What prof to get for a Tankadin

[Kanya]

This depends on what you are doing, are you a playing the game or Making Gold?

I am a Raider and so have opted for JC as i am not bothered about what i can sell to others, but what unique items i can make for myself. The +42 Stam Gems are worth it in my opinion.

You can have up to 3 of these special gems socketed at one time.
They are Prismatic (+42 Stam off a Yellow or Red Socket pls, keep the Blue sockets for normal +24 Stam Gems)
There are other patterns out there if you want to get a high Defence gem for example.

If anyone can say what the other professions have that only the crafter can use i would be interested*, but any kind of equipped item is ( as far as i know) pointless at this point as the rewards from raiding out do all of those?

*The question of what may come out in future patches is always going to be there, so please try and keep it within what is available now.


Note:
"I know that some people play to make gold, and yes ... ... that's their lifestyle choice ... ... It's just not what i spend real money each month to do, call me old fashioned, but if i cared for money i would not waste it on WoW"

[Martin]

Blacksmiths can create sockets in wrists, boots and other stuff I believe. So that may be worth looking into, I'm a JC and miner myself, I must say, this patch makes being a JC quite worth it.

[Kalimera]

I'm BS and Miner it is nice cuz I can make my own gear and socket my wrist and hands for extra gems ( def /exp / hit ) woot!  I guess is up to you what you really like is not like you miss out too much engineers gets nice rides and make nice helmet,  JC makes nice trinkets and rings/amulets.  Enchanting nice enchants for rings and get to DE all the old blues and purples you don't need instead of vendor.  But of course if you pick like enchanting and Something else like BS,Eng,JC I hope you got deep pockets to buy mats from AH or hope you got a Gatherer toon.

[Kanya]

I have also noticed that LW can make a special lining that only they can use that works like an enchant, and ofc enchanters can do their rings.

I am not sure what the best [air would be but i am looking into it.

I think that BS and JC would be a good pair for all those sockets and gems.

[Xanthros]

What I've noticed is that engineering is pretty good for a leveling pally. Also, for heroics/10man raiding, you can't beat the tanking goggles you can make for cheap! Plus mining should get most of the mats you need...

[dagimp007]

i am a JC and an Enchanter.

I picked JC for the gems (which are getting a wicked nerf where there not prismic anymore, which was needed but we will see if its alittle to much)
I picked Enchanting to make when i solo more profitable

i may change Enchanting for BS, with BS you will get a total of 3 extra slots meaning i wont have to worry about  the nerf and keeping the stam gems. but we will see

[Maadcowmoo]

i am a JC and an Enchanter.

I picked JC for the gems (which are getting a wicked nerf where there not prismic anymore, which was needed but we will see if its alittle to much)
I picked Enchanting to make when i solo more profitable

i may change Enchanting for BS, with BS you will get a total of 3 extra slots meaning i wont have to worry about  the nerf and keeping the stam gems. but we will see

i'm a BS and you actually only get 2 extra slots. Gloves and Wrists. There is one for waiste but everyone can equip that i'd hate for you to get 2 410 and be like .. WTH ..


Cheers

[dagimp007]

i am a JC and an Enchanter.

I picked JC for the gems (which are getting a wicked nerf where there not prismic anymore, which was needed but we will see if its alittle to much)
I picked Enchanting to make when i solo more profitable

i may change Enchanting for BS, with BS you will get a total of 3 extra slots meaning i wont have to worry about  the nerf and keeping the stam gems. but we will see

i'm a BS and you actually only get 2 extra slots. Gloves and Wrists. There is one for waiste but everyone can equip that i'd hate for you to get 2 410 and be like .. WTH ..


lol i knew i should of cleared that up.. i knew its a waist that everyone can get( infact i have it) ... but its still 3 slots


Cheers

[Danavan]

I like Miner/BS. but Miner/JC is an option

This is my thinking: as of the incoming nerf there will no longer be any extra socket bonuses for JC which means the benefit of professions are.

1. Mining 450 -  +50 Stam
2. Blacksmithing - 2 prismatic sockets +32 to any stat/rating or +48 stam (maybe more if epic gems ever come out)
3. JC - 3 Dragon's eyes which are +33 to any stat (dependant on the fact that it is +11 better than a normal Rare Gem) or +51 Stamina (dependant on having at least 3 staight stamina gems)

so all in all as a tank I say Mining/BS has the best variety and customization out of 3 things that are almost identical.

[Skeeto]

what about having a BS and a JC?
Weird as it may seem but you get the gem sockets and the gems right?
youd jsut have to buy all the mats of aH or get a friend to be a Miner and get all the mats for you

Im prolly totally wrong like xD


just my 2 copper

[Hyperyion]

Skeeto nailed it....he's the first one I see that matched these two togeter.

I got a 70 warrior miner up to 350 so far, so I can drop the mining on my palli to make room for a jc/bs!
Problem is, now I gotta lvl jc again. And that is very expensive.

[Danavan]

As I said earlier, Taking JC/BS may appear to be a wonderful combo and for certain classes it is definitely a boon, but for a tank there is no reason to take both even more so with the advent of Epic Gems.

I'll provide a new breakdown compare:
1. Mining 450 -  +60 Stam
2. Blacksmithing - 2 prismatic sockets +40 to any stat/rating or +60 stam
3. JC - 3 Dragon's eyes which are +42 to any stat (dependant on the fact that it is +14 better than a normal Rare Gem) or +63 Stamina (dependant on having at least 3 staight stamina gems)
4. Enchanting - 2 +30 Stamina Ring Enchants or +60 stam
5. Leatherworking - +102 Stam to Bracer which is +62 stam more than the enchant.

So going from the benefit solely of a tank (which I will since we are on a tank site) it looks to me like JC/LW is the absolute best combo.

Obviously I'm not suggesting everyone reroll JC/LW Im just pointing out that in the realm of tanking there are 5 choices that are almost identical with the "best" combo being +125 stam and the "worst" combo being +120 Stam.

[steve]

Reticulated Armor Webbing adds to your effective health also.

[Brokendreamz]

I have actually maxed out my JC and Bs.... however, I know nothing of these epic jemz that are available now... I havent actually played in 6 months. but with so much new content, and news of the next expansion, I have got back into wow [also they offered me a free 7 days for the anniversary]....

anyway, back to the point.... when I retrained from BS/Miner to BS/JC, it seemed like the best possible combo... 3 awesome gems, and 2 extra slot to house them in... I will have to check out these new gemz!

[steve]

OK I know it sounds retarded but I'm liking engineering more and more.

Flexweave Underlay 23 agility=46 armor, 0.24 dodge, and a bit of crit for threat just to thrown in there

Reticulated Armor Webbing 885 armor

Mind Amplification Dish 45 stam and an MC=FUN (added note after test iy does make a mob your pet for 30seconds)

[Maxwanted]

I have BS and JC on my char.
BONUS:
3 Gems with +51 STAMINA
and
2 Additional sockets (where we can put additional +30 stamina)

So it will be + 122 STAMINA total =) quite nice

[Yourdaddy]

Gear wise: No profession can make better gear than 25 man raid drops. Fullstop.
BS for extra slots + JC for better gems makes common sense.
Other professions have "nice to have's" but nothing significant for character improvement.
Engineering have rocket boots, that could be helpfull in BGs, but lvling a whole professions just for that does not make sense to me.

Hopefully the new skills with Cataclism will have something worth while.

Tip: I have toons that farm and toons that benifit. Make a DK slave to mine and skin/herb or engineer for you.

[Freshtankadin]

I like mining as a proff for my tankadin. Free 60 stam even when I get new gear. I'm always short on gold, so a proffession that gives me stam and a source of income is nice.

[Bloodniron]

Okeedokee...

Back on page 5 or so of my "I Want to Tank But..." thread, krick posted the following:

Check this out...

http://www.wow.com/2009/12/19/insider-trader-blacksmith-and-jewelcrafting/

Most profession bonuses are more or less equal when it comes to the three big stats:
Stamina
Attack Power
Spell Power

However the combination of blacksmithing + jewelcrafting is the most FLEXIBLE.  Consider this...

Jewelcrafting gives you 18 special jewelcrafting-only epic gems (though sadly no hybrid gems):

+68 Attack Power
+51 Stamina
+43 Spell Penetration
+39 Spell Power
+34 Strength
+34 Spirit
+34 Resilience Rating
+34 Parry Rating
+34 Intellect
+34 Hit Rating
+34 Haste Rating
+34 Expertise Rating
+34 Dodge Rating
+34 Defense Rating
+34 Critical Strike Rating
+34 Armor Penetration Rating
+34 Agility
+20 Mana every 5 seconds

...and Blacksmithing gives you two extra prismatic sockets.  So you can use any TWO gems from the list above.
Compare that to the Leatherworking fur lining options:

130 attack power
102 Stamina
76 spell power

So if your particular class/spec benefits most from another specific stat like Strength (ret pally) or Intellect (holy paly), then you'd really make out better with Blacksmithing + Jewelcrafting from a profession bonus standpoint.

Jewelcrafting + Blacksmithing is also the combo to go for when you need to stack Resilience Rating for PvP.  No other profession offers a resilience bonus.

My Main, Bloodniron (aka Zergatron, lol...), is currently at 450 Mining, 442 BS (I have not given any effort to knocking out those final levels right now, as they look to be costly... and I needs me gold for other porpoises!)

Elfynn (that other guy...) is Mining/Engineering, and I cannot remember what level his mining is sitting at - maybe around 200 or 225.  He's level 34, which keeps him from doing the mining in Outland and Northrend that would be necessary.

What I would LIKE to do, because of the bonuses in Stats that Blood can gain, is to switch Blood's Mining for JC, to get the killer gems!  And that would mean needing another maxxed out Miner.  That or Blood can just mine the heck out of Northrend for awhile, build up an epic quantity of ore in my bank, then switch...

Another choice could be to create a DK specifically for mining, since he would start 20+ levels higher than Fynn right now...  I would ONLY want to do the minimal with this toon so that I could get the mining up - he would therefore have to get into Outland, on one hand, and then be able to fly in Northrend on the other.  He doesn't have to level up past being able to enter Northrend I don't guess, unless there are some level restrictions that I do not remember.

I suppose I could level him by questing (and MINE while questing), and sending HIM the heirloom gear I have bought and can buy... 

And then for a 2nd profession for this DK farmer, I'm thinking Skinning.  I can sell the skins I get, and the jewelry I make, on the AH

Your thoughts?  I have run out of mine, lol...

[krick]

Make a farming DK with mining and herbalism.  That way, you can support an alchemist or inscriptionist (scribe) in the future.

If you ever roll a hunter, you can go with leatherworking and skinning.

[Bloodniron]

"Shoulda read the fine print"

"Shoulda done the math"

These are two common sayings in regard to decisions that we sometimes make and later regret, or think better of...

You see, I got it in my head that being a JC would be a real benefit to me over being a Miner.  My Mining was maxed!  I was able to get Titanium, get really cool gems, and so I began to think, man, with all these gems I get with Mining, I'll set them aside in my bank, and when I get enough for the mats, I'll switch to JC, that'll be the real ticket!  And that's what I did.  I let gems of various types accumulate in my bank until about 2 weeks ago, at which point I created a DK farmer* to farm my ores.  Then I dumped my 450 Mining to take on JC.  Got JC leveled all the way over a matter of a few days.  Doing my dailies to get the Tokens to buy my Epic recipes and such.  But Ironshield's question (http://www.tankadin.com/forum/index.php?topic=1260.0), got me thinking this morning...  What did I benefit from that?  Did I benefit from it?

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT:
Mining gives a Bonus stat of +60 STA at Max level.
BS gives a Bonus of 2 extra sockets
JC gives Bonus of JC-only gems

Mining/BS combo gives +60 STA/2 extra sockets = +60 STA/2 +30 STA gems = +120 STA

BS/JC combo gives 2 extra sockets/3 +51 STA JC-only gems.  Fill the extra sockets with two of the +51's for +102 STA.  Since you'll fill one more of your sockets with a +51 instead of a +30, that's an actual gain of +21 STA.  All in all, +102 plus +21 = +123 STA, or a total gain of +3 STA over the Mining/BS combo.

But there's another combo to consider.  Mining/JC.  No extra sockets.  But we Tanks tend to be a straight-forward bunch anyways, sticking STA in every hole we find...     So with MaxMining we get +60 STA, and with the JC-only gems we stick 3 +51 STA gems in 3 sockets that would normally house +30's, meaning a total gain of... you guessed it, +63 STA.  And +60 STA/+63 STA is still just +123 STA. 

Hence, the BS/JC combo and the Mining/JC combo yield the same Bonus in the end.  +123 STA. 

I wish I had thought it thru this far before I let my Mining go...

Because, guess what?

Now, with this information, I am looking at letting my BS go (it really has not proven of much benefit to me) and taking Mining back up.  I do not like playing any more toons than I have to, and I have done better in the AH with my Mining than I did with BS, selling gems that I got while mining, and now can also get by Prospecting.  So, as Danavan pointed out, they are all about the same end result.  I don't know what difference +3 STA will really make in the long run, so I intend to do what I like the best.  I actually enjoy the Mining, and I wayyyy miss it already.  Or I should say, Blood is jonesing to have a Mining Pick in his hand again.

Thankfully I can simply take a lot of the ores and stone that Farmerjoan has gathered, and use them in the Mining leveling process for the lower stuff.  I suspect that I have enough stone and ore in stock that I could hit 225 Mining without breaking a sweat...  Farmerjoan can then join Elfynn in the age-old profession of camping out at a key area to hopefully loot a rare drop once in awhile.  Log in, /tar whatever, kill it if its there, loot, log out.  That's as much interaction with my farmers as I really want.
_____

Your mileage may vary.  You might truly enjoy the BS stuff, or you may really get a lot of gold out of it, and have the time to put into it.  BS means nothing to me, its not something I pursue.  There's nothing real active about it, except in the BS shop.  As a Miner, I'm out and about, traveling the land, experiencing the beauty of Azeroth and beyond...  And as a Jewelcrafter, at least I do get more control over what gems I'm using in my own gear, can sell them for good gold on AH without a lot of outlay, and get the Prospecting ability, which allows me to find more gems, and hence, more gold. 
_____

*Farmerjoan... Thing is, she's a 58, and she's not in Outland yet, and I am not planning on leveling her up, as I do not have that kind of time.  She can't fly, can't access some of the ores that I would like her to right now...

[krick]

All profession "perks" are roughly equal, however the thing that Blacksmithing + Jewelcrafting gives you is flexibility.

You can combine jewelcrafter-only gems with your prismatic blacksmithing sockets to get stat bonuses other than the standard attack power/spell power/stamina bonuses most other professions provide.

If you want to gem for maximum stamina for prot tanking, you can do it.
If you want to gem for maximum resilience for arena PvP, you can do it.
If you want to gem for maximum intellect for your holy off-spec, you can do it.
If you want to gem for maximum strength for battleground PvP, you can do it.
For a hunter, if you want maximum agility, you can do it.
You get the idea.

[Bloodniron]

But I can do that, as I demonstrated, even without the extra sockets.  I do not get any more STA with the sockets than without.  But in case you happen to mean that in this way you could still get the regular socket bonuses and perhaps in that way you can come off with a little more, well in my experience, having looked at many member's builds, most are not gemming for the Stat bonuses but simply straight STA with the exception of the meta and a hybrid or two for the Meta activation.

So then what would be the difference?  Still only a few points of STA.  Its still comes down to (and we agree) the fact that all the combinations have approximately the same level of perks.

I am gathering my BG-spec gear.  My first piece I got a few weeks ago is the i264 [Wrathful Gladiator's Bracers of Triumph] but I had not added a socket to them yet, which I did last night, and therefore added a +34 STR [Bold Dragon's Eye].  I also added the enchant, Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault, which in all of the reading/research I did, was considered the BiS for a Ret or PvP dps-based pally.  And my plan is to do the same with the rest of my gear, to simply try to get the best stuff available the first time around, and end up with a really nice set of BG gear.  

And with that in mind (the fact that I have now added a socket and Dragon's Eye to my bracers), it might make sense for me to wait until after I've got most of my BG gear together, and therefore...

Okay, now I see what you are saying.  

The STA is one thing, but for my BG-spec, which should be Max-STR gems, if I go with Mining/JC, part of my Profession Stat Bonus is always going to be STA (not STR), and on the BG, I'm not that worried about STA.  By the BS/JC combo I have the ability to have +40 STR more (and of course, NOT the +60 STA of the Mining).  +40 STR is a nice difference considering how much of our stuff scales from STR.

but okay, LONG STORY SHORT, you've made a good point.  If it was only about STA, my argument works.  But if I'm wanting those extra points of STR, which also translate into more AP and so forth, then the way to go will be BS/JC, and so I'll just stay with it, and if I feel like mining, I'll get Joan and go mine awhile...  

And I had also forgotten about the JC-only trinkets, which might be useful for the 2 additional sockets...  The Figurine - Ruby Hare looks like it would make a cool BG trinket: 2 red sockets (yielding a socket bonus from STR gems of extra STA...), and a Use of 30% increased run speed for 6 secs.  Of course its a 3 minute CD, but still, nice boost to run speed can make a difference on the BG...

[krick]

And I had also forgotten about the JC-only trinkets, which might be useful for the 2 additional sockets...  The Figurine - Ruby Hare looks like it would make a cool BG trinket: 2 red sockets (yielding a socket bonus from STR gems of extra STA...), and a Use of 30% increased run speed for 6 secs.  Of course its a 3 minute CD, but still, nice boost to run speed can make a difference on the BG...

I was using [Figurine - Emerald Boar] socketed with two STR gems as one of my PvP trinkets until I got [Darkmoon Card: Greatness] and [Medallion of the Horde].

[Bloodniron]

I have BS and JC on my char.
BONUS:
3 Gems with +51 STAMINA
and
2 Additional sockets (where we can put additional +30 stamina)

So it will be + 122 STAMINA total =) quite nice

Is that metric math?    any way you look at it, if your gear without the BS-only sockets consists of helm and 12 other sockets, and you put 12 +30 STA's, that's 360.  add the two sockets, put the +51's in them, and replace 1 of the +30's in your other sockets with a +51, and you have an extra +123 STA...  Even nicer!

What's the difference?  1 point, my friend, 1 point.  But that 1 point could mean life.........

or death...