Crafting in World of Warcraft has become too complex. With Midnight, the developers are tweaking the system slightly.
With the expansion Dragonflight, World of Warcraft extensively overhauled the crafting systems. There are multiple quality levels for almost all reagents, and the same applies to the crafted equipment. The antiquated Classic crafting system has been discarded.
Although Blizzard has achieved many goals with this, there were still a few issues. Some found the new system too complex, while others felt overwhelmed by the numerous quality levels of the items. With Midnight, the developers are rowing back a bit and trying to find a middle ground.
More space in inventory, easier handling
What is changing exactly? Basically, there are some major changes that especially affect the quality levels:
- Crafting materials from gathering and crafting professions will now have only two quality levels.
- Consumables will now have only two quality levels.
- End-game equipment from crafting will now have only three quality levels.
This way, you can more easily decide which materials to use for which result. If the quality level of the end product doesn’t matter, you can simply use the “bad” materials. If the result is important, like with equipment, you will opt for the better materials.
Note that the information here still comes from the Alpha of Midnight and that everything is currently still a “Work in Progress.” Some details may change until the release of the expansion in 2026.
What does this mean for crafters? In summary, the changes primarily mean simplifications in handling. You will now need less space in the bank for the reagents, as one quality level has been completely removed.
This alone already provides significantly more clarity, whether when crafting equipment or consumables. You will now only have to choose between “cheap and somewhat weaker” or “more expensive but high quality” – the middle tier, which hardly anyone used anyway, is completely eliminated.
What do you think of the changes to crafting? Is Blizzard on the right track and finding a reasonable compromise? Or are you still not warming up to the “new” crafting system and wishing for a return to the times before Dragonflight?
Even if Blizzard has achieved the goal with crafting – some do not achieve their goal, like this one blood elf who has been failing for 20 years.
