For players that are new to the game, or don't want to get too distracted by professions, or just those that want to make some easy scratch you might want to look into gathering professions. Their are three gathering profession, mining, skinning and Herbalism.
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| The circle isn't part of the map I just added it to make it easier to see. |
Gathering professions require little to no need for additional items to level. Herbalism requires no items, while skinning and mining only require one item each (pickax and skinning knife respectively). In order to get into the professions you need to head to your capital city ask a guard and they'll point you in the right direction of the profession trainers. Click open your map and you'll see the flag on the map where the trainer is located. This will keep us from waisting time running all over hells half achier looking for the proper trainers. If we talk to the trainer they will offer to teach you the starting level of whichever profession you'r trying to learn. You then click okay and pay ten copper to get started. Your mining pick will cost seventy copper but if you've been looting everything and selling off the junk every time you stop at a vendor you should easily have enough.
Once you've picked up your professions and supplies (mining pick or skinning knife) it's time to get to work. If you mouse over your mini map you can right click on it and it will give you a list of things that you can set your map to show icons for when your close to them. Now that you have mining you will be able to choose find minerals and this will display a little yellow dot on your mini map and that will allow you to track down your mining nodes. once your their just walk right up to it and right click it and your character will go to town. Congratulations you will have just earned your first skill point in mining. As your skill level gets higher you will have to go to a profession trainer again to learn the next level of training to be better able to mine the more advanced ore. This same rule will apply to all gathering professions. If you want to keep a closer eye on how far you have to go just hit your "k" button your professions tab is bound to it by default. I do want to point out that sadly their is no find leather option on the mini map for skinners but the good news for you is that pretty much any animal you kill can be skinned. This is of course excluding a few of the more human like animals (worgan, yetis etc.) if your ever in doubt just put your courser over it and if you can skin it the icon will appear.
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| Circle is still not part of the image, just their to help you see |
I told you at the beginning of this post that these professions are a good way to make money while leveling and indeed they are. It hardly takes you out of what your doing to run to the nodes on your map while questing in an area. You then simply keep what you collect in your bags until you can get to an auction house and post what you have. I always try and post just a little below the lowest cost for the same amount of what I'm selling. Doing this will not make you absurd amounts of gold but it will cover your repair costs and given the small amount of your time it will have taken I'd say it was well worth the effort.
-Morison
