Ran across this post on the Blizzard web site and it got me thinking.....
Why can't a blacksmith fix metal armor or weapons? Why can't a leatherworker fix leather armor? Why can't a tailor fix cloth armor? If an Enchanter can dis-enchant an item for mats, why not 'salvage' with the other professions?
Using the enchanter as the bassis for this argument; They dis-enchanting an item to collect mats, then reusing those mats for other enchants; If a blacksmith could 'salvage' metal scraps from an item then be able to use those scraps to repair the approate type of armor. Iron scraps from iron armor etc, etc. Now, add the ability to again process those scraps into raw materials to be used for making new items or for resale. This same principle can be applied to all the major non-gathering professions.
Implacations:
1) This would increase the resale value of all that junk from mob drops that we would normally throw away or sell to a vendor.
2) Would, in general, make the professions more useful in a party while questing in the middle of nowhere.
3) Reduce the outlandish prices of mats in the AH.
4) Actually turn the professions into something profitable, other than just being money pits to level up to be able to make something useful someday.
These are just a few of the things that I can think of off the top of my head.
Now, continuing to rant about professions.....
My main toon was my money maker; Mining and Herbs. I've made a ton of gold in the AH from these two, but I found the need to have better weapons and armor than what I was finding in drops or for outragious prices in the AH.
I dropped Herbs and switched to Blacksmithing. What a mistake. I've leveled up my blacksmithing to well over 200 but have yet to make one red copper on the profession. When it takes thirty bars of copper to make one set of bracers, that I couldn't give away if I tried, why bother? It has been nothing but a black hole for gold. I keep hoping that I'll learn something that I can actually make that won't cost me 20g to manufacture, but will sell for more than 50s to a vendor or in the AH.
If Blizzard really wanted to make these 'professions', they need to take a long hard look at the amount of required materials, the cost of those materials, the availablity of those materials and the resale value of the finished product. If your going to call it a profession, then treat it as one.
What if I was unluky enough to select Engineering and Blacksmithing? (I know someone who did). Go price a stack of 20 copper bars in the AH, because unless I have a mining alt, I'd have to spend upwards of 2 to 3 gold on a single stack of 20. Then have to buy two stacks, because the bracers I'm making (20s sale value tops) requires 30 bars to make. 30 bars!! For Bracers!!! You've got to be kidding!!! Now throw in the cost of the the other materials need for some of the other items; flux, gems, leather, etc, etc, you have better have won the lottery to be able to afford to make anything and continue to level up.
Then why make it? Why select a profession at all? Why spend the time and effort and gold to level up a profession? Most, if not all, of the items that come from the instances are far better than what I can make. Even if I have an enchanter add buffs to the items, I can never think of selling them at a tenth of the cost to make them. The only reason to level up a profession now, is that there might be one or two items that I can make when I'm around 300+ in my profession that will sell or I can use. And then, like with leatherworking, only I can wear or use some of them. Go figure.
I'm just about to the point where I'm not even going to bother. Items comming down from BC are far better than what I can ever hope to make. I'm really feeling that I'm going to drop all my manufacturing professions and go strictly with the gathering ones. Mining and Herbs are the big money makers, skinning to a lesser extent. Heck, I have almost as much fun playing the AH as I do questing.
Just my thioughts. Still, can you imagine, being able to actually make and sell something for a profit in the AH? Now there's a whole new dimention to role-playing......
