Today's special issue of Insider Trader is all about business. Your profession? Engineer. Your goal? Engineering (375) and a Turbo-Charged Flying Machine. We'll show you how to get there as quickly and painlessly as possible. Link over to our favorite 0-300 leveling guides, and then mull over our collection of tips for the final stretch from 300 to 375.Before you begin, consider this: As with "recommended" powerleveling paths in all professions, your mileage may vary according to your individual server's current pricing and demand for both the materials you need for crafting and the products you create as you go. A non-traditional path to 375 may just be the ticket, depending on what's hot and what's not.
No matter how you choose to get there, it's never too soon to start collecting your Flying Machine mats and getting ready to take flight in style. Prepare for liftoff!
Let's get the ball rolling with a review of the power leveling guides that cover the early skill-ups.
- Engineering 1 to 300 Guide by Darksicarius on US-Azgalor
- Engineering 1 to 300
- Almost Gaming's Engineering 1-375 This one goes all the way to 375. Handy charts, if you're the visual type.
- Lootables' Engineering 1-375 Nicely formatted, with drop-down menus discussing sellables, BoP and rep patterns, etc.
Now, let's dig in. From 300 on out, the Best of the Best in power leveling guides is the plan from Highlander of EU-Terenas. With a tip of the hat to Highlander's research, we'll review the highlights here.
- 300 - 310 Make more materials. Highlander helpfully observes that simply making the materials you'll need for the home stretch is sufficient to net you at least 10 points. Start with 40 Fel Iron Casings, 60 Handful of Fel Iron Bolts and 45 Elemental Blasting Powder.
- 310 - 320 Make 10 Fel Iron Bombs Each: 1 Fel Iron Casing (3 Fel Iron Bars), 2 Handful of Fel Iron Bolts (1 Fel Iron Bar), 1 Elemental Blasting Powder (1 Mote of Fire, 1 Mote of Earth)
- 320 - 335 Make 15 Fel Iron Muskets Each: 2 Thorium Tubes (12 Thorium Bars), 3 Fel Iron Casings (9 Fel Iron Bars), 4 Handful of Fel Iron Bolts (4 Fel Iron Bars)
- 335 - 350 Make 25 White Smoke Flares Each: 1 Netherweave Cloth, 1 Elemental Blasting Powder (1 Mote of Fire, 1 Mote of Earth)
- 350 - 355 Make 15 Hardened Adamantite Tubes Each: 3 Hardened Adamantite Bars. You'll use these for making Khorium Scopes. If your leveling plan doesn't include Khorium Scopes or Felsteel Boomsticks, skill up with Adamantite Rifles instead.
- 355 - 360 Make 5 Felsteel Stabilizers Each: 2 Felsteel Bars.The recipe for this one is sold in limited supply by Qiff in Area 52, Netherstorm.
- 360 - 375 Make 15 Khorium Scopes Each: 1 Hardened Adamantite Tube (3 Hardened Adamantite Bars), 4 Khorium Bars, 2 Dawnstones. The recipe is a low-rate drop from Sunfury Bowmen in Netherstorm.
- 360 - 375 Make 15 Felsteel Boomsticks Each: 1 Hardened Adamantite Tubes (3 Hardened Adamantite Bars), 4 Felsteel Stabilizers, 4 Handful of Fel Iron Bolts. The recipe is a low-rate drop from Doomforge Engineers in Forge Camp Anger in Blade's Edge Mountains.
- 360 - 375 Make 15 Hyper-Vision Goggles Each: 4 Heavy Knothide Leather, 2 Khorium Bars, 2 Nightseye, 2 Large Prismatic Shards. This recipe is a low-rate drop from Mo'arg Weaponsmiths in Legion Hold in Shadowmoon Valley.
- 360 - 375 Make around 25 Adamantite Rifles Each: 2 Thorium Tubes, 2 Adamantite Frames, 4 Handful of Fel Iron Bolts. These go green at 370, so bad luck could put you making a lot of these rifles for the points you need.
- 255 Fel Iron Bars
- 10 Felsteel Bars
- 35 Motes of Fire
- 35 Motes of Earth
- 60 Khorium Bars
- 45 Hardened Adamantite Bars
- 30 Dawnstones
- 25 Netherweave Cloth
- 180 Thorium Bars
To scope or not to scope? Most engineers swear by grinding in Netherstorm for the Khorium Scope recipe. But if farming is just not your thing, don't be afraid to stick with Adamantite Rifles. Yes, they'll go green on you, but a fairly light materials list keeps the project affordable.
In the early 300s, you may want to keep making Elemental Blasting Powder just as long as you can – 20 points or even more – since the materials are fairly inexpensive. You could also make Fel Iron Bolts for future engineering projects. If there's a market for them on your server, try Fel Iron Shells.
White Smoke Flares are the cheap leveling tool for the 335-to-350 stretch, but you can try Adamantite Shells if you'd prefer something you can sell. (Your market may vary, of course.)
It's possible to work all the way from 350 to 375 on Felsteel Stabilizers, Hardened Adamantite Tubes or Khorium Power Cores. If recouping some funds is still a goal, Khorium Power Cores or Adamantite Rifles are probably your best sales value.
Insider Trader tip: If you're working on an orange recipe that should give you a skill point every time you make it – but it doesn't give you a point – stop what you're doing. I repeat, don't try again just to be sure! You're most likely experiencing an add-on issue. Log off, delete your WDB and WTF folders, log back in and try again.
It used to be that goblin engineers could get skill-ups from reloading their Goblin Mortars – yes, even after they went grey, and yes, even though they would backfire rather frequently, thus killing the hapless student engineer. This bug was fixed back in patch 2.1, so don't get overexcited if you come across this outdated tip.
If you're a gnome and you're dead-set on maxing your engineering skill all the way to 390 (gnomes get +15 to engineering as a racial bonus), you've got a little extra work to do. Crafting an epic helm will get you at least one of those points. After that, your choices are limited in a practical way to two options: the world-drop Ornate Khorium Rifle recipe will give you a good 10 points, while Karazhan raiders can aim for the BoP recipe for the Stabilized Eternium Scope.
Last but not least: If the epic flyer is your goal, you really only need to get to 374. The last point will come from the basic flying machine that you have to make before producing the epic version – a sweet ending to your journey into flight!
Insider Trader's Lisa Poisso is a writer and editor and, sadly, does not have the energy to powerlevel another profession (although she does think the new engineering mount is ... well, downright nifty).
Subscribe
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-15-2007 @ 10:57AM
Dur13l said...
This is a nice guide....good luck to those that want to get to 375...it took me a long time and some serious G to get there.
if you think you want this just for the mount you may find yourself spending more than its worth.
I love enginering however, be prepared to spend more than you will ever get out of it. (other than fun) this profession is not a cash cow like others.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:11AM
ThorinII said...
@1, couldn't have said it better myself. I sure wish they would make it so engineers could at least break even on the cost to lvl it.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:18AM
jorelius said...
Stop sharing the secrets!
As someone who made it to 375 eng without mining (aka a poor idiot) I'm very excited about the relatively modest cost of these mounts and am hoping it's the first of many good new schematics we'll be getting. Now if only I could use my trinkets and bombs in the arena...
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:20AM
Okapi said...
The link to Lootable's guide is actually another link to almost gaming's guide.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:22AM
honkhonk said...
Good old times of mortar reloading all the way to 390.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:25AM
Direphoenix said...
Being stuck at 373 Engineering, I've made 4 Khorium Scopes so far with no skillups. As a yellow recipe to me, it's probably still the best option. I've stockpiled enough Khorium so that's not a problem, but Dawnstones are going for about 40g each on my server!
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:30AM
blorg said...
Your results may vary, and maybe they've changed it since the olden days when I skilled up engineering, but for the last few points the khorium scopes were yellow, not orange, for me.
If that's still true then don't plan on making 15 scopes to get from 360 to 375, plan on making 18 or 20. Again your results may vary, but 374 to 375 took me 3 or 4 scopes. I still remember the agonising wait for the skillup text and the crushing sadness when it didn't come, and the scrabbling around for money for yet more dawnstones.
If you're planning to level your engineering for the patch, don't wait. Do it now while the mats are still relatively cheap and available, and while the market isn't flooded with scopes.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:36AM
Crowley said...
Since you need 8 Khorium Power Cores ans 8 Felsteel Stabilizer to build the mount anyway, you can do the final skill points as well with these instead of Khorium scopes.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 11:45AM
Argent said...
did they ever fix the mortar reloading thing? i leveled engineering from 340 to 375 on an alt by just reloading the mortar. it made several of my guildmates almost cry...
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 12:03PM
Luke said...
I went from 0-375 on an alt this weekend using the guide listed above. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I got my Khorium Scope schematic to drop on the 3rd Bowman I killed. I had a bunch of money stockpiled from jewelcrafting on my main, and I didn't really need 2 miners, so I dropped mining on one and did the engineering thing. Plus I really want a cool flying mount and the DPS plate goggles.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 12:44PM
MechChef said...
For every one of you who got lucky enough to score the Khorium Scope schematic on the third drop, there are scores more of us who have sent HUNDREDs of bowman to their grave without seeing it.
That being said, I will continue to farm. Perhaps if the market is flooded with scopes, I'll be able to buy a few and then flip-em later once prices have normalized.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 1:36PM
jlpknights82 said...
Lootable's Engineering Guide is here:
http://www.lootables.com/?guide=Engineering
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 1:56PM
Razhlok said...
I was all ready and determined to grind on Sunfury Bowman during my free time for the Khorium Scope Schematic. While waiting for a tank to join my heroic mech PUG I took thought it would be a perfect time to start this grind. First bowman I killed he dropped it. I found it rather comical.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 3:02PM
Direphoenix said...
"8. Since you need 8 Khorium Power Cores ans 8 Felsteel Stabilizer to build the mount anyway, you can do the final skill points as well with these instead of Khorium scopes."
Umm... no.
All parts (including Khorium Power Cores and Felsteel Stabilizers) are grey once you get past 370 (possibly before).
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 3:38PM
Pucechan said...
Really useful post, almost makes me want to grind Engineering once I hit 70...
As others have said, the Lootables link is broken. I really like Lootables, nice layout and good guides.
I wonder what other goodies Blizzard might have in store for Engineers!
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 3:47PM
Lisa Poisso said...
Lootables link is fixed! Thanks.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 4:29PM
Tony Vila said...
The guide seems rather incomplete in that it doesn't mention the big items all engineers make.
Your gnome/goblin trinket
Your teleporter
Your Hat (1-3 hats depending on your class)
Your Flying Machine control #1.
All of those pretty much all engineers will make, and they'll definitely provide a skill up.
So if you're really serious, don't make them until the end of their orange level range, and get those hard skill up points for the price you would pay anyway
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 4:44PM
Tekkub said...
"If you're working on an orange recipe that should give you a skill point every time you make it - but it doesn't give you a point - stop what you're doing. I repeat, don't try again just to be sure! You're most likely experiencing an add-on issue. Log off, delete your WDB and WTF folders, log back in and try again."
... what the hell? Are you smoking crap?
"BRB guys, I have to relog, an addon is causing my spells to be resisted sometimes"
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 5:08PM
Crowley said...
"All parts (including Khorium Power Cores and Felsteel Stabilizers) are grey once you get past 370 (possibly before)."
Sorry, I forgot about my racial engineerieng bonus. I'm now at 383 and these recipes are still yellow for me. So my comment (#8) only applies to gnomes.
Reply
10-15-2007 @ 5:47PM
Deusmortis said...
Engineering has been a long and unlucky grind for me. Khorium scope? Dropped on bowman #1041... yes, I counted.
Once I hit 370, I have crafted 12 yellow patterns. All 3 helmets, rocket boots xtreme, 8 Khorium scopes. I've gotten 2 skillups. Hopefully, With Khorium scopes costing over 100g in mats, and not selling at all on the AH, I hope I can get two more points in less than 5 attempts.
I honestly shouted for joy when I saw that the non-epic flyer stayed orange, giving me one free skillup.
Reply