I have been away from all things WoW for a few weeks due to work, but now I am back! (whether you like that or not is irreverent /s)

Just did a search regarding https://classic.wowhead.com/engineering and I did not see much more than people generally discussing https://classic.wowhead.com/engineering versus other professions.

However, there are disciplines within this topic... Goblin and Gnomish...

In Vanilla, I had a rogue-alt that was a Goblin Engineer because it was primarily a PVP/Ganking toon.

This time around I'm playing a priest that really doesn't have a much in the ways of CC outside of https://classic.wowhead.com/spell=10890/psychic-scream and https://classic.wowhead.com/spell=10912/mind-control ...

I'm curious and open to feedback, which discipline do you prefer? All considerations, Pro's, Con's, PVP and PVE.

@Cletus ? Your take?

I think you go gnomish for the BoP items and then goblin. I forget which is first and second. Ultimately you can do both.

edit: so gnomish gives you the battle chicken, death ray and goggles as BoPs. A lot of the valuable goblin stuff needs to be rebuilt over and over and over but you can just get a goblin to make you this stuff and use it. If I had to choose one, it would be gnomish. I will probably do gnomish to get the things I need (BoP's) and then switch to goblin for the convenience of making my own stuff like sapper charges and new boots when they explode and to pickup some of the less powerful BoP's engi has to offer for the sake of doing it.

edit 2:What valuable BoPs do goblins have? They have the fire resist helm which is meh, and... the mining helmet? I cant really see a good case to go goblin if you could only choose one.

I forgot all about the BOP then swap. Man it's been so long since I had an Engineer...

I'm going to have to read @Syturio 's Engineering guide more intently. Get re-familiarized with how the whole thing works.

Dolamite wrote: ↑

5 years ago

I forgot all about the BOP then swap. Man it's been so long since I had an Engineer...

Yea, a lot of people forget about that. I was rank a rank 13 spriest in retail vanilla and didnt even know about that until late into vanilla. In one of guilds I have ran with on private they assigned one goblin early on and the rest of us went gnome.

The hardcore method is the swapping indeed. I also forgot which one first, but get the BOP ones and do the other.

Personally I'll most likely go with the one that has the bombs. Unless I'm swimming in gold, which as a warrior tank I really doubt I would be hah.

Gallow wrote: ↑

5 years ago

which as a warrior tank I really doubt I would be hah.

Quite the opposite. You have INSANE opportunities to create gold as a tank. Reserve runs and charging for tanking can be insane, if you're willing to do that. In my opinion, charge for your services. People will pay if its a fair price and if you are in demand (you will be, youre a tank).

Example. Reserve dal'rends main hand. Put together a group for 15 -20 min rend farming runs. Collect 4-5 people interested in purchasing dal'rends main hand for 150-250g. Cycle the purchasers through the group as you spam rend runs over and over and over. People will attend because these runs are still incredibly valuable (ex. briarwood reed, truestrike shoulders). You are doing your server a favor by gearing the shit out of a TON of people with pre BiS while simultaneously making some great gold as a tank.

I have seen tanks reserve the main hand, offhand and the epic dagger and people STILL gladly attend these UBRS runs. Reserve runs are a contentious topic, but a great opportunity for tanks to make gold. If people are willing to agree to your terms, youre likely asking a fair price, regardless if they are upset about it. This same method can be applied all throughout vanilla as a premier way for tanks to make a CRAZY amount of gold.

Engineering items are exceptionally valuable for tanks. You will want most of them. You will want to invest gold into getting every engi item you can for situational defensive use AND for threat per second items.

I've heard of reserving items for yourself as a tank, but never for reserving for the intend to sell it to someone else. Just curious, do people agree to this (the "buyer", as well as the other 3 random people)? How does one get to advertise a "reserved X item, will sell for 150g" without coming off as a jackass (haha sorry, I'm just curious about the implications)?

Why would a healer not do the same, for instance?

If I was a rogue after dal'rends, I'd just form my own guild party or join a random.. but then again as a non-tank I understand they have less leverage on forming 5 mans.

Edit: Also ding, lvl 25 yay.

Gallow wrote: ↑

5 years ago

I've heard of reserving items for yourself as a tank, but never for reserving for the intend to sell it to someone else. Just curious, do people agree to this (the "buyer", as well as the other 3 random people)? How does one get to advertise a "reserved X item, will sell for 150g" without coming off as a jackass (haha sorry, I'm just curious about the implications)?

So typically I will go on a level 1 alt in a major city and advertise for the run which will start at xx xx hrs server time. I compile a list of interested buyers and add them to my tanks friend list. It is approaching the time I am running so I begin to advertise on my tank who has the UBRS key: "LFM Rend runs - speed clear with Jed ID, PST (MH reserved). People answer and I compile my group. Each person who is joining is aware the sword is reserved, and they have their own reasons for wanting to join. When the sword drops, I open trade with the buyer, he gives me the gold and I ML him the sword. The sword was reserved. The people joining dont know who is working together and all have their own motivations to be in the dungeon. The rogue could be my friend, or I could be selling the sword... This is no concern to the group. The sword was always reserved.

edit: as soon as the rogue/player arrives to UBRS, ask him to open trade to ensure he has the quantity of gold he said he had so that you dont run into issues after the sword drops with him trying to nickle and dime you. For this purpose I have also been known to run 2 buyers at the same time and do a bid war between the two of them starting at the agreed base price.

Gallow wrote: ↑

5 years ago

Why would a healer not do the same, for instance?

Because healers dont wield the same leverage that tanks do unfortunately. Technically a rogue can do this, and they do. But doing this and chaining it repeatedly, requires a tank. Tanks are the hardest component and THEY dictate the speed and efficiency of a dungeon farming group.

Gallow wrote: ↑

5 years ago

If I was a rogue after dal'rends, I'd just form my own guild party or join a random.. but then again as a non-tank I understand they have less leverage on forming 5 mans.

UBRS is not a 5 man.

Many do. Many form their group and stand beside 3 warriors, 2 other rogues, and a few hunters... All who want the swords. All who want truestrike shoulders. They are bound to full UBRS runs that takes SIGNIFICANTLY longer than a quick rend run and many spend dozens of runs trying to obtain these items. The formation time, the travel time to get there, purchasing and waiting for the key service, the needless extra bosses they have to clear, the ninjas... Other rogues simply opt to go pick pocket farm BRD or grind mobs for about 4-5 hours and pay a tank for a quick carry to obtain their sword/swords. Having done it both ways, I typically go the efficient route these days.

Grats on your 25 =)

Gallow wrote: ↑

5 years ago

Why would a healer not do the same, for instance?

Tanks are the least common role, and good tanks are hard to find. If you're a good tank, you get the privilege of setting your terms for dungeon runs. No other role can do this, because there are simply too many people available to fill that role.

If the world gets turned upside down and there are more tanks than healers running dungeons in classic, then yeah, it'll be healers who can do this. But that won't happen.

Morph wrote: ↑

5 years ago

Tanks are the least common role, and good tanks are hard to find. If you're a good tank, you get the privilege of setting your terms for dungeon runs. No other role can do this, because there are simply too many people available to fill that role.

If the world gets turned upside down and there are more tanks than healers running dungeons in classic, then yeah, it'll be healers who can do this. But that won't happen.

So true. And to add, this (healers being more needed than tanks) has NEVER happened. Tanks have ALWAYS been in short supply. For years and years and years... The occasional time healers will receive an incentive to queue, but this is short lived in dungeon finder. Tank queues are not only instant, but they are often incentivized with extra rewards. Even though players can run dual specs, change their spec at any time with no cost and their gear morphs in retail so that they can perform a variety of roles, players still opt to not tank. Most would rather wait in Q for extended periods of time than to tank themselves. For whatever reason, tanks have always been and will always be in short supply. This was certainly the case for everything up to and including Warlords when I last tanked.

edit: I was watching the method stream that @aeh posted for the world first race today and the broadcasters were talking about the lack of tanks and how many tanks, even in high level guilds, feel unmotivated and uninterested in tanking. Seems like it remains true at all levels of play, even on the modern version of the game.

Blizzard has tried to address this many times. They often tune the balance of DPS for tanks and will occasionally go too high. There were points that I was dungeon leveling a prot paladin with BoA gear and doing 45-50% of the group dmg while being able to completely heal myself in MoP while leveling. Blizzard nerfs and buffs tanking damage all the time. At what point do tanks do too much damage and it simply becomes optimal to play a tank and devalues playing as a DPS? At which point do tanks do too little damage and are effectively too easy (mechanically) to appeal to the playerbase. Blizz has never seemed to find that balance and thus have never been able to properly incentivize people to play tanks.

Despite the over-representation we see on class votes here on the site, tanks will be in short supply in Classic.