We talked a few weeks ago about the ability bonuses exclusive to each profession. The idea behind this, of course, is that the majority of these bonuses are relatively equal to one another. If you're a master of your profession, you can expect to receive about 80 Attack Power or 47 Spell Power. You could also pick up an additional 60 Stamina if you're an Enchanter or a Miner.

These are the most common bonuses available to all the professions. However, there are a lot more stats in the game than just Spell Power, Attack Power, and Stamina. (Although, it's a fairly reasonable argument that these are three "sexiest" stats in the game, since they tend to be the centerpiece of many e-peen arguments.)

Especially when you're coming up in the ranks as a new character, there are other stats that are even more important. For example, Hit Rating is frequently regarded as a must have stat. If you're not at the appropriate hit cap for your class, you can never achieve your maximum damage.

This is one of the ways Blacksmithing and Jewelcrafting really shine. These two stats have the ability to laser-focus manage exactly how your crafting bonus will buff your character. Let's take a look behind the cut and start breaking down these two crafting abilities.

The crafter-specific bonus of being a blacksmith is that you get two additional sockets. If we examine the red gem for attack power, we can easily see how it conforms to the normal bonus for a crafter. Since the Bright Cardinal Ruby is worth +40 Attack Power, you'll get a total of +80 Attack Power from being a blacksmith. That is completely in line for the normal profession bonus.

However, not all classes value Attack Power over other stats. Notably, plate-wearing melee DPS all prefer the Strength equivalent. Swapping over to the Bold Cardinal Ruby achieves a profession bonus of +40 Strength. When you focus that through a talent like Divine Strength, the profession bonus becomes +46 Strength. That 6 Strength difference is worth 12 Attack Power, before any additional raid buffs or the like which could affect it. While 12 Attack Power isn't a huge deal, this still reflects why the customization offered by blacksmithing is superior to a flat +80 Attack Power bonus.

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