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Want to forge a keen-edged
sword that just screams 'deadly'? What about
brew an arcane potion? Or tailor a stylish
outfit? All of these abilities fall under the
heading of Trade Skills in World of Warcraft,
and specializing in certain disciplines by
selecting and perfecting them could allow your
character to seize an important role in the
dynamic economy of the world. To find out what
some of the skills in World of Warcraft
currently are, and how these abilities are
different from those in other MMORPGs, read on…
Orc Shaman studies with Goblin Engineers
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How do trade skills work?
There are two types of skills in World of Warcraft: gathering skills, which
allow you to collect the raw materials needed to make items, and trade skills,
which actually transform those materials into finished goods. Trade skills are
generally paired with gathering skills in a relationship that makes each
integral to the other. To make items with the blacksmithing ability, for
example, players will need ingredients that are acquired by applying the mining
skill. Players will not have to be equipped with both paired abilities to
succeed, however. An alchemist working to create a potion can always purchase
the necessary herbs from an herbalist.
How do players acquire new recipes?
Trade-skill recipes are the blueprints for crafting an item, and they detail the
raw components required to manufacture that item. Many recipes are available
from the same in-game trainers who teach a specific trade skill. Other recipes
are found through various vendors around the world or on the corpses of slain
monsters.
How are trade skills in World of Warcraft different from
those in other MMORPGs?
A great deal of effort has been made to make every item that is crafted useful
so that players are not just creating items to increase their skills. Also, many
of the raw materials needed will be found in dangerous locations throughout the
world. Players are encouraged to adventure in order to gain ingredients - rather
than just farm a distant, nondescript patch of land endlessly.
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Mining a Copper Vein
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Extracting the ore
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Recipes will work every time. If you collect the proper ingredients to create an
item, you don't have to worry about them being wasted due to failures. There's
also no need to constantly experiment in World of Warcraft to find a combination
of ingredients that will work. A recipe clearly lists what it will allow you to
create and what raw materials are required. There's no guesswork (or surfing
through dozens of Web sites) involved…
A few of the skills currently in the game:
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Icons |
Skills |
Description |
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Fishing |
Armed with their best fishing rods, Fishermen explore the world of Azeroth
looking for new and interesting places to cast their lines. In addition to the
varied fish population, all manner of aquatic treasure awaits the Fisherman with
the skill and patience to reel it in. |
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Enchanting |
Armed with their best fishing rods, Fishermen explore the world of Azeroth
looking for new and interesting places to cast their lines. In addition to the
varied fish population, all manner of aquatic treasure awaits the Fisherman with
the skill and patience to reel it in. |
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Alchemy |
The Alchemist mixes herbs to generate potions with a variety of effects. A
player can create healing, invisibility, elemental resistance, and mana potions;
oils to coat weapons; and much more. |
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Blacksmithting |
Blacksmiths take bars of metal from miners and work them into finely crafted
arms and armor. There are many unique weapons and other armaments that cannot be
found on any of the vendors or monsters in the game, but can only be created by
Blacksmiths. |
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Engineering |
Engineering is used to assemble metal and stones into parts needed to make
explosives, guns, scopes, bullets, mechanical dragons, aquatic helmets, and
more. More than any other trade skill, engineering products require several
steps to be completed. |
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Leatherworking |
This skill allows players to work various leathers and pelts into leather armors
as well as patches integral to the creation of higher-level, metallic armors and
enhanced weapons. |
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Tailoring |
Tailoring allows players to cut and weave various pieces of cloth into armor,
bags, shirts, and other cloth items. |
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Cooking |
From Beer-Basted Boar Ribs to Giant Clam Scorcho, there is no recipe too obscure
or odd to avoid notice by the Chefs of Azeroth. Food is used in the game to heal
players out of combat so that they can return to the fighting as quickly as
possible. |
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Herb Gathering |
Herb gathering is used to collect plants found throughout the world, with more
powerful herbs requiring a higher skill level to find. Each type of herb has
specific uses and places where it is found. For instance, Grave Moss must be
sought in cemeteries, whereas Wintersbite grows in snowy areas. |
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Mining |
Mining is used to extract ores, stones, and gems from mineral nodes found
throughout the world. Generally, more of these nodes can be found in the
dangerous underground than on the surface. In addition to gathering the raw
materials, it's up to the miners to smelt the ores taken from the ground into
metal bars. These are the raw materials that artisans such as Blacksmiths and
Engineers will transform into deadly weapons and wondrous objects. |
...And more!
Crafting Example:
Forging
a Frost Tiger Blade
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A Human Warrior seeking to quest in the more dangerous parts of Azeroth has
commissioned you to forge a powerful weapon for his use. As one of the most
celebrated Human weaponsmiths in Stormwind, you are used to this sort of
request. What is unusual, though, are the four pieces of jade (a useful and rare
material) the Warrior is willing to trade for your work. And so you set yourself
to the forge and begin the process of creating a deadly Frost Tiger Blade.
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Checking your recipe, you find that the following ingredients are needed to forge
the weapon:
8 Steel Bars
2 Strong Flux
1 Frost Oil
2 Jade
3 Heavy Grinding Stones
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As a weaponsmith, you maintain a stock of iron ore and grinding stones (needed to
polish and sharpen the weapon to a fine razor's edge). You take a quick trip to
the forge to smelt the iron ore and coal into steel bars. A nearby merchant
sells the strong flux that removes impurities from the steel. To fill out the
ingredients list, you make your way to an Alchemist, but unfortunately you learn
that he requires the herb Wintersbite to make Frost Oil for you. So, to acquire
the Wintersbite herb, you trade a stack of sharpening stones to your friend, who
happens to be an Herbalist, and then you give the Wintersbite to the Alchemist,
who then concocts the arcane Frost Oil for you.
Now the ingredients are complete, and you forge the weapon, confident that
there will be no failure and that the Frost Tiger Blade will be born from the
rare ingredients used to create it. Thrilled with your work, the Human Warrior
leaves the remaining jade with you in payment.
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