Engineering

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: There are also several engineer-only enhancers to gloves, belts, and cloaks (including a well known parachute cloak enhancement).
 * , providing repair services to everyone and bank access to the engineer.
 * , allowing the engineer to summon a portable mailbox.
 * , allowing a chance of resurrecting a player on a long cooldown.
 * /, an epic ground mount with an extra seat.

Grand Master Engineers have access to an auction house of their own faction in Dalaran by visiting or  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
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 or, 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
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. Once you have lost your specialization you will need to speak with the specialization trainers in Gadgetzan for Goblin Engineering or Ironforge/Booty Bay for Gnomish.

Engineer Enchantments
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. is dropped by several mechanical NPCs, including Arcane Nullifier X-21, Peacekeeper Security Suit and Crowd Pummeler 9-60. drops from Mekgineer Thermaplug at a very high, perhaps 100%, rate.

Engineers in Warcraft

 * Tinker
 * Steam warrior
 * Sapper
 * Bombardier
 * Techslayer
 * Techno mage

Patch Changes