?by Basil Berntsen

Pets from almost any source are a lucrative market to be in, and this will provide another way engineers can make a bit of cash from their horrible gold sink of a profession. Hunter ammo was a step in the right direction, and this is too.

First up, you need the schematics

Unless you happened to have them already, you will probably need to go farm the schematics. These were formerly unfarmable and tied to one of the two branches of engineering, but now both goblin and gnomish engineers can get them as a random drop.

• Schematic: Lil’ Smokey is dropped by the Arcane Nullifier X-21, among other mobs. The drop rate in Wowhead says 2%, however that includes all the non-engineers who kill these and don’t see the schematic. In reality, it should be much much higher.
• Schematic: Pet Bombling is dropped by Mekgineer Thermaplugg, and again, while it shows a low drop rate, that includes all the non-engineers who kill him and can’t see the drop. I read comments saying that it’s a very high drop rate for engineers. If you kill him, are eligible to get the schematic, and don’t see this, let me know in the comments.

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by pantryboy @ mmowned

Let’s start, shall we?

PvP
Overview

The amount of Honor awarded for an Honorable Kill has been increased by 100% for characters of all levels.
Given that all avenues in the game which award players with Honor do so with a calculated conversion from a specific
amount of Honorable Kills, this change means that all Honor players can obtain through various means will be increased
by 100%. To offset against this in two key areas, experience gains in Battlegrounds have been reduced by 50% and
Honor awarded for completing each Wintergrasp weekly quest has been reduced by 50%. When pairing the Honor
rewarded from Honorable Kills being increased by 100% with the 50% Honor reduction from Wintergrasp weekly quests,
and 50% experience-gain reduction from completing objectives in Battlegrounds, players will notice no change in the net
amount of Honor or experience awarded in either case.

There’s not much really to say here, it’s all pretty self-explanatory. But this is not the interesting bit, this is just an overview. You recall in 3.3 the introduction of the Random Dungeon Finder, no? Well, Blizzard hadsuch a good return that..

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by Basil Berntsen

Today we’ll be talking about something that many experienced auctioneers have discovered on their own– the stack size you list on the auction house has an effect on your profits and sales volumes. There are many types of things that you’ll find yourself selling as you get more involved in making gold on the AH, and most of them are being bought by people who need more than one, but less than a stack.

The buyers for whatever product you’re marketing are motivated mostly by price, however also by convenience. If a buyer needs a stack of 3, say, Infinite Dusts, unless you provide them with the choice of buying a stack of three, they need to choose between 3 singles or a stack that would leave them with leftovers. If the prices are the same, they’ll typically go for avoiding leftovers. Many will even pay more for singles to they can avoid leftovers. You also have to factor in that many of them use the default AH interface, complete with its horrible sorting, so they may just buy the singles to avoid having to page through to the stack size they want.
How should you use this to make more gold? You can provide the service of pre-packaging your wares in a variety of stack sizes. The skill comes in when you’re trying to decide what sizes to offer, how much of each size you should list, and what prices you should use. Here are some rules of thumb:
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by Amanda Miller

If you’re like me, you have a lot of excess emblems sitting around. Maybe you never got around to spending them before the next tier came out, or maybe the badge gear just never quite compared to your raid drops. Whatever the case, there is no sense letting them go to waste when you could put them to work and earn some gold!

First, here is a quick breakdown of the current badge system, from most recent and difficult to acquire on down:

1. Emblem of Frost: These can be acquired primarily by raiding Icecrown, completing the Raid Boss Per Week “weekly,” or by completing one WotLK heroic dungeon per day using the Random tool.
2. Emblem of Triumph: Most raids now drop these badges, as well as heroics. You will also be awarded these for doing any number of WotLK heroic dungeons past your first one per day using the Random tool. You will also get some by completing your first normal WotLK dungeon per day using the Random tool, as well as completing the Raid Boss Per Week “weekly.” Also of note: If you get Heroic Oculus using the random tool, don’t drop group! Not only has it been nerfed like crazy, but when you defeat the end boss, every player will receive a loot bag that will contain these badges and more, plus a chance at getting the super rare Reigns of the Blue Drake, which used to be available only by killing Malygos, who now drops his 25-man version (Azure) in both 10 and 25-man.
3. Emblem of Conquest: Originally, these were acquired by running 10-man Coliseum, or 25-man Ulduar.
4. Emblem of Valor: Originally these dropped from Ulduar 10-man and Naxxramas 25-man.
5. Emblem of Heroism: These were among the first WotLK badges, and dropped from Naxxramas 10-man and heroic dungeons.

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by Amanda Miller

The new Dungeon Finder that was added in Patch 3.3 has been garnering a lot of attention lately – and for good reason! But did you know that you could use it to make money?

Step One: Maximizing your speed.
If you spend too much time in each instance, or waiting in the queues, the amount of gold that you make per hour will decline significantly. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to to help ensure that your dungeon runs go as smoothly as possible.

• You can queue from anywhere, so choose a location that will allow you to do some farming on the side should you need to wait in a queue. Why not try a favorite fishing locale? Don’t wander too far away from a vendor, though, unless you have peculiarly empty bags.
• Don’t be choosy. Sign up for a random dungeon, because you are more likely to find a match more quickly.
• To avoid queues almost entirely, sign up as a healer or tank if you can. Don’t do this to trick your group mates, however. Many people are selecting tank or healer and then showing up in green sets expecting someone else to agree to switch specs. This is not only idiotic, it will take more time in the end.
• Queue prepared. This means snacks, drinks, in-game buff food and water, glyphs, enchants, scrolls, flasks, reagents, and whatever else you might spontaneously want.
• Use the teleport feature! On the way into or out of each dungeon, simply click on the little green eye around your mini-map and select teleport. This is also handy if you do have to go back to town in the middle of the dungeon.
• Sell and restock! Between groups, hit up a vendor.
• Keep a good group member! Once you meet up with a good group member, remember that you can keep them! Ask them if they would like to continue playing with you, and make sure that no one degroups between queues. Polite, competent, geared group members will not only make the experience more enjoyable, it will also speed it up significantly, and minimize dying.That last part is important because, aside from the lost time, repairs will cut into your profits.

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Tailoring is a crafting profession which is not reliant on another profession to supply it’s prime reagent: Cloth. With that said, it can become very easy to earn a maximum profit with this profession. Tailoring has a wide range of items which are high in demand: Spellthreads, Cloth, and Bags.

Spellthreads

The greatest resource a Tailor can provide to the game economy is Spellthreads. All casters, whether DPS or healing, want to have spellthreads attached to their pants. There are currently four spellthreads which are highest in demand. Of course, those of the highest quality and wide consumer base will sell for more gold, more frequently. Epic quality Spellthreads come in two versions: Brilliant Spellthread is most frequently used by cloth wearers as well as druids, with that said, this spellthread is often most popular;Sapphire Spellthread is often used by Holy Paladin, caster Shaman and casters who PVP may also opt for this thread, with a lower demand these may require more patience when being placed for Auction. Ideally, since most armor is upgraded Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Arena Points are awarded on Tuesdays, you will want to make these your prime selling days.

While the Epic Spellthreads may stand out as a quick and easy profit, the Rare Spellthreads have just as high a demand as the Epic. Requiring far less material to craft, Azure Spellthread and Shining Spellthreadare the lesser versions of the Epic threads, they are a very easy, and often quick, gold-making source. People with characters at 70-79 will be eager to increase their character’s potential, while those who would prefer to not spend as much on an item enhancement may opt for these over the Epic threads. Whichever the reasoning, these Spellthreads are cheap to make and provide a great return.

Cloth

Cloth is the main reagent required in Tailoring recipes. Due to the fact that everyone has the ability to gather cloth, it may be difficult to sell for a significant profit. However, there are Tailoring-specific cloths which can only be made by Tailors: Moonshroud, Ebonweave and Spellweave are all crafted through the Tailoring profession. Depending on your specialization, you may be able to produce 2x cloth for each cooldown used. The down side to this is the cooldown for a cloth combine lasts 3 days and 20 hours. More importantly, each cloth has its own cooldown, allowing you to craft at least one of each cloth every 4 days. Each cloth type supplies a general talent specialization, which cloth you choose to make primarily will depend on your needs and the demand on your server.

Moonshroud:

Required to craft: Glacial Bag / Emerald Bag / Mysterious Bag / Ulduar Recipes: Cord of the White Dawn /Savior’s Slippers / Trial of the Crusader Recipes: Royal Moonshroud Robe (Alliance / Horde) / Royal Moonshroud Bracers (Alliance / Horde)

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Skinning is a profession which supplies the materials needed for Leatherworking recipes, but since Leatherworking is not as widely trained and leveled, it may be difficult to profit from just selling Northrend or Leveling Leathers. There are a few different options, but you will need to befriend a Leatherworker
.

Northrend Leathers

It can be extremely difficult earning a profit selling Leathers to others in game. All Northrend Leathers have a very high vendor value, making the Auction Deposit much higher than other trades goods. As a result, it is highly recommended that you avoid selling your leathers on the Auction House. If you must sell your leathers, it would be best to do so via the Trade Channel, during peak times (evenings, before raids, weekends).

Patch 3.3: Arctic Fur are now purchasable from Braeg Stoutbeard in Dalaran at the cost of 10x Heavy Borean Leather per Fur. If you find you have excess Borean Leather and Heavy Borean Leather, buyingArctic Fur and crafting Leg Armors can prove to be very profitable as it is almost guaranteed the Auction House will be flooded with Arctic Furs.

Leveling Leathers

There are a variety of leathers which a Skinner can gather throughout Azeroth. Some leathers have a higher demand than others, therefore will sell for a higher profit more frequently. Ultimately, your target will be those leveling Leatherworking, more often than not people will be trying to level their profession during the weekend, when they are not preoccupied with raiding. Ideal placement timing would be late Thursday through until Saturday/Sunday. Some of the leathers with the highest demand are listed below.

Medium Leather – While certainly not the highest leather in demand, Medium Leather will sell for a decent amount due to the quantity needed for leveling Leatherworking.
Source: Skin Nightbane Vile Fangs and Tainted Ones located in the small camp and cave South of The Rotting Orchard (59, 80) in Duskwood. Monsters are humanoid and range from level 29 to 31. Nearly instant respawn rate, drop both Medium and Heavy Leather, along with Medium and Heavy Hides.

Heavy Leather – This leather has a fair demand. Though, often while Skinners are leveling their profession, this leather is among the most frequently skinned, so there may be more competition. Nonetheless, Heavy Leather can still bring in a decent profit if you are persistent in placing it in the Auction House.
Source: Skin Jungle Stalkers and Young Jungle Stalkers located to the North and West of the Gurubashi Arena (30, 42) in Stranglethorn Vale. Monsters range from level 36 to 41, and there are 4 spawn areas where a Jungle Stalker is paired with a Young one. In most cases you can round up four Stalkers and AoE them down. Normal respawn rate, drop both Heavy and Thick Leather, and Heavy and Thick Hides.

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Due to the fact that Mining is a gathering skill, which feeds other professions materials for recipes (Blacksmithing, Engineering &Jewelcrafting), nearly all gathered material can provide a profit. There are some minerals which have a higher demand than others, therefore providing a speedy and consistent profit. Though, a higher demand often means more competition. Hopefully, this guide will help you determine which minerals to gather and sell based on time restrictions and possible profitability.

Northrend Minerals

All Northrend Minerals can help you profit, though it takes strategic Auction House placement as well as patience to profit this way. You should take advantage of using a 280%+ flying mount when farming in Northrend. If you do not have a flying mount, it is highly recommended that once you start bringing in a profit, you make your first purchase that of Artisan Riding and Cold Weather Flying (will cost you up to 6000g if you have Expert Riding). Having the ability to fly increases your profitability, making all gathering 280% quicker. 

Timing Your Gathering

Farming throughout Northrend will be difficult when done at peak server times, this is when the highest population is active and a higher number of players are collecting minerals. Ideally, you will want to gather herbs during off-peak times: 2am to 2pm server time, during weekdays; weekends are the worst times to farm due to a more active population (weekend players, those not working or at school).

Profitable Product

Titanium Ore - Is Northrend’s most profitable mineral. Highly sought by Jewelcrafters trying to obtain Epic Gems through Prospecting. Also high in demand smelted in to Titanium Bars, Titanium Bars are used to make Titansteel Bars, which are used in all high-end dropped  recipes (Ulduar, Trial of the Crusader).

Saronite Ore - Whether smelted or raw, Saronite is the prime ingredient used for leveling Blacksmithing,Engineering and Jewelcrafting in Wrath of the Lich King. Jewelcrafters require the Ore, which will be prospected for gems. Engineers and Blacksmiths will require the Ore smelted in to Bars.

Cobalt Ore - While the bars are used to craft various Engineering parts, Cobalt is the mineral with the least demand. The one plus side, is that it requires only a single piece of ore to make a bar, instead of two ore like other Northrend minerals. Selling this Ore in its smelted form will fetch the greatest profit.

Auction Placement

Timing is everything when you are trying to make maximum profit. When it comes to raw goods such as ore/bars, you want to make sure you catch people when they are leveing their professions. Most minerals that will be bought are likely to be used for leveling professions, therefore people usually stock up in the evenings during the week and on weekends. Be sure to place your auctions between 2pm and 9pm server time, Tuesday through Friday. It is also a good idea to place them for the minimum duration available (12 hours), so that you can update the pricing if you so happen to gain any competition in that time. Weekends are great times to profit due to the increase in active population, but you will have more competition, so place your auctions with caution. 

Almost always, it is very difficult to gain a maximum profit on Sundays. Weekend players have gathered minerals and placed them by this day, there will be a mass amount of minerals, and many people will be undercutting, avoid placing auctions on Sundays.

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There are limited profiting possibilities with the Leatherworking profession, as there are limited items that have a wide range of use.

By far the most profitable recipes are the Leg Armors, but they aren’t the only recipes which can help a Leatherworker profit, there are also Bags and Leather recipes which can be crafted. Fresh to the Leatherworking profiting scene are the new sets of Drums, adding extra profitability from this profession.

Leg Armors

Leg Armors have been high in demand since they were buffed in The Burning Crusade Expansion. All physical dps and tanks will want to have one attached to their pants. There are currently five seperate Leg Armors which are popular. Of course, those of the highest quality and wide consumer base will sell for more gold, more frequently: Icecale Leg Armor – used by all physical dps, this is by far the most popular Leg Armor currently, if you choose to sell these, it will be a quick profit, especially if you time your auction placement just before raid times (Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-12am server time). Frosthide Leg Armor andEarthern Leg Armor, sought by tanks and those who PVP, will sell a little less frequently, but if you place your auctions in a timely manner, you will have no trouble making a very decent profit. Ideally, since Arena Points are awarded on Tuesdays, you will want to make this your prime selling day.

While the Epic Leg Armors may stand out as a quick and easy profit, the Rare Leg Armors have just as high of a demand as the Epic. Costing far less material to make, Jormungar Leg Armor and Nerubian Leg Armor are a very easy, and often quick, gold-making source. People with characters at 70-79 will be eager to increase their character’s potential, while those who would prefer to not spend as much on an item enhancement may opt for these over the Epic Armors. Whichever the reasoning, these Leg Armors are cheap to make and provide a great return.

Drums

At first glance, you wouldn’t expect Drums to be a high profit item. Their history within the Leatherworking profession had proven they were very powerful within groups and raids, but required the Leatherworker to have a certain skill to activate the buffs they provided, resulting in a lower demand.

For Patch 3.2.2, Drums were re-introduced and re-invented. Instead of providing a limited duration raid-wide buff, Drums were added to fill in the gaps of groups and raids lacking class-specific buffs. Requiring 450 skill in Leatherworking to learn from a Grand Master Trainer, but not requiring a minimum Leatherworking skill to use, as well as tradable, Drums of Forgotten Kings and Drums of the Wild are usable in numerous circumstances; proving that they have a high demand and value. While these drums do not compare to the buffs provided by Paladin (Greater Blessing of Kings) and Druids (Mark of the Wild> Improved Mark of the Wild – Talented), they offer a great supplement if you so happen to lack these classes in your group or raid make-up.

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