Cutting a more perfect gem
by Eliah Hecht 
Sep 4th 2008 at 8:00PM
WoW's crafting system has always been relatively straightforward. Collect mats, press button, receive item. This lies in contrast to crafting systems from other games, which may contain mini-games, convoluted learning systems, or varying levels of success in production. In WoW, you can't even fail at making something; if you can make it at all, every attempt will result in an item, and they're all the same (aside from some recipes with random enchants. This fits in with WoW being on the simple side for MMOs (simple to learn, that is; often difficult to master).
Jewelcrafting in LK is going to shake that up a little bit. There will be a quest available to jewelcrafters that gives them a chance to craft a "perfect" version of an uncommon-quality gem when cutting it. For the first time, it's possible to have a critical success from crafting in WoW. It looks like the perfect versions of gems are positioned precisely between the uncommon and rare versions of a cut, in terms of stats. For instance:
- Delicate Bloodstone: +12 agility
- Perfect Delicate Bloodstone: +14 agility
- Delicate Scarlet Ruby: +16 agility
- Delicate Cardinal Ruby: +20 agility
So far, Gem Perfection appears to work only on uncommon-level gems, not on rares or epics. I also don't know what the chance is of cutting a perfect gem instead of a regular one. It's a nice change, and a little something extra for cutting those buckets of green gems on the way from 375 to 450. Would you like to see more critical successes in other crafting professions?
Filed under: Jewelcrafting, Wrath of the Lich King
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rhys Sep 4th 2008 8:12PM
Alchemy has 'critical' crafting, as in the mastery bonuses.
agnoster Sep 4th 2008 8:20PM
I was just going to mention... someone didn't do their homework. Though if you really want to be a stickler, you could argue alchemy procs are more like Windfury/Reckoning/Thrash Blade procs than a crit because you get multiple successes, rather than one better success...
FireStar Sep 5th 2008 11:24AM
Yeah i was thinking of alchemy here too...and thinking maybe i didn't understand the post.
If you don't make the perfect gem, don't you just make the one that you wanted to to start with? If so, it's seems relatively the same as what was introduced with alchemy in BC in terms of the fact that 2 primal waters are twice as good as one.
Llowe Sep 4th 2008 9:04PM
Yeah, that's pretty cool. Would be nice to see something like that for alchemy/engineering/(dis/)enchanting, even Inscription. Just another step in the right direction with the coming of Wrath. =)
Zep Sep 4th 2008 8:19PM
Alchemy, Engineering, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Blacksmithing, have their specializations.
Now JC has its specialty.
Where's my Enchanting bonus!?!?!?!?
Mcg Sep 4th 2008 8:23PM
As a long time enchanter, I've never heard of us getting a bonus. What is a bonus? Can you eat it?
godai Sep 4th 2008 10:03PM
Umm ring enchants?
zappo Sep 5th 2008 10:31AM
Leather working specialization a bonus? You've obviously never had a leather worker.
As someone else posted, you already do get a bonus. Occasional disenchanting results in shards instead of dust/essence.
Elgrend Sep 5th 2008 10:34AM
A ring enchant isn't a bonus or specialization. Every profession has some item/ability that only they can do, but the other professions have an ability to specialize. It'd be nice if there was a "weapon enchant" specialization or the like. Ring enchants are nice, but they're not exactly the equivalent of the frozen shadoweave set.
Blarg Sep 4th 2008 8:20PM
Would present an interesting dilemma with power-leveling enchants. Would you stop using the cheapest chant by getting a perfect chant (that you probably would not normally care about) or continue because it saves mats?
gridwerk Sep 5th 2008 10:20AM
no enchanting bonus is just another way The Man keeps a mage down.
Niekon Sep 4th 2008 8:28PM
it might just be me but thus far I've been getting "perfect" gems about 40% of the time. Maybe this will be dialed down when it goes live, but thus far I'm cranking them out fairly regularly.
Xioyn Sep 4th 2008 8:40PM
So its kinda like Alchemy spec's
Eopie Sep 4th 2008 8:51PM
This is actually an awesome change.
I was someone who played SWG for quite awhile. One could argue back and forth of the problems of that game but one thing they got right (in my opinion) was the crafting system.
It was the most ridiculously complex yet amazingly rewarding crafting system i've ever seen. I absolutely loved it, and though it wouldn't work in WoW and I wouldn't want it in WoW...parts of it..such as this change to jewelcrafting I think is a great way to go.
neverender Sep 5th 2008 12:09PM
i remember playing SWG and reading the beta boards on WoW and falling out of my chair laughing at the crafting system of WoW. i must admit, now, its beautiful in its simplicity. and, is perfect for a huge player base of all skill levels and commitment.
that said, SWG had probably built the best addition to any MMO in the last 10 years with its crafting system. i was crushed when it was removed. i fully believe we will see something similar to it again down the road in other games. it just promoted better crafters and actually forced the market to put out quality and unique items for sale. SWG had a "real" player economy.
Reid Sep 4th 2008 9:04PM
I view this as being along the lines of the specializations in alchemy. It's a perk for leveling your trade so high. Perhaps tailors, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, engineers, enchanters, and scribes will get some sort of passive "chance to do x when crafting" quest once the whole expansion gets finished. They could all get a chance to craft items with bonus stats. In particular: tailors could have a chance to make an extra cloth or have it not consume their cooldown; leatherworkers could... ok so I'm tapped for ideas.
Heilig Sep 4th 2008 9:18PM
It's not like the alchemy specs. All that does is give you multiples of the exact same item. This actually DOESN'T give you the item you intended, it gives you one that is better. This is a significant departure from normal crafting rules. If Elixir spec gave you a chance to make a Greater Flask of Blinding Light that gave you 90 spelldmg instead of 80, then it would be the same.
Personally, i would prefer JCing get multiple-item procs instead of better quality. I can't sell one slightly better item for twice as much as one of the normal ones, not when the mats are exactly the same cost.
Lemons Sep 4th 2008 9:39PM
I would like to see this with enchanting a little more. There is very small chance when you disenchant an item to get something better than you should (i.e. a void crystal from a blue item), but it doesn't happen very often.
Apparently this gem perfection thing is happening like 40% of the time, and while that may be a little much I would like to see the chance to getting something good with enchanting increase in wrath.
DarkSpade Sep 4th 2008 9:50PM
I'd like to see more random enchant stuff for crafted items. Especially in those spots where you're making a lot of something just to level the skill. Better chance of getting something worth selling instead of 15 cloth gloves with +spirit and +str.
vine Sep 4th 2008 9:56PM
Perhaps for enchanting there could be a chance to use only half the mats, otherwise there's no guaranteed benefit to the enchanter, as most enchants are done for other people's gear not your own. Though with inscriptions coming out there could be a chance to proc a more powerful enchant to a scroll.