All Professions - two at a time

[Edlarel]

I posted this on the official forums as well, but wanted to get the opinion of our community here too.

This may have been suggested at some point in the past, but I've not found it via searching. Most people I've read from ask for a third profession option to be made available. I've got a different idea (to me anyway) that I'd like to hear back about from our community.

My suggestion is to set up a UI with professions similar to Dual Talent Trees. You are able to learn every profession and raise them up to 525, but you can only access up to 2 at a time for their benefits. For those into RP, your character knows all these skills, but he or she can only concentrate on a couple at a time because of everything else going on in the world.

Similar to dropping a profession, when you trade out a profession for a new one, you no longer gain the enchantment(s) that profession granted you. They turn red on your character and state clearly that they require the skill to use them.

This would open up room for players with a single preferred character to not miss out on skills.

* It gives more room for new achievements (Yay, I got 525 achi in Alchemy, Engineering, and Leatherworking!)

* It gives Completists, such as myself, something else to do during end game (I can run H. ZA for the thousandth time, or I could level up Tailoring).

* It gives a minor boost to being end level, since a single end level character could, with time and effort, get everything that's available.

* It doesn't mess with the system as it is, because you still need professions on alts that want the benefit of skill specific bonuses/enchants.

* It doesn't break the economy, since you still have to level up each of those skills; just with one character instead of 4 or 5.

* It lowers AH prices, since characters who take advantage of this option could farm mats, then trade over to their other skills and level them up, then switch out to their primary raiding skills (for which they have enchants) afterward.

I can't honestly think of a reason this couldn't be done, so I turn to those of you still reading. Are there any inherent flaws in this suggestion?

[shadowkras]

Just no, i would have no reason to play half of my alts.
Plus, people would swap from gatherers to 2 crafting professions all the time (miner -> blacksmith/JC). Would completely destroy economy.

[Edlarel]

I disagree. It will stop the over inflation of trade mats on the AH, but I don't see it as completely destroying it. Characters will still want to level their main professions for raiding or PVP first.

I understand that people would probably level up gathering skills and move on to professions from there, but I guess I just don't see why that would be an issue. They'll still have to take the time to level up 3-4 professions instead of 2.

Also, as far as alts are concerned, people would still level them in order to play them. Why should we level alts just to have a skill and never play them?

[Ineras]

Just no, i would have no reason to play half of my alts.
Plus, people would swap from gatherers to 2 crafting professions all the time (miner -> blacksmith/JC). Would completely destroy economy.

As you said about alts, what is the difference between one character mining and then sending those items to their blacksmith/JC alt vs. mining and then switching to blacksmith/JC on one character?

[Huntaer]

OP: i think you just want the bonuses from JC gems, ring enchants and incriptions shoulders on 1 char :P

[Jeleh]

Last time i went to the local blacksmiths to buy some new locks he tried to sell me some leather.

See what i did there?

[Ineras]

OP: i think you just want the bonuses from JC gems, ring enchants and incriptions shoulders on 1 char :P

Well, like the OP said they would only receive the benefit from the two professions they had active so it wouldn't really make a difference in that regard.

[klaps_05]

not everyone cba to ask an alt for gathering profs - this way every1 will have gathering prof on their character so it will destroy the ah.

also there is no actual need for this as the prof are very balanced pve wise and pvp wise they dont rly matter. the leveling difference is not about the profesions skill, but for the character's level as you need to be like 75(?) to get 525, or w/e level it is.

[Edlarel]

OP: i think you just want the bonuses from JC gems, ring enchants and incriptions shoulders on 1 char :P

That wouldn't work. Please do read before you post. In the suggestion posted, you wouldn't get all of those. You would only have two at a time. So you could level JC, Enchanting, and Inscription, but you only get two of the three bonuses at a time. The third would "Red" out and be unavailable.

Also, for Klaps, yes, I did state this would grant a benefit to getting 85 (75 for the cap access currently). And I still agree with Ineras about the difference between using your toon or going on an Alt. There is less time leveling the character Just to have a profession at cap and more time leveling to play the toon. Those alts will still need professions if they're going to be of any worth at end game anyway, so you don't miss out there either.

[zixi]

As you said about alts, what is the difference between one character mining and then sending those items to their blacksmith/JC alt vs. mining and then switching to blacksmith/JC on one character?

difference is:
first you have to level those alts - takes more time
then you have to level the professions -more time
and then reloging to alts - more time

as you can see its all about time.
TIME=MONEY

/thread

[shadowkras]

As you said about alts, what is the difference between one character mining and then sending those items to their blacksmith/JC alt vs. mining and then switching to blacksmith/JC on one character?

You still have to level those characters to access higher level zones, so its an incentive of playing another character and knowing other aspects of the game. My warrior would never have hit 80 if i didnt need a miner.

I disagree. It will stop the over inflation of trade mats on the AH, but I don't see it as completely destroying it. Characters will still want to level their main professions for raiding or PVP first.

No, it would completely KILL the economy, there is no such thing as inflation. Inflation happens when prices keep going up, which is not the case (speaking for my realm). Prices, if anything, went down considerably since launch of cata. Im buying stacks of elementium for under 100g, as opposed to 300g back in january.

Right now im mostly buying herbs from AH, to use with my alchemy, as my highest herbalist is 76 and has no epic flier yet, so takes a while to farm anything on him. I would completely ignore the alt or the AH if i could level up herbalist and miner again. And would take almost no time, as my warrior has the fastest flight speed and is already 85. Maybe a couple hours. Definitely worth the thousands of gold i spent early expansion buying herbs to max my alchemy.

[Ineras]

not everyone cba to ask an alt for gathering profs - this way every1 will have gathering prof on their character so it will destroy the ah.

They will still have to level it and go gather so they might find they cba to do that either, even on one character.

[Edlarel]

You still have to level those characters to access higher level zones, so its an incentive of playing another character and knowing other aspects of the game. My warrior would never have hit 80 if i didnt need a miner.

And now he's your main without mining? Requiring time to level a character isn't a reasonable restriction to this or a valid reason to nix the idea. We should be leveling the characters we want to play, not grinding to cap on a toon just so we have two more professions.

[Huntaer]

yep my bad... put it on the blizzard suggestions forums lol

[Leafen]

What I feel is that more players in this game are willing to set aside the really small RP things in this game just for convenience.

It would be great and easy for every1 but think of it as a world, every1 is able to get everything them selfs. There is no need for you to interact with the other people of the community just go do your mining, start concentating and woosh and you are the most skilled Blacksmith the world has yet to see...

Please try to keep the little Rp that is still in this game of buttonmashing and dmgmeters.

[Ineras]

You still have to level those characters to access higher level zones, so its an incentive of playing another character and knowing other aspects of the game. My warrior would never have hit 80 if i didnt need a miner.

I too have an alt that is a miner/BS and that is all I log on him to do. I don't really think that is considered playing another character as he is not used to do anything else. There is a difference of leveling a new alt just for the professions and also leveling a new alt for wanting to try out difference skills/rotations where the professions are just a bonus.

[DerSenf]

OP: i think you just want the bonuses from JC gems, ring enchants and incriptions shoulders on 1 char :P

And i think you didn't read his post.

Similar to dropping a profession, when you trade out a profession for a new one, you no longer gain the enchantment(s) that profession granted you. They turn red on your character and state clearly that they require the skill to use them.

[shadowkras]

And now he's your main without mining? Requiring time to level a character isn't a reasonable restriction to this or a valid reason to nix the idea. We should be leveling the characters we want to play, not grinding to cap on a toon just so we have two more professions.

He was miner/herbalist until about lv30, was leveling him to be a farm alt, he existed for 6 months under lv30. Then i swapped to herbalist/alchemist, hit max level, raided ICC as herbalist, then herbalist/blacksmith. I dont regret any of the decisions, i love both alchemy and blacksmithing and my druid is my JC/miner alt, while i have 2 other miner characters (both also engineers).

[Ineras]

difference is:
first you have to level those alts - takes more time
then you have to level the professions -more time
and then reloging to alts - more time

as you can see its all about time.
TIME=MONEY

/thread

Just leveling the profession would take the exact same time on the alt or your main so that is not any different. Relogging to alts is negligible time. And for the first point, the OP did say that prices would probably drop because of this convenience but not to market crashing prices which takes into the account the time=money argument.

[Edlarel]

What I feel is that more players in this game are willing to set aside the really small RP things in this game just for convenience.

It would be great and easy for every1 but think of it as a world, every1 is able to get everything them selfs. There is no need for you to interact with the other people of the community just go do your mining, start concentating and woosh and you are the most skilled Blacksmith the world has yet to see...

Please try to keep the little Rp that is still in this game of buttonmashing and dmgmeters.

I happen to be a fan of RP myself (though not in WoW). It doesn't kill RP, and I even included an RP reasoning in my original post. Are you really roleplaying the alts you use to mine/herb with? You don't have to take time out to level new professions, it just becomes an option. You would still be able to benefit from the mats on the AH. They would also be at a lower price since fewer people would have to have them.

It is convenience, yes, but it's also consolidation. You end up with 9 more character slots that you can build good RP personas with instead of taking space up just for alt farmers.

For Drimwez: And I can say with confidence that you probably enjoy playing all of those characters. Each of them would still have to level their skills to be of any value with this option, you just wouldn't have had to also drop the gathering skills from your main. If you want the toughness from Mining, go mining on an alt too. Your main remains a focus because you don't have to switch off and play something else to farm. You can do it while waiting in Queue for a BG or dungeon.