What is the purpose of professions/Are they relevant to gameplay?

Post by Ndragheta

I ask this question because it seems like a large number of players pick professions based upon the unique stat bonuses that the profession provides. For example: with JC you can get X more agility from the JC-only gems compaired to leatherworking which only gives you Y agility.

Alternatively, people want to know which give the best daily cooldowns for making money or which have some easy moneymaking recipes. They aren't interested in the extensive recipe list, only those recipes like transmutes that are on cooldowns and thus generally lower supply with higher demand.

And the other major reason I see is for the vanity/achievement related items such as mounts and pets.

I am curious to know how people feel about the purpose and implementation of professions in WoW today.

Back before the most recent expansions (and especially before heirlooms), crafting armor and weapons was extremely relevant. But with the pace of the game and heirlooms taking up slots, the level of crafting items is rarely equivalent to your character level.

Blizzard has implemented ways for max level characters to circumvent the need to gather or buy all the lower level reagents to level the professions.

So what is the point of having the professions as they are currently implemented if many or most players are simply choosing their profession based upon the stats it provides.

I will admit that Eve and several other MMOs have jaded my perception on WoW's professions, but I feel that with all the overhauls to many other parts of the game including talents, skills, and raid mechanics, professions have continued to become less important other than for maximizing stats.

Why couldn't a lvl 10 player produce items that a max level character could use? Rather than simply leveling their profession as they go so they don't have to do 1-500 when they ding 90.

So in addition to learning what the purpose of professions in Wow are now, what could be done to make them shine in the future.

Post by Ndragheta

I'm open to a better topic name that fits the discussion better :D

Post by 581897

This post was from a user who has deleted their account.

Post by lankybrit

See my guide.

Craftable items are very useful in the process of gearing up for LFR etc.

Cheers.

Post by Eccentrica

I make a habit of trying to use my professions as much as possible while I level. Every profession offers things of use all along the levelling process.

The things that get bypassed are the old epics. While I like finding all the recipes I can, the odds of me grinding out the mats for Titanium Razorplate for an alt are slim to nil.

That having been said, all the professions need a bit of love and care from Blizz. For the love of Pete, just hire a crew of interns for the summer to update the 1-375 recipes already.

Post by Ndragheta

BTW: How do you propose Blizz let a Level 10 toon gather pandaren herbs or leather?
What I would like to see is a fundamental change to the profession system so that lower level professions could interact with higher level players. For example, in Eve Online, during my first day I can be producing frigate class ships that veteran players may use. Granted, Eve's skill and combat system doesn't jive well with WoW's incremental level system.

I haven't looked a lot at the craftables that can be used once you hit 90 in MoP, but I would assume that like other expansions they are generally only good for getting you from questing greens to your first heroic drops and filling in some gaps for your first raiding set. After that, its all about the profession-related stat bonuses.

Post by Eccentrica

All raiding tiers drop patterns, and usually a few of them are BiS items.

Post by murphmanfa

they are generally only good for getting you from questing greens to your first heroic drops and filling in some gaps for your first raiding set.

A number of the armor items and weapons you can craft are on par with gear that drops in MSV. Also, recent additions to some of the crafting in 5.2 have added gear that's on par with normal ToT gear (see here and here and here for examples).

So no, you're wrong on that one- they're not good for filling the gap between what you're wearing when you hit 90 and what you get in heroics, they're more or less what you'll be seeing in current raids.

Post by Ndragheta

Ok, thanks for the correction. Are any of those bind on pickup so that you only get them with the profession or are they all bind on equip and thus able to be bought?

Post by kingja

Ok, thanks for the correction. Are any of those bind on pickup so that you only get them with the profession or are they all bind on equip and thus able to be bought?

They will be BwE therefore they could be put on the ah to be bought, however the price at which it would cost to make them and then to buy them off the ah is rarely worth it.

I know you already acknowledged that the market in EVE is completely different than WoW but I really would not compare the two as they are so different. I have played EVE and while I enjoyed the change in how it works to what I am normally use to and also having to fly to different zones to pickup up your new items if you purchased outside your station but it also can be very annoying in which I would love to have a simple easy to use, no hassle market system like WoW has (all be it, crazy overpriced on many things, or atleast on my server).

Last but not least on the professions them selves. Your not wrong in that there will be quite a few characters who have prof's that there only using because of the bonuses that they give their toon but if your gonna do that and have no gathering profession then you either need an alt to gather the mats or buy it from the ah though how you will constantly fund this type of action especially if its your first toon is gonna be a struggle. I honestly dont see much wrong with the profession system, if you have no heirlooms then if you have 2 profs that can support each other and upgrade you at the same time is great and win-win. If you do have heirlooms and gold to fly through the old content then yeah maybe its not as important but none the less you have another base covered in which you can produce X and not have to nag a guildie over it or buy X of the ah. God I would love to level my enchanter so I didnt have to pay crazy fee's for my enchant mats :D

( I do agree with Eccentrica though that the older recipes could do with abit of an update and apologies for the wall of text hehe)

Post by ChaosDecides

For most of the leveling I tend to just buy from the AH and most of the armor and weapons I create are sent to my enchanter to disenchant for mats. When I start questing in Northrend I typically create a set of plate armor until I get to a level where Cata greens are available to use and I buy them via the AH again. Same with when MOP greens are available and cata gear is providing less stas. I've created the MOP purples that you learn from quartermaster's around pandaria because they usually are good during instance runs and LFR if the drop rate isn't working in your favor. I just wish we could make a full purple set through professions instead of everything being chest and hands.

Other professions are great for earning money with the AH and being able to create cards to make trinkets, creating your own potions/flasks etc., and being able to enchant your gear, use inscription stat boosts as well as creating your own glyphs are all great benefits that make leveling professions advantageous.

What is the purpose of professions/Are they relevant to gameplay?

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