Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is getting a huge amount of content being added in with their upcoming eighth expansion, Shadowlands. Recent datamining from the folks at Wowhead has helped to reveal some of the many changes that are coming.
It’s worth remembering that the last two expansions haven’t been very kind to professions. In Legion, players were given powerful artifact weaponry that served as legendaries, making it so that there was no room to improve your weapon slot. During Battle of Azeroth, players were given a legendary necklace that they empowered throughout the expansion.
That’s all well and good, but it shot two different professions right in the foot. Blacksmiths no longer were needed for weaponry, as no one needed a weapon during Legion. Once we went to Battle for Azeroth, jewelcrafters weren’t needed for necklaces, as everyone had the same necklace – of which was absolutely required for the game’s content.
But with this new expansion, it seems like these won’t be a problem. Every profession will be getting some big additions naturally, but some are getting some great enhancements.
First off, there are going to be some wonderful new enchantments. New enchantments are coming for boots, chest, cloak, and gloves for gear, fulfilling a myriad of different roles to keep your character buffed.
Engineers are getting a great number of new trinkets. This profession has always been a lot of fun, especially with Gnomish engineering, as many of the things that could be built were made for utility and provided boosts based on that. So far, datamining has revealed belt gadgets that can give Blink abilities, stealth, and the Thorns buff.
Scribes, which have historically been not very useful, are getting a few buffs. The Darkmoon cards will be returning, with a full deck able to be turned in for an epic-quality trinket. Additionally, scribes will be able to craft Word of Power, which will consume an optional reagent to increase the item level of the item it’s used on. Think of it as inscribing runes on armor to buff it.
Leatherworkers are getting some legendary craftables as well. While nothing has been revealed, it’s likely that Blacksmithing and Tailoring will get the same treatment.
Finally, there’s some wonderful new cooking recipes coming. Probably the most interesting (and arguably the funniest) is that each zone will have a unique sandwich called a Zonewich made of ingredients from that zone.
There’s still plenty more coming down the pipeline, so make sure to check back often for the upcoming information on Shadowlands!
