Which professions to pick: good pairings

It's best to pick two crafts where one feeds the other. Below are the pairings you can see straight from the game's recipes: what one craft makes, the other consumes.

Pairings at a glance

Tailor and enchanter

From skill 150 a tailor needs Arcane Dust (Silk Pants, and from 200 Mageweave Cloth), the Enchanted Cloak (270) needs Greater Magic Essence and the epic robe needs a Nexus Crystal. An enchanter gets all of that by disenchanting, and the tailor's own green and blue gear can go into the disenchanter. Neither needs a gathering profession: Linen Cloth drops from enemies, and the Merchant sells Salt Crystals and Blank Vellum. Dust and essences also drop in dungeons — for every party member, from undead, demons and elementals. Silk Cloth (enemies of level 25–44) and Runecloth (45+), which a tailor weaves into bolts for silk and runecloth gear, drop only in dungeons, from humanoids and worgen (Dungeon materials).

Engineer and blacksmith

Both crafts grant Mining and both smelt copper and iron bars. Only a blacksmith makes the Silver Bar (skill 30), and an engineer needs it for Wiring (from 45). Only an engineer makes Flux (skill 90), and a blacksmith needs it for the Truesilver Bar (225). The downside: you'll have only one gathering profession.

Leatherworker

The most self-sufficient craft. Bundled Skinning provides all 8 tiers of hides, the Merchant sells Curing Salt (or you make it yourself from skill 30), and unwanted leather and mail armour can be scrapped back into leather. From outside you need Tin Ore (one recipe), a Nexus Crystal for the epic cuirass and dungeon materials for kits — Bone, Chitin and Dragon Scale (every party member gets them, no profession needed). Embossed Boots and Mosaic Mail are learned from dungeon boss scrolls.

Alchemist

Bundled Herbalism feeds every potion, and the Merchant sells Empty Vials. An alchemist also has Transmutation (each one once a day): from skill 175 into a Radiant Shard, from 275 into a Nexus Crystal. The shard takes 3 Greater Magic Essence and 2 Soul Dust, the crystal takes 3 Radiant Shards and 2 essences. Essences, Soul Dust and shards come from disenchanting — so an alchemist pairs well with an enchanter. Enchanters need the shards, and blacksmiths, leatherworkers and tailors need the crystals too, so they sell well at the Auction House.

Cooking and fishing

Both are secondary: any hero can take them on top of two crafts. From Cooking skill 80 every dish needs fish, and Fishing provides all 8 kinds. Raw Meat drops from beasts with no profession, and the Merchant sells Flour and Spices.

Who supplies whom is shown in the game on each profession's Links tab in Supply.