3.2 Professions - Rating the caster options

[accretion]

Hi All,
As I prepare to gear up 6-8 new lvl 80 support toons , I want to get some opinions on the current state of professions, and which ones would provide the biggest benefits for a multiboxed caster group. Specifically, I want to look at three main criteria and rate them on a scale of 1-10:

1. Benefits to caster
2. Ease of leveling the profession (speed and cost)
3. Cash potential

Note: Keep in mind, I have every profession already covered by other lvl 80 toons, so these are primarily "gravy," making stackability a little more important than normal.

Alchemy
Benefits - 7/10 -- +47 SP (Frost Wyrm) and longer duration potions is handy. Casting trinket is a good starter at 80.
Ease - 3/10 -- Picking or buying weeds is one of the more tedious and expensive ways to remediate a profession.
Cash - 7/10 -- Potions are volatile, but the new epic gem transmutes make this a worthwhile prof to consider for low-effort cash generation.
Total Score - 17/30

Blacksmithing
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP or other flexibility from two extra sockets.
Ease - 2/10 -- Highly obnoxious and subject to the volatile ore market.
Cash - 4/10 -- Titansteel items and belt buckles still move, but not quickly enough to make this terribly attractive.
Total Score - 11/30

Enchanting
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP ring enchants.
Ease - 3/10 -- There are some real bottlenecks in the leveling process, plus mats aren't as cheap as they used to be.
Cash - 5/10 -- ToC has given enchanting (scrolls) a bump, but it's also not the type of profession to stack well. DE isn't as valuable post-ToC, either.
Total Score - 13/30

Engineering
Benefits - 7/10 -- More haste from glove enchant is nice, and the + SP for cloak isn't awful. But I haven't seen any hard data comparing the increase versus other profs (+46 SP). Great overall utility is what props up this score.
Ease - 4/10 -- Slightly better than BS and Ench, due to sharpening stones, but still a pain for any non-Gnomes.
Cash - 2/10 -- Very few ways (that I'm aware of) to make consistent money.
Total Score - 13/30

Inscription
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP to shoulder.
Ease - 3/10 -- Another painful profession to level. Much harder than Alchemy, in my experience, though you can usually sell the skillup glyphs easily.
Cash - 4/10 -- Darkmoon cards, scrolls and glyphs sell fine, but you really don't need more than one of these.
Total Score - 12/30

Jewelcrafting
Benefits - 7/10 -- +48 SP or other boosted stats from self-only epic recipes. Trinkets are also good for new 80s.
Ease - 4/10 -- Mats are obnoxious, but mitigated by stone and other combines. Draenei are closer to 5/10 due to +5 JC skill.
Cash - 8/10 -- Dragon's eyes still sell pretty well, so it would be easy to pick up a quick 500g doing this daily.
Total Score - 19-20/30

Leatherworking
Benefits - 5/10 -- +47 SP to wrists.
Ease - 4/10 -- Mats are a little easier to come by, but still not trivial.
Cash - 3/10 -- Another profession that doesn't stack well.
Total Score - 12/30

Tailoring
Benefits - 6/10 -- Lightweave seems to be the best cloak enchant by a mile, though it counteracts the Eng buff. Cheap leg armor is marginally helpful in bulk.
Ease - 8/10 -- By far the easiest profession to level. Cloth is usually cheap or easy to farm
Cash - 5/10 -- Cloth transmutes stack well, though their cooldown is relatively long. Otherwise, not much profit here.
Total Score - 19/30

Summary
For my money, it looks like Tailoring and JC are the winners, with Alchemy picking up honorable mention. However, I'd welcome some other opinions to confirm/contradict my thoughts.

[Whowantstoknow]

Hi All,
As I prepare to gear up 6-8 new lvl 80 support toons , I want to get some opinions on the current state of professions, and which ones would provide the biggest benefits for a multiboxed caster group. Specifically, I want to look at three main criteria and rate them on a scale of 1-10:

1. Benefits to caster
2. Ease of leveling the profession (speed and cost)
3. Cash potential

Note: Keep in mind, I have every profession already covered by other lvl 80 toons, so these are primarily "gravy," making stackability a little more important than normal.

Alchemy
Benefits - 7/10 -- +47 SP (Frost Wyrm) and longer duration potions is handy. Casting trinket is a good starter at 80.
Ease - 3/10 -- Picking or buying weeds is one of the more tedious and expensive ways to remediate a profession.
Cash - 7/10 -- Potions are volatile, but the new epic gem transmutes make this a worthwhile prof to consider for low-effort cash generation.
Total Score - 17/30

Blacksmithing
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP or other flexibility from two extra sockets.
Ease - 2/10 -- Highly obnoxious and subject to the volatile ore market.
Cash - 4/10 -- Titansteel items and belt buckles still move, but not quickly enough to make this terribly attractive.
Total Score - 11/30

Enchanting
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP ring enchants.
Ease - 3/10 -- There are some real bottlenecks in the leveling process, plus mats aren't as cheap as they used to be.
Cash - 5/10 -- ToC has given enchanting (scrolls) a bump, but it's also not the type of profession to stack well. DE isn't as valuable post-ToC, either.
Total Score - 13/30

Engineering
Benefits - 7/10 -- More haste from glove enchant is nice, and the + SP for cloak isn't awful. But I haven't seen any hard data comparing the increase versus other profs (+46 SP). Great overall utility is what props up this score.
Ease - 4/10 -- Slightly better than BS and Ench, due to sharpening stones, but still a pain for any non-Gnomes.
Cash - 2/10 -- Very few ways (that I'm aware of) to make consistent money.
Total Score - 13/30

Inscription
Benefits - 5/10 -- +46 SP to shoulder.
Ease - 3/10 -- Another painful profession to level. Much harder than Alchemy, in my experience, though you can usually sell the skillup glyphs easily.
Cash - 4/10 -- Darkmoon cards, scrolls and glyphs sell fine, but you really don't need more than one of these.
Total Score - 12/30

Jewelcrafting
Benefits - 7/10 -- +48 SP or other boosted stats from self-only epic recipes. Trinkets are also good for new 80s.
Ease - 4/10 -- Mats are obnoxious, but mitigated by stone and other combines. Draenei are closer to 5/10 due to +5 JC skill.
Cash - 8/10 -- Dragon's eyes still sell pretty well, so it would be easy to pick up a quick 500g doing this daily.
Total Score - 19-20/30

Leatherworking
Benefits - 5/10 -- +47 SP to wrists.
Ease - 4/10 -- Mats are a little easier to come by, but still not trivial.
Cash - 3/10 -- Another profession that doesn't stack well.
Total Score - 12/30

Tailoring
Benefits - 6/10 -- Lightweave seems to be the best cloak enchant by a mile, though it counteracts the Eng buff. Cheap leg armor is marginally helpful in bulk.
Ease - 8/10 -- By far the easiest profession to level. Cloth is usually cheap or easy to farm
Cash - 5/10 -- Cloth transmutes stack well, though their cooldown is relatively long. Otherwise, not much profit here.
Total Score - 19/30

Summary
For my money, it looks like Tailoring and JC are the winners, with Alchemy picking up honorable mention. However, I'd welcome some other opinions to confirm/contradict my thoughts.

Lightweave was OP in 3.1 but they nerfed the ICD and proc rate so it is much more in line with other buffs
Alchemy also has a flask which once made does not require mats so as long as you remember to use it it is a permenant +47sp buff
Depending on your class make up I would recommend at least one leatherworker and one Scribe for the buffs in 3.2.2

[Multibocks]

That alchemy one is stupid. So if I use that I dont get to use my frost wyrm flask? That's the only time I worry about buffing my SP, so if its an issue then Im going to be using Frost Wyrm flasks and not that puny 47sp.

[Whowantstoknow]

Well is for when you dont want to waste materials for flasks - i tend not to flask at all for heroics so the Flask of the North is a nice way to get the alchemy benefit (which works out to be +47sp) without having to spend gold for Flasks (Flask of the North is not Consumed when used) it is also usable in arena where Frost Wyrm is not

[Schwarz]

I would redo your list and leave out any cash/ease components. Once you have 5 level 80 toons gold isn't something you are going to have to worry about too much. For me I am going to try to figure out what gives the best buffs. Last time I looked it was JCing and ______. Never figured out that second prof. I might go engineering on all 5 just to piss people off and rid around in motorcycles.

[accretion]

Heh, love the idea of 5 Harley's puttin' around Dalaran. You'd be your own Hell's Angels.

[Fat Tire]

Decent write up, thanks!


You can see that more or less all the buffs are pretty much the same. When JC gems used to be prismatic then JC had the edge, but now that they are certain colors they are just the same as any other profession.
I think it comes down to ease of leveling. Getting professions maxed on 5-to however many characters you have blows!. I would think that having 1 of each profession would be a good idea and then stack if you wish. Pyro-rockets, Jc dailys, Alch transmutes etc.

For my time/money Inscription is cake to lvl. JC is pretty easy also its just the 250-300 range that sucks but if you have a miner which you should its cake and very cheap to raise. I got all the gems I needed for 250-300 prospecting 5 stacks of thorium.

Also, I dont know if any one else watched the blizzcon panels, but they said that they want to give you the choice what buff you wanted from professions, i.e. Miners could choose SP buff instead of just stam buff.

[Multibocks]

Well is for when you dont want to waste materials for flasks - i tend not to flask at all for heroics so the Flask of the North is a nice way to get the alchemy benefit (which works out to be +47sp) without having to spend gold for Flasks (Flask of the North is not Consumed when used) it is also usable in arena where Frost Wyrm is not

Well I understand, but what I am saying is: If Im bothering to look through my alchemists bags to flask, its for Frost Wyrm. If Im doing easy heroics then there is no reason to bother. It's a lazy thing, I would rather Alchemists just get +47 SP passively.

[Whowantstoknow]

Well I understand, but what I am saying is: If Im bothering to look through my alchemists bags to flask, its for Frost Wyrm. If Im doing easy heroics then there is no reason to bother. It's a lazy thing, I would rather Alchemists just get +47 SP passively.

Or use smartbuff?

[Multibocks]

Smartbuff can click inventory items? Didnt know that.