WoW Insider Trader: Icecrown gold rush

With the battle against the Lich King looming closer and closer on the horizon, the crafty craftperson is already getting ready to pepper the local auction house with crafted items. Guilds will need to slap on crafted items to quickly round out behind-the-gear-curve raid members, and the auction house will be the first place they turn to do that. The gear you build and prepare now will be quickly sold when it's time to fight Arthas.

This conjecture, of course, leads us to question what items we should be preparing for Icecrown Citadel. What items will be of any use to a raider? What will they be willing to cough up good cash to purchase? Which items will be meaningful, and not simply fodder for immediate replacement?

Take a look behind the cut to see what we think will be good stuff to sell when the new raid is released.

Alchemy

Alchemists continue to exploit the market on two particular items -- potions and flasks. None of the stuff that you're selling now is going to spontaneously become useless. It's not like tanks are suddenly going to spurn the quick health boost of a Runic Healing Potion.

So, what are the items to be ready to put up on the Auction House? The Flask of Endless Rage will still be a go-to item for physical damage raiders, while the Flask of the Frost Wyrm is the spell-caster's counterpart.

Just as important, though, is that you should expect Jewelcrafters to be eager for epic gems. They're going to keep filling and refilling gem sockets for raiders. And while they can score a raw gem for ten thousand honor a pop, it's going to be difficult for them to keep up with the demand that way. Your gem transmutes will be useful and profitable quickly.

Blacksmithing 

The bad news here is that if you haven't already been raiding Trial of the Champion, you're not going to see your old blacksmithing gear sell very well. The readily available Emblem gear is going to supercede most of your old Saronite and Titanium standbys. However, if you've managed to pick up any plans like the Saronite Swordbreakers or the Sunforged Breastplate, you might be able to get a couple of them out to needful buyers.

In the very least, your belt buckles are still going to be valuable to anyone who picks up a new belt.

Enchanting

Enchanters should be starting their engines and getting ready to fire up their very best Trade Channel speeches. Your standby enchants -- spell power, strengh, crit -- will be the exact same stuff you've always sold. However, all of your raiding customers are about to see a whole new set of gear. Guild enchanters will be stressed to keep up with the demand. Getting a few vellum-based enchants up on the Auction House will satisfy the impulsive, instant gratification crowd.

Jewelcrafting

The same advice I'm giving the enchanters applies to you -- everyone's about to start rolling over into a whole new set of gear. However, you need to do a little more preparation, given the more difficult ramp in obtaining your raw materials. I've always found the honor-purchase route to be the easiest, but I'm a little bit of a battleground fan.