Professions in Conquest of Azeroth
Professions in Conquest of Azeroth follow the Vanilla WoW framework with a major addition: two brand-new professions, Woodcutting and Woodworking, that create an entirely new crafting ecosystem. Every character can learn two primary professions and all three secondary professions (Cooking, First Aid, Fishing), giving you meaningful choices about your character's economic role.
Professions serve multiple purposes in CoA: they provide gold income through gathering and crafting, offer gear upgrades through crafted items, supply consumables for raiding and Mythic+, and contribute experience while leveling through gathering nodes. Choosing the right profession combination is a strategic decision that impacts your entire gameplay experience.
All Professions Overview
Primary Professions
| Profession | Type | Max Skill | Key Products | New to CoA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | Gathering | 300 | Ores, stones, gems | No |
| Herbalism | Gathering | 300 | Herbs, plant reagents | No |
| Skinning | Gathering | 300 | Leather, hides | No |
| Woodcutting | Gathering | 300 | Wood types, bark, resin | Yes |
| Blacksmithing | Crafting | 300 | Weapons, plate armor, sharpening stones | No |
| Leatherworking | Crafting | 300 | Leather armor, armor kits | No |
| Tailoring | Crafting | 300 | Cloth armor, bags, cloth bolts | No |
| Alchemy | Crafting | 300 | Potions, flasks, elixirs, transmutes | No |
| Enchanting | Crafting/Service | 300 | Enchants, disenchants, oils | No |
| Engineering | Crafting | 300 | Gadgets, explosives, trinkets | No |
| Woodworking | Crafting | 300 | Staves, bows, totems, wood enhancements | Yes |
| Jewelcrafting | Crafting | 300 | Gems, jewelry, trinkets | No |
Secondary Professions
| Profession | Max Skill | Key Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking | 300 | Food buffs, stat food | Essential for raiding |
| First Aid | 300 | Bandages, anti-venom | Free healing between combat |
| Fishing | 300 | Fish, reagents, chests | Supports Cooking and Alchemy |
New Professions: Woodcutting and Woodworking
The most significant profession addition in Conquest of Azeroth is the Woodcutting/Woodworking ecosystem. These two professions create a new supply chain that parallels Mining/Blacksmithing, offering unique crafted items and a fresh market for early adopters.
Woodcutting
Woodcutting is a gathering profession that allows players to harvest trees throughout the world for various types of wood. Trees are a new resource node type — similar to mineral veins and herb bushes — that spawn in zones with significant forest cover.
Wood Types by Skill Level:
| Wood Type | Skill Required | Zones Found | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightwood | 1 | All starter zones | Basic woodworking, vendor |
| Ashwood | 50 | Redridge, Barrens, Darkshore | Low-level staves, bows |
| Ironwood | 125 | Arathi, Hillsbrad, Ashenvale | Mid-level weapons, totems |
| Darkwood | 175 | Duskwood, Felwood, Stranglethorn | Shadow-themed items, staffs |
| Nightwood | 225 | Felwood, Hinterlands, Azshara | High-level weapons, magic staves |
| Stormwood | 275 | Winterspring, Eastern Plaguelands | Epic-quality bases, resistance gear |
| Ancient Timber | 300 | Un'Goro, Silithus, rare spawns | Best-in-slot bases, unique recipes |
Each tree node yields 1-3 wood of the appropriate type, with a chance for bonus materials:
| Bonus Material | Drop Chance | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Bark | 15% | Alchemy reagent for bark potions |
| Resin | 10% | Woodworking enhancement material |
| Rare Seed | 2% | Plantable for a temporary tree node near your location |
| Ancient Core | 0.5% | Legendary woodworking reagent |
Woodworking
Woodworking is the crafting counterpart to Woodcutting, transforming raw wood into weapons, equipment, and utility items. It fills a niche that no Vanilla WoW profession covers — the creation of wooden weapons and ranged weapon components.
Woodworking Product Categories:
| Category | Products | Skill Range | Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staves | Two-handed caster weapons | 1-300 | High (casters always need staves) |
| Bows | Ranged weapons for Rangers | 50-300 | Medium (Ranger-specific) |
| Totems | Class-specific off-hands | 75-300 | Medium (Witch Doctor, Shaman-style) |
| Wood Enhancements | Weapon coatings, temporary buffs | 30-280 | High (consumable market) |
| Shields | Wooden shields for tanks | 100-300 | Medium (early tank upgrades) |
| Furniture | Housing decorations (if applicable) | 150-300 | Low (cosmetic) |
| Instrument | Musical instruments (buff items) | 200-300 | Low-Medium (niche utility) |
Notable Woodworking Recipes:
| Item | Skill Required | Materials | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwood Staff | 55 | Ashwood x8, Lightwood x4 | 2-4g |
| Ironwood Bow | 130 | Ironwood x12, Thin Leather x6 | 8-12g |
| Darkwood Totem of Shadow | 185 | Darkwood x15, Shadow Oil x2 | 15-25g |
| Nightwood Greatstaff | 240 | Nightwood x20, Resin x5 | 30-50g |
| Stormwood Siege Bow | 285 | Stormwood x25, Resin x8, Dense Stone x5 | 60-100g |
| Ancient Staff of the Grove | 300 | Ancient Timber x10, Resin x15, Essence of Water x4 | 150-300g |
Woodworking weapons are competitive with dungeon drops and, when crafted with high-quality wood and resin bonuses, can rival pre-raid best-in-slot items. The Wood Enhancement consumables — temporary weapon coatings that add elemental damage or stat bonuses — are unique to Woodworking and always in demand for raids and Mythic+.
Best Profession Combinations
Choosing complementary professions maximizes your self-sufficiency and profit. Here are the optimal combinations:
Gathering + Crafting Pairs
| Combination | Synergy | Gold Potential | Self-Sufficiency | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining + Blacksmithing | Mine ore, craft weapons and plate | High | High | Warriors/Paladins/Guardians/Templars |
| Herbalism + Alchemy | Gather herbs, craft consumables | Very High | Very High | All classes (consumables are universal) |
| Skinning + Leatherworking | Skin beasts, craft leather armor | Medium-High | High | Rogues/Druids/Sons of Arugal/Rangers |
| Woodcutting + Woodworking | Cut wood, craft wooden items | High (new market) | High | Casters/Rangers/Witch Doctors |
| Mining + Engineering | Mine ore, craft gadgets | Medium | Medium | Tinkers and engineers |
| Mining + Jewelcrafting | Mine ore/gems, craft jewelry | Very High | Medium | All classes |
Double Gathering (Maximum Gold)
| Combination | Gold/Hour | Leveling XP Bonus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining + Herbalism | 25-40g | High | Classic combo; both nodes are common |
| Mining + Woodcutting | 20-35g | Medium-High | New combo; wood nodes supplement mining |
| Herbalism + Woodcutting | 20-35g | Medium-High | Good for zones with herbs and trees |
| Skinning + Mining | 20-30g | Medium | Skinning comes from kills; no nodes to find |
Best Combinations by Class
| Class | Best Professions | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Guardian | Mining + Blacksmithing | Craft your own plate armor and shields |
| Templar | Mining + Blacksmithing | Same as Guardian — plate gear crafting |
| Pyromancer | Herbalism + Alchemy | Craft your own fire damage potions and mana potions |
| Barbarian | Mining + Blacksmithing | Craft two-handed weapons for maximum DPS |
| Necromancer | Woodcutting + Woodworking | Craft staves and totems for your dark magic |
| Ranger | Woodcutting + Woodworking | Craft your own bows and ranged enhancements |
| Stormbringer | Herbalism + Alchemy | Nature damage potions and mana restoration |
| Sun Cleric | Herbalism + Alchemy | Healing potions and mana consumables |
| Tinker | Mining + Engineering | Craft gadgets and mechanical components |
| Witch Doctor | Woodcutting + Woodworking | Craft totems and voodoo staves |
Profession Leveling Guide
Leveling professions from 1-300 follows the Vanilla WoW skill-up system. Here are efficient paths for the most popular professions:
Alchemy Leveling Path
| Skill Range | Craft | Materials | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-60 | Minor Healing Potion | Peacebloom + Silverleaf | 2-3g |
| 60-120 | Lesser Mana Potion | Mageroyal + Stranglekelp | 5-8g |
| 120-175 | Greater Healing Potion | Liferoot + Kingsblood | 8-12g |
| 175-230 | Superior Healing Potion | Sungrass + Blindweed | 12-18g |
| 230-285 | Major Healing Potion | Mountain Silversage + Golden Sansam | 20-30g |
| 285-300 | Flask of the Titans | Gromsblood + Stonescale Oil + Crystal | 50-80g |
Woodworking Leveling Path
| Skill Range | Craft | Materials | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | Lightwood Wand | Lightwood x3 | 1-2g |
| 50-110 | Ashwood Club | Ashwood x5, Lightwood x2 | 3-5g |
| 110-170 | Ironwood Shield | Ironwood x8, Heavy Leather x4 | 8-12g |
| 170-230 | Darkwood Staff | Darkwood x12, Shadow Oil x1 | 15-25g |
| 230-285 | Nightwood Totem | Nightwood x15, Resin x3 | 30-45g |
| 285-300 | Stormwood Greatbow | Stormwood x20, Resin x6, Thick Leather x8 | 60-100g |
Gold-Making with Professions
Professions are the foundation of the CoA economy. Here are specific gold-making strategies by profession:
Alchemy Gold Making
| Product | Cost to Craft | Sell Price | Profit | Demand Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Healing Potion | 3g | 5-7g | 2-4g | Very High |
| Flask of the Titans | 35g | 55-70g | 20-35g | High (raid nights) |
| Elixir of Firepower | 5g | 10-15g | 5-10g | High (Pyromancers) |
| Nature Protection Potion | 4g | 8-12g | 4-8g | Medium |
| Transmute: Arcanite | 5g (materials) | 18-25g | 13-20g | High (cooldown limited) |
Woodworking Gold Making
| Product | Cost to Craft | Sell Price | Profit | Demand Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nightwood Greatstaff | 25g | 40-60g | 15-35g | High |
| Stormwood Siege Bow | 50g | 80-120g | 30-70g | Medium (Rangers) |
| Wood Enhancement: Fire | 3g | 8-12g | 5-9g | Very High (consumable) |
| Wood Enhancement: Nature | 3g | 7-10g | 4-7g | High (consumable) |
| Ancient Staff of the Grove | 120g | 200-350g | 80-230g | Low (rare buyers) |
For more gold-making strategies across all methods, see our Gold Farming Guide.
Professions and the Worldforged System
The Worldforged random enchant system interacts with professions in two important ways:
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Crafted items can roll Worldforged enchants — When you craft an item, there is a small chance it receives a Worldforged random enchant, dramatically increasing its power and value. This makes crafting potentially very profitable — a single lucky Worldforged craft can be worth hundreds of gold.
-
Disenchanting Worldforged items — Enchanters who disenchant Worldforged items receive enhanced shards with more dust or rarer essence types. Higher-quality Worldforged items produce more valuable disenchant materials.
Learn more about the Worldforged system in our Worldforged Gear Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I change professions after learning them? A: Yes. You can unlearn a profession at any time by opening your profession panel and clicking the unlearn button. However, this resets your skill to 0, and you lose all learned recipes. Re-leveling a profession from scratch is time-consuming, so consider carefully before switching.
Q: Should I level professions while leveling my character? A: Gathering professions (Mining, Herbalism, Woodcutting, Skinning) are absolutely worth leveling during character progression because they grant experience and gold. Crafting professions are more efficient to level at 60 when you have gold and fast travel, but leveling them alongside your character provides useful gear upgrades.
Q: Is Woodcutting worth taking over an established profession like Mining? A: It depends on your goals. Woodcutting is part of a brand-new market in CoA, meaning early adopters can command premium prices. Mining is more established with predictable value. If you enjoy exploring new content and are willing to learn a new farming circuit, Woodcutting is exciting and profitable. If you prefer a known quantity, Mining is safer.
Q: What profession combination makes the most gold? A: Herbalism + Alchemy is consistently the highest gold-earning combination because consumable demand never disappears. Flasks and potions are consumed every raid night and Mythic+ session, creating permanent demand. The addition of Wood Enhancements from Woodworking adds a new consumable market that Woodcutters can supply.
Q: Can I have all three gathering professions? A: No. You can only have two primary professions. However, you can create alt characters dedicated to specific gathering professions. An alt with Mining + Herbalism who farms materials and mails them to your main is a common and effective strategy.
Q: How do profession cooldowns work in CoA? A: Certain high-value crafts have cooldowns — you can only craft them once per day or once per several days. Alchemy transmutes (like Arcanite) are on a 2-day cooldown. These cooldown crafts are highly profitable because supply is artificially limited. Log in daily to use your cooldown crafts for maximum profit.
Q: Are crafted items competitive with dungeon and Worldforged drops? A: Top-tier crafted items (skill 280-300 recipes) are competitive with dungeon blues and can serve as pre-raid best-in-slot for some slots. However, Worldforged items with excellent random enchants will generally outperform crafted items. Crafting is most valuable for filling gear gaps and providing consumable support rather than competing with the best possible drops.