What enchanting does
Enchanting is a primary profession that adds permanent upgrades to armor, weapons and other items, such as a bonus to strength, intellect or many other stats. Its reagents come from disenchanting items of uncommon or better quality, or from loot. The rarer and stronger the item, the rarer the residue it leaves.
Players at the top level who run dungeons, raids and PvP are generally expected to have fully enchanted gear, and characters kept at a low level want cheaper enchants too, so enchanters can offer their services to others.
Training and skill
Since patch 8.0.1 (2018) every expansion has its own skill bar with a small cap, instead of one long bar that covered all expansions together. Classic runs from 1 to 300; the newer bars are much shorter:
| Skill bar | Skill range |
|---|---|
| Classic Enchanting | 1-300 |
| Outland Enchanting | 1-75 |
| Northrend Enchanting | 1-75 |
| Cataclysm Enchanting | 1-75 |
| Pandaria Enchanting | 1-75 |
| Draenor Enchanting | 1-100 |
| Legion Enchanting | 1-100 |
| Kul Tiran / Zandalari Enchanting | 1-150 |
| Shadowlands Enchanting | 1-100 |
| Dragon Isles Enchanting | 1-100 |
| Khaz Algar Enchanting | 1-100 |
| Midnight Enchanting | 1-100 |
Skill rises by casting enchantments, which turn from orange to yellow, green and gray as you improve. You can also gain skill by disenchanting looted or quest items, but that is slow. New enchants come from trainers, vendors, loot or the Auction House, and some need reputation with a faction.
Over the years enchantments have existed for the head, shoulders, back, chest, wrists, hands, legs, feet, shields and rings, and for melee, two-handed and ranged weapons, and even fishing poles.
Disenchanting and materials
Enchanting materials come mainly from disenchanting; a few can also be looted or bought in limited amounts from the Auction House and some vendors. The skill you need depends on the item's level, and Legendary items cannot be disenchanted. Since patch 7.3.5 the materials depend on the item's expansion rather than its item level.
| Material | Usually comes from |
|---|---|
| Dust | Mostly uncommon armor, less often uncommon weapons |
| Essence | Mostly uncommon weapons, less often uncommon armor |
| Shard | Usually rare items, rarely uncommon ones |
| Crystal | Always Epic items, rarely rare ones |
Tools, bonuses and partners
- You need a Runed Copper Rod; since patch 5.0.4 every enchant needs only this rod. Better rods, such as the Runed Khaz'gorite Rod, improve your crafting.
- Blood Elf characters get +10 Enchanting skill from their racial Arcane Affinity.
Enchanting does not depend on a gathering profession. Good partners are crafts whose products can be disenchanted: Tailoring (cloth gear, no gathering needed), Jewelcrafting, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing.
Selling enchants
An enchanter can put an enchantment on an Enchanting Vellum instead of on gear. The vellum can then be sold on the Auction House or sent by mail, and it still gives skill points as if it went on an item. Vellums are made with Inscription and are also sold by reagent and enchanting vendors.
Sources
Game pictures: © Blizzard Entertainment · worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
