If you've been stuck with unprofitable professions in Wrath of the Lich King for the last eight months, it's time to make a change. Phase 3 of Wotlk offers a unique opportunity to switch up your professions and make thousands of gold per day. The introduction of new epic gems has closed the gap between Jewelcrafting and other professions, making it the perfect time to explore other lucrative options. In this guide, we'll dive into the five most profitable professions that are making players rich and why you should consider making the switch.

 

• Wotlk Engineering
• Wotlk Enchanting
• Wotlk Mining
• Wotlk Alchemy
• Wotlk Jewelcrafting

 

 

↖ Wotlk Engineering

Engineering is often associated with serious raiders, but there's still untapped potential for profit. Craft items such as Rooted Mana Injectors, Global Thermal Saber Charges, and Saronite Bombs to sell during raid times. Additionally, consider venturing into Cloud Harvesting in Sholazar Basin, which can yield Eternal Fires, a valuable resource. With the upcoming Shadow Rounds and Ice Blade Arrows requiring Goblin or Gnomish Engineering, consider switching to Gnomish to maximize your profit potential.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Engineering

Let's briefly go over the advantages and disadvantages of the Engineering profession in WoW Classic.

 

 

Advantages

Disadvantages

Powerful PvP Items: Engineering offers unique gadgets like the Arcane Bomb and Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector, providing a strategic advantage in player-versus-player encounters. Utility Items: Engineering provides useful items like the Field Repair Bot and Jumper Cables, which can be invaluable in raids and dungeons. Standout Profession: Engineering sets you apart from other players, showcasing your diverse skill set and creativity.

Expensive to Level: Engineering can be costly to level, as some materials are in high demand and may have higher auction house prices. Limited PvE Items: Engineering items primarily cater to PvP scenarios, making them less appealing for pure PvE-focused players. Not Highly Profitable: While some Engineering items can sell well, the profession may not be as lucrative as other crafting professions.

 

 

Levelling Guide

Apprentice Engineering (1-50)

• Learn Apprentice Engineering from a trainer in your faction's main city (Stormwind for Alliance, Ironforge for Dwarves and Gnomes).
• Craft 60 Rough Blasting Powders and 30 Handfuls of Copper Bolts.

 

Journeyman Engineering (51-100)

• Craft 1 Arclight Spanner to reach 51.
• Craft 30 Rough Copper Bombs to reach 100.

 

Expert Engineering (101-150)

• Craft 60 Coarse Blasting Powders and 15 Coarse Dynamite to reach 150.

 

Artisan Engineering (151-200)

• Travel to Gadgetzan in Tanaris and learn Artisan Engineering from Buzzek Bracketswing.
• Craft 20 Unstable Triggers, 40 Mithril Casings, and 20 High-Explosive Bombs to reach 200.

 

Master Engineering (201-300)

• Craft 30 Dense Blasting Powders to reach 230.
• Craft 35 Thorium Widgets to reach 260.
• Purchase the Schematic: Thorium Tube from Xizzer Fizzbolt in Winterspring and craft 20 Thorium Tubes to reach 300.

 

↖ Wotlk Enchanting

As Jewelcrafting's popularity wanes, Enchanting is becoming a more appealing choice for WotLK gold making. Focus on selling Enchanting Vellums at the auction house, setting up TSM groups for relevant vellums, and using the TSM crafting panel to restock specific recipes. Disenchanting searches using the Trade Skill Master desktop app can also yield free disenchanting profit. Remember the Serenite Shuffle, a profitable method that involves prospecting Serenite for Greater Cosmic Essence.

 

Negatives of Enchanting:

• Expensive to Max Out: Enchanting can be quite costly, even if you have some materials prepared beforehand.
• Time-Consuming: Leveling enchanting takes time, especially if you need more gold to buy materials.
• Reliance on Auction House: If your server's auction house lacks certain materials, you might have to wait or farm them yourself.
• Vendor Respawns: Some enchanting recipes sold by vendors have limited stock and require waiting for respawns.
• Final Trainer in a Dungeon: The final enchanting trainer is located in a dungeon, making access a bit more challenging.

 

Positives of Enchanting:

• High Demand: Enchanters are always in demand as players constantly upgrade their gear throughout the game.
• Tipping: Players usually tip enchanters for their services, making it a lucrative profession.
• Disenchanting Benefits: Enchanting allows you to disenchant items, providing valuable materials for crafting and gold-making.
• Dungeon Gold Farming: Enchanters can farm dungeons, disenchanting boss drops for valuable materials and gold.
• Rare Enchants: The best enchants in the game are often found in raids as rare drops, making skilled enchanters highly sought after.

 

Enchanting Leveling Guide:

Journeyman Enchanting (Skill 1-50):

• Disenchant items obtained from dungeons.
• If low on greens, farm low-level dungeons like Stockades to get materials and gold.

 

Apprentice Enchanting (Skill 50-60):

• Enchant Bracer - Minor Health (40x).

 

Expert Enchanting (Skill 60-150):

• Enchant Bracer - Lesser Stamina (10x).
• Create a Run Silver Rod (one time).

 

Artisan Enchanting (Skill 150-225):

• Enchant Bracer - Lesser Strength (40x).
• Create a Run Golden Rod (one time).
• Enchant Gloves - Agility (5x).
• Enchant Boots - Stamina (5x).
• Enchant Chest - Superior Health (25x).

 

Master Enchanting (Skill 225-265):

• Enchant Bracer - Greater Strength (5x).
• Enchant Shield - Greater Stamina (30x).

 

Grandmaster Enchanting (Skill 265-300):

• Enchant Gloves - Greater Agility (5x).
• Enchant Cloak - Greater Defense (5x).

 

↖ Wotlk Mining

Mining is a highly profitable profession, especially with the high prices of Titanium. Venture into locations like Icecrown to mine Serenite and Titanium, potentially earning over 500 gold per hour. Additionally, consider levelling mining to smelt Titan Steel, which can turn inexpensive supplies into valuable Titan Steel Bars. Keep an eye out for potential changes to the cooldown on smelting Titan Steel in Phase 4, as it could significantly impact your profits.

 

Getting Started with Mining:

First things first, head to the mining trainers in either Orgrimmar or Stormwind to learn the mining profession. For Horde players, I recommend starting in Razor Hill, Durotar, while Alliance players should gather copper in Dun Morogh. Humans can also mine in Elwynn Forest, but beware of deep cobalt caves. Unfortunately, Night Elves will need to venture further to Teldrassil's Darkshore to find copper nodes.

 

Early-Level Mining (1-65):

• To efficiently level up mining from 1 to 65, focus on mining copper in Durotar or Dun Morogh. For those already at level 60, consider purchasing copper from the auction house and smelting it to gain skill points quickly.

 

Moving to Tin (65-125):

• Once you hit mining level 65, switch your attention to mining tin. Horde players can find tin nodes in Wailing Caverns, while Alliance can mine it in Darkshore. Alternatively, if you're level 60, you can farm tin in Hillsbrad Foothills.

 

Iron and Mithril (125-275):

• Reaching mining level 125 unlocks iron, which becomes a valuable resource as players gear up for world PvP in Phase 2. Horde players can farm iron in Razorfen Kraul or Hearthglen. Alliance miners can find iron in Arathi Highlands and Desolace. For a more profitable route, mine mithril in The Hinterlands or Tanaris. However, I recommend Blasted Lands as the best location to gather mithril, especially if you are on a layered server.

 

Dark Iron and Rich Thorium (230-300):

At mining level 230, you can begin mining dark iron. Horde players can do prison runs in Blackrock Depths or ask for permission during Molten Core raids to mine dark iron nodes. Alliance players can find dark iron in the same locations.

 

Finally, at mining level 275, the lucrative world of rich thorium opens up. You can find rich thorium in Un'goro Crater, Wintergrasp, Silithus, or through Dire Maul drop runs.

 

Farming Arcane Crystals (Rich Thorium):

Rich thorium deposits offer a rare chance to yield arcane crystals, which can sell for a premium price at the auction house. Efficient farming routes include Un'goro Crater, Dire Maul drop runs, or exploring Wintergrasp and Silithus.

 

↖ Wotlk Alchemy

Alchemy is currently a hot gold-making profession, and it's worth running on all your alts. Transmute Scarlet Rubies into Cardinal Rubies every 20 hours for a significant profit. Experiment with different gem colours for even higher profits. Utilize Northrend Alchemy Research to create new potions like Wild Magic and Speed, and stock up on supplies to sell potions near raid days. Remember to invest in Potion Mastery for maximum profit potential.

 

Getting Started: Leveling Alchemy

• Refreshing Healing Potion (Skill Level 1-7)
• Start with crafting Refreshing Healing Potions to reach skill level 7.

• Freezing Healing Potion (Skill Level 7-10): Create Freezing Healing Potions to level up to 10. Consider pushing it to level 12 for better efficiency.
• Anium Dirconus (Skill Level 10-15): Craft Anium Dirconus to reach skill level 15. Stock up on these, as they are crucial in Alchemy.
• Primal Convergent (Skill Level 15-20): Now, focus on Primal Convergent to advance to skill level 20.
• Elemental Potion of Power (Skill Level 20-30): Begin crafting Elemental Potions of Power to reach skill level 30. This potion is in high demand and offers potential profits.
• File of Tepid Versatility (Skill Level 30-50): Switch to creating File of Tepid Versatility to level up to 50. This file is essential for levelling Alchemy.
• Choosing Specializations: Once you reach skill level 50, it's time to specialize. There are three specializations to consider: Potions, Files, and Reagents. 

 

File Specialization

• File Lore (10 Points): Invest 10 points in File Lore to unlock sub-specializations.
• Sub-Specialization: Elemental File Master (10 Points): Use 10 points to unlock Elemental File Master and get access to more powerful files.
• Multicraft (20 Points): Put 20 points into Multicraft to increase your chances of creating extra files during crafting.
• Inspiring Ambience (30 Points): Allocate 30 points to Inspiring Ambience to enhance your inspiration chances, resulting in higher-quality crafts.

 

Maximizing Profit

Now that you have specialized in Files and improved your Multicraft and inspiration chances, you can start crafting Elemental Potions of Power using high-quality files. This will lead to more inspiring crafts and, ultimately, higher profits. Remember that Alchemy is a profession with some RNG involved, so keep experimenting and learning from your failures. The more you invest in your specialization and improve your Multicraft chances, the more success you'll achieve.

 

↖ Wotlk Jewelcrafting

Jewelcrafting takes the top spot as the most lucrative profession. Daily quests yield a free 130 gold profit, and crafting Icy Prisms can provide valuable Epic gems, including Reds. Use TSM groups to restock gem cuts with at least 20 gold profits per cut. Consider prospecting Titanium for valuable gems like Cardinal Rubies. With the right approach, you can make over 200 gold from prospecting a thousand Saronite ores.

 

Getting Started: Learning Jewelcrafting and Essential Tools

To begin your journey in Jewelcrafting, you need to visit Val Draken in Dragonflight, where you will find the trainer for this profession. Additionally, there is a vendor nearby who sells Jewelcrafting supplies, including the essential jeweler tool set and specific ingredients used in some recipes. You will also need The Jeweler's Bench for certain crafting recipes.

 

Levelling Jewelcrafting from 1 to 80

To level up Jewelcrafting from 1 to 80, you should start with prospecting using the cheapest gems available on the auction house, such as Cerevite. Prospect gems until you stop gaining experience from this activity. You can then sell the gems back on the auction house to recoup your costs and make some profit.

 

Next, move on to crushing the gems you obtained from prospecting to obtain silken dust. As with prospecting, you can sell the crushed gems to break even or make some gold. Remember to visit the trainer every five levels to acquire new recipes that match your current skill level.

 

During this levelling phase, you can craft various items like rudimentary gems and avoid crafting items made from the Shimmering Clasp, as they are not cost-effective. Pay attention to the auction house prices to identify which items are currently profitable to craft.

 

Levelling from 80 to 100: Specialization Options

Once you reach level 80 in Jewelcrafting, you have two primary options for levelling up to 100: the Limited Diamonds specialization or the Jewel Dragonheart specialization.

 

Limited Diamonds Specialization:

• Requires 45 points in the Enterprising tree and 35 points in Glassware.
• You get Limited Diamonds, and there is no cooldown on this specialization.
• Limited Diamonds allow you to level up every day, and will take around two months to reach level 100.
• Crafting these gems is relatively inexpensive and can be done by using gems and silken dust.
• Jewel Dragonheart Specialization:
• Requires 10 points in the base specialization and 40 points in any specialization tree.
• The Jewel Dragonheart has a three-day cooldown but guarantees a level-up every three days.
• To craft Jewel Dragonheart, you will need gems and silken dust.
• This method may take longer to reach level 100 but can be a more cost-effective option.
• Crafting End-Game Gear and Specialization Bonuses

 

Once you have achieved level 100 in Jewelcrafting, you can start crafting powerful end-game gear using materials like Spark of Ingenuity. These materials are obtained through quests or dungeons.

 

As you progress in Jewelcrafting, you can invest in specific specializations to boost your crafting capabilities. For example, Jewelers Tool Set Mastery will increase your skill points in all Jewelcrafting recipes, while specialization trees like Fasting and Enterprising offer unique benefits for different crafting tasks.

 

Conclusion

In Phase 3 of Wotlk, the gap between professions has narrowed significantly, making it the perfect time to switch up your professions and capitalize on new profit opportunities. Whether it's Engineering, Enchanting, Mining, Alchemy, or Jewelcrafting, each of these professions offers a pathway to making thousands of gold per day. So, seize the opportunity, diversify your skills, and watch your wealth grow in this exciting phase of the game.