El's Professions - WoW Guides » skill-up

Catches Halved to Level Fishing

el — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:45:29 +0000

In patch 4.3, the typical number of catches required to level fishing from 1 to 525 has roughly halved, from just over 3,000, to a total of about 1,400. The number of catches at each skill point is now also much more variable above 300 skill, especially above 450. From 450 to 525 fishing skill, one point of skill can take between 1 and 13 catches to gain. The latest skill-up table can be found here. Update: Fishing and Cooking guides have now been re-written for patch 4.3, including an entirely new 300-525 pool option.

Inscription Leveling: +3 Slingshot

el — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:12:44 +0000

Patch 4.0.1 adds a new element to leveling Inscription skill: Glyph recipes that grant 3 skill points when made, rather than 1. This post introduces the new system, and explains why it can make leveling more complicated for Dwarves.

Multi-Skill-Ups

Before patch 4.0.1, recipes that were displayed as orange were guaranteed to give 1 skill-point when made. This has not changed for all recipes. However (with patch 4.0.1) most glyph recipes give 3 skill-points each time the glyph is made, so long as the recipe remains orange.

These recipes are displayed in the Inscription interface with a small upward arrow and a number indicating the number of skill-points (illustrated). They will be shown on El’s pages as “3⇑“.

3 skill points instead of 1 does not make leveling Inscription 3 times as easy: Glyph recipes in 4.0.1 use 3 inks, instead of 1. The overall volume of inks (and herbs) required to level (up to 350 Inscription skill) is similar to patch 3.3. Northrend leveling unfortunately relies on glyphs that are yellow, so will require more materials than before.

Leveling Slingshot

Multi-skill-ups occur while the recipe is orange. As soon as the recipe becomes yellow, skill-ups only happen sometimes, and then only gain 1 point. If you make an item when your skill is 1 point below the number at which the recipe turns yellow, you will still gain the full 3-point bonus.

For example, if the recipe turns yellow at skill 145, making the glyph at skill 144 will gain 3 points (leveling to 147). However, if you had made the same glyph at 145 skill, you would only gain 0 or 1 skill points (remaining at 145 skill, or leveling to 146) – a worse skill-up result than making the glyph at 144!

A “Slingshot” describes using the +3 bonus to the greatest advantage. In the example above, a glyph made at 144 skill slingshots straight over 3 points of yellow recipe, potentially saving 9 or 12 inks. This matters where there is no new orange recipe at skill 145.

Unfortunately, the Slingshot is not ideal for Dwarves: Finishing previous leveling at a precise skill (like 144) can require careful planning. Often the decision must be taken 10 or 20 skill-points earlier, which is a lot to calculate. For Gnomes, the Leveling Slingshot adds an extra piece of strategy, which can reduce the amount of materials to level Inscription.

The Inscription leveling guide has been updated for patch 4.0.1.

WotLK: Fishing Skill-Up Catches Slashed

el — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:25:37 +0000

The number of catches required to skill-up fishing in Wrath of the Lich King has more than halved: Fishing skill 1 to 375 now needs about 655 catches, compared to 1,700 catches before. 375 to 450 only takes about 315 catches. 1 to 450 in under 5 hours! We assume this change is intended ((it has been in beta for at least a week)). We also assume that 1-375 will become much faster with patch 3.0, which is expected to be released in a few weeks. Leveling fishing should get a lot easier! Browse the new skill-up table.

2.4: Undocumented Changes

el — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:50 +0000

Some undocumented changes have been found in patch 2.4:

The skill-up formula seems to have changed, so that around 400 fewer catches are required to reach 300.
The skill required to fish in Silmyr Lake has increased to 405 to cast, 500 to stop get-aways.
Barbed Gill Trout can no longer be caught in Shadowmoon Valley.

Full patch 2.4 fishing information is here.