WoW Engineering-aka a money sink
Monday, March 27th, 2006 - 3:20am
So, the other day I finally bothered to hit lvl 227 Engineering skill and pick gnomish engineering with my druid. Thing is, after raiding a lot in MC etc. I'm low on cash and yearning to get an epic mount. Am I crazy to drop engineering for herbs to go with mining (which I usually just sell on the AH)? I like having bombs and gadgets in pvp but I hardly pvp anymore with my druid. At least with herbs my potion bills would go down some along with profits of selling stuff I don't need.
Pairing Herbs with Mining is profitable but hard as you can only have one map search on at a time. So you can't see both herbs and veins on the mini map at once. Also its worse for a hunter as they can't see either if they have tracking turned on (which they pretty much always do!).
WOW: Bounce
At 227, I'd keep it. Thing is, you won't make money on it selling the standard stuff everyone can make. Too much competition. You need to figure out what sells for a profit based on the mats you can buy on AH. If the mats are so expensive you can't buy them and make a profit, why would you farm them and then get less money on the mats by making something than selling the mats? If nothing else, just don't do any engineering until you find something that sells that you can make that will bring in the dough.
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
I really don't recommend changing professions. The time it takes to build the skill back-up is a pain in the ass.
Codexica - GWJ Alliance
Just to add, on the official forums, in the Professions forum, there's a stickied guide by GeneriKB on making money. Highly recommended reading for anyone having money problems or just wanting to make more. Highly recommended. It's mostly common sense, but well reasoned and well presented. It helped me a bit when I read it 10 levels ago(I'd already taken much of the advice before reading it), and I'm sure it'll help you.
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
I'm not liking engineering much either just because of the cross use of items. "What?!?! I gotta make 3 other items first before I can make this one green item for a possible point." Getting old fast, but that's just me.
Given such a high level in that profession I'd keep it at this point. Mining can still be a good money maker in selling the raw mats alone. But if you we're set on changing I'd go with skinning to complement mining. Skins are abundantly available off mobs and the skill doesn't tie up a tracking skill slot. And if you have a good guild, a leatherworker can turn the ruggeds into armor kits to help with the Darkmoon Faire tickets - great ammys for a druid regardless of which you pick! I hope this helps.
"And thus I clothe my naked villany with odd old ends stol'n forth of Holy Writ, and seem a saint when most I play the devil." ~ William Shakespeare
I would drop mining for herbs if you plan on dropping something. You can always buy mining stuff on the AH for fairly cheap.
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
There's an add-on that lets you queue your production so as long as you have the mats for the first set of components you can just queue it all up and watch it roll. Sorry, I don't remember what it was called, but it was in the insomniax pack that was in use in mid-January.
I had 300 engineers on two of my characters. There's a lot of fun stuff to make at the highest levels, but if you are already going to MC then you probably don't need much of it for the game. The biggest kick I got from it was powerleveling it to 225 at level 20 and then 300 at level 35. You can get a huge relative advantage using some of the high-end dynamite and bombs at comparatively low levels. Thorium widgets, seaforium charges, and the teleportation device were pretty much the only things I was making by the end-game. Also I had a decent moneymaker in selling Tranquil Mechanical Yetis, but they're probably much more common now.
One thing to keep in mind before you drop it is that there is a lot more engineering stuff that you have to be an engineer to use than there is stuff in other professions. So if you drop it you will be closing off a lot of content.
For powerleveling from your level, dense dynamite and thorium widgets are good.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
Eh, not really on my server. Anything beyond mithril gets up there in price but I see your point. I already have a toon with 300 skinning who kills alot faster than my resto druid does so thats out.
Still not sure, been thinking about this for some time actually. Thx for the replies all.
Engineering is a huge sink. I'm sort of stuck at about 275 because I'm just now at the level where I can get some of the stuff I need. I loved having a lot of stuff in PVP, but if I had it to do over again, I would have done mining or herbs and skinning, then picked up engineering much later. I'm probably going to hold off doing much more than I have until after I get my epic mount.
*Legion* wrote:
The other thing is the cooldown time for your engineering only trinkets are horrible.
30 mins or an hour for your combat buddy trinkets, I think the net one is 10 or 30 mins. The only low one is the shrink ray which backfires more times then actually works.
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
I loved the early days.
Target dummies and the mind-control device both came in handy when we ran Deadmines and Gnomer.
And when the jumper cables work, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
I dunno, I had my troll hunter fairly heavy into engineering (somewhere in the low-middle 200's). Then I realized that I wasn't even building my own guns or ammo anymore, and that it was just a huge moneysink. Sure there's lots of cool gadgets, but I never found myself using them. Ever. So I dropped it for skinning a week or two back, and have yet to regret it. Just gives me more grist for the AH and my money making ventures.
Edit: Hey...what do ya know...I hit Executive. Only took 3 years and change. Is that some kind of record? Yay me
Joedeth
Ironjoe
I've found Engineering to be the only rewarding trade skill I've taken. Yeah, it's a money sink, but at least the things I can do can't be done by Joe Schmoe with a big bank account and the AH.
Xbox Live: Stilgar Black
I've been Skinning/Mining from the start, never really had any money problems, and once i read GeneriKB's guide and really started grabbing everything possible and AHing ANYTHING that MIGHT sell, I've started making a lot more money.
I'm holding out for Jewelcrafting in the expansion. I'll drop Skinning, pick that up, grind any rep I need for special recipes, and power it to 300 as much as possible.
(Edit: After that, I'll probably end up dropping Mining for either Engineering or Enchanting at the end-game, once I have bought all the cool end-game toys I want and have my epic mount.)
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
Yeah I dunno, I just need more cash. I don't mind grinding but I have horrible luck at it. I tend to have better luck with mining and herb gathering. It doesn't help that the illusion dust market on my server has been flooded. I'm usually selling at a loss even at 1g per dust.
When I was playing my favorite mining spot (Aliiance) was around the Ruins of Almeric. If you go in the ogre caves and around the mountain where the Yetis are you will always find plenty of Iron, Mithril and sometimes truesilver mines. I used to make a couple of trips a night and always had plenty of materials for grinding and selling.
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
Fizzwidget's Autocraft is the name of the mod.
Codexica - GWJ Alliance
Uhhh.... why would you do that?
That ties into the same thing that I mentioned and GeneriKB goes into - if materials are worth more than a product made from them, you'd be foolish to make the product.
Here's how to quit losing money, the short version:
1) Quit levelling up your engineering. If you don't have a moneymaking product, don't throw any more money at it.
2) Loot everything. Everything. Yes, that crappy grey vendor trash that's only worth 1silver. All of it. Everything.
3) Mine every node you pass. Every one. Even the Iron.
4) AH Everything that's not grey and not opposing faction-specific. Don't bother with a trip to Gadget to auction Fish Oil, but do hit the AH to sell that stack of Iron.
5) Know the market. Know the server. Know the timing. If your server pays more for Copper and Tin separately than Bronze, don't make bronze. If your server would rather pick up stacks of 5 or 10 than 20, don't be lazy, break that 20 stack into 2 or 4 stacks. If you're hitting prime time for buying, don't pay the 24hr deposit. Use 2, or at most, 8. Undercut the market, but not by too much. 15% is probably about right. Yes, someone's likely to just buy you out and reprice it, but what do you care?
6) Put buyout on EVERYTHING.
7) Once you get to know the market, YOU can be one of those repricers.
Most importantly, though, is loot everything, sell everything, and don't waste money skilling up a skill that you don't have any moneymakers for. When you get a recipe you CAN sell for a profit, take the time to do it, maybe once a week or so. Make sure you can make a profit while buying mats on AH, though.
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
Uhh, to clear out inventory? I don't do it often but the market flood has been sadly stable for awhile. Illusion dust is an unfortunate byproduct of hunting for the generally very profitable greater eternal essence/large brilliant shard/nether essence etc. etc. market.
I already contribute to the amusing copper market that has a 20 stack going for 1g. When I'm not in the mood to grind, I run around mining copper/iron inbetween raids/battlegrounds.
Some quests require engineered items to complete. I'm reluctant to say so on a public forum, but I make a comfortable living selling such items.
Got any toast?
I miss you all btw...
BUT...engineering is da bomb! Best of all professions - when every 15 minutes, I can toss out a level 63 Chicken, Dragonling, Mithril Dragonling - well...and bombs and teleporters and such. Its worth it 10 times over.
So sez Tibbsy the gnome!
Unless you're running out of mana overhealing is the most worthless stat in the game. Underhealing is effectively known as "wiping".
so sayeth the Bear...
I do love my chicken of incredible doom. And taking a harvester into WSG was hysterical. Bombs...yeah, baby...yeah!
*Legion* wrote:
Karlock dropped Engineering at 243 and never looked back. Of course, I've dropped almost every profession at very high levels, so I'm a bad example.
If I didn't drink, Crom would laugh and cast me out of Valhalla when I die. Peer pressure I can handle, but not when it comes from Crom. -Lobo
Well hey, Delicate Arcanite Converters are going for like 100g right now, since they're needed for the Tier .5 quests.
Of course, the mats are just as expensive...
XBox Live Gamertag: Warlockbert
On my server, it seems like the raw materials are making the money, not the completed product (as usual). When I checked last night, Arcane Crystals were up to 25g each, instead of the usual 15-17.
"Raise high the black flags, my children."
-- Gebhard von Blucher.