Mining

Good Morning!

So I am on track today. Lets hope this lasts... The plan is to have posts up by 8:00 AM EST, and to have no weekend posts. Weekend posts may begin to appear if I can get far enough ahead. I am still looking for a challenging server to make gold on, so I welcome any suggestions you may have. That being said, lets move to todays post.

Mining is a great profession to have. As with herbalism and skinning, you can level mining while you level your character. Just turn the tracking on and mine the nodes when you see them. While it is old news, one of the recent patches changed the looting system for mining, and made it so you only have to click once, just like herbalism. So now its even easier to loot the precious ore. Most races are all set to pick up mining right away, but there are some that dont do well with mining as a startup in their respective starting zone.

Now to the benefits of mining.

Who uses the gathered products of mining?

Blacksmiths use smelted bars (smelting is a mining skill) to create armor and weapons. While many of the recipies call for additional materials, the main component of every recipie is of course some form of metal bar. This profession also uses the various stones to make weapon buffs in the form of sharpening stones and weigh stones.

Engineers also use smelted bars to make quite a few items, ranging from modulators to casings. The also use the various stones to make powders.

Jewelcrafters use the bars to make jewelry parts, stones to make statues and gems to make cut gems and jewelry. This profession can also prospect 5 ore to get more gems.

What does this mean for miners?

Raiders need gems, so Jewelcrafters are going to be prospecting ore for the gems to cut. People like the Engineering products that dont require Engineering to use, and they need to get their bars from somewhere. Everyone needs weapons and armor, and Titansteel is popular right now.

What should I sell, and in what quantities?

Sell ores in stacks of 5 for prosepecting, and sell bars in odd numbered stacks to promote multiple purchases. One exception is Mithril bars, these you want to sell in stacks of 20 along with some odd numbered stacks. Mithril is used in such quantities by Blacksmiths to complete various skill levels that if they buy it, they are going to want as much as you can provide.

Can I make a lot of money mining?

Yes, you can make a lot of money by mining and selling the gathered items. It doesnt matter if you sell ore or bars, but to maximize your proceeds you need to see which is more valuable on your server. For example, when Death Knights entered the game, people were buying tons of ore to speed level their mining by smelting ore. In that case, ore was the better seller, but it can fluctuate based on the number of professionals on your server. By professionals, I mean people with professions that take advantage of mined materials.

You just said I can level mining by smelting?

Yes, you can powerlevel your mining by smelting ore at a forge. It might even be the best route for leveling mining! If someone is selling ores for cheaper than the value of bars on your server, simply buy the ores, smelt them for skill levels, and then resell at a profit! Or, if it wont be a profit, you should be able to get minimal losses by doing this.

This all sounds great, but this isn't quite enough money for me, how else can I make money by being a miner?

Sell your cooldowns when you have them. Some of them escape my mind at the moment, but I know there is Smelt Titansteel. Sell the cooldown for some gold, ore or bars. Smelt ore for people in general. They want to get a Blacksmith to make an item for them, but they want to bring bars to the Blacksmith, but ore is cheaper. So they buy it, send a message out for someone to smelt for them, and you answered. Specify what your fee is upfront to avoid any confusion later. Or, tell them you work on tips, and if they are generous, you get a good tip, if they felt the quality of work (i.e. speed) could have been faster, you get a smaller tip.

That pretty much wraps up the so called "main" gathering skills, but I have had discussions with a guildmate about the elusive "fourth" gathering skill. I will likely do a post on it as well. If these profession posts have helped you, please leave a comment regarding the posibility of further profession posts. Always remember, if you have a question, I will answer it to the best of my abilities. If you want to see a post about something, leave a comment. I do read the comments and take them all into consideration.

Go earn some money!

-Whø