What professions on new players main?

[Talix-tarren-mill]

Hi, I’m a new player with just this character for now (Troll Rogue) and am looking at what professions I want to invest into.

Ideally I’d prefer to stick to two and not have to change them out in the future and I’d prefer to have at least 1 crafting profession. Endgame I’ll likely do some pvp as i always tend to enjoy that in other games and maybe mythic dungeons? I’ve also heard engineering is good for pvp and of course alchemy is great for making pots for yourself.

Currently some options im thinking about are -

Engineering + Enchanting

Engineering + Mining

Alchemy + Herbalism

Skinning + Leatherworking

What would be your opinion to take?

[Minacara-defias-brotherhood]

I think I would consider Alchemy + Herbalism. That way you have flasks and health potions for your own consum, and if you make more than you need it’s something that always sells on the AH.
If you keep it current (always the best flasks etc) raiders without alchemy will pay for it.

[Gráinne-earthen-ring]

Be conscious that gathering professions MAKE gold, while crafting professions COST gold, to buy the materials they need if you are not gathering them yourself.

Crafting professions cost quite a bit in materials just to get your skill up to learning all the recipes. After that, you might think that you would turn a profit buying materials and selling finished goods, but it is often not so. Long story.

Engineering used to have a lot of gimmicks you could use in PvP, but most of those were removed in the cause of balance back in Legion.

Another thing you won’t understand until you play is that gathering professions depend on being out in the world a lot, whereas making gold from crafting professions are all about buying, selling, addons, even spreadsheets, and spending time at the Auction House. You won’t be doing anything profession-related while you are doing PvP in Arena or Battleground instances, and Mythic+ Dungeons in instances.

Another thing you should be aware of is that it is really not worth taking up professions until you enter Shadowlands at level 50. All demand for everything below 50 has been suppressed, and you can learn Shadowlands Professions without having learned them in lower level expansions.

And also, in Shadowlands, if you like being outdoors, Fishing actually brings in decent gold as well.

Of the pairs you list, I don’t see Engineering + Enchanting as viable. Not only is Eng probably not worth it, but while Ench will bring in some gold from disenchanting gear you get, it won’t be enough to do much with Eng.

The other three are certainly possible. Like Minacara, I personally would go Herb/Alch. Herbs bring in the best gold of gathering professions, and both you and everyone else needs potions and flasks.

There is something to be said for Skinning/LW, as a rogue, but there is not a great deal of gear you can craft for yourself, and if you really want it, you can buy it aty the Auction House with the gold you make from gathering,

[Talix-tarren-mill]

Thanks for the replies both. I’m surprised to hear about engineering being less useful in pvp as all posts I had googled indicated the opposite though alot of these were pre shadowlands so I’m sure things have changed over the years.

It seems herb and alchemy may be the most promising then?

Also is it worth leveling professions pre shadowlands at all or is everything before the latest expansion kinda invalid and pointless to level?

[Gráinne-earthen-ring]

There are engineering items you can use in World PvP, but not in Rated - and World PvP is very hit and miss. By all means, check it out further; I don’t do instanced PvP so could be wrong. But if checking it out, be sure that what you are reading applies to Shadowlands. Engineering used to be mandatory for anyone doing any serious PvP, but they made the main PvP items unusable in rated.

Everything before the latest expansion is kinda invalid and pointless to level. Sad, but true. It used to be that we had an integrated world, and if you try Classic you will find things quite different, but in Shadowlands there is little use for anything from older expansions. There are a couple of exceptions - some crafted gear is used for transmog, and some ores like Ghost Iron are used in the production of mounts, and so do sell a bit. But I really wouldn’t bother. If you find you want to craft something from an older expansion when you’re level 60, you can always go back and learn that expansion’s crafts.

The thing you need to understand here is that almost all gameplay takes place at level 60. It takes … 20 hours? 40 hours? … for a new player to hit 60, and players who hit 60 will be 60 for two years, so any time you spend levelling is a tiny fraction of your expansion. And the devs make older expansion crafts unusable by max level characters.

For example, see Drums, which give you a huge Haste buff. We used to use Drums of Fury:

Drums of Fury

Drums of Fury
Item Level 40

Use: Increases melee, ranged, and spell haste by 15% for all party and raid members. Lasts 40 sec.
Allies receiving this effect will become Exhausted and be unable to benefit from Bloodlust, Heroism or Time Warp again for 10 min.
Does not affect allies above level 50.

Instead of those, you will now need the Shadowlands version:

Drums of Deathly Ferocity

So the lower level crafts are no good 99% of your playing time.

Again, it’s very different in Classic, but this is the reality in Shadowlands.

[Dottie-thunderhorn (Dottie)]

Go skinning and mining or Skinning and herbalism.