Engineering and meFollow

My main, a rogue, has been an alchemist and herbalist since wow started.

By engineering has always appealed to me, i always liked how it sounded and it seemed to fit what i'd want.

Now i do feel like dropping my herbalism for engineering [and making my gatherer hunter alt get off his *** and level mining and herbalism]

But thing is come cata, i wont be able to level them till i finish with leveling my rogue completely and then start leveling my gatherer alt. While it will provide huge utility, i do infact enjoy herbalism and i like having my main not be dependant on my alts for mats. Sure my enchanter provides enchants, my BS provides belt gem slots and what all but thats not being dependant on them in a manner which dependance on mats will be. My various playing alts are already dependant on each other or my main for mats and what not.

What are your thoughts? independance or chained utility?

[yes i know herbalism is not the best "min-max" set up for raiding but come cata, healing finisher+ lifeblood = bit less pain for healers {i doubt in a significant way}]

Edited, Sep 21st 2010 5:20pm by Tenjen

thats exactly why iam so conflicted!

The other professions give a little boost here and a little boost there, but engineering lets me do crazy, otherwise impossible things in the battlegrounds, to the point where I’m building game openers for my guild’s ladder team around a squad of engineers.

I maintain a stable of alts with alchemy, enchanting, jewelcrafting and inscription, and it is helpful to be able to mail myself item enhancements instead of buying them off the AH. Also, I make tons of cash on the AH selling dusts and cuts and glyphs. But ultimately that’s all just for convenience. Engineering is about the “whoa!”

Im also a rogue, and believe me, engineering is really helpfull, stuff i just will not be able to renounce like my parachute to do some base jumping , my xrays and my boots.. and a hell ot of more stuff.
although i think engineering was more usefull to rogue at level 70/TBC, i still prefer it as a profession

I ended up throwing a few hundred gold into leveling engineering after all. Not a huge amount by any means. I farmed a lot, and that's a cost too, but it somehow doesn't hurt as much. And in any case you do get EXP when you mine a node, and since I was leveling too I thought it was a better decision.

Plus I was helping a friend o mine farm ZG for mounts and stuff (none dropped, but I've had my ZG tiger for 6 months now anyhow) and the Thorium I mined there, about 15ores per run and some dense stones, did help on that 250-300 stretch.

Left engineering at 442, can't really justify those extra 8 points 12 days before the expansion. On an alt.

Genocide is probably the worst thing you can do.

As for gathering on a main, its ok if you are not a serious raider. But for people who care about pushing their characters, 2 crafting professions is the way. Crafting professions give more of an edge than gathering, so are more desirable to those looking to push the envelope.

And unless one of your professions is herbalism. Pretty much every class can benefit from the haste boost I would think. It's the main reason I leveled it on my druid. That and the whole tauren racial + druid flight form makes herbing on her a breeze.