[WoW] Professions

I'd say both are good. I'd think one of the biggest considerations is what they offer that is unique. For example, BS offers extra gem slots to gloves/bracers. LW offers fur lined bracers and some other enhancements only LW can use. The BS made gear is really good. You will probably use it until you start raiding. I am not sure about LW gear, but I did use some when I started heroics. You will always use the tradeskill specific "perks".

Here is a great post for you to read over: http://elitistjerks.com/f15/t29288-w...35/#post904932

It hasn't been updated since Oct'08, but I think it's still accurate. Figured I would just paste in below since it's not the first post in the thread I linked:

Quote:

Summary of Profession Perks:
(This is PVE focused)

Herbalism
- New Ability: Heals for 2000 over 5 Seconds, 3 minute cooldown (Wild Growth (Rank 6))
- Items:
--- Reduces your armor by 100%, but increases your attack power by 400 for 10 sec, 1 Min Cooldown (Fire Leaf)
--- Makes you vulnerable to magic, but increases your spell power by 200 for 10 sec, 1 Min Cooldown (Fire Seed)
--- Absorbs 750 to 1250 damage. Lasts 15 sec, 2 Min Cooldown (Fel Blossom)
Mining
- 500 HP (Toughness (Rank 6))
Skinning
- 25 Crit Rating (Master of Anatomy (Rank 6))

Alchemy
- % stat bonus + 100% Duration to flasks (Mixology)
--- Flask bonus = 64 AP or 13 MP5 or 320 HP or 37 SP
- % stat bonus + 100% Duration to elixirs (Mixology)
--- Elixir bonus (Battle) = 32 AP or 19 SP or 16 STR
---- AND
--- Elixir bonus (Guardian) = 32 Res or ?
- BOP Endless Potions (reusable item, usable in Arenas)
--- Restores 1680 to 2160 health, 3 Min Cooldown (Endless Healing Potion)
--- Restores 400 to 600 mana, 3 Min Cooldown (Endless Mana Potion)
--- Restores 1680 to 2160 health and 400 to 600 mana, 3 Min Cooldown (Endless Rejuvenation Potion)
- BOP Trinkets with 40% bonus to potion effectiveness
Enchanting
- Ring Enchants (2):
--- 32 AP (Assault)
--- 19 SP (Greater Spellpower)
--- 24 Stamina (Stamina)
- BOP Wands
Jewelcrafting
- BOP Gems (can use up to 3 total, not unique, prismatic for easier socket bonuses)
--- 54 AP (Bright Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Bright Cardinal Ruby) = 14 AP
--- 27 AGI (Delicate Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Delicate Cardinal Ruby) = 7 AGI
--- 27 STR (Bold Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Bold Cardinal Ruby) = 7 STR
--- 27 Crit Rating (Smooth Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Smooth King's Amber) = 7 Crit Rating
--- 27 Haste Rating (Quick Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Quick King's Amber) = 7 Haste Rating
--- 27 Hit Rating (Rigid Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Rigid King's Amber) = 7 Hit Rating
--- 32 SP (Runed Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Runed Cardinal Ruby) = 9 SP
--- 11 MP5 (Lustrous Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Lustrous Majestic Zircon) = 3 MP5
--- 189 ArPen (Fractured Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Fractured Cardinal Ruby) = 59 ArPen
--- 41 STA (Solid Dragon's Eye)
--- --- bonus (vs. Solid Majestic Zircon) = 11 STA
- BOP Trinkets
Inscription
- Extra Major glyph in place of a minor glyph (REMOVED)
- BOP shoulder enchants (also don't require exalted with The Sons of Hodir like non-inscription enchants):
--- 104 AP, 15 Crit Rating (Master's Inscription of the Axe)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Scribe (Greater Inscription of the Axe)) = 64 AP
--- 61 SP, 6 MP5 (Master's Inscription of the Crag)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Scribe (Greater Inscription of the Crag)) = 36 SP
--- 52 Dodge Rating, 15 Defence Rating (Master's Inscription of the Pinnacle)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Scribe (Greater Inscription of the Pinnacle)) = 32 Dodge Rating
--- 61 SP, 15 Crit Rating (Master's Inscription of the Storm)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Scribe (Greater Inscription of the Storm)) = 36 SP
- BOP Offhands

Blacksmithing
- Glove socket (colourless)
- Bracer Socket (colourless)
- BOP Armor - TBA?
- BOP Weapons - TBA?
Leatherworking
- BOP Leg Armors:
--- 75 AP, 22 Crit Rating (Wyrmscale Leg Armor)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-LW (Frosthide Leg Armor)) = far cheaper mats
--- 55 STA, 22 AGI (Dragonscale Leg Armor)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-LW (Icescale Leg Armor)) = far cheaper mats
- Bracer Enchants:
--- 90 STA (Fur Lining: Stamina)
--- --- bonus (vs. enchant) = 74 STA
--- 67 SP (Fur Lining: Spell Damage)
--- --- bonus (vs. Superior Spellpower enchant) = 37 SP
--- 114 AP (Fur Lining: Attack Power)
--- --- bonus (vs. enchant) = 64 AP
- Drums: (APPEAR TO BE REMOVED)
--- Increases spell power by 50 and attack power by 100 for 20 sec. (Garok's Battle)
--- Increases movement speed by 15% and haste rating by 95 for 30 sec. (Drums of Great Battle)
- BOP Armor - TBA?
Tailoring
- BOP Leg threads:
--- 50 SP, 20 SPI (Sanctified Spellthread)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Tailor Brilliant Spellthread) = far cheaper mats
--- 50 SP, 30 STA (Master's Spellthread)
--- --- bonus (vs. non-Tailor Sapphire Spellthread) = far cheaper mats
- BOP Cloak Enchants:
--- a chance to restore 300 mana when you cast a spell (Darkglow Embroidery)
--- a chance to cause an additional 1000 to 1200 Holy damage when you damage an enemy with a spell (Lightweave Embroidery)
--- your damaging melee attacks to sometimes increase your attack power by 300 for 15 sec. (Swordguard Embroidery)
- BOP Armor - TBA?
Engineering
- Unique Item Enchants:
--- 340 Haste Rating for 8 secs to gloves, 2 min cooldown (Hyperspeed Accelerators)
- Trinkets:
--- +63 SP + Sonic Shield: Melee attacks against you have a chance to create a shield absorbing 1100 damage, once per minute max. (Noise Machine)
--- +81 STA + Sonic Awareness: Sometimes increases your attack power by 430 for 10 sec, once per minute max. (Sonic Booster)
- BOP Goggles
- Other miscellaneous BOP items

---

Stat Comparisons (between professions):

Tanking:
- Mining = 500 HP
- Alchemy = 320 HP (Flask of Stoneblood)
- Enchanting = 48 STA
- Jewelcrafting = 33 STA
--- Jewelcrafting = 48 STA (counts avoiding using a red gem instead of a blue for meta requirements)
- Blacksmithing = 60 STA or 40 Def or 40 Dodge
- Leatherworking = 74 STA
- Inscription = 32 Dodge Rating

Physical DPS:
- Herbalism = 66.7AP (average, requires consumables)
- Skinning = 25 Crit rating
- Alchemy = 64 AP (Flask of Endless Rage)
- Enchanting = 64 AP
- Jewelcrafting = 42 AP or 21 AGI or 21 STR or 21 Crit Rating or 21 Haste Rating or 21 Hit Rating or 177 ArPen
--- Jewelcrafting = 62 AP or 31 AGI or 31 STR etc. (counts avoiding using a blue gem instead of a red for meta requirements)
- Blacksmithing = 80 AP or 40 AGI or 40 STR or 40 Crit Rating or 40 Haste Rating or 40 Hit Rating or 280 ArPen
- Leatherworking = 64 AP
- Inscription = 64 AP

Caster DPS / Healing:
- Herbalism = 33.3SP (average, requires consumables)
- Skinning = 25 Crit rating
- Alchemy = 37 SP (Flask of the Frost Wyrm) OR 13 MP5 (Flask of Pure Mojo)
- Enchanting = 38 SP
- Jewelcrafting = 27 SP or 21 Crit Rating or 21 Haste Rating or 21 Hit Rating or 9 MP5
--- Jewelcrafting = 49 SP (counts avoiding using 2 blue gems instead of 2 red gems for meta requirements)
- Blacksmithing = 46 SP or 21 Crit Rating or 21 Haste Rating or 21 Hit Rating or 16 MP5
- Leatherworking = 37 SP
- Inscription = 36 SP

---

Notes & Comments:
- Blacksmithing, Tailoring & Leatherworking all have advantages from the BOP armor/weapons they can make that are NOT summarized here as the infomation available is far from complete
- Blacksmithing's extra sockets are considered with Epic gems for comparison purposes.
- Blacksmithing & Jewelcrafting both allow for much easier socket bonuses
--- Blacksmithing allows gem color freedom on gloves & bracers
--- Jewelcrafting allows gem color freedom in up to 3 sockets
- Jewelcrafting allows you to gain stats that the other professions don't give at all (ArPen, +hit, expertise, +def etc.)
- Jewelcrafting only gems will be way easier to obtain than the epic gems they are compared to since they are crafted from blues (depending on recipe source)
- Jewelcrafting makes meta gem requirements (especially 2 blues req.) much easier if not trivial and confers a bonus that way (avoiding having to use suboptimal gems etc.)
- Tailoring is now also a semi-gathering profession due to cloth gathering bonus