Engineering

Engineering is the crafting profession of explosives, gadgets, guns, scopes and goggles. In Classic it was the profession most valued for player-versus-player combat: engineers could throw grenades that stunned, blow themselves up with sapper charges, reflect spells, and call mechanical dragonlings into a fight. Many of its best items can only be used by engineers, which kept it popular among serious PvP players long after other professions had been chosen for money.

What engineering does

Engineers build their products from metal bars, stone, leather, cloth and gems, so they buy from or work with miners, blacksmiths and skinners. Most recipes need an [Arclight Spanner] in the bags, and some need a [Blacksmith Hammer] or a Gyromatic Micro-Adjustor too.

Engineering makes:

• Explosives, from the [Rough Copper Bomb] to the [Iron Grenade] and [Thorium Grenade], which deal fire damage and stun targets in a small area.
• Trinkets and devices, such as the [Gnomish Cloaking Device], the [Goblin Jumper Cables XL], the [Field Repair Bot 74A] and the elemental reflectors.
• Guns and scopes for hunters and warriors, like the gun [Flawless Arcanite Rifle] and [Sniper Scope].
• Goggles and helms, cloth and leather headgear that only engineers can wear, including [Spellpower Goggles Xtreme Plus].
• Fun items and pets, such as the [Lifelike Mechanical Toad], [Mechanical Yeti] and fireworks.

Most items carry a required engineering skill to use, so other classes cannot buy and use the best gadgets. An engineer at 260 can throw a [Thorium Grenade]; a non-engineer cannot.

Trainers and skill ranks

Engineering follows the four Classic ranks: Apprentice (to 75, level 5), Journeyman (to 150, level 10), Expert (to 225, level 20) and Artisan (to 300, level 35). Artisan engineering is taught by Springspindle Fizzlegear in Ironforge, Roxxik in Orgrimmar, and the neutral master Buzzek Bracketswing in Gadgetzan in Tanaris.

Leveling route in outline

1. 1 to 75: [Rough Blasting Powder], [Handful of Copper Bolts] and [Copper Tube] from copper and stone, then [Rough Copper Bomb] and the [Arclight Spanner].
2. 75 to 150: Coarse Blasting Powder, [Bronze Tube] and small bronze bombs from bronze bars.
3. 150 to 200: Heavy Blasting Powder, iron struts, [Iron Grenade] and [Gyrochronatom].
4. 200 to 250: [Mithril Tube], [Mithril Casing], Solid Blasting Powder and [Hi-Explosive Bomb].
5. 250 to 300: [Thorium Widget], [Thorium Grenade], Dense Blasting Powder and [Dense Dynamite], ending with thorium tubes and gun recipes.

Engineering is cheap to level compared with other crafts, and the explosives made on the way are useful while leveling a character.

Gnomish and Goblin engineering

At skill 200, an engineer may choose a discipline through a quest from the engineering trainers. Each side has items only it can build, and many of those items are also usable only by members of the same discipline.

Gnomish engineering makes clever, unreliable gadgets. Its trainers are Tinkmaster Overspark in Ironforge and Oglethorpe Obnoticus in Booty Bay. Gnomish items include:

• [Gnomish Mind Control Cap]: mind control of a humanoid for a short time, which could pull enemies off cliffs.
• [Gnomish Death Ray]: a large burst of damage paid for with the user's own health.
• [Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector]: a ranged root.
• [Gnomish Rocket Boots] and [Gnomish Harm Prevention Belt], plus the [Gnomish Battle Chicken], which summons a fighting chicken.
• [World Enlarger], a novelty that "enlarges the entire world" by shrinking the user.

Gnomish devices are known for failing. Rocket boots can explode, the mind control cap can backfire, and the Death Ray can hurt its user. Players accepted the risks because the successes were powerful.

Goblin engineering makes things that explode. Its trainer is Nixx Sprocketspring in Gadgetzan. Goblin items include:

• [Goblin Sapper Charge]: a self-damaging bomb that hits every enemy nearby for 450 to 750 fire damage, a key tool in battlegrounds and on certain raid bosses.
• [Goblin Jumper Cables XL]: jumper cables that can sometimes bring a dead player back to life out of combat, a lifesaver after a wipe.
• [Goblin Mortar], [Goblin Bomb Dispenser] and [Goblin Dragon Gun].
• [Goblin Rocket Helmet] and [Goblin Construction Helmet].

Goblin engineering was the usual choice for PvP and for raiders who wanted sapper charges. Gnomish engineering suited players who wanted crowd control tricks and cheap utility trinkets. Switching later meant giving up every schematic of the old discipline, so most engineers stuck with their first choice.

Best-known recipes and products

• Explosives: [Thorium Grenade] and [Dense Dynamite] were the bread and butter of PvP engineers: a stun that anyone with the skill could throw, on top of their class abilities.
• [Arcanite Dragonling]: a trinket that summons a dragonling to fight beside the engineer, usable once an hour. Its schematic, [Schematic: Arcanite Dragonling], drops from the Cobalt Mageweavers in Winterspring.
• Reflectors: [Hyper-Radiant Flame Reflector], [Ultra-Flash Shadow Reflector] and [Gyrofreeze Ice Reflector] reflect fire, shadow and frost spells back at the caster. Raiders used them against certain bosses and PvP players against warlocks and mages.
• [Field Repair Bot 74A]: a temporary repair vendor, valued in long raids.
• Mounts: In Classic engineers could not build a mount. The gnomish mechanostriders are sold by a vendor in Dun Morogh, not crafted; engineer-built flying machines and choppers came in later expansions.
• Guns: [Thorium Rifle] and [Flawless Arcanite Rifle] for hunters, with [Sniper Scope] and [Biznicks 247x128 Accurascope] for scopes.

Engineering and mining

Engineering uses a lot of metal and stone, so it pairs with Mining. Many PvP players leveled engineering and mining together, then dropped mining at 300 for a second crafting profession. A smaller group paired engineering with Alchemy or Tailoring and simply bought their materials.

Sources

• Engineering on Warcraft Wiki
• Gnome Engineering on Warcraft Wiki
• Goblin Engineering on Warcraft Wiki