Engineering

For lore, see Technology.

	Engineering (Profession)
	Ingredients • Proficiencies • Quests • Schematics • Trainers • Equipment

Engineering is a primary crafting profession that can create as many useful and amazing items as it can create junk. Engineers can create helpful items for generally all classes to be used in PvE or PvP. To counterbalance this usefulness, most items crafted by engineering require engineering skill to use, and many of these items come with a chance for unexpected backfires with often hilarious results. Hunters in particular see much use for engineered guns and scopes.

Engineering profession recipes are known as Schematics. The most notable of these are:

[Jeeves], providing repair services to everyone and bank access to the engineer.
[MOLL-E], allowing the engineer to summon a portable mailbox.
[Gnomish Army Knife], allowing a chance of resurrecting a player on a long cooldown.
[Mekgineer's Chopper]/[Mechano-Hog], an epic ground mount with an extra seat.

There are also several engineer-only enhancers to gloves, belts, and cloaks (including a well known parachute cloak enhancement).

Grand Master Engineers have access to an auction house of their own faction in Dalaran by visiting Reginald Arcfire or Brassbolt Mechawrench in the engineer shop Like Clockwork. (Each of these NPCs are visible only to members of that faction.)

For the Alliance faction, Gnomes benefit from a +15 racial bonus to their Engineering skill.

Companion Skills

By far the best option for your second primary profession is mining. The vast majority of the materials you need for Engineering recipes are acquired through mining. The only other profession that might be mildly beneficial is skinning, since a small number of engineering recipes use leather.

Note: If you have an alt with the Mining profession (such as a blacksmith), and that character can pass materials to your engineer, then the jewelcrafting profession would be a good secondary profession. This is primarily because most engineering items only require skill in engineering and are not level dependent, and the engineering skill can be rapidly advanced by making blasting powder, dynamite, and bombs for personal use. Thus, low-level characters can equip themselves with powerful engineering gear, making leveling faster and easier. This also gives such engineers a distinct advantage in low level battlegrounds (such as Warsong Gulch) as they will be far better equipped than comparable non-engineers. Jewelcrafting can then be used with the same basic materials to craft early rings, amulets, and trinkets - making the character with this combination even more powerful. In addition, jewelcrafting allows [Prospecting] raw minerals to produce gems, which are used quite extensively in engineering schematics.

Draenei and blood elves have the advantage of starting in an area where both of these skills can be readily trained. Other races can fairly readily make the trip to the necessary cities for jewelcrafting training without much risk.

Schematics

Schematics are learned mostly via trainers all over Azeroth and Outland, but more recipes can be taught by schematics sold by vendors than any other profession.

Specialization

Engineering, like tailoring and blacksmithing, has the opportunity to specialize in one field or another. Engineering has the option at skill level 200 to specialize in Gnomish or Goblin Engineering. The main difference between both sides is the location of their respective teleporters and the ability of their trinkets. Some items require a specific specialization to use, while other items are crafted by one specialization but are usable by any engineer. Fortunately, most recipes that are crafted by one Specialization can be used by both.

Specialization recipe comparison

Gnomish engineering

Goblin Engineering

Transporters

Recipe

[Plans: Inlaid Mithril Cylinder] (blacksmithing)

Trinkets

Explosives

[Gnomish Flame Turret]

Headgear

Transporters

Recipe

[Recipe: Goblin Rocket Fuel] (alchemy)

Trinkets

Explosives

Headgear

For more information, read the respective pages for Gnomish and Goblin Engineering.

All in all, both Engineering disciplines are useful and fun. Some believe various Engineering gadgets, such as the [Goblin Rocket Launcher] or [Gnomish Poultryizer], are excellent for use in PvP given their crowd control potential and stamina boost. That being said, many people don't take Engineering until they reach max level and have ample gold saved because of the fairly steep expense involved in leveling it.

Switching specializations

Patch 3.2.0 (2009-08-04): Gnomish Engineers and Goblin Engineers can now switch profession specializations for a fee.
To do so, you must travel to the hut of Narain Soothfancy in the far north-eastern corner of Tanaris, just north of Steamwheedle Port. Read the book "Soothsaying for dummies" on the table in the hut and it will give you the option to unlearn your current specialization. The fee is 150 gold. Click the book again to choose your new path.

Notes

You don't need to complete the quests associated with your new spec.
You can only create items from the specialization you currently have. You'll lose specialization specific recipes for the other faction unless you switch back. This only lets you use the recipes for one faction at a time depending on your specialization.

Engineer Enchantments

Main article: Tinker (engineering)

Engineer enchantments, also known as tinkers, are unique gear enchantments that may be used alongside regular enchantments. Glove enchants generally provide a throughput bonus and do not have any backfire effects. Belt enchants are utility-based and can sometimes backfire for adverse effects, or simply fizzle out.

Engineer Mounts

Engineers are able to create mounts for themselves and for others. They can create a ground mount and two flying mounts.

With an Engineering Skill of 450, they can learn to create [Mekgineer's Chopper] or [Mechano-Hog]. Both need a Riding skill of 150. They can carry another passenger with them, if they are in the same party/group. The [Mekgineer's Chopper] can only be made by the Alliance and the [Mechano-Hog] by the Horde. They don't need engineering skill to be used and aren't BoP (Bind on Pickup), so they can be sold on the Auction House.

Engineers can also create the Flying Machine Control and the Turbo-Charged Flying Machine Control. Although not restricted to a faction, the Flying Mounts are only usable by Engineers and have a minimum engineering skill requirement to fly.

Engineering Exclusive Small Pets

Two engineer-crafted small pets, [Lil' Smoky] and [Pet Bombling], were bind on pickup and therefore exclusively learned by engineers. However the spells that they teach did not require engineering, so it is possible to retain use of the pets after dropping the profession. As of patch 3.3.3 they are no longer bind on pick up and can be traded like any pet.

The recipes for these pets were also formerly specialty-specific - [Lil' Smoky] for Gnomish Engineering and [Pet Bombling] for Goblin Engineering. However, both recipes are now obtainable by all engineers as loot in Gnomeregan. [Schematic: Lil' Smoky] is dropped by several mechanical NPCs, including Arcane Nullifier X-21, Peacekeeper Security Suit and Crowd Pummeler 9-60. [Schematic: Pet Bombling] drops from Mekgineer Thermaplug at a very high, perhaps 100%, rate.

In Warcraft RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Engineers in Warcraft

Patch Changes

Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): New recipes added for Cataclysm, including epic goggles and more engineer-only enchantments.
Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): The old engineer-only enchants have no longer stats, but can be used alongside with general enchants simultaneously. Several enchants moved to the belt or glove slot. Arrow and Bullet recipes removed.
Template:Patch 3.0.1
Patch 2.4.0 (2008-03-25): Every epic helm may now benefit from upgrades. The engineering schematics drop from Sunwell Plateau trash mobs and do not BoP.
Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13):

Potions injectors (Healing, Mana) no longer require Engineering skill to use.

Flying Machine mounts added, the

[Flying Machine] and

[Turbo-Charged Flying Machine]. Engineering skill is required for them to be used.

[Adamantite Arrow Maker] and

[Adamantite Shell Machine], which make 5 charge devices that create stacks of arrows or bullets (respectively).

[Field Repair Bot 110G], much like the

[Field Repair Bot 74A], but allowing cheaper repairs.

Source and full notes: Professions section of Patch 2.3 article.

Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): Major overhaul to increase the usefulness of the profession and new recipes added. See Engineering recipes for full list,

Among other changes, Blizzard added

[Frost Grenade], an Epic Gun - Gyro-balanced Khorium Destroyer and 11 Epic Helm Schematics comparable to Tier 5 which can be equipped at level 62. With these adjustments, the Profession was reborn into an attractive alternative.