Engineering #2: Choose Your Side!

Although engineering is open to players on both sides of the Horde/Alliance war it does have its gentle rivalries. It is in the goblin settlements of Gadgetzan and Booty Bay that adventurers find a decision to be made, between the goblin and gnome engineering disciplines.

What’s the Difference Between Gnome and Goblin Engineering?

The distinctions are in the schemata. Gnome engineers build different gadgets to goblin engineers, which used to come as a result of membership to one of the two craftsmen’s guilds. Whilst the trainers of yore will have had you swear secrecy and allegiance to their craft, it’s now branded as more of a specialisation.

The distinctions generally run as follows:

• Goblin engineers specialise in explosives, from grenades to compact rocket boots.
  Nearly all the goblin designs will explode, and not always in the enemy’s face as expected. You can expect a boost to your AoE damage but it will be messy, so they might suit warlocks, warriors and paladins best.
• Gnome engineers specialise in gadgets, from death rays to world enlargers and robot battle chickens.
  Though some of the gadgets are fairly versatile, gnome engineering doesn’t offer much in the way of offensive gear. For that reason it suits squishy but offensive characters like rogues, magi, and priests quite well.

Goblin Engineering

“Your want to know about goblin Engineering? Try asking one of their best and brightest engineers about it – I think his name is ‘Nubby Stumpfingers.’ Want to know why he’s named that? THAT’S Goblin Engineering.”

Goblin Engineers can expect to learn:

• Recipe: Goblin Rocket Fuel
  Pass this on to an alchemist in order to receive a key component for your works. The fuel consists of Firebloom and Volatile Rum, so if your alchemist friend asks for materials you’ll need to raid the Bloodsail Pirate camps of Stranglethorn Vale.
• Goblin Construction Helmet [205] (cloth), Goblin Mining Helmet [205] (mail)
  Increase fire resistance and mining skill respectively.
• Goblin Dragon Gun (trinket)
  Similar to a mage’s Cone of Cold or a warlock’s Shadowflame, this does flamethrower-style fire damage in front of the caster, with a chance of backfiring.
• Goblin Sapper Charge [205], Super Sapper Charge [340]
  Similar to a warlock’s Hellfire, these explosives deal AoE damage and injure you for about 80% of the damage done.
• Goblin Mortar [205] (trinket)
  Functions as a refillable bomb, dealing fire damage and stunning targets for 5 seconds. It is limited to a range greater than 5 yards, though, and so can only be used at range.
• Goblin Rocket Boots [225] (cloth)
  Though they will replace boots more beneficial to combat, these boots allow you to sprint like a rogue for 20 seconds, assuming they don’t explode.
• The Big One [225], The Bigger One [325]
  Inflicts heavy fire damage and stuns targets just like any other bomb type. These bombs also form a part of other schemata, such as the goblin teleporters.
• Goblin Bomb Dispenser [230] (trinket)
  Allows you to send a walking bomb into battle, similar to the Explosive Sheep, every 30 minutes.
• Goblin Rocket Helmet [235] (cloth)
  You charge at an enemy, stunning them for 30 seconds if they’re younger than level 60.
• Dimensional Ripper: Everlook [260], Dimensional Ripper: Everlook [350]
  Allow you to teleport to the goblin outposts at Winterspring and Netherstorm once every four hours. Given the distance between Shattrath and the level 68-70 Outland zone, the latter can be a particularly handy device to have, but you can expect the occasional side effect during transit.
• Goblin Jumper Cables XL [265]
  An improvement on the generic engineers’ Goblin Jumper Cables, offering you a 50% chance to resurrect another player outside of combat. These do not require the user to be a goblin specialist, so they can be traded to gnome engineers.
• Foreman’s Enchanted Helmet [350] (cloth), Foreman’s Reinforced Helmet [350] (mail)
  Possibly useful headwear for tackling higher-level Outland foes, increasing your odds of resisting stuns while offering spell power and attack power bonuses respectively.
• Goblin Rocket Launcher [350] (trinket)
  Launches a rocket after a short casting period, similar in nature to a warlock‘s Soul Fire. The rocket is capable of stunning the enemy but it will force you to the floor for a few seconds. This can lend some surprising advantages if timed well during an instance.

Gnome Engineering

Gnome Engineers can expect to learn:

• Plans: Inlaid Mithril Cylinder
  Pass this on to a blacksmith so they can make a few unique components for your metalworking. All the materials are miner-friendly, so you need only worry about gathering Mithril, Truesilver and Gold.
  

• Gnomish Death Ray (trinket)
  Deals a massive amount of damage to an enemy while inflicting physical harm upon yourself. While such damage can be absorbed by shields, both engineer-made and cast (such as by paladins and priests), there isn’t always a guarantee of hitting. One oddity of the device is that while it does bind to you on construction, you can drop the engineering trade and still make use of the death ray.
  
• Gnomish Shrink Ray [205] (trinket), Gnomish Poultryizer [340] (trinket)
  The shrink ray has relatively unreliable odds of shrinking the target, reducing attack power by 250. In my experience, this has shrunk both myself and my party members more often than it did the enemy. The Poultryizer attempts to polymorph the target instead, though it risks ‘poultryising’ you.
• Gnomish Goggles [210] (cloth), Gnomish Power Goggles [375] (cloth), Gnomish Battle Goggles [375] (cloth)
  A fairly uniform range of goggles, with the power and battle goggles benefitting spell casters and melee attackers respectively.
• Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector [210] (trinket)
  Similar to a spider’s web shots or tailor-made nets, these are intended to trap an enemy for 10 seconds. As ever, they have a chance of backfiring, in this instance by getting caught in your clothes…
  
• Gnomish Mind Control Cap [215] (cloth)
  Intended to function like a priest’s Mind Control, for the much shorter duration of 20 seconds. Makes an interesting companion to the generic engineer’s Gnomish Universal Remote.
• Gnomish Harm Prevention Belt [225] (leather), Nigh Invulnerability Belt [350] (cloth)
  An ideal choice for rogues and shaman, the original ‘on use’ device will absorb 500 damage on a 10-minute cooldown. The cloth variant will absorb 4000 every 5 minutes, but there’s risk it will in fact increase the damage received.
• Gnomish Rocket Boots [225]
  Apparently identical to the Goblin Rocket Boots, allowing you the chance to sprint like a rogue for 20 seconds.
• Gnomish Battle Chicken [230] (trinket)
  Possibly the best argument to go gnomish instead of goblin. The failsafe device will summon a particularly angry chicken to fight for you for nearly 2 minutes every 20 minutes, often dealing enough damage to steal threat away. It functions like a hunter, death knight or voidwalker pet would, but is permanently fixed on ‘aggressive’, so while it’s useful in a tight spot it does risk drawing even more enemies into your fight.
• World Enlarger [250]
  A frill device, enlarging the world around you (or shrinking yourself) for 5 minutes or until you’re attacked.
• Ultrasafe Transporter: Gadgetzan [260], Ultrasafe Transporter: Toshley’s Station [350]
  Allow you to teleport to the goblin outposts at Tanaris and the gnomish outpost in Blade’s Edge Mountains once every four hours. The former can prove very useful indeed, for quick transit to a level 40-50 area. The latter will benefit Alliance players more than Horde, as Toshley’s Station is an Alliance-only area, but it does put you within quick flying distance of Thunderlord Stronghold (Mag’har) and Area 52 (goblin).
  
• Gnomish Alarm-o-Bot [265]
  Summons a companion who lasts 2 minutes, capable of detecting stealthed and invisible enemies, similar to a hunter’s Flare. Has particular potential in PvP battlegrounds.
• Gnomish Flame Turret [325]
  Offers you an imitation shaman’s fire totem, usually set to attack nearby enemies. Its cooldown is a mere 1 minute.
• Gnomish X-Ray Specs [350]
  Another frill item with no combat benefit – instead it allows you to see players without any armour on.

How Do I Specialise?

As mentioned previously, the process for choosing an engineering speciality has been revised, and not too recently. Though a referral from Tinkerwiz in Ratchet may still stand, you can accept the quest entitled Show Your Work from Nixx Sprocketspring (goblin), Tinkmaster Overspark (gnome) or Oglethorpe Obnosticus (gnome). The reason gnome engineers have two sources for learning the trade is that gnome engineering is also represented in the dwarven city of Ironforge, wherein Overspark resides. Horde players wishing to learn the trade must speak to Obnosticus in Booty Bay.

The quest is made available once you pass level 30 and have an engineering skill higher than 200.

Goblin Engineers

• Speak to Nizz Sprocketspring in Gadgetzan, a short run away from the Shimmering Flats in Thousand Needles.
• Accept his quest to build the following:
  • 5x Explosive Sheep
    • 5x Bronze Framework (10x Bronze Bar, 5x Medium Leather, 5x Wool Cloth)
    • 5x Whirring Bronze Gizmo (10x Bronze Bar, 5x Wool Cloth)
    • 10x Heavy Blasting Powder (10x Heavy Stone)
    • 10x Wool Cloth
  • 20x Big Iron Bomb
    • 60x Heavy Blasting Powder (60x Heavy Stone)
    • 60x Iron Bar
    • 20x Silver Contact 4x Silver Bar)
  • 20x Solid Dynamite
    • 20x Solid Blasting Powder (40x Solid Stone)
    • 20x Silk Cloth
• Hand the samples in and enjoy access to a new set of trainers. You may find these in Ratchet (Gazlowe’s hut), Gadgetzan (Sprocketspring’s hut) and Dalaran (Like Clockwork).

Gnome Engineers

• Horde players speak to Oglethorpe Obnosticus in Booty Bay, Alliance players speak to Tinkmaster Overspark in Ironforge’s Tinker Town.
• Accept the quest to build the following:
  • 6x Mithril Tube
    • 18x Mithril Bar
  • 1x Accurate Scope
    • 1x Bronze Tube (2x Bronze Bar, 1x Weak Flux)
    • 1x Jade
    • 1x Citrine
  • 2x Advanced Target Dummy
    • 8x Heavy Leather
    • 2x Bronze Framework (4x Bronze Bar, 2x Medium Leather, 2x Wool Cloth)
    • 2x Gyrochronatom
      • 2x Iron Bar
      • 2x Gold Power Core (1x Gold Bar)
    • 2x Iron Strut (4x Iron Bar)
• Hand the samples in and enjoy access to a new set of trainers. You may find these in Ironforge (Tinker Town), Booty Bay (Oglethorpe’s hut) and Dalaran (Like Clockwork).