Zapthrottle: The ramifications, rationalizations, and remunerations of mote extraction
Or
"Someone's been breaking the first two rules of Mote Club."
It can be said, quite accurately, that Engineering is not a merchant's craft. Many Engineers of all ratings bemoan the fact that their devices are not easily marketed. What we can make tends to require a rating in Engineering to operate, or it is bound to its maker on creation, or both. This tends to mean our prospective customers would, by necessity, likely be able to produce themselves what we might offer them for sale. To many an Engineer, this has been a burr in the cogs for years. To many other Engineers, however, it represents merely a challenge.
There are ways and means to make money as an Engineer, though not so much as those high and mighty Enchanters, with their "75 gold for that one, plus mats" profession. One such way is through mote extraction, or the science of Motectomization. Due to a recent settlement with the Engineering Student's Association, that word will not be used again within this lecture. The mote extractor, especially as combined with other facets of our profession, can prove quite a reliable resource, and quite a profitable one at that. Herein we will discuss the ways of learning the Mote Extractor, and where to employ it for the most lucrative results.
The Zapthrottle Mote Extractor is one of a very few schematics which are obtained purely by the completion of a quest. This means, as discussed in last week's lecture, that if you are a Goblin or Gnomish Engineer and intend to switch, do not learn this device prior to switching.
To learn the Extractor, Horde and Alliance of the appropriate rating both need to venture into Zangarmarsh to find their respective Engineering associate. You will need a rating of 305 in order to receive this quest, which is also the rating required to manufacture the device. Alliance Engineers will need to visit Telredor and speak with K. Lee Smallfry to receive the quest The Zapthrottle Mote Extractor! Horde Engineers will need to visit Zabra'jin instead, to speak to Mack Diver for a quest of the same name. Both factions will need to complete the quest the same way: by gathering fifteen Steam Pump Parts from the Dead Mire in the northeastern corner of Zangarmarsh. This area is patrolled by hostile flora of the natural local wildlife, so be wary. Completing this quest, for Horde or Alliance, earns you a small recompense as well as the schematic you were seeking.
Step Two: Throttling the Zap.
The Zapthrottle Mote Extractor allows its operator to draw from various clouds around Outland motes of a type particular to each area. We'll touch on which clouds and how to track them shortly. The device can be used from the toolbox, and does not need to be equipped to operate. It is a reusable item. To operate it, you need merely face one of the appropriate clouds and activate the extractor. It has a little range on it, but not a long stretch. You will quickly get a feel for the range on the device when you are operating it. The Zapthrottle cannot be used while mounted.
Producing the Mote Extractor requires two each Fel Iron Casing and Handful of Fel Iron Bolts, four Primal Life, and a Delicate Arcanite Converter. The device thereby produced does not bind to its creator, so it can be passed to another less talented Engineer, assuming they are of rating to use it.
Once you have obtained the Mote Extractor, you'll want to find where the motes are. The areas in which you can find gas clouds are Nagrand, Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Valley, and Zangarmarsh. Nagrand is home to Windy Clouds, from which you can extract Motes of Air. In Netherstorm you find Arcane Vortices, which produce Motes of Mana. Shadowmoon Valley holds clouds of Felmist, from which the Mote Extractor draws Motes of Shadow. Zangarmarsh, on the other hand, spawns clouds of Swamp Gas, which are the source of Motes of Water. Swamp Gas can also be found inside the Steam Vault, generally near Mekgineer Steamrigger.
Step Three-Bravo: Where the Hell's The Throttle?
Finding these clouds can be tricky for the naked eye. They move around in many cases, and can be difficult to spot against the local environment even at rest. Arcane Vortexes are even imperceptible to the naked eye. As Engineers, we have tools at our disposal to assist with this: goggles.
The easiest goggles to produce which will aid in tracking gas clouds are the Ultra-Spectropic Detection Goggles. The schematic for these goggles is purchasable. Horde Engineers may buy the plans from the captured gnome repairing items just outside of Zabra'jin. Alliance Engineers can purchase the schematic from Lebowski, who is really rather small actually, the Master Engineering Trainer at Honor Hold. Ultra-Spectropic Detection Goggles require four Heavy Knothide Leather and two each Khorium Bar, Deep Peridot, and Small Prismatic Shard.
A step up from the Spectropics, and one many of you will be wearing anyway once you reach a rating of 350, are the masterwork goggles learned from your trainer. These goggles are taught depending on your class, so not all of you will be able to make all of them. These goggles each require a Primal Nether to create, making their creation a feat in itself for many. Additionally, the upgrades to those goggles, which can be found in the Sunwell, have the same benefit.
Equipping any of these goggles will allow you to track the location of any gas clouds on your minimap. Gas clouds will show up as a yellow dot, resembling a miner's sense of where ore can be found. This form of tracking does stack with others. Miners who are tracking minerals will see not only ore, but also gas clouds.
Thrapping the Zottle.
Now that you have your Mote Extractor, you can either chase motes to your heart's content or merely keep it alongside you, ready for use should it become necessary. Many an Engineer has paired their Flying Machine with their Goggles, and patrolled the skies of Outland for hours, days, on end. Gathering motes at high speed yields high speed primals, and primal anything can bring you money in the right market. But there's no need to pursue them specifically unless that's your choice. You will be tracking gas clouds while wearing your goggles anyway, so even when you're not on the hunt for more motes, you can still swing out of your way to snag a cloud here or there.
Tool Control Saves Lives.
Engineers are limited in the scope of what we can market to the laypeople of the worlds. Between the Mote Extractor and various gas cloud detection devices, Engineering can overcome this limit, and in a big way. The Mote Extractor can be as essential a gathering tool as is your mining pick. This concludes the lecture on the Zapthrottle Mote Extractor.
Like things that go bang, clink, and clank? Boy, does Hoof and Horn R&D have a deal for you. Engineers in the crowd should check out writeups on transportation and robotic repairmen, and novices (engineers, tinkerers or otherwise) check out our Professions section on the WoW Insider Directory! If it works, break it!
