Archaeology has been a hit amongst players since its inclusion back in December. Some people just enjoy it, while others have goals such as pets and mounts. The one thing people have made clear is the profession really isn’t going to net any return. For starters, everyone can learn it and benefit from it. That might be true, but if you’re not working on archaeology on one specific toon then you’re wasting your time.
Before you criticize, remember that we’re talking about making gold here. You can take the profession on any toon you want, but if you have an alchemist that isn’t out there surveying, you’re a fool. Everyone knows about Vial of the Sands. Did you look closely, though? That’s right, the recipe is bind on pickup. If you want to be able to make Cataclysm’s main money sink, you need to do it via Alchemy and Archaeology. Nothing will be more frustrating than looking at that recipe drop, and not being on your Alchemist.
Of course, you could also try to flip the finished product. This becomes more risky, though. You have to show patience, and really set your snatchpoint. Still, those who got the chopper recipe in the early days of Wrath were able to profit for quite some time. This recipe is more random and therefore those who get it early this time will really see a return.
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Or you could be like me and take archeology on 2 different toons.. one for ehte recipe and the other for the pets/mounts. I have also found that the green items you get with fragments (tomes, scrolls, etc. based on race) are also profitable if sold on the AH. I’ve been selling ones for races I am “done” with and go for 40 – 150g depending on day and race. Certian Cata dungens let archeologists get party buffs by handing in some, which creates an ongoing demand. Plus one is more of less theequivilant to a digsite…. and are great if you are farming archeology 🙂
Nothing wrong with taking it on more than one toon. As you know, the column’s a focus on making gold and that was the perspective I was looking at it from. If you want to make money through archaeology, and you have an alchemist, you’re wasting a valuable resource if you don’t try to get the recipe on that toon first.
Also, thanks for the info on the fragments!