Tailoring tops the charts for goldmaking in Mists of Pandaria. Its daily cooldown crafts, like Imperial Silk, are a goldmine, especially as you unlock a second cooldown later in the expansion for epic BOE items. Tailoring shines with bag crafting, spell threads, and rare BOE gear. Plus, Northern Cloth Scavenging doubles your cloth loot, making it a farming beast. It's versatile, profitable, and a must-have for serious goldmakers.
Inscription is another S-tier gem, driven by its daily cooldown crafts and the influx of new glyphs. With the Monk class debut and ability overhauls, demand for glyphs skyrockets early on. Scribes can capitalize on this by unlocking recipes through daily crafts, ensuring steady profits. If you love playing the Auction House, inscription's high-demand items make it a top pick.
Alchemy rounds out the S-tier with its daily cooldown craft for Living Steel, a critical material for high-end gear. Alchemists can also craft Potions of Luck for gold farmers, flasks, elixirs, and transmutes like Trillium Bars. Specializing as a Transmute, Potion, or Elixir Master adds a profitable edge, making alchemy a reliable goldmaker throughout the expansion.
A-Tier: Strong Contenders
Jewelcrafting
Jewelcrafting is a hidden gem (pun intended) for goldmaking. Daily quests provide passive income, and crafting rare, uncommon, or pristine gems keeps the gold flowing. Prospecting ore for profit is a tried-and-true strategy that works across expansions, including Mists of Pandaria. While not as flashy as tailoring, jewelcrafting's consistency makes it a solid A-tier choice.
Skinning
Skinning stands out among farming professions due to its scaling efficiency. Early on, leather is in high demand for leatherworking, but skinning's real strength lies in its synergy with combat. As you gear up, you can kill mobs faster, offsetting price drops by farming more efficiently. Plus, looting Motes of Harmony (exchangeable for Golden Lotus) adds extra value, landing skinning in A-tier.
B-Tier: Situational but Solid
Herbalism
Herbalism is a goldmaking juggernaut at the expansion's start, as scribes and alchemists need herbs to skill up. You can rake in massive profits flying around gathering herbs. However, its value dips over time as herb prices fall and alternative sources (like Spirits of Harmony or Sunsong Ranch) flood the market. It's S-tier early but settles into B-tier for long-term goldmaking.
Mining
Mining mirrors herbalism's trajectory: incredible early on when blacksmiths, engineers, and jewelcrafters need ore, but it falls to B-tier as prices stabilize. Spirits of Harmony and Sunsong Ranch also provide ore, reducing the need for mining. Still, it's a low-effort way to make gold, especially in the first few weeks.
Enchanting
Enchanting is a steady B-tier profession, ideal for players actively running content. Disenchanting old gear as you upgrade provides materials for enchants, saving you gold or generating profit. Early access to Shadow-Pan reputation recipes can give enchanters a competitive edge, but its goldmaking potential is more situational than S-tier professions.
C-Tier: Niche but Workable
Blacksmithing
Blacksmithing focuses on gear crafting, including BOE epics, but its goldmaking potential is limited compared to S-tier professions. Targeting reputations for rare recipes can yield profits, but it's not a top performer. If you love crafting weapons and armor, it's viable but not optimal for gold.
Leatherworking
Leatherworking shares blacksmithing's gear-crafting focus, relying on skins to produce BOE items. While skilled players can make it profitable by mastering the Auction House, it lacks the versatility of tailoring or inscription, landing it in C-tier.
Cooking
Cooking sits in C-tier, gated behind daily quests that unlock recipes over time. Once unlocked, you can craft high-demand food for raiders, but the initial grind limits its early goldmaking potential. It's a slow burn but can be profitable for patient players.
D-Tier: Tough Sell for Gold
Engineering
Engineering struggles in Mists of Pandaria until late in the expansion when the Jard's Peculiar Energy Source cooldown unlocks, enabling Sky Golem crafting. Until then, it's a tough sell for goldmaking, offering little profit compared to other professions. It's D-tier until that late-game boost.
Fishing
Fishing is the weakest gold-making profession, with a low gold-per-hour yield compared to farming alternatives like skinning or herbalism. While battle pets and Anglers reputation quests add some value, the influx of casual fishers (driven by daily quests) tanks fish prices. It's D-tier unless you're passionate about fishing for pets.
FAQs About Goldmaking Professions in MoP Classic
Which profession makes the most gold early in Mists of Pandaria?
Herbalism and mining thrive in the first few weeks due to high demand for herbs and ore, but tailoring and inscription ultimately yield long-term profits.
Is tailoring worth picking up for casual players?
Absolutely! Tailoring's passive gold from daily cooldowns and cloth scavenging makes it accessible and profitable, even for casual players.
Can I make gold with engineering?
Engineering is weak for goldmaking until late in the expansion when Sky Golem crafting becomes available. Consider pairing it with a stronger profession early on.
Why does fishing rank so low for goldmaking?
Fishing's gold-per-hour is lower than other farming professions, and increased fishing from daily quests reduces fish value, making it less profitable.
How do Spirits of Harmony affect farming professions?
Spirits of Harmony, earned from Motes of Harmony, can be traded for herbs, ore, or Golden Lotus, reducing the need for herbalism and mining over time.
Thanks for Reading
Choosing the right profession can transform your goldmaking game in Mists of Pandaria Classic. Whether you're crafting epics with tailoring or farming skins with efficiency, there's a path for every player. Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for more tips and tricks to dominate the Auction House and beyond!