fish around on horsebck??? I don't like the strategy of making fishing more appealing to the people who don't fish now and probably still won't fish and less enjoyable for the people who now fish.
TiM Aug 28th 2009 5:01PM
As an engineering rogue I'm hoping we get to reforge trinkets. Theres nothing i'd like better than to take my grim toll out of the bank and turn that wasted hit(hitcapped) and turn it into say agility, AP, crit or hell maybe mastery. Pardon me i'm drooling a little over here.
zurkka Aug 28th 2009 5:19PM
When Cataclysm hit azeroth ARP will be gone from itens, so grin toll will turn into something not very usefull as is it now, so i dont think you will be drowling so much
TiM Aug 28th 2009 5:37PM
Depends on what they turn it into. With the simplification in stats that means ArP and AP are out. And I doubt Blizzard would give us a mastery stat proc. So what's left? Crit strike rating? Maybe a pure stat proc? Yeah I'll keep on drooling.
artifex Aug 28th 2009 6:17PM
I'm not sure that racial bonuses to secondaries really make a ton of difference right now. I'd like to see them become more useful. My gnome main, for example, has the bonus to engineering that you mentioned. However, because he's a warlock, it made total sense for his secondaries to be enchanting and tailoring. So that's basically an entirely wasted bonus for me, and probably every other gnome warlock out there. ☞ Not only that, but even if I did have engineering, once I leveled to 450, I wouldn't get any use out of the bonus anyway, right?
I'm small and light; give me a speed bonus to my mounts, or something.
Eddy Aug 28th 2009 8:01PM
Those profession bonuses get wasted on just about everyone unless you wanted that profession. My hunter gets a lot of use out of Engineering, in fact, hunters seem to be the best engineers since they get the most out of the guns and bullets, but gnomes can't be engineers, so...
I think they're just in there for flair. The idea is that most gnomes are engineers, most BE's are enchanters, most Night Elves are herbalists, etc etc. They aren't really for min-maxing.