World
of Warcraft: The
Burning Crusade will
introduce a lot of
new features to
expand the game in
many interesting and
fun ways. One of
these additions is
the introduction of
a new profession:
jewelcrafting.
Jewelcrafters learn
the art of creating
beautiful jewelry
and trinkets from
metals and rare
gems. By processing
the raw ore mined
from the various
deposits and mineral
veins, jewelcrafters
can extract gems
from the ore which
they can then use
for their craft.
Although miners
sometimes find gems
while gathering ore,
jewelcrafters mostly
rely on their
prospecting skills
to get more of the
precious stones.
Jewelcrafters work
with gems in many
different ways. If a
jewelcrafter uses
gems to create
jewelry, he usually
only needs the raw,
uncut stones for his
work. These rings,
amulets, and
trinkets function
just like those that
can already be found
in the game, with a
few notable
exceptions. For
example,
jewelcrafters can
learn to create
gemmed figurines
that they can carry
in their trinket
slots. While these
figurines all
provide passive
benefits, they can
also be used to
provide the player
with a short buff –
just enough to give
you that little
damage boost or
maybe that quick
burst of extra
healing power you
may need in a tricky
situation. These
figurines will bind
when picked up, so
only jewelcrafters
will be able to use
their powers.
Another way
jewelcrafters can
use gems is by
cutting them,
preparing them to be
used in socketed
items. Gems come in
many different
colors and shapes.
Different types of
gems have different
basic properties,
and a gem's cut also
determines the
effect this gem will
have. Jewelcrafters
can learn several
types of cuts for
each kind of gem:
the Azure Moonstone,
for example, can be
cut into a lustrous,
stormy, solid, or
sparkling Azure
Moonstone, and each
one of these cuts
offers different
bonuses when used in
a socketable item.
Placing cut gems
into an item's
sockets will add the
bonuses of these
gems to those of the
item, allowing
players to customize
their equipment to
better suit their
individual play
style or the
different roles
their class can
fulfill.
At higher levels,
socketed items and
specially cut gems
become an important
part of an
adventurer's "bag of
tricks". Both armor
and weapons can have
sockets. Some
socketed items can
be found in
dungeons, but the
expansion will also
introduce a lot of
new recipes for all
the professions,
including many
recipes that let
leatherworkers,
blacksmiths, and
tailors create
socketed items.
Socketed items can
be of uncommon,
rare, or even epic
quality. An item's
sockets can also
have a specific
color; if you put a
gem of a matching
color in each
socket, the item
will reward you with
a special stat bonus
beyond the gems'
regular effects.
However, you can
also put gems of a
different color in
these slots if you
would rather have a
specific gem's
effect instead of
the added bonus.
Socketing an Item
ny character can
insert gems into an
item's sockets – you
do not need to be a
jewelcrafter to do
that. However, you
will need to ask a
jewelcrafter or
become one yourself
to obtain most of
the gems you can
socket. Another
source of cut gems
are the expansion's
high-level bosses.
There are rumors
that some of these
monsters hold stones
with powers beyond
those of regular
gems, but getting
your hands on these
jewels might prove
to be a most
formidable
challenge; it seems
unlikely that their
owners would part
with their precious
stones willingly.
Socketing
Instructions
- Click on any gem
in your inventory to
pick it up
- Click on any slot
or bag space to
place the gem
- See what happens
when you match all
socket colorsOn the
right side, you can
see a preview of the
current
item-socketing
interface from the
game. When you
shift-right click a
socketed item, this
box will appear,
displaying the
item's current stats
and any gem effects
that are currently
on the item. You can
add new gems to the
item by placing one
of the gems from
your inventory into
one of the item's
sockets. The
interface allows you
to play around with
different gem
configurations, so
you can try out how
different gems will
affect your item
before you decide on
what gems you want
to socket. Once you
have found a
configuration you
like, you can press
the "Socket Gems"
button to socket the
gems you picked.
Socketing gems will
lock them into
place, and there is
no way to remove a
gem once it has been
socketed. You can
put a new gem into a
socket that already
holds a gem, but by
doing so you break
the old one out of
its socket,
shattering the gem
and making it
unusable. This
allows you to add
gems to your new
socketed items right
away without having
to wait until you
find the "perfect"
collection of gems,
since you always
have the option of
upgrading your item
later.
Try putting some
gems from your
inventory into the
socketed item and
check out how they
affect its stats;
this should give you
an idea of how
socketing will work
in the expansion,
but please keep in
mind that both the
stats and the
interface presented
here may change as
we progress further
in the development
of the new
jewelcrafting and
item-socketing
features of World of
Warcraft: The
Burning Crusade.. .
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