Introduction

Professions are one of the more fun and interesting side attractions in World of Warcraft, making it possible for players to go out of their way to complete tasks other than questing and leveling. For that reason, there are many different options, each with a different role in the game, expecting different things from the players. There are three basic types of professions then, each of them offering different means by which to make gold.

Gathering

The gathering professions, which include Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning, are the easiest to pick up and can provide you with a substantial supply of items you can sell, use in crafting, or vendor off for big gold rewards. Any of these professions can be done at a very early level and they are all well suited to match with other professions to provide materials.

Production Professions

Production professions include almost everything else; those professions in which players must seek out and acquire items to craft with, plans to work from, and people to buy their wares. Each production profession has a different audience and some of them are easier to make gold through than others. When you start looking into the various production professions, be sure to pick one that will compliment your play style and will still allow you to make gold. For the most part, I don't recommend anyone choose a production profession until they are at least Level 40 and can afford all of the materials needed to be successful in one.

Secondary Professions

The final category of professions includes the three secondary professions that everyone can choose from. While players may only have two of the main professions represented above, anyone can choose secondary professions and in some cases they can make very large amounts of gold by doing so. A good example is fishing, which has some of the biggest and most rewarding gold farming locations and methods in the game. In addition, you can save big amounts of gold by crafting your own bandages and food with first aid or cooking or selling your wares.

Choosing a Profession

The process of choosing a profession is one that many people take very seriously and subsequently have a hard time doing. It is necessary to choose one that will allow you to make the most gold; but you also want to have fun in the process.

Generally, I like to recommend that no matter what your goals are you choose either Mining, Herbalism, or Skinning to get started. Mining is probably the most profitable profession for anyone just getting started in the game as copper ore has increased in price dramatically since Jewelcrafting was introduced. In addition, mining nodes are easily mapped and found with the right resources.

Skinning is another good choice because you can perform it while you leveling up and grinding on mobs, allowing you to combine two separate gold gathering tasks at once. Finally, if you are interested in becoming an alchemist at a later date, I would recommend Herbalism. In terms of the early gold gathering professions, it is probably the least viable of the three, but they are all strong choices. Make sure to learn fishing as early as possible as well as this will allow you to make a solid profit fairly early in the game.

Waiting on Production

The remaining professions should be left be for now. While it is a good idea to create an alt character to run your Auction House activities that you will train Enchanting, do not choose any of the production professions so early in the game. There are good reasons for this. First of all, they do not provide much in the way of immediate return because you must spend so much gold for the materials to level the skills up. In contrast, if you wait until you are above Level 40, you can just buy all the materials you need at once, level up quickly and then start making money off the Journeyman and above crafting. Make sure to choose a gathering profession that will supplement your final choice for your second profession, but for now, stick with gathering.

This Guide

This guide will include each profession in the game with a basic introduction on how to get started in that profession. I will include a series of recommended steps to start making gold early and locations where you can find nodes (for gathering professions) and materials (for production professions). The best ways to make your gold and upgrade your professions will also be listed alongside to make sure you get the most out of your newest job as early as possible.