Hardways.

Professional skill leveling can be more painful than character leveling, but in some ways, equally satisfying. I appreciate that many of you are very experienced players who know most everything there is to know, but for those of us who are just starting to level new characters, they each have their own narratives. "They" need to learn something new, gain access to resources, and figure it out. Also, there are so many excellent resources out there, we don't have to be walking WoW wikis. I was reminded of a boyfriend I had once, and although he was a bona fide* jerk, he did teach me two things: how to change my oil and play craps. (He was a Jersey boy through and through, long before the shenanigans of the Jersey Shore/shudder. And no, I was not, nor would ever be, a Snooky.) In any case, I don't change my own oil anymore. The cost/benefit analysis of paying the good men and women of the lubricating chain stores makes sense, and I don't remember how to play craps anymore. (No, you're not getting hustled: I really don't remember how to play.) 

So, asking a good friend, "Gee, how do I make dark iron bars..." he said something to the effect that it's a lot of trouble. 

And it is.

But, even though I have a few thousand better things to do, right here, right now, I'm going to go to Blackrock Depths and smelt some ore. Because that's kind of cool, that there's a special location to make these bars. 

So, to that end: here is a fun site I came across: http://wow.crafterstome.com/home.html

4.2 Patch Recipes: http://kaliope.crafterstome.com/2011/06/patch-42-recipes-are-up.html

Comments and links to others that you've found useful are appreciated.

*bona fide: made in good faith, which nothing this young man did was in good faith.

Theme song: Casino Queen/Wilco