So you’ve created your new shaman and you’re trying to decide which professions to take. Well quite simply there is no easy answer to that question. It is entirely dependent on your play style. Shaman are very flexible classes, and which spec you choose can have a very different bearing on the best Shaman professions you will want to level up.
Best Shaman professions while leveling:
At lower levels, I would recommend you take a combination of skinning, herbalism, and mining. It’s very easy to make a lot of extra gold at lower levels with these two professions, and the experience gains to gathering can have a great impact your leveling speed. The passive bonuses for these professions are also a nice little survival aid. Increased stamina from mining, critical chance from skinning, and lifeblood from Herbalism all provide their own perks and can be a great boon to your leveling process. Also, once you reach 85, and you decide to choose a crafting profession, you will want one of these skills leveled up so the process is much easier.
Best Shaman Profession at Level 85:
At level 85, there are a number of different choices for gear. Many of them offer different benefits. If you plan on switching specs frequently, then leatherworking may be suitable since you can craft all the gear you will ever need. The down side, is that none of the gear is unique, or bound on pick up, so you can just as easily buy it In addition, the gear is easily replaced by heroic or raid level items. One benefit is that this can be a very profitable profession, since many people will be buying gear in order to reach the heroic dungeon raid requirement. You also will have access to wrist embossments which are far more powerful than anything enchanting has to offer. Obviously if you choose this shaman profession, keep skinning so you can level this up.
Jewelcrafting is another excellent profession that allows you to craft gems, rings, and neck pieces that are on par with many heroic drops. This is one of the most profitable professions in the game due to the ever increasing demand for cut gems. In addition, jewelcrafters alone can use Chimera’s eye gems which are more powerful than any other gem available in the game. These are, however, limited to 3 equipped at a time. These 3 gems are enough to push your stats higher than any other profession. This is one of the best Shaman Professions you can choose, since it benefits you no matter what spec you choose. Keep mining if this is the rout you want to go.
Inscription is another profession that was added in an expansion. Wrath of the Lich King’s latest profession allows the crafting of scrolls for buffs, glyphs to augment abilities, and above all, you get access to shoulder enchants that other professions can obtain by long quest chains for Sons of Hodir or Therazane. Scribes are also the only professionals able to create relics, which provide passive stat bonuses to Shaman, as well as Paladins, Druids, and Death Knights. They also make a decent amount of money since they are able to create glyphs, which are used by every single player in the game.
Overall, to maximize your stats, and your income, Jewelcrafting is the way to go. However the others provide great benefits as well. Before you start leveling your professions, you may want to consider exactly what your goal is to determine the best Shaman professions for YOU. Either way, it’s hard to go wrong, but if you want to minimize your time and money spent, a profession leveling guide may be what you are looking for.