The neglected profession of archaeology is becoming valuable again in World of Warcraft – a lot of artifact power is on the horizon in Patch 7.2.
Of all the professions in World of Warcraft, the secondary profession archaeology has perhaps been the most “overlooked” in Legion. Every 2 weeks, a small quest can be completed, which often ends in very long farming sessions and provides little benefit. However, this pool of quests is now exhausted: those who have been digging diligently since the launch of Legion will complete their last mission next Wednesday.
Apparently, Blizzard does not want to leave archaeologists completely out in the rain, as there will be some changes with Patch 7.2.
For successfully unearthing fragments and completing excavation sites, there is now a chance that the player will receive artifact power. There are several items that grant between 85 – 750 artifact power.
With an artifact knowledge of level 25, that corresponds to a total of 187,500 artifact power – a fairly solid number for a “secondary profession”. However, how frequently the corresponding items appear is still unknown.
Furthermore, some excavation sites will now be considered “elite” – such as those that are already filled with elite opponents (like in Azsuna).
Also new are tomes that can appear when digging. Clicking on the tome summons the spirit of a highborne, who currently serves no recognizable purpose.
The information comes from the current build of Patch 7.2 – this is not final yet, so everything should be taken with caution.
The images used are from wowhead (see source).
Cortyn says: I can’t really warm up to archaeology anymore. Back in Cataclysm, it was a cool profession to kill some time, make decent gold (projects could often be sold for several hundred gold pieces), and gather some new lore information. In Legion, archaeology is boring and – aside from the quests – relatively devoid of rewards. New incentives, like the ever-present carrot of artifact power, could at least bring some momentum back to the profession in the medium term if you want a break from dungeons and world quests.
In Patch 7.2, it will be possible to craft legendary items, by the way.
