Change from Blacksmith to Engineer??

[Gizmo]

Hi,
I am a Level 31 NE Warrior. I have started Blacksmithing but have only managed to get it to level 89 and I only sell the stuff I make to vendors and nobody seems to buy them at the AH. Even the armour I make for myself is nothing compared to what I can buy and do. Would Engineering benefit me though? I have the Mining Skill.
Thanks for any help!

[AlexanderK]

Hi,
I am a Level 31 NE Warrior. I have started Blacksmithing but have only managed to get it to level 89 and I only sell the stuff I make to vendors and nobody seems to buy them at the AH. Even the armour I make for myself is nothing compared to what I can buy and do. Would Engineering benefit me though? I have the Mining Skill.
Thanks for any help!

To be honest all professions at 89 at lvl 31 would suck, you should have 150 blacksmithing by lvl 30.

[Konaguyxtr]

ive got 150ish smithing and im lvl 33 and i can make some awesome stuff. just work on your smithing some more and you can make stuff that is really good for your character.

[Monkeyfool]

It's best to make easy stuff that is at least yellow or green to get your skills up, if you think it is rubbish it at least gets your Smithing up and will get you better things. I'm an engineer at 240 lvl 43 and only engineers really use engineering stuff so there's no real money value unless you sell to vendors and then you know the price isn't that good. Work on your mining and smithing. What's your mining at, you should be mining iron by now. Mine's at 254 :D .

[Eiger]

Ya, you should just spend some more time on it or not bother with professions at all. You should be able to make some good armor like the shining silver mail chest piece which will carry you for quite a while at around skill 150 - which you should be at by now. If you switch to engy now, you'll really be behind - and have to go back to areas to mine which you probably haven't spent a whole lot of time in - doing mining only - instead of mining while you quest. Just focus on making items that are orange to get that skill up fast. Yellow only if you have to.

[Owain]

As has been noted, all professions are money sinks. The plans for new items cost money, items sell to vendors for less than what their componants cost, and drops and quest items are frequently better than what players can make for themselves.

That said, I do enjoy crafting my own stuff, running both leather crafting and black smithing, tailoring, and enchanting on several different characters (haven't tried engineering yet, but probably will, eventually). The way I approach it is that I raise my skill by dumping all my raw ingredients into the orange item in my list that has the least number of componants. Once I am able to make everything I can use personally at my current level, I stop crafting and sell the raw materials, either at a vendor or at the AH. Along with enchantments, it makes for reasonable equipment, and if I get a better drop, or spot a good deal at the AH, I can always swap it out. The only character that is chronically broke is my enchanter. Now THERE is a money sink.

You'll never get rich crafting. It's elementary economics, supply and demand. There are a zillion other crafters out their making the same stuff you are, and people are farming drops by the truck load, so why should anyone shell out big bucks for your stuff? And unless you don't pay maintenance, stuff never wears out, so the number of items in the world is pretty much always increasing.

Unless they make crafting orders of magnitude more difficult to eliminate the hobby crafters, and unless they virtually eliminate quality drops, that is just the way it is. Take up crafting because you enjoy crafting, not because it's going to make you a bunch of money (it probably won't, unless MAYBE at the top levels, which I haven't gotten to yet, myself.)

[KoDell]

As has been noted, all professions are money sinks. The plans for new items cost money, items sell to vendors for less than what their componants cost, and drops and quest items are frequently better than what players can make for themselves.

I somewhat disagree. If you take up your crafts early and use them as you level up they can make you the extra coin you need to buy better equipment, get training, etc. I am a lvl 28 priest with skinning/leatherworking and my skinning is at 210 and my leatherworking is 120. As a priest, I can't use anything I make, but I do sell everything for a profit, even to NPCs. That money has helped me to afford better equipment in the AH and pay for all of my training. I find that I don't get a lot of money on drops.

More importantly, while I can't use the stuff my guild mates can. Particularly the green stuff which I can make cheaply and give to our enchanters to help them.

[Daracium]

You really dont make alot of money when you are low lvl in your profession. I was really lucky to have a great guild and many high lvl friends that took me everywhere I needed to go to lvl Herb/ Alchemy. I maxxed out both along with first aid in my 40s. You can never expect to make stuff that is way better than a drop. For example, the arcanite reaper, there is now a drop in DM that is just as good if not better. I think its called the arcanite reaper, anyway its the crafted item that everybody wanted for along time.
Anyway, just lvl your choice of profession. You cant do anything really good till you do. Also, with my professions, I make around 40 or 50g every 4 or 5 days, but I dont sell alot of potions, mainly the herbs and regents I make. On my server a stack of winter silversage goes for around 30g. And thats just one herb. Also another engineering thing is ammo. Thorium shells sell for 3g a stack of 200, hunters need them to trade for thorium arrows. ;)

[inatey]

ive got 150ish smithing and im lvl 33 and i can make some awesome stuff. just work on your smithing some more and you can make stuff that is really good for your character.

he is right its the rule of 5's take your clevel and multiply it by 5 and is what your proffesions should be