A Word On Professions
One of the best ways of making gold to support yourself during your WoW experience is by using your professions. There are two main types of professions - Primary and Secondary. Even further, Primary can be broken down into two types - Crafting and Gathering. When you first start to play WoW, the types of primary professions that will be the most likely to benefit you will be those of the gathering variety since they only require that you go and gather various supplies which can be sold at the Auction House for a nice profit. Crafting professions are more for those who already have accumulated a decent amount of gold that can be used for leveling them (they can be quite costly, especially if you don't collect your own materials). Once leveled enough, crafters can begin to make things that can be sold to the public on the Auction House for a higher profit if you know when to try and sell them. For example, an alchemist who creates flasks will probably be better off trying to sell some of them on Tuesday than on Sunday, since Tuesday is when valor caps reset and more people will be raiding whereas Sunday is the end of the week when most of that week's raiding has already been done.
Below is a breakdown of each profession type and the professions that fit into each category. The links below each profession will lead to leveling guides for each profession. The leveling guides on each page come from http://www.wow-professions.com/ and a few other sources, linked in one place here for your convenience.
Below is a breakdown of each profession type and the professions that fit into each category. The links below each profession will lead to leveling guides for each profession. The leveling guides on each page come from http://www.wow-professions.com/ and a few other sources, linked in one place here for your convenience.
Primary: Gathering
Herbalism
Herbalism is a gathering profession in which one gathers a variety of herbs from different areas around Azeroth. Herbs are found growing out in the open and, if you have "Find Herbs" checked on your minimap spyglass options, they will be sparkling and there will be a yellow dot on your minimap so that they stand out enough for you to notice and pick them. Herbs are necessary materials for professions such as Alchemy and Inscription. Alchemists use the herbs, sometimes accompanied with other materials, to make potions, elixirs and flasks that provide buffs (stat increases) for a specific amount of time upon drinking. Scribes will mill the herbs into different inks, which will then be used for inscribing glyphs.
Herbalism is a gathering profession in which one gathers a variety of herbs from different areas around Azeroth. Herbs are found growing out in the open and, if you have "Find Herbs" checked on your minimap spyglass options, they will be sparkling and there will be a yellow dot on your minimap so that they stand out enough for you to notice and pick them. Herbs are necessary materials for professions such as Alchemy and Inscription. Alchemists use the herbs, sometimes accompanied with other materials, to make potions, elixirs and flasks that provide buffs (stat increases) for a specific amount of time upon drinking. Scribes will mill the herbs into different inks, which will then be used for inscribing glyphs.
Mining
Mining is a gathering profession in which, as with herbalism, the ores you will be mining will come from nodes scattered across the world. These may be found out in the open, but especially along rocky areas, in caves and in underground passages. Again, if you have "Find Minerals" checked on your minimap spyglass options, they will be sparkling and there will be a yellow dot on your minimap so that you'll be more likely to spot them. Minerals found with mining are necessary materials for professions such as Blacksmithing, Engineering and Jewelcrafting. Blacksmiths will use the bars to make armors and weapons. Engineers will use them for making different parts needed for leveling. Jewelcrafters can use the ores from mining for prospecting to find the gems hidden within the ores at a rate of five ores per prospect.
Mining is a gathering profession in which, as with herbalism, the ores you will be mining will come from nodes scattered across the world. These may be found out in the open, but especially along rocky areas, in caves and in underground passages. Again, if you have "Find Minerals" checked on your minimap spyglass options, they will be sparkling and there will be a yellow dot on your minimap so that you'll be more likely to spot them. Minerals found with mining are necessary materials for professions such as Blacksmithing, Engineering and Jewelcrafting. Blacksmiths will use the bars to make armors and weapons. Engineers will use them for making different parts needed for leveling. Jewelcrafters can use the ores from mining for prospecting to find the gems hidden within the ores at a rate of five ores per prospect.
Skinning
Skinning , the last gathering profession, is the only gathering profession that actually requires you to kill something in order to get your materials. The higher the level of the animal, the better quality skins, leathers and hides you'll be able to skin for. And the higher level your skinning, the less likely you are to end up with a pile of scraps. Skins acquired with the skinning profession are good for Leatherworking, as well as -some- Tailoring. Most of the armors and armor kits crafted by Leatherworkers are made with the leathers from skinning, so this is your main target buyer. Sometimes Tailors can also use the leathers in combination with cloths and other materials to make things like certain boots and bags.
Skinning , the last gathering profession, is the only gathering profession that actually requires you to kill something in order to get your materials. The higher the level of the animal, the better quality skins, leathers and hides you'll be able to skin for. And the higher level your skinning, the less likely you are to end up with a pile of scraps. Skins acquired with the skinning profession are good for Leatherworking, as well as -some- Tailoring. Most of the armors and armor kits crafted by Leatherworkers are made with the leathers from skinning, so this is your main target buyer. Sometimes Tailors can also use the leathers in combination with cloths and other materials to make things like certain boots and bags.
Primary: Crafting
Alchemy
As mentioned above in the Herbalism section, Alchemists are able to make various potions, elixirs and flasks to aid in dungeons, raids, or any situation in which someone needs a bit of a boost in their stats to help them complete a task. They are also able to transmute bars and gems into a better version, with the right supplies of course.
As mentioned above in the Herbalism section, Alchemists are able to make various potions, elixirs and flasks to aid in dungeons, raids, or any situation in which someone needs a bit of a boost in their stats to help them complete a task. They are also able to transmute bars and gems into a better version, with the right supplies of course.
Blacksmithing
Blacksmiths are able to make plate armors, belt buckles that provide an extra socket for a gem, and keys that open lockboxes. This profession can be relatively expensive to level if you don't gather your own materials. The better the armor you make and sell with this, the better the profit.
Blacksmiths are able to make plate armors, belt buckles that provide an extra socket for a gem, and keys that open lockboxes. This profession can be relatively expensive to level if you don't gather your own materials. The better the armor you make and sell with this, the better the profit.
Enchanting
Enchanters make enchants that you can attach to specified articles of clothing to give you a stat boost for as long as you're wearing the item. The supplies needed from enchanting (dusts, essences, shards, crystals, etc.) come from disenchanting armors, weapons, jewelry, and the like, so they rely a lot on world drops and dungeon drops as well as crafted items from tailors, leatherworkers, blacksmiths and jewelcrafters. Green items will disenchant into either dusts or essences, blue items will disenchant into shards, and purple will disenchant into crystals. The bulk of leveling enchanting will consist of using dusts and essences, while some of the best enchants require shards and crystals to create.
Enchanters make enchants that you can attach to specified articles of clothing to give you a stat boost for as long as you're wearing the item. The supplies needed from enchanting (dusts, essences, shards, crystals, etc.) come from disenchanting armors, weapons, jewelry, and the like, so they rely a lot on world drops and dungeon drops as well as crafted items from tailors, leatherworkers, blacksmiths and jewelcrafters. Green items will disenchant into either dusts or essences, blue items will disenchant into shards, and purple will disenchant into crystals. The bulk of leveling enchanting will consist of using dusts and essences, while some of the best enchants require shards and crystals to create.
Engineering
Engineers are able to make different mechanical things - bombs, portable mailboxes, robots (Blingtron 4000 anyone?), pets and mounts, etc.
Engineers are able to make different mechanical things - bombs, portable mailboxes, robots (Blingtron 4000 anyone?), pets and mounts, etc.
Inscription
Scribes can make fortune cards, pet renaming scrolls for hunters, high level BoA staves and the like, but are most well-known for their glyphs. They mill herbs to make different inks for different glyphs, and can make them for any class. Glyphs made by scribes are able to be learned at level 25 and are highly recommended for every player during leveling to increase things like survivability, damage done, and just quality of game time in general. Most minor glyphs made by scribes are also for aesthetics - changing the druid's swimming form to an orca, or changing the death knight's Army of Dead from a bunch of lame ghouls into an actual army of different undead creatures, just to name a couple examples.
Scribes can make fortune cards, pet renaming scrolls for hunters, high level BoA staves and the like, but are most well-known for their glyphs. They mill herbs to make different inks for different glyphs, and can make them for any class. Glyphs made by scribes are able to be learned at level 25 and are highly recommended for every player during leveling to increase things like survivability, damage done, and just quality of game time in general. Most minor glyphs made by scribes are also for aesthetics - changing the druid's swimming form to an orca, or changing the death knight's Army of Dead from a bunch of lame ghouls into an actual army of different undead creatures, just to name a couple examples.
Jewelcrafting
Jewelcrafters provide us with necklaces, rings, and loads of gems for sockets in our armor. They are also able to make gem panther mounts in red, yellow, green and blue. During leveling Jewelcrafting, you need tons of gems which can be obtained as world drops, in mining nodes or from the ores you prospect. It can be a little expensive if not gathering your own supplies, but it's not the worst. And if you're leveling an enchanter, you can use the jewelry you make for disenchanting for some of your enchanting materials.
Jewelcrafters provide us with necklaces, rings, and loads of gems for sockets in our armor. They are also able to make gem panther mounts in red, yellow, green and blue. During leveling Jewelcrafting, you need tons of gems which can be obtained as world drops, in mining nodes or from the ores you prospect. It can be a little expensive if not gathering your own supplies, but it's not the worst. And if you're leveling an enchanter, you can use the jewelry you make for disenchanting for some of your enchanting materials.
Leatherworking
Leatherworkers use leathers and hides to make leather armors, although they can also make some agility mail armor meant for hunters. In addition to armors, they can make certain lether bags and leather armor kits which act similarly to enchants and add stats to your gear.
Leatherworkers use leathers and hides to make leather armors, although they can also make some agility mail armor meant for hunters. In addition to armors, they can make certain lether bags and leather armor kits which act similarly to enchants and add stats to your gear.
Tailoring
Tailors make cloth armors, spellthreads, and most of the craftable bags in the game. For the most part, tailors rely on a lot of cloth farming, something that everyone is able to get without needing a profession to gather it. The cloths for tailoring can be easily obtained as you level for those who start leveling tailoring as they move up in the game, with very little need to actually farm until the higher levels of tailoring. But if you put it off and decide that you want to level this profession later on, it's still easy enough to farm the cloths you need if you know where to look. This is one profession you shouldn't waste your gold buying cloths on the AH for until possibly windwool, if you -need- them and aren't able to find them yourself, since the rest is so easy to get. It can be a little time consuming, but definitely worth it to save your money on.
Tailors make cloth armors, spellthreads, and most of the craftable bags in the game. For the most part, tailors rely on a lot of cloth farming, something that everyone is able to get without needing a profession to gather it. The cloths for tailoring can be easily obtained as you level for those who start leveling tailoring as they move up in the game, with very little need to actually farm until the higher levels of tailoring. But if you put it off and decide that you want to level this profession later on, it's still easy enough to farm the cloths you need if you know where to look. This is one profession you shouldn't waste your gold buying cloths on the AH for until possibly windwool, if you -need- them and aren't able to find them yourself, since the rest is so easy to get. It can be a little time consuming, but definitely worth it to save your money on.
Secondary Professions
Secondary professions are different from primary professions in that, if you wish, you can choose to level all of them. The secondary professions are Archaeology, Cooking, First Aid and Fishing. Once you get to 90, all of these professions are useful in doing dailies. Fishing is useful in cooking, and cooking is useful for making banquets to provide for your group, or just your own food, to give stat buffs.
Archaeology
Archaeology allows you to dig up fossils and treasures for different races, and piece them together like puzzles. As you level Archaeology and piece together more artifacts, you get better prizes for them and have a chance to get rare pets, mounts and more.
Archaeology
Archaeology allows you to dig up fossils and treasures for different races, and piece them together like puzzles. As you level Archaeology and piece together more artifacts, you get better prizes for them and have a chance to get rare pets, mounts and more.
Cooking
Cooking has gotten a lot easier to level since the release of MoP. You can still go the old-fashioned route and level it as you progress with materials found all over the world, but if you save it until you get to 85 it's much easier and faster to go level it from 1 to 525 in Pandaria. Either way, this can be a very valuable profession because it allows you to make foods that give buffs to your stats, and the foods usually sell for a decent price on the Auction House.
Cooking has gotten a lot easier to level since the release of MoP. You can still go the old-fashioned route and level it as you progress with materials found all over the world, but if you save it until you get to 85 it's much easier and faster to go level it from 1 to 525 in Pandaria. Either way, this can be a very valuable profession because it allows you to make foods that give buffs to your stats, and the foods usually sell for a decent price on the Auction House.
First Aid
First aid lets you make bandages that allow you to do a bit of post combat healing and can be helpful for survival situations to help you get back to questing/leveling more quickly, especially if you're doing it solo and haven't got many (if any) self heals. You make your bandages with cloths.
First aid lets you make bandages that allow you to do a bit of post combat healing and can be helpful for survival situations to help you get back to questing/leveling more quickly, especially if you're doing it solo and haven't got many (if any) self heals. You make your bandages with cloths.
Fishing
Fishing is helpful for leveling cooking, as well as participating in the fishing tournaments in Stranglethorn and Northerend. Especially for the more rare fish or the ones found in Pandaria, these can also make a nice profit on the Auction House. One of the most commonly needed fish for leveling cooking and dailies in Pandaria is the Golden Carp. They sell pretty well and are easily fishable in open water in the Arboretum in the Jade Forest once you max out fishing.
Fishing is helpful for leveling cooking, as well as participating in the fishing tournaments in Stranglethorn and Northerend. Especially for the more rare fish or the ones found in Pandaria, these can also make a nice profit on the Auction House. One of the most commonly needed fish for leveling cooking and dailies in Pandaria is the Golden Carp. They sell pretty well and are easily fishable in open water in the Arboretum in the Jade Forest once you max out fishing.