My main toon used to be my Hunter, but that toon was largely %26#8220;parked%26#8221; in favor of my Mage as it came through Outland. I used my Hunter mainly to help friends, or to farm materials for the Mage's alchemy levelling.
Mage Toon History
The Mage is my only surviving male toon, and was my second toon to 70. I advanced him in such a way that grinding reputation at 70 for my Heroics keys would be as easy as possible because I'd taken the most efficient route to obtaining different levels of reputation early on.
Of course, by the time I hit 70 with my Mage in November 2007, patch 2.3(?) came out and lowered the Heroics key reputation requirement from Revered to Honored. I was able to buy 3 keys as soon as I hit 70 and the other two came along shortly afterwards with a little bit of instancing in the regular 68+ dungeons of Botanica/Mechanar and Durnholde/Black Morass.
Gearing Up For Heroics
Having done most of my reputation gain through low-level dungeons (Thrallmar) or turn-ins (Cenarion Expedition, Lower City) or single-player quests, my gearing when I hit level 70 wasn't all that great, and it took me about a month of crafting gear to get myself to +400-450 frost damage and 6.9k health (both unbuffed), which is where I started into Heroics in mid-December 2007.
By early January 2008 I was already at +691 frost damage unbuffed, just having changed over to Heroics dungeons and collecting and turning in the Badge of Justice reward that each boss drops in Heroic mode.
Since then, my gear has continued to slowly improve through Heroics badge turn-ins and reputation rewards and crafted gear. And of course, understanding of what it was I was trying to aim for in my stats. But, these days, my playing time is reduced because of sport hobbies and business ventures, so my overall stats really haven't improved a great lot. In the past three weeks I've only had a chance to raid twice and hit one Heroic.
Professions And Skills, Hard Numbers
Before I go and blab on about the various things, I'll post details like I did for the lowbies I wrote about in the last entry:
Tailoring: 375/375 - Shadoweave specialty
Alchemy: 375/375 - Transmute specialty
Cooking: 375/375
First Aid: 375/375
Fishing: 375/375
Riding: 300/300 (riding a Cenarion War Hippogryph from Exalted Cenarion Expedition rep)
Professions, Special Recipes: Alchemy
I started Alchemy at around level 30, and hit 375 Alchemy on this toon when he was level 58. I was a long way away from being able to choose a specialization for Alchemy itself, but I had it maxed, thanks to the support of my Hunter Herbalist who was levelling up quickly through the 60s as I helped guildmates and friends advance where my Mage was still too weak.
Throughout my 60s I periodically made Alchemy %26#8220;discoveries%26#8221;, but Flask, Transmutation and Potion ones are the only ones I've picked up so far. I know there are Cauldrons of resist potions I could discover as well, but I don't make many resist potions to give myself a chance on a Discovery. The Discoveries (and reputation-vendor-bought things) I have made (earned) as of today are:
- Flasks:
- Flask of Pure Death
- Flask of Blinding Light
- Flask of Fortification
- Flask of Mighty Restoration
- Flask of Relentless Assault
- Flask of Distilled Wisdom (Exalted with Cenarion Expedition)
- Transmutes:
- Transmute: Earthstorm Diamond (Cenarion Expedition - Honored)
- Transmute: Skyfire Diamond (Thrallmar - Honored)
- Transmute: Earth To Life
- Transmute: Life To Earth
- Transmute: Water To Shadow
- Transmute: Air To Fire (Sha'tar rep)
- Transmute: Water To Air (Centarion Expedition)
- Transmute: Primal Might (Vendor)
- Potions
- Super Rejuvenation Potion
- Heroic Potion
Professions, Special Recipes: Tailoring
I did a lot of profession-switching with this Mage toon all through his life. Picked up and dropped Leatherworking at least twice, and Engineering, Enchanting, Mining, and Skinning at least once. At 66 I dropped Skinning which was at 375 and picked up Tailoring, knowing from having read a little that crafted Tailoring gear is superior to even Tier 4 gear, and figuring it would be a long time before I'd be playing somewhere to exceed that gearing level.
I specialized in Shadoweave Tailoring because I intended to stay a Frost mage, with my goals set on Heroics and not much far beyond. My Hunter already had 350 Fishing, so I used my huge need for Primal Water as motivation to max out my fishing in Nagrand where there are occasional pools of Pure Water that have a high percentage of Mote of Water and often come out in twos or threes. The first piece of my Shadoweave set crafted was the Frozen Shadoweave Boots, and by the time I had fished enough Primal Water, my Hunter was at 375 fishing.
While leveling up to 375 in Tailoring, my Mage went on some serious Fishing expeditions, supplied some friends with healing and stamina buff foods, and finished off my Shadoweave set with half and half bought Primal Waters and fished ones.
Cheap Levelling Recipe, Tailoring 360+
As a Tailor, I really haven't picked up too many unique pattern recipes except through reputation vendors - unlucky on the dungeon drops, I guess. The only useful one I got was a Bind on Equip %26#8220;blue%26#8221; pattern which helped a lot in levelling Tailoring - Pattern: Arcanoweave Boots which still used Bolt of Netherweave instead of the vastly more expensive Imbued Bolt of Netherweave. It was Orange/Yellow clear up to 375 and disenchanted into a Large Prismatic Shard to boot!
Other than the Shadoweave patterns and the other ones purchasable from vendors around Outland, I only have one epic pattern on my Mage - for Boots of Blasting which dropped in a 25-man raid but are Bind on Pickup as soon as they're crafted, so they don't really count as all that %26#8220;useful%26#8221; beyond my own gearing.
Heroics Mage Stats I Started With / Currently Have
I can't remember when, exactly, I started into Heroics - aside from the fact that I was at about +400-450 frost dmg and 6.9k health, both unbuffed. But certainly, it wasn't too long after I got my full Shadoweave set that getting invites into 10 and even 25-man raids became a regular occurance from people I ran Heroics with, and from all of the fishing, I had more than a few stacks of Poached Bluefish to use during my play time - and some Grilled Mudfish to sell for nice prices in the Auction House.
Frost Mage's Secondary Epic Set, Spellstrike
The Spellstrike set (Spellstrike Pants and Spellstrike Hood) were my next Tailoring/gearing goal after the Shadoweave was done, but it took a lot longer to get crafted for a number of reasons.
First, because I had already commited as a Shadoweave tailor, and second because I was in a leveling guild with people who were still getting toons to 70 and not focusing on gearing for Heroics or Raiding yet so I couldn't find a Shadowcloth spec'd tailor to trade with easily.
I ended up watching the AH for good buying prices on Spellcloth and for good selling prices on Shadowcloth, and trading my wares. I then turned to the Trade line to find crafters who had the actual patterns, because I couldn't farm the correct instances enough to get them to drop.
I definitely funneled a lot of money into buying motes and primals and Spellcloth (which sells for more than Shadowcloth does), but also saved a mittload of cash fishing up most of my Primal Waters and using my Alchemy Transmutes to create most of my own Primal Mights.
What Goals Now?
In closing, I'd like to mention that I don't have great goals for this toon now. Doing Heroics, gathering badges, and going on occasional 25-man evening raids tends to be what I have time for these days, and I'm feeling pretty powerful on this toon.
So, I turned the money funnel away from my Mage and towards my other toons, at least for a while, to get everyone's professions maxed out no matter what level they are.
Next update up, my 70 Hunter, which has now been into Karazhan on occasion when my Mage is already locked out, but has not yet been in a 25-man raid scenario.
Tags: Alchemy, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking, Leveling, Mining, Professions, Skinning, Tail