The final Cataclysm classic phase is approaching and with it we get slightly more new stuff than we got last phase!
Epic gems are in!
Epic gems are back in the final phase of cataclysm. Sadly there’s no prospecting for them, so you can’t own the entire value chain and mass craft. The only way to get the gems is by doing the raid, but the raw gems are freely tradeable, and everyone who kills DS bosses will get some gems. As such we should see an OK supply on all of them on the AH.
Recipe unlocks
The new epic gem recipes cost 5 illustrious Jewelcrafter tokens for a specific gem, or 4 for a random recipe. Obviously picking your gem is WELL worth the premium of one extra token. If you have been slacking on your dailies, now is the time to start picking them up again. You should be able to get a decent chunk of them so you can unlock recipes right away. This time around gaving an even split is a lot less valuable than at launch as there’s no prospecting, so you will just have to buy the specific gems and sell them. Prices will probably start very high and fall off as players swap out all their gems slowly.
Updated pvp items
We will also get a new set of PvP entry level items. These are usually great sellers, even if the new season want swap too much around. Players are likely to start looking ahead to MoP, so I expect we will see a lot more fresh level 85s in the coming weeks, particularly with the experience buff as well. I would definitely get back into restocking these as soon as they are live.
Chaos orbs are free
If we follow the original patch cycle Chaos Orbs should finally be tradeable. This means some crafted items are now able to be sold en masse as you aren’t limited by your dungeon runs. Look into the recipe list to see if there’s something nice, in particular crafted weapons can be a decent seller for fresh level 85s, even if they will swap them out quickly.
Raid crafted gear
Dragon Soul has a set of epic recipes that can drop from Trash. As usual they require a new item dropped from the raid in the form of Essence of Destruction. It drops from the bosses in Dragon Soul on normal and heroic. These will have some potential, but the main market is people leveling alts and it’s very likely they will be a little on the expensive side.