The gold a level-60 character earns per hour put into the profession once the market has settled: from raids opening (9 December 2026), with the profession at 300 and the region-wide auction house full of sellers. The first weeks after launch are the other list's.
Each profession is rated alone, with its inputs valued at what they would sell for, even when the character gathers them itself. Its best partner is named, not scored: a secondary profession names a primary, and a primary never names a secondary.
The subjects are all twelve professions: six crafting, three gathering and three secondary.
Each profession is rated alone, as a level-60 character with the profession at 300 once raids open on 9 December 2026 and the market has settled. Whatever the character gathers or loots is valued at what it would sell for, so a crafter is never flattered by free materials and a gatherer's income is the sale price of what it picks. Four criteria are weighted: settled income 40, depth of demand 25, price stability 20 and cost to start earning 15.
Every criterion is first scored 1 to 5 against fixed anchors, then rescaled across the twelve professions so the best gets 5 and the worst gets 1. The rescaled number is the one published and the one the tier comes from. The exception is a criterion whose measured scores span one point or less, because rescaling would stretch a near-tie into the full 1-to-5 range; it keeps its measured scores. Price stability is that case: every profession measured 2 or 3, so those are the numbers shown, and stability moves a total by at most 0.20.
This is a forecast, not a measurement. Forever has no settled market yet, so the ratings start from how each profession earned in Classic's settled economy and adjust for what Forever has changed. Every criterion except cost to start is scored without a recorded Forever price, and each entry says so. The list is to be re-rated when raids open or when the market has visibly settled, and again whenever a score's evidence moves: a patch, a Black Market change, or a price shift that holds across repeated readings.
The Forever changes that move the ratings most are these. The auction house is region-wide, so anything sells but anything many people farm floods. The Black Market caps Black Lotus and Arcane Crystal at 50 gold and Pristine Hide at 20 gold, which puts a ceiling on herbs, ore and hides. 
First Aid now makes healing potions, which 
Alchemy used to sell. A good share of crafted gear binds on pickup, so only the crafter can use it, and Blizzard's development notes cut vendor prices for crafted items, which removes vendoring as a floor for 
Cooking, 
Tailoring and 
Leatherworking.
Fishing, First Aid and Cooking are secondary professions and take no primary slot, so each is rated as a side income that sits beside two primaries. Their partners are therefore always primaries: Fishing names Alchemy, First Aid and Cooking name 
Herbalism. Because scores are relative, a change in one profession can move others: if a high scorer's evidence changes, every other profession's relative score on that criterion is recomputed, and a tier can shift without its own facts changing.
The rubric: each criterion scored 1 to 5| Criterion | Weight | What it measures |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | Measured against these anchors, then rescaled so the best of the twelve professions scores 5 and the worst 1. A top earner per hour at 60. In Classic's settled markets it was top-tier (high-end herbs and Black Lotus, Arcanite transmutes, flasks, Thorium, Runecloth bags), and no Forever change cuts it: 5. A steady middling earner: it sells every day, at prices a gatherer of common materials matches per hour: 3. Earns little more than vendoring what a character loots anyway: 1. |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | Measured against these anchors, then rescaled so the best of the twelve professions scores 5 and the worst 1. Every class buys it again every week: raid consumables, raid materials, enchants, food. The region AH takes any amount without the price falling: 5. Repeat buyers among some classes, or one-time buys by most: 3. One-time buys by a few classes, or its best outputs bind on pickup and can't be sold: 1. |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | Measured against these anchors and published as measured: the twelve professions span only one point here, and a criterion that narrow is not rescaled. Nothing caps or floods it: the Black Market doesn't sell it, every alt and bot doesn't farm it, and Blizzard has named no lever against it: 5. One pressure on it: a soft cap, heavy farming, or a lever named but not pulled: 3. Capped by a Black Market price for the same item, farmed by everyone, or Blizzard has said it will raise its supply: 1. |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | Measured against these anchors, then rescaled so the best of the twelve professions scores 5 and the worst 1. Earns at 60 from the day it is trained: no gold in, and no rare, reputation or bind-on-pickup recipe between it and its best sellers: 5. A modest climb in gold and time, or its best sellers need a recipe from a drop or a reputation vendor: 3. Hundreds of gold and weeks of skill before it sells at 60, and its best sellers need rare drops or exalted reputation: 1. |
|---|
An entry’s tier comes from its weighted score. A tier set by hand instead says why in its write-up. Within a tier,
the best score comes first.
- S 4.25 or more
- The best choice for this purpose. Strong on the criteria that count most, with no real weakness.
- A 3.75 or more
- Very strong. A little behind S, or one clear weakness.
- B 3.25 or more
- Good. Does the job well without special effort.
- C 2.75 or more
- Workable. About average on the rubric; nothing stands out either way.
- D 2.25 or more
- Weak. It works, but you will feel the gap; pick it for other reasons.
- F below 2.25
- Poor for this purpose. Avoid it unless something else decides for you.
- Prices as of the stated date, and the game rules of the stated build. The list is re-rated when the market moves as well as on a patch.
- A level-60 character with the profession at 300, raids open, the market settled.
- One market. Horde and Alliance auction houses are treated alike; faction is not rated.
- No Legacy perks (Bountiful Harvest, Working Overtime and the rest), so every character starts even.
- Gathering, crafting, the auction house and vendors only.
Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed.
Choose a profession on the chart to see why it sits where it does.
Alchemy tops the list at A: flasks, Mongoose and transmutes made it the top earner in Classic, and nothing in Forever removes that.
Best partner: Herbalism
Scores for Alchemy| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
Weighted score 4.15, which is A tier.
At 60 Alchemy sells the raid and PvP consumables of Classic: Flask of the Titans, Flask of Distilled Wisdom, Flask of Supreme Power, Elixir of the Mongoose, Mageblood, Major 
Troll's Blood, Greater Protection potions, Major Mana, Free Action, and Shadow and Frost oils. It also transmutes: 
Elemental Fire every 10 minutes, Undeath to Water daily and Arcanite every two days. Raiding guilds buy on the same nights each week, and every class uses flasks and elixirs.
Healing potions have moved to First Aid, so Alchemy no longer sells them, and Black Lotus is capped at 50 gold by the Black Market, which limits what flask ingredients can cost but not what the potions fetch. The Portable Alchemy Laboratory removes the Scholomance trip that Classic flasks required. The climb is the weak point: flask recipes are items at 300 and above, Greater Protection potions need 305, Mongoose 295, and transmutes need the Philosopher's Stone. Many recipes of skill 250 and up come from drops or reputation in Classic, and 74 Forever-new recipes have no known source. Herbalism is the partner because herbs are the inputs, and an Herbalist sells the same herbs to other Alchemists.
Alchemy scores 4.15, the highest of the twelve: 0.40 above the A line of 3.75 and 0.10 short of S at 4.25. It holds a 5 on income and depth and a 3 on price stability, and gives up ground only on cost to start, where its relative score is 2. One more point on cost to start would make it S.
Strengths
- Top Classic earner
- Weekly raid demand
- Transmutes
- Portable Laboratory
Weaknesses
- Hard recipe sources
- Black Lotus cap on inputs
- Unknown sources for 74 new recipes
- Gold to level
What would move it: Flask recipes that are easier to get than in Classic would lift it to S. A Forever price history showing flasks and Mongoose selling well below Classic's settled level, or flask recipes that are bind-on-pickup or locked behind rare drops, would drop it toward B. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Raid consumable demand is assumed to match Classic once raids open.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Alchemy guide · Back to the chart
Herbalism is a solid A: every flask needs herbs and it earns from day one, but the Black Lotus cap and heavy competition keep it below S.
Best partner: Alchemy
Scores for Herbalism| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●●●○ 4 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
Weighted score 4.00, which is A tier.
Herbalism sells flask herbs such as Gromsblood, Dreamfoil and Mountain Silversage, and Black Lotus, which Classic used one per flask. Buyers are Alchemists making flasks and elixirs for raiders, and now also First Aid users, because healing potions use cheap herbs. Common herbs sell in bulk to anyone leveling Alchemy or First Aid.
The Black Market caps Black Lotus at 50 gold once buyers can reach it, so the top herb has a ceiling. Common herbs fall in price quickly, and competition was heavy in Classic. New herbs (Marefoil, Demonsage, Death Lotus) feed Forever's new Natural flasks, and Scarce herbs drop as bonuses on picks. There is no gold cost to start and no recipe, only trainer visits at 75, 150, 225 and 300. Alchemy is the partner because herbs are its inputs and the two professions share one market.
Herbalism scores 4.00, 0.25 above the A line of 3.75 and 0.25 short of S. Income is 4 rather than 5, and price stability is 2, because the Black Market cap and heavy competition press on it. Its 5 on depth and 5 on cost to start are what keep it in A.
Strengths
- No gold to start
- Every flask needs herbs
- Region-wide demand
- Sells from day one
Weaknesses
- Black Lotus capped at 50 gold
- Common herbs fall fast
- Heavy competition
- No recipe edge
What would move it: Recorded Forever herb prices holding above the cap-adjusted Classic level would lift it toward S; prices falling as many characters gather would drop it toward B. Another change that moves it is how fast herbs respawn. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. The Black Market cap and the competition from every Herbalist are assumed to bite as they did in Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Herbalism guide · Back to the chart
Mining is an A on the line: Thorium and Arcane Crystal feed three crafts, but the Arcane Crystal cap and heavy competition hold it back.
Best partner: Alchemy
Scores for Mining| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●●●○ 4 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●●●○ 4 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
Weighted score 3.75, which is A tier.
Mining sells Thorium Ore and Thorium Bar, Arcane Crystal and the lower bars that feed crafting. Buyers are Alchemists (Arcanite transmutes need a Thorium Bar and an Arcane Crystal), Blacksmiths and Engineers, who rebuy ore and bars as they craft. Arcanite spikes when guilds craft Thunderfury, in Classic.
The Black Market sells Arcane Crystal at 50 gold, which is a ceiling on the best ore. In Classic, heavy competition weakened it, and Blizzard's development notes cut copper veins in starter zones. New smelts include Azerothium Bar and Heavy Thorium Bar, which needs a Molten Foundry. There is no gold cost to start, and Smelt Copper is granted. Alchemy is the partner because Arcanite transmutes use its ore, even though 
Blacksmithing and 
Engineering are the steadier buyers.
Mining scores 3.75, exactly on the A line, so any lost point drops it to B. Its depth is 4 where Herbalism's is 5, and its stability is 2, the same as Herbalism, so the gap to Herbalism is the one point of depth, worth 0.25. A higher Arcanite or Thorium price would make its A secure.
Strengths
- No gold to start
- Thorium and Arcanite
- Three profession buyers
- Smelt Copper granted
Weaknesses
- Arcane Crystal capped at 50 gold
- High competition
- Fewer starter veins
- Some smelts need blueprints
What would move it: Forever Thorium prices holding at Classic levels, or a Black Market change on Arcane Crystal, would secure its A; a flood of ore from many gatherers would drop it to B or lower. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Demand from Blacksmiths and Engineers is assumed to match Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Mining guide · Back to the chart
First Aid is a D: it now makes the healing potions every class buys, but anyone can take it, so supply may swamp the market.
Best partner: Herbalism
Scores for First Aid| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●●●○ 4 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
Weighted score 2.65, which is D tier.
First Aid sells Major Healing Potions and Heavy Runecloth Bandages at 60, which raiders and farmers buy weekly. Healing potions moved to First Aid from Alchemy in Forever, so it sells a potion line no other profession can sell. Poultices, tourniquets and anti-venoms are new.
First Aid is a free secondary open to everyone, so potion supply can rise sharply, and no price source exists for the potions or bandages. Potions use herbs and spices and compete with Herbalism for the same cheap herbs. Whether potions bind on pickup is untested. The trainer teaches the beginner and intermediate levels and high-level recipes are expected to drop, and 15 of 31 shown recipes have an unknown source. Herbalism is the partner because it supplies the herbs for the potions.
First Aid scores 2.65, which is 0.10 short of C at 2.75. Depth is 4, but stability is 2 and income is 2 after rescaling. Confirmed Forever prices for Major Healing Potions would settle the question quickly.
Strengths
- Weekly buyers in every class
- Sole healing-potion maker
- Free secondary
- Needs only herbs
Weaknesses
- Open to everyone
- No price data
- High-level recipe sources unknown
- Competes with Herbalism herbs
What would move it: A price history showing Major Healing Potions selling high, or a rise in how many players hold the profession, would move it; a flood of potions would drop it. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Healing potion prices and bandage demand have no Classic price record to start from.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the First Aid guide · Back to the chart
Enchanting is a D: raid enchants sell every week in an uncapped market, but the income rests on rare formulas and a steep climb.
Best partner: Tailoring
Scores for Enchanting| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●●●○ 4 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
Weighted score 2.55, which is D tier.
At 60 Enchanting sells raid enchants to raiders, plus Large Brilliant Shards, Essence of Fire, Righteous Orb and Golden Pearl to other crafters. Income in Classic came from rare formulas, mostly Molten Core drops, sold to raiders in trade chat. Dusts and shards from disenchanting sell all week.
Forever makes much of the output bind on pickup: new staves, orbs, the Brilliant Wand and every relic below 60 only help the enchanter. Formulas from faction vendors also bind on pickup. Disenchanting shares one region-wide pool with every other disenchanter, so supply of dust and shards is high. The climb is the steepest on the list: 48 formulas at skill 300, many from reputation vendors or drops. Tailoring is the partner because it supplies cloth gear to disenchant.
Enchanting scores 2.55, which is 0.20 short of C at 2.75. It gets 3 on stability, the better of the two measured values, and 4 on depth, but income is 2 after rescaling and cost to start is 1, the lowest. The 40-weight income score is what stops it.
Strengths
- Weekly raid demand
- Not on the Black Market
- Dust and shard sales
- Uncapped prices
Weaknesses
- Rare formulas needed
- Bind-on-pickup staves and relics
- Steep climb
- Shared disenchant supply
What would move it: Evidence that the rare formulas sell well on the region-wide auction house, or that formulas are easier to obtain than in Classic, would lift it; heavy dust and shard supply would drop it. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Raid enchant demand and the value of rare formulas are assumed to match Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Enchanting guide · Back to the chart
Fishing is a D on the line: it costs nothing to start and its prices are stable, but fish pay near vendor level except for the oil fish.
Best partner: Alchemy
Scores for Fishing| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
Weighted score 2.25, which is D tier.
At 60 Fishing sells Stonescale Eel for oil, Firefin Snapper, Oily Blackmouth, Nightfin Snapper, Sunscale Salmon, Winter Squid and Mightfish for foods, and Golden Pearls for Tailoring and Enchanting. Buyers are Alchemists and raiders' cooks. One Classic estimate put Stonescale Eel at 15 to 30 gold a stack and Oily Blackmouth near 1 gold a stack.
Black Market caps name rare reagents, not fish. Fishing needs the zone's minimum skill and catches slowly. Forever's Luremaster perk adds extra fish while a lure is active, but this list assumes no Legacy perks. Guides disagree about the skill cap, 225 or 300. A pole and bait are all it needs, with no recipe. Alchemy is the partner because oil fish are its inputs, and Fishing is a secondary so it takes no primary slot.
Fishing scores 2.25, exactly on the D line, so any lost point drops it to F, and it is 0.50 short of C at 2.75. It gets 3 on stability and 5 on cost to start but 1 on income after rescaling, the lowest, and 2 on depth.
Strengths
- No gold to start
- No recipe needed
- Not on the Black Market
- Takes no primary slot
Weaknesses
- Low per-hour income
- Slow catching
- Cheap fish near vendor level
- Narrow buyers
What would move it: Recorded Forever prices for Stonescale Eel and other oil fish above Classic's range would lift it toward C; a flood of catches would drop it to F. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Fish prices and catch rates per hour are unknown in Forever and assumed from Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Fishing guide · Back to the chart
Blacksmithing is an F: stones sell weekly to melee classes, but its best items need rare patterns or reputation and the gear sells once.
Best partner: Mining
Scores for Blacksmithing| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
Weighted score 2.05, which is F tier.
At 60 Blacksmithing sells Arcanite Reaper, 
Nightfall, Lionheart Helm and Titanic Leggings, plus sharpening and weight stones that every melee class uses weekly. Mithril Spurs and Shield Spikes sell to levelers, although sales fall at 60. Enchanters buy rods.
Forever adds about 177 recipes and new armor sets, and crafted-item vendor prices were cut in Blizzard's development notes, which removes vendoring as a floor. Merchant's Favor recipes are bind on pickup. Reaper, Nightfall, Lionheart Helm and the Elemental stone rely on drops or exalted reputation. Mining is the partner because bars are the inputs, and Mining sells the same ore directly.
Blacksmithing scores 2.05, which is 0.20 short of D at 2.25. Stability is 3, but cost to start is 1 and depth is 2, because gear is a one-time purchase by a few classes. Income of 2 after rescaling is the main limit.
Strengths
- Weekly stone demand
- Not on the Black Market
- Several buyer groups
- Strong stability
Weaknesses
- Rare patterns and reputation
- Gear sold once
- Crowded in Classic
- Vendor price cuts
What would move it: Evidence that stones and the new armor sets sell at healthy prices on the region-wide auction house would lift it; confirmation that new sets bind on pickup would drop it. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Crowding and ore competition are assumed to resemble Classic's.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Blacksmithing guide · Back to the chart
Skinning is an F: it costs nothing to start, but everyone skins while questing and the Black Market caps its best hides.
Best partner: Leatherworking
Scores for Skinning| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●●●● 5 |
|---|
Weighted score 2.05, which is F tier.
Skinning sells Devilsaur Leather, which was camped and sold at a premium to Leatherworkers in Classic, plus Pristine Leather, Hide and Scale, and Light Leather and its upper grades. Most skinners earned Light Leather prices. Leatherworkers are the main buyers, with Blacksmiths and Tailors taking some Pristine Leather.
The Black Market sells Pristine Hide at 20 gold and Pristine Scale at 50 gold, a ceiling, and a corpse can be skinned only once. Light Leather comes free while questing, so supply is near-universal. Only a Skinning Knife is needed, with trainer visits at 75, 125 and 200. Leatherworking is the partner because it uses the leather, though Leatherworking itself rates low.
Skinning scores 2.05, which is 0.20 short of D at 2.25. Cost to start is 5, but income is 1, depth 2 and stability 2.
Strengths
- No gold to start
- Knife only
- Devilsaur premium
- Sells from day one
Weaknesses
- Capped Pristine hides
- Universal supply
- Narrow buyers
- Camped rare skins
What would move it: Evidence that Pristine Leather and Devilsaur Leather hold prices below the cap, or that Devilsaur works as in Classic, would lift it. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Whether Devilsaur Leather drops as in Classic is unknown.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Skinning guide · Back to the chart
Engineering is an F: Goblin Sapper 
Charge is a strong consumable, but most gadgets need Engineering to use and buyers are narrow.
Best partner: Mining
Scores for Engineering| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
Weighted score 1.95, which is F tier.
Engineering sells Goblin Sapper Charge, Thorium Grenade, Dark Iron Bomb, Thorium Widget and Field Repair Bot 74A at 60. Buyers are raiders, who use explosives, and other crafters, who need the Thorium Widget. Classic sources disagree on whether Engineering earns well.
Most Forever gadgets are bind on equip and usable without Engineering, which widens the market a little. Explosives share a one-minute cooldown, and 
Paladins cannot use the bomb satchels. Schematics come from drops and vendors, and the Goblin Sapper Charge's source is unknown. It is the most gold-hungry profession to level. Mining is the partner because Copper, Mithril and Thorium Bar are the inputs.
Engineering scores 1.95, which is 0.30 short of D at 2.25. Depth is 1, the lowest of the twelve, and income is 2 after rescaling; stability of 3 is the better measured value but weighs too little to lift it.
Strengths
- Strong Sapper Charge
- Not on the Black Market
- Stable prices
- Crafter buyers
Weaknesses
- Narrow buyers
- Costly to level
- Schematics from drops
- Shared cooldown
What would move it: Evidence that Forever's bind-on-equip gadgets sell widely to non-Engineers, or that the Sapper Charge sells well, would lift it toward D; a drop in explosive prices would sink it further. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. The demand for gadgets and explosives is assumed to match Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Engineering guide · Back to the chart
Tailoring is a low F at 60: bags sell every day, but each character buys them once, cloth floods, and the best patterns are drops.
Best partner: Enchanting
Scores for Tailoring| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
Weighted score 1.85, which is F tier.
At 60 Tailoring sells Runecloth, Mooncloth and Bottomless bags, the new Runecloth, Mooncloth and Bottomless reagent bags for Forever's reagent-only slot, the Bloodvine and Flarecore sets, Robe of Winter Night, and Felcloth and Mooncloth pieces. Bags sell every day, to new characters and alts as much as to mains. Mooncloth is a four-day cooldown item.
Cloth drops from mobs and is not gathered, so it is freely farmed and sold by anyone. 107 of 486 recipes make bind-on-pickup items, and crafted-item vendor prices were cut in Blizzard's development notes. 300 of 398 recipes need a pattern, and late patterns at 295 to 300 come from drops. Enchanting is the partner because it disenchants the tailor's own greens.
Tailoring scores 1.85, which is 0.40 short of D at 2.25. Bags lift its income to 2, but each character buys a bag once, so depth stays at 2, and it scores 2 on stability and 1 on cost to start. In Classic it earned little without rare patterns, and Forever's extra bag slot helps a level-60 market less than a launch one.
Strengths
- Bags sell every day
- New reagent-bag line
- Caster sets
- Mooncloth cooldown
Weaknesses
- Bags bought once per character
- Free, flooded cloth
- Patterns from drops
- Bind-on-pickup recipes
What would move it: Settled prices for Runecloth and Mooncloth reagent bags well above their cloth cost, or the set pieces selling widely, would lift it toward D. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price.
- It assumes reagent bags fit the new reagent slot, which rests on an in-game test and players' reports rather than client data.
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Cooking is an F: raiders buy food weekly and its prices are stable, but food earns little and the best recipes are drops.
Best partner: Herbalism
Scores for Cooking| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
Weighted score 1.80, which is F tier.
At 60 Cooking sells Nightfin Soup, Runn Tum Tuber Surprise, Smoked Desert Dumplings, Dirge's Kickin' Chimaerok Chops, Mithril Head Trout and Sagefish Delight. Raiders buy food weekly, and in Forever almost all food also gives a small experience buff, so levelers buy it too. No Classic price source was available.
Blizzard's development notes cut crafted-item vendor prices, so cooking food to vendor it pays nothing. Camp items need a campfire built with Cooking. The best 60 recipes come from drops and vendors: Runn Tum Tuber is a Dire Maul drop. 91 of 123 shown recipes turn yellow above 100. Herbalism is the partner because Peacebloom and other herbs go into teas, and Cooking is a secondary so it takes no primary slot.
Cooking scores 1.80, which is 0.45 short of D at 2.25. Stability is 3, but income is 1 and depth 2 after rescaling.
Strengths
- Weekly raider demand
- Experience buff for levelers
- Stable prices
- Takes no primary slot
Weaknesses
- Low income
- Best recipes from drops
- No price data
- Vendor value cut
What would move it: A recorded Forever price for Nightfin Soup or Runn Tum Tuber Surprise above cheap-food levels would lift it toward D. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Food prices are unknown and assumed to be cheap, as food was in Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Cooking guide · Back to the chart
Leatherworking is an F: armor sets sell once to some classes, the best patterns are drops, and its Pristine Hide input is capped.
Best partner: Skinning
Scores for Leatherworking| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|
| Settled income | 40 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
| Depth of demand | 25 | ●●○○○ 2 |
|---|
| Price stability | 20 | ●●●○○ 3 |
|---|
| Cost to start earning | 15 | ●○○○○ 1 |
|---|
Weighted score 1.65, which is F tier.
At 60 Leatherworking sells Devilsaur Leggings and Gauntlets, Dragonscale pieces, Stormshroud, Ironfeather, Living Breastplate and resistance sets. Buyers are not named by any source, and these items sell once to each buyer.
Pristine Hide has a Black Market ceiling of 20 gold, and the Pristine materials go into about 80 recipes. Forever turns recipes yellow 25 skill earlier and adds 13 new sets, but whether the new sets bind on equip or on pickup is unresolved. Crafted-item vendor prices were cut in Blizzard's development notes. 368 of 480 recipes need a pattern, and Devilsaur, Dragonscale and Onyxia patterns are drops. Skinning is the partner because it supplies the leather.
Leatherworking scores 1.65, the lowest of the twelve and 0.60 short of D at 2.25. Stability is 3 and depth 2, but income is 1 and cost to start 1 after rescaling.
Strengths
- Many sets
- Some resistance gear
- Stable prices
- Skinning supply
Weaknesses
- Rare drop patterns
- Sold once
- Pristine Hide cap
- Unresolved binding
What would move it: Confirmation that the new sets bind on equip and sell well, or easy pattern sources, would lift it toward D; confirmation of bind on pickup would sink it further. Relative scores also move when another profession's score changes, because the best and worst of the twelve set the scale.
Rated on assumptions:
- Settled income, depth of demand and price stability are scored from Classic's settled market, adjusted for Forever's changes, without a recorded Forever price. Set demand and pattern availability are assumed to resemble Classic.
- Only cost to start rests on Forever's own data, such as recipe counts and recipe sources, and several of those sources are still unknown.
Read the Leatherworking guide · Back to the chart