Breakfast Topic: Professions and Leveling
The debate over whether Death Knights should get a free hand up on their primary professions continues to rage, but what actually interests me most are some of the arguments put forth by those opposed to Death Knights getting "free" tradeskills. Some of them are saying that it doesn't matter that Death Knights have to wait, because people should wait until max level to deal with professions anyway.
This is a completely alien concept to me. On any new character, the first thing I do upon hitting level 6 is run to the nearest profession trainers to learn my chosen professions. I like being able to doing something about those herbs and mineral nodes I see while I'm leveling. I can go do some tradeskilling if I start getting bored of leveling, and I can use the final product for my own leveling process, or sell the raw materials on the AH for a nice chunk of change.
I can't really fathom waiting for maximum level before I started a profession in earnest. Why go back to Elwynn forest to harvest bushels of Peacebloom at level 70 when you could have done it from level 1-11 while you were there?
So here's something that may be considered somewhat of a companion question to yesterday's profession question: Do you level your professions while you level up, or do you leave them until after you've leveled up?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
8-20-2008 @ 8:06AM
Nick said...
I mean, might as well level them while your on their way, more than often its not like you need to really go out of your way to get some stuff if your a gatherer/crafter.
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8-20-2008 @ 10:51AM
Wpipes said...
It's a simple fix really. If they start all DK's at 0 for their professions, just know which profession you're going to take before WoTLK releases and farm some mats. Going Inscription? Go farm a few stacks of each herb or buy stacks from the AH. Send them to your DK when you start him and hopefully (if you farmed/bought the right mats) you'll level it enough to catch up to your level.
I've seen this work once before when a few of my guildies rolled JC and farmed all the ore before BC's release, they did just fine with it.
Buck up Sally's, very few things in this game don't take excessive amounts of time.
8-20-2008 @ 8:12AM
howellgerald said...
I say start with the gathering professions as early as possible. There is gold to be made in those hills, grass, dead animals! :) As for the other professions, you can wait till 70. Hopefully you will have enough gold to actually powerlevel them.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:13AM
Lios said...
On my first character I leveled my professions while leveling, but on my alts I do not. Mostly because it takes time, as you usually outlevel the quests in your area before you have enough skill in your profession and need to stick around to level up, but also because I often abandon alts at 30-40 and it would be a waste if I leveled (crafting) professions then. So I now just have the rule, level to 70 and then pick professions. Leveling them is also a piece of cake by that time.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:17AM
ejunk said...
I level them as I go. I also don't really buy into this "only gathering professions earn you gold" bunk. I always take the pair most useful for my class - for a rogue, for instance, I take skinning and leatherworking. I've found that its not uncommon for your best leveling gear to be the gear you can craft for yourself. and BOE crafted gear sells just fine on the AH.
DKs should definitely have to start from scratch as "level 55" doesn't imply anything about professions, as the varied responses to this thread will surely show.
yrs-
Ejunk!
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8-20-2008 @ 7:59PM
Zanathos said...
You may be able to sell BOE crafted items on the AH, but I think in general you'll find the raw mats can be sold at more profit and in greater quantities.
8-20-2008 @ 10:56PM
jbodar said...
I agree with Zanathos. I've often found that the sell price of the mats far exceed the sell price of the gear itself, due to simple supply and demand.
8-20-2008 @ 8:17AM
dotorion said...
On a new character on a new server, I take gathering professions until I'm high level and then powerlevel the real profession(s) I want.
Crafting professions take too many (and sometimes too high level) mats to be really useful while leveling, and you'll outlevel them soon anyway, so it's better to have gathering professions to bring in some cash.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:23AM
obarthelemy said...
I think that's the point: to level with gathering professions (or enchanting), stockpile the mats on an alt and sell the surplus off, then level up the crafting (as opposed to gathering) professions at 70
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8-20-2008 @ 8:26AM
Boven said...
I usually have at least one gathering profession on my characters and level that up as I level. The exception was when I switched one of my 70's over to herbalism and spent what seemed like forever riding around lowbie zones picking stuff.
I suppose there are arguments for waiting until reaching 70 before taking up something like engineering. Having the income from daily quests would put far less strain on one's pocket than trying to do that while leveling a character.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:28AM
Dwarfbane said...
On all of my characters I took one gathering profession plus enchanting. I found I made alot more by disenchanting rather than vendering. Then at 70 took the best 2 crafter skills for that class. I did ditch blacksmithing and retrained skinning on my shammy main. still dont know if it was a mistake.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:28AM
Mindreaver said...
"I can't really fathom waiting for maximum level before I started a profession in earnest. Why go back to Elwynn forest to harvest bushels of Peacebloom at level 70 when you could have done it from level 1-11 while you were there?"
You're a clown. Of course you gather at low levels, bank the herbs/ore/leather, and only do the crafting professions later on. I don't know anybody who doesn't take two professions as early as possible. But honestly, what is the point of grabbing blacksmithing at level 10? It's frustrating reaching skill 225 and having to wait until level 35 to go beyond it. Or waiting until 50 to get beyond 300. All all that time that you are waiting, limited by a profession level requirement, is time you could be skinning things you kill, or gathering herbs, or mining ore.
How about we have some articles that aren't written by people who don't know what they are doing?
Reply
8-20-2008 @ 8:40AM
Simon said...
How about "because it's fun"? Not everything we do in-game has to have a point, or be the "optimal" way to play. Some people enjoy making things.
It seems rather rude to complain that the article was written by somebody who "doesn't know what they're doing" because they happen to enjoy different aspects of the game to you.
8-20-2008 @ 9:02AM
Mindreaver said...
"How about "because it's fun"? Not everything we do in-game has to have a point, or be the "optimal" way to play. Some people enjoy making things."
Perhaps.
But perhaps instead of responding to me and putting words in my mouth, you read what I wrote, and read what this guy wrote.
He presented his PoV, that waiting until high level to do a profession is dumb. He did it with an appeal that "why come gather PB at 70..", all I am saying is that there is a damn good reason why that happens. And I didn't appreciate his suggested point, that for some reason waiting to level a profession would cause you to have to do something so obviously annoying/boring at 70. Which isn't the case.
Some people enjoy making things. Who said they couldn't/shouldn't? It is a game, and people do like to do things in different ways. Mostly, not the most optimal. But that wasn't really my point at all.
As far as my comment on the quality of the article. I have every right to say this guy doesn't quite hack it. He wrote two paragraphs, one presenting the issue, and then another professing his own PoV... which I found to be a foolish example. It would have been nice, if the writer had explored WHY people wait until 50+ to do crafting professions or maybe just leave out his own opinions, if he wasn't going to explore both points of view. But instead of that, he opened it to discussion. Well, welcome to it.
8-20-2008 @ 9:45AM
Tygrion said...
... Simon didn't 'put words in your mouth' ...he quoted you word for word.
If anything, YOU are putting words in the columnist's mouth. He didn't say that waiting until 70 to start a profession was dumb or annoying, you put those words in his mouth.
All he was saying is that he doesn't get why anyone would wait until 70 to start professions - note, he didn't say anything about changing professions at 70.
And in fact your comments "Of course you gather at low levels, bank the herbs/ore/leather, and only do the crafting professions later on. I don't know anybody who doesn't take two professions as early as possible." support what he said... you seem terribly confused.
Just accept that you put (completely incorrect) words in his mouth, made several personal attacks on him and were called on it.
Its a breakfast topic stating the problem, the poster's ideas, and asks our opinions - its not supposed to be an in depth report. So go have some breakfast as you are obviously a bit cranky today
8-20-2008 @ 10:21AM
Runstadrey said...
Mindreaver, you're the one putting words in others mouths, the article never used the word 'dumb'.
If you were in my guild, you'd have been gkick'd long ago, what a putz you are.
8-20-2008 @ 8:28AM
Linkage said...
When I was leveling my priest, I used engineering because not dying helps a lot when you're leveling up. Also I was enjoying the content and not in a mad rush to hit 70 to get the "good" stuff
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8-20-2008 @ 8:41AM
Promethus said...
It just seems to be counterproductive to wait till your max level to level a profession.
Reply
8-20-2008 @ 8:43AM
Balasan said...
Like everyone else said, a gathering profession needs to be obtained ASAP. There's plenty money to be made and time to be saved, considering the gabajillion herbs/mines/leathers obtainable while levelling up.
Though when I started my hunter, she had enchanting and engineering starting from scratch... not the wisest choice.
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8-20-2008 @ 8:45AM
Wither said...
I initially leveled my professions (for alts) as I leveled up, the main benefits being the low level items you produce can actually be used by your character rather than sold or d/e'd, the resources can be gathered between quests and well, it's often the most fun.
However after I while I learnt that:
1) Decent equipment for your level is obtained by raising your skill level to your level + (5-10). At this skill level, you do not have access to the gathering ingredients from your quests.
2) For many skill-ups you have to grind and it's easier / less boring to buy the mats. Once you start doing this, you usually end up boosting the skill to the level skill cap.
3) It's far more efficient to gather with your main as the local critters won't be aggroed and you can use your epic mount to get around quickly.
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