[MasterWolf]

So from what it looks like, Blacksmithing is becoming less and less useful. S3 and PvE drops are surpassing or at least equaling the best stuff you can make. I already have the Red Havoc Boots, and S3 armor is better than BoAK anyway.

What I'm trying to figure out now... do I drop Blacksmithing? Do I hope and pray they give us T4 craftable recipe or do I just drop BS and go with something more useful? Then the question arises... what IS useful these days?

Enchanting is by far the most useful and most profitable profession, IMO. But I already have an Alt enchanter and lvling Enchanting is pretty expensive.

The gathering professions (Mining, Skinning, and Herbs) are nice... but I'm already a miner and although gathering is some nice $$, it becomes less and less needed with the ability to gain 50+ gold a day just doing a couple dailies. Plus, Mining and Herbalism are the best, IMO.

Engineering is nice for the Plate tank, because you can get the Tankatronic Goggles, which are actually an upgrade over most head pieces outside the later instances. This is definately a consideration, but then again it seems the ONLY reason to go engineering is for this helm. So would it be worth it? I dunno. At least with BSing you can make armor for lower lvl toons and make sharpening stones, shield runes, etc. Oh yeah, and you get a cool mount. But with Broomsticks and Netherdrakes already, is that a big deal? It's gonna be expensive to level Eng, so is the Helm worth giving up BS and lvling Eng?

Jewelcrafting: The price of blue gems on my server has been going steadily down. Plus, all the times I've had a friend break down my ore, it's seemed to be mostly hit or miss. Sometimes I make a profit of 20-50G on 10 stacks of ore, and sometimes I break even. However, it would go well with my Mining. And if you get some of the rarer recipes, you can charge 5-10G to cut stones. So that's an incentive. But is JC useful at all to the Warrior Tank? Or is it just money? I dunno.

Alchemy: Another useful talent, I could also lvl Alchemy. However, without herbalism, this will cost significant $$$ to get it all the way to 350+. Money potential is there, with Primal Transmutes and Elixirs and stuff, and reagents is something the tank always needs. This is another good possibility, although with guildmates, you can always get elixirs and potions "at cost" and Alchemy doesn't provide much else other than another way to make money. Is it better than Herbalism or JCing for making money? I dunno.

So what do you think? Keep BSing? Switch to Eng for the helm only? Screw them both and go for making more money?

Input appreciated!! I'd like to make a decision before sinking nethers into T2 upgrades for all my BSing stuff.

[veneretio]

I'm keeping BS b/c I've invested too much into it already. That being said, it's pretty worthless these days.

[Wartorn]

WotLK.

[MasterWolf]

So what you guys think is that it's worth sitting on uselessly for another year or so just for the upgrades and new stuff in WotLK?

But I shouldn't use up all my Nethers to upgrade the gear, right? I've got KD, Gorehowl, and will soon have S3 BP. That's on par with BS T3, right right?

[Leytur]

Do NOT take alchemy. I'm pissed that they nerfed the proc rate. How lame. I would go WEEKS without more than a x2 proc. What a waste of time and money that mastery was.

And elixirs don't sell for $%^ on the AH.

Mining, herbalism, and enchanting are the money makers. And only one of those is actually a gathering AND crafting prof so I say that gets my vote. Mining + Enchanting ftw.

But I got on the boat too late and I'm not picking up enchanting NOW just to have it leveled for my main.

Skinning is DEFNITELY not the way to go. Someone explain this to me: you can skin EVERYTHING at 350 skinning but from the second you get to Outland you have the same mat--knothide level. Only thing mob level affects is how often you get scraps. Now with the occasional hide or scale you get some more money but it seems like once you get skinning to 350 there's absolutely no reason you need those last 25 skill ups. Am I missing something? And if you have a LW that can conver scraps for you there's no reason to kill Shadowmoon mobs if you can just kill HFP mobs three times as fast. It seems really stupid to me.

[Ksala]

Source: Wartorn WotLK.

WotLK might save blacksmithing as far as tanking gear goes. For DPS gear though I don't think blacksmithing has much of a future. Arena's not going anywhere and unless something drastically changes with arena weapons they're going to remain on par with weapons from the current PvE tier of raiding.
Being slightly generous:
tier 1 blacksmithing weapons ~ Arena S1 weapons.
tier 2 blacksmithing weapons ~ S2 weapons.
tier 3 blacksmithing weapons ~ S3 weapons.

I don't see that changing in WotLK.

[veneretio]

Yup I'm still going to sit on it. I can still conveniently make my own Sharpening/Weighted Stones. I can still make money off Helm of the Stalwart Defender. I can make Frost/Nature resistance gear for guild members. I can make Shield Spikes.

And yes, I can probably help myself in WotLK as much as I despise worrying about the next expansion. That being said, if I was at 0/375 I would choose Engineering.

[Stonehoof]

Blacksmithing is that nice filler Proffession when you first get to the max level. Beyond that it really was nothign fantastic pre-bc. Post BC it had a little more flare to it becuase of the upgradeable weapons, but now that the current in game gear is better then it, its lost some of what it used to be. It shoudl be revilatized when WotLK hits

If you want to mind max HARDCORE, i think Enchanting and Jewelcrafting is the way to go. However like many others, I have always been a BS and have invested alot of time in it getting plans and such and wont be dropping it any time soon.

[Irghen]

Myself being Miner/eng I'm seriously considering stocking up a couple of bank toons on a million grenades (which I love in both BGs and 5mans) and dropping Mining for JC after gathering enough ore to power it to 375, either that or going the Enchant route and send my alt to Herb/JC

[Fivestones]

You could always be a Mining herbalist like me

[MasterWolf]

Why JCing? What's the incentive? I can always get someone to prospect for me. Is cutting gems really that profitable?

And yes, enchanting is the best money maker, but I'm lvling an enchanter currently (at 300), and can't think of why I'd want to sink 1000G into lvling another one.

[Ceravantes]

I dropped smithing for JC and have never looked back, the handful of unique gems are a nice bonus, but the amount of money I can make by doing nothing but buying ore from the auction house is ridiculous, and keeps me from having to do anything remotely near farming gold. I have easily made 10k in the past month since I dropped smithing by doing nothing but what I said above.

[MasterWolf]

Adamantite Ore is 25-28G a stack on my server. Blue gems are 35-50G each (excluding Talasite).

Is there profit to be made in the above?

[Nez]

I've been considering dropping BS for JC'ing as well. BS'ing was great for leveling and early instance running with the weapons and gear. But since getting past Kharz and Into SSC,TK and ZA. I haven't made a thing other than weight stones or sharpening stones. I would be surprised if Blizzard does not add new items in the expansion, but it seems like there really isn't anything to be gained from it if you Raid and have access to better gear. I think having access to Arena gear lessens it usefulness even more. I am still undecided, I have quite a few recipes I've gathered. But then again, most of them I've never made or mostly likely never will. >< lolol.

[Wartorn]

I'll probably wear my BoAK till I get T6 (if I get that far). And I really don't feel like re-leveling my BS when WotLK come out.

But if you're in an uber-guild and gear isn't an issue, enchanting and JC will be your best professions. They are the only professions that have benefits gear or money can't replace.