Ask a Beta Tester: Tradeskills, training, and rep gains

As the beta winds down, Ask a Beta Tester becomes a little more infrequent, but as long as we have questions, we will answer. Let's start with Rob's question...

Are they planning to put in recipes for green items between 350-375 to make it easier to grind up professions? Or should i just suck it up and make (obsolete) blue/purple items to level up.

Many professions start with new recipes at 350 skill in Northrend, and some of them at 360. Nobody starts at 375. 360-375 is usually taken up by 'end-game' items so you won't have to grind those out to skill up before Northrend. I recommend checking Wowhead to see where your particular profession starts out.

Locke asked...

I know there's the Wrath Gate cinematic and so on, have you come across or know any other cinematic events like this, or was this the only one? I'm sure there has to be in game scripted events. Thanks.

That was the only one that is actually a cinematic, but there are a ton of scripted events. Wrath's storytelling is incredible, and I think you'll be surprised by just how much happens before your eyes rather than off in the background somewhere.

Chris asked...

In the Classic world, we got new spells and abilities every even level. In the Outlands, we got them at every level after 60. Is it the same for Northrend? Will we get new spells and abilities ever level after 70?

There are new spells or new ranks of spells every level. Not every level has something exciting and not every level has something for your spec, but every level has something. I found myself looking ahead when I was leveling in beta. "Well, I just trained level 73. Should I come back at level 74? Oh, looks like I only get a new rank of Renew. I don't need that soloing as a Shadow Priest, I'll get that at level 75 when I come back to get Mind Sear!"

Those aren't the levels your train some of those things, I just pulled it out of the air as an example, so no spamming the comments with Wowhead links telling me I'm wrong, eh?

barbarion asked...

I really enjoyed The Ring Of Blood in Nagrand. Have they got anymore quests like that in northrend and is there any information about it yet?

Yes. It's in Zul'Drak. You'll love it. I don't want to spoil it because it has a lot of giggle worthy stuff, but I'll say this much: If you're an old school WoW player, you'll run into an old friend there.

Fuster asked...

Will there be any inscription recipe drops or will we only be able train and discover glyphs and books?

I don't know what there will be later in the game, but currently I don't think there are any glyphs or glyph recipes that are drops. It's purely trained stuff and discovered glyphs. I have no doubt we'll see more recipes as the game progresses, but how we'll get them is up to Blizzard. Drops? Reputation? I only pray Scribes don't have to go through what completionist Enchanters had to go through in The Burning Crusade. I still don't have some of them. I shiver with nerd rage.

ermansup asked...

Are there any reputation grinds that make completing quests linked to said reputations unoptimal before a stage such as honored is reached by other means. Like it is in TBC with the Cenarion Expedition and the Unidentified Plant Parts.

I haven't encountered any factions that have those turn-in style rep gains. It's much more heavily based in quests and dungeons, and dungeons don't seem to grant reputation until you're running the level 80ish versions. I may be mistaken and simply missed stuff like that, but I think Blizzard recognized the silliness of early Burning Crusade reputations and axed the turn-in stuff in favor of more quests tied to each faction. The Valiance Expedition has an asburd number of quests tied to it.

Jeger asked...

For most players, the rewards you got from the first couple of TBC quests were good upgrades to the epic gear we already had. Just wondering how long will tier 4,5,6 last us in Wrath? Will I still use my current gear at level 75?

Remember that Burning Crusade had some stat rejiggering that inflated how good early BC pieces were. Stamina values were doubled between Classic and Burning Crusade. So while Wrath has some really great stuff for people that aren't twinked to the gills, it'll be nothing like BC. My Tier 6 and partial Sunwell gear lasted me until the high-70s. I was still wearing most of it at level 80. Level 80 dungeons start replacing it, and you can safely wear it into Naxxramas.

I think it's safe to say Tier 5 will last you from the mid to upper 70s, and tier 4 will be replaceable by 75, and some pieces will have been replaced already. That's just what I figure from my experiences, though. Those numbers may be slightly off.

The Wrath of the Lich King beta is in full swing, and the WoW Insider crew is here to sate your curiosity with Ask a Beta Tester! Leave your beta questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em! And if you can't get enough Wrath, don't forget to check WoW Insider's Wrath Roundup page for anything we haven't answered here!