Episode #4 - It's Alright, We're Professionals

This episode Gariath and I talk about professions.  Here's a summary of our podcasts along with some of our tips, mod suggestions and websites of the week.

Three basic classifications of professions:

• Gathering - mining, herbs, skinning - the bonuses you get - Mining give you more  health, Herbs gives you a HoT anyone can use, skinning gives you a crit bonus
• Crafting - LW (uses leather from skinning), BS (uses ore/bars from mining), JC (mining to get ore to prospect for gems), Enchanting (mats come from any item that can be de'ed along with world drops - like elemental fire, etc...), Inscription (herbs to make inks), Alchemy (Herbs), Tailor (world drop cloth), Engineering (mining primarily but will need gems, cloth, you name it this is one uses lots of mats).
• Everyone can do them - First Aid (Fi makes everyone get this - after her Tailor has finished leveling), Fishing (it can be fun) and Cooking (buffs for everyone!)

Professions:

• Alchemy - uses Herbs, a few other mats, but by far is the easiest crafting profession to level.  At highest level you will need to do "Research" to get new recipes.  Alchemy pairs well with Herbalism.
• Blacksmithing - most likely the hardest to level but they can make chain mail up to lvl 40 and plate armor as well as weapons.  Uses a variety of mats but mostly ore/bars from mining.  BS and Mining goes together.
• Enchanting - one of the hardest and most expensive to level.  You will end up DE'ing (disenchanting) every drop you get.  Don't go 'ho yourself in Goldshire - it's too painful for words (trust me, Fidelma knows).  BE's enchanting is able to get to 460.
• Engineering - OMG - mats from everything mainly mining but the number of mats to make some things is OUTRAGEOUS, Gnomes have a bonus for this profession - Engineering skill increased by 15 - 465.  Must Engineers are miners if they gather... but many take this as a second crafting professions as well.
• Herbalism - tied for easiest gathering profession to level and mats are used by two crafting professions, this is the one to make gold off the AH USUALLY, +15 for the Cows
• Inscription - complicated process to make the glyphs, can also make dark moon fair cards and some off-hands - a PITA.  Pairs well with Herbalsim.
• Jewel Crafting - useful for any class, will blow through TONS of ore to get gems to level.  Draenei get an extra bonus for JC'ing and can level to 455.  JC'ing and Mining can go well together.
• Leatherworking - not hard to level if you are smart about skinning.  Can be expensive if you do it without skinning or if you do it at end game without going back to get your mats.  Skinning goes with this one of course.
• Mining - the PITA of the gathering professions, because nodes do not spawn just anywhere - like herbs - so there has to be a certain type of land present (think mountains/rocks)
• Skinning - it's the way to get leather and that nice crit bonus.
• Tailoring - omg, you will beg people for their cloth because you will never ever get enough in a timely manner.  Works well with enchanting because you can de the crap you have to make to level that no one really wants.  Extra bonus - cool RP clothes are yours!
• The everyone gets:
• First Aid - cloth abuse!!!!!  Everyone should really have this
• Cooking - the buffs are good, and some of the achievements are fun, Gariath suggest Thanksgiving for leveling
• Fishing - you can level anywhere now, you just may not get anything worth a flip while you fish.  Fidelma suggests the fountain in Dalaran so you can work on the coin achievements while boring yourself to tears.  Fishing is also good if you are a hunter (feed and buff the pet) and if you are leveling Cooking.
How to choose
• Easiest to Hardest
• Herbalism, Skinning and Mining for gathering
• Alchemy, Tailoring-Inscription-Leatherwoking-JC, Engineering-Enchanting (some changes with lfg), BS
• What's good for the gold?
• Herbalism for gathering and AH'ing - two professions use them
• Jewelcrafting and maybe Enchanting - especially for working the trade channels
• Good matches with toon classes
• BS and DK and warriors
• LW and Druids, Rogues, Hunters and Shamans
• Tailors and Mages, Priests and Warlocks
• Enchanting and everyone
• JC, Alchemy - really anyone
• But we know DK and Pally tailors....so anything really goes
• Mining and Herbalism for Druids - in outlands and northrend you do NOT have to come out of flight form to get the nodes, you can farm so much faster
How to level your professions
• Three ways:
• leveling with two gathering professions to make money and then choosing a crafting prof at 80; This works well if it is your first toon or if you are starting a toon on a server where you do not have a high level money maker.
• Leveling a crafting profession as you level along with its corresponding gathering profession (if one).
• Leveling a carfting profession at 80 can be expensive.  As all DKs know - since they start from scratch at 55
• End Game
• Enchanting - Once you near the level cap - try to get a few enchants that people look for, then offer it in Trade or look for people needing it.
• Jewel Crafting - once you hit near level cap you can finish leveling by offering services in Trade or looking for people to need a few cuts.  Chose a few to get that you see people needing often or ones that you use.  
• Some people have two crafting professions - these people either know how to make gold on the AH and questing to buy all their mats or most likely, they have alt(s) that can help collect them.
• Some tips
• Fast flight - it matters (see druids... grrrr)
Addons to help with professions

• Gatherer - Garetia (The WoW Noob Blog) suggests getting the import from wowhead with nodes, she also says leveling mining is evil and reminds us that the AH fluctuates greatly in price (leather).  BTW, you can share your nodes with others.
• Carbonite - like quest helper
• Receipe Radar - if you are in a particular zone, and if there is a vendor there that sells something for it they will let you know.  Tells you who and how many they have for you.
• Altoholic - keeps tracks of all your professions so you can look at what you can do even if you are on a different toon.

    Website of the Week

http://wowguideonline.com Quickly level your professions using this site. This site helps you level professions by suggesting different items to produce. It's broken down by level range (levels 260 to 275 in tailoring suggests making 15 runecloth belts) and tells you the quantity of materials needed to move through each level range. The site has a blog and forums, but honesty compells Gariath to say that he has no idea what they are like.
         
 http://www.thenoobschool.com/worldofwarcraft/ - has concise guides for leveling, including mats that you need.  Leveling is broken down by the old caps - where you would have to go get training to get 'artisian' etc...   The home page includes patchnotes that effect professions.  Fidelma used this to level and it was suggested by her good friend Azyrth.

That's it for this week - next week we are talking about mods!  Be afraid - very afraid!

Thanks again to Dan and Neige for helping us with voicework and artwork for Leveling Azeroth!  We love you guys!

~Fidelma