02-02-2005, 05:57 PM
Here's the tricks I used. I hit 100g at about level 34 if I remember correctly.
The first one is something most people don't want to hear: Don't waste your money on production professions. Stick strictly to gathering professions (I recommend mining and skinning). The reason for this is that on most servers, created goods don't sell for a major profit until you hit a very high skill level, and it will be expensive to hit those levels prior to 40. You'll make much more money selling raw materials (bars, skins, hides) than if you consume the materials and produce something from them.
The second one is to farm a healthy circuit - something you can keep repeating with reliable item generation and little downtime. In the low 30s, I skinned and mined in Highperch and was making 10g a night. Boring, but very good money. In the mid 30s, I did the Stranglethorn quests while hunting kitties and raptors for their skins. The trolls are nice but have some good patrols and such which can cause you take more damage and suffer more downtime. In the high 30s, I was doing the iron circuit in Arathi. I had so much money at 40 that I barely felt the mount price. I'm still sitting at 400 gold at 54 and I spend like crazy.
The third one is to manipulate the market. Let's say 20 iron bars are worth about 4 gold on your server. If you check on the AH (especially late on a weeknight) and someone has posted all their iron for 2g90s, buy it all out and put it up again on the weekend. You need to eliminate bargain-makers because they give the impression to the public that the price of the commodity is falling. Price your own auctions aggressively, with a buyout about 10s less than the cheapest person you do not buy out.
For trade commodities, but most importantly of all for greens and blues: Your largest audience by far is on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday day. If you hold as many items as possible for weekend sales, demand is higher, and you can ask more in your buyouts and get it. Buy underpriced stuff during the week and sell it all weekend.
Fourth is to use the Gadgetzan AH to offer emotional purchases to the other side. If you're Alliance, sell overpriced cats for example.
Fifth is to equip yourself only from drops and from AH bargains. Don't splurge on a major item at a high price unless it is going to speed up your farming significantly. (My one exception, for example - I bought a Bloodrazor for 100g that increased by damage output by more than 70%.) The drops will come if you farm the right places.
Once you hit 40, with all of your extra money after you buy your mount, reward yourself if you like with some skill-ups you deprived yourself of during the grind. As an example, when I hit 40 my cooking skill was level 3. I put a bounty out on small eggs that low-level characters were only too happy to meet, because it was lavish to them but a pittance to me. I then moved on to thistle tea, etc. My cooking skill went up to 175 in 1 day and I didn't have to spend any time on it - I just spent the gold and checked my mail from time to time.
After 40 is also a good time to take up a production skill and rush it up if you like - although, unless it's top-level devilsaur or enchanting, you'll probably still make more money from the raw materials.
The first one is something most people don't want to hear: Don't waste your money on production professions. Stick strictly to gathering professions (I recommend mining and skinning). The reason for this is that on most servers, created goods don't sell for a major profit until you hit a very high skill level, and it will be expensive to hit those levels prior to 40. You'll make much more money selling raw materials (bars, skins, hides) than if you consume the materials and produce something from them.
The second one is to farm a healthy circuit - something you can keep repeating with reliable item generation and little downtime. In the low 30s, I skinned and mined in Highperch and was making 10g a night. Boring, but very good money. In the mid 30s, I did the Stranglethorn quests while hunting kitties and raptors for their skins. The trolls are nice but have some good patrols and such which can cause you take more damage and suffer more downtime. In the high 30s, I was doing the iron circuit in Arathi. I had so much money at 40 that I barely felt the mount price. I'm still sitting at 400 gold at 54 and I spend like crazy.
The third one is to manipulate the market. Let's say 20 iron bars are worth about 4 gold on your server. If you check on the AH (especially late on a weeknight) and someone has posted all their iron for 2g90s, buy it all out and put it up again on the weekend. You need to eliminate bargain-makers because they give the impression to the public that the price of the commodity is falling. Price your own auctions aggressively, with a buyout about 10s less than the cheapest person you do not buy out.
For trade commodities, but most importantly of all for greens and blues: Your largest audience by far is on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday day. If you hold as many items as possible for weekend sales, demand is higher, and you can ask more in your buyouts and get it. Buy underpriced stuff during the week and sell it all weekend.
Fourth is to use the Gadgetzan AH to offer emotional purchases to the other side. If you're Alliance, sell overpriced cats for example.
Fifth is to equip yourself only from drops and from AH bargains. Don't splurge on a major item at a high price unless it is going to speed up your farming significantly. (My one exception, for example - I bought a Bloodrazor for 100g that increased by damage output by more than 70%.) The drops will come if you farm the right places.
Once you hit 40, with all of your extra money after you buy your mount, reward yourself if you like with some skill-ups you deprived yourself of during the grind. As an example, when I hit 40 my cooking skill was level 3. I put a bounty out on small eggs that low-level characters were only too happy to meet, because it was lavish to them but a pittance to me. I then moved on to thistle tea, etc. My cooking skill went up to 175 in 1 day and I didn't have to spend any time on it - I just spent the gold and checked my mail from time to time.
After 40 is also a good time to take up a production skill and rush it up if you like - although, unless it's top-level devilsaur or enchanting, you'll probably still make more money from the raw materials.