WoD Stage Gear:
As I hinted in my previous blog post, it appears that upon the release of Dragonflight Patch 10.0.5, we will see the return of optional reagents for crafting Warlords of Draenor (WoD) Stage Gear.
For those unfamiliar with Stage Gear and want further information, please continue reading.
What is Stage Gear?
The following professions can craft armor or weapons.
- Blacksmithing (Armor and Weapons)
- Engineering (Goggles and Weapons)
- Leatherworking (Armor)
- Inscription (Weapons)
- Tailoring (Armor)
With the use of optional reagents, you could increase the item level and stats on a crafted item. There were a further five stages (six in total) you could upgrade your gear by, which lent the term Stage Gear.
Sadly, on the release of Shadowlands, the optional reagents were deemed obsolete and removed from the game. The ability to upgrade the gear was no longer possible, thus bringing an end to the lucrative value of Stage Gear.
Thankfully, Blizzard has returned the 2 optional reagents per profession (except Blacksmithing and Engineering, which require 4), thus returning 2 extra appearances per craft. You must earn Secrets of Draenor [profession] to buy the required recipes.
Crafting Stage Gear:
To successfully craft Stage Gear, you’d need to craft intermediate materials with a daily cooldown. Thankfully, we can bypass the cooldown using an alternative method using Primal Spirits.
For example, a Leatherworker would need to craft Burnished Leather, and once they hit the cooldown, they’d use the alternative method: Spiritual Leathercraft, to continue crafting Burnished Leather.
It took 100 pieces of Burnished Leather to craft one piece of armor, meaning there was an incentive to farm Primal Spirit.
Optional Reagents:
Here’s a list of the new optional reagents for each profession. There are two optional reagents per profession; the recipes to craft these will cost 5 Secrets of Draenor [profession] each. Be aware that you’ll need further intermediate materials, plus Felblight and Savage Blood, to craft them!
Due to Blacksmithing and Engineering being able to craft weapons and armor (goggles), you will need to purchase 4 optional reagent recipes.
Blacksmithing:
Engineering:
Inscription:
Leatherworking:
Tailoring:
Where to Purchase the Recipes?
If you don’t have your profession hut within your Garrison, take the Garrison portal (Level 3 Garrison); otherwise, take the flight point from your Garrison to Stormshield (Alliance) or Warspear (Horde).
Below I’ve added a map outlining where each profession hut is. Alternatively, speak to an NPC for directions.
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- Alliance Players
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- Horde Players
Intermediate Materials:
Each profession has its intermediate materials needed to craft Stage Gear. They are as follows.
Blacksmithing:
Engineering:
Inscription:
Leatherworking:
Tailoring:
Shopping List:
Here’s a brief shopping list of some of the raw materials you’ll need to craft Stage Gear, the intermediate materials, and the optional reagents.
Stage Gear Restrictions:
The Stage Gear had a unique-equipped restriction, meaning a player could only have a maximum of three pieces equipped at any one time. During WoD, you had to ensure you had the three best pieces equipped that gave you the most benefit.
When you consider the number of items available, you quickly appreciate how difficult it was to pick a maximum of three items!
In some capacity, this limitation left many players without many of the pieces and ultimately missed out on many appearances, hence why there’s demand for the Stage Gear even today.
Different Appearances:
There were three different appearances available, and you could acquire these by upgrading an item from its base level (appearance 1) to stage 2 (appearance 2), then stage 3 (appearance 3).
According to the PTR, Blizzard has opted to return the appearances with two optional reagents, by using them on a piece of armor or weapon will reward you with the extra appearance associated with the optional reagent used!
I’m unsure if there’s a specific order to use the optional reagent or if you can place both optional reagents simultaneously, as I have no Secrets of Draenor [profession] on the PTR.
What Each Profession Can Craft:
Blacksmithing:
Engineering:
Inscription:
Leatherworking:
Tailoring:
(*) denotes a craft that requires the profession to equip. According to Patch 10.0.5, this may be one of the crafts that will have the ‘required profession‘ limitation removed!
Best Professions:
As someone who operated in this market back in Warlords of Draenor (WoD), I can confirm that Blacksmithing is one of the best professions for Stage Gear. There are a lot of weapons on offer, and they also have the joy of crafting armor.
The downside to this is the number of optional reagents and intermediate materials you’ll need.
Next, I’d recommend Leatherworking purely because of the ability to craft Cloaks and both Leather and Mail armor. The rest are worthwhile!
Farming Primal Spirits:
Although Patch 10.0.5 isn’t out until next week, you can use this time to farm Primal Spirits in preparation for crafting the intermediate materials. Primal Spirits are soulbound, so you can’t trade them.
Gathering is the best method for obtaining Primal Spirits, so if you have Herbalism/Mining paired with one of the Professions mentioned above, you’re laughing.
However, the next best method is farming elite or rare mobs within Draenor. If you completed the content in Warlords of Draenor, you’d know how many rares, and elite mobs are available, especially within Tanaan Jungle.
Here’s a map I use to kill elite and rare mobs within Tanaan Jungle for Primal Spirits.
Garrison Mission Table:
Don’t forget your mission table; it has missions that offer Primal Spirits as a reward!
Garrison Trader:
You will have a slight chance of a trader visiting your Level 3 Garrison, where you can trade five profession materials for a Primal Spirit. There is no limit to how many Primal Spirits you can buy!
If you don’t have the trader you desire at your Garrison, check your alts or the Group Finder tool. Players will create groups in group finder to allow others to access their trader from their Garrison.
The Traders:
Herb Traders:
Leather Traders:
Fur Traders:
Ore Traders:
Dust Traders:
Conclusion:
Stage Gear has the potential to be a lucrative market again. With recipes stuck behind dailies (Secret of Draenor [profession]) and daily cooldowns on intermediate materials, it should take some time for many gold-makers to cover all armor and weapon types.
What is excellent is that Blizzard has considered the goggles’ limitations and removed the profession requirement to equip them! Previously, this harmed the market, as only Engineers could equip them.
Finally, if you want to get a head start on your competition, start making your intermediate materials now! It’s also worth mentioning that there may be a considerable surge in the value of all materials associated with crafting Stage Gear and optional reagents.
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