How to Be a Successful Miner in World of Warcraft

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Mining is a useful profession if you want to make money and is essential if you plan on being a Blacksmith, Engineer or Jewelcrafter. To be a successful miner, here are a few things to know before you rush off and start chipping away at mineral veins.
Step 1 If you want a moneymaker, mining is a good choice. Minerals usually sell for decent prices in the Auction Hall, and the gems you find are valuable. If you are an Engineer or Blacksmith, you should also take Mining. This will provide you with most of the raw materials you need to be a decent smith or engineer. Leatherworkers should consider Skinning instead of Mining.

Step 2 Get yourself a mining pick. These can be found at Mining Supply vendors the world over. They are typically located near a forge or Mining Trainer. The pick should never leave your inventory.

Step 3 Turn on your Find Minerals ability. This is your primary means of scouting minerals. Without it, it is all too easy to walk right by a valuable mineral vein.

Step 4 Be cautious when approaching a mineral vein. Make sure all mobs are cleared from the vicinity of the vein before you start harvesting. It is always an unwelcome surprise when a mob starts attacking you in the middle of chipping away a Truesilver vein!

Step 5 Be courteous when you are among a group with other Miners. Take turns harvesting minerals and roll for rare veins like Silver, Gold and Truesilver.

Step 6 Smelt minerals if you plan on using them for smithing or engineering. These professions only use bars. Jewelcrafters can use either ore or bars. However, ore almost always sells better in the Auction Hall because lots of people out there are using smelting as a way to boost their Mining skill and would prefer to make bars rather than buy them. Also note that some Alchemy recipes require ore.

Step 7 Bear in mind that smelting will only take you so far. Yes, it provides skill points, but only for a time. By the time you are able to smelt Mithril, you will no longer be receiving any skill points from smelting, so don't stop looking for mineral veins just because you have a lot of ore stashed.

Step 8 If you see an unoccupied mineral vein, go for it. Never pass up a chance to safely harvest minerals. Copper still has its uses, even when you are in the Badlands farming Mithril. Of course, don't let opportunism get in the way of courtesy. If someone is already chipping at a vein, do not stand there and expect them to leave. Mark the spot and come back later.

Step 9 Memorize the places you find mineral veins. Lots of them continually respawn in the exact same place. Several mods can do this for you.

Step 10 Be aware that some metals require special conditions. You don't find bronze in the ground. You receive 2 Bronze Bars from smelting 1 Tin and 1 Copper Bar. Arcanite Bars are created by Alchemists using a Thorium Bar and an Arcane Crystal. Dark Iron Bars are created by using 8 Dark Iron ore in the special forge near the portal to Molten Core. This also requires a special recipe purchased from Gloom'rel in Blackrock Depths.

Step 11 Bring 20 Gold Bars, 10 Truesilver Bars and 2 Star Rubies to Gloom'rel in order to receive the Smelt Dark Iron recipe.

Step 12 Choose your areas wisely when mining. If you play on a PvP server, contested areas like Hillsbrad and Stranglethorn Vale are deathtraps to miners. Steer clear of them for mining purposes.

Step 13 Consider your level before you rush into an area looking for your next mineral tier. Yes, copper may not give you skill points anymore, but rushing off to Winterspring will bring you nothing but trouble. It is advisable to mine at your level. If you are only a high enough level to be in Westfall, mine in Westfall.

Step 14 Head to Un'Goro Crater, the Burning Steppes and the Eastern Plaguelands for your Rich Thorium Veins. They spawn here most often and are easier to get than in Silithus or Aszhara.

Step 15 Don't get discouraged if you don't find a lot of gems. Finding gems is based on completely random chance. Sometimes you'll get three in a single vein, other times you'll go weeks and not find a single gem. Azerothian Diamonds, Arcane Crystals and Blood of the Mountain in particular have extremely low drop rates (around 1%). so keep mining and don't give up!