WoW Cataclysm Classic Archaeology Guide

In this Cataclysm Archaeology Guide, we’ll teach you how to become a master archaeologist.

Archaeology presents a wealth of exclusive rewards, such as toys, mounts, pets, achievements, and even some powerful endgame gear. These rewards are account-bound, making them shareable across all your characters. Consequently, most players opt to level up Archaeology on just one character.

Cata Classic Training In Archaeology

Acquiring the skill of Archaeology differs from other professions, as it cannot be acquired until reaching level 20. However, similar to all other professions in Cataclysm, you can train in all levels of Archaeology at any Archaeology trainer. Every 75 levels, you must train in the next tier of the skill before advancing further.

Archaeology Trainers

In every major city, there’s an Archaeology trainer eager to share their expertise. Here are their names and where to find them:

Alliance:

• Diya, found in The Exodar at The Vault of Lights (34.6, 66.8).
• Doktor Professor Ironpants, residing in Ironforge’s Hall of Explorers (75.6, 11.6).
• Hammon the Jaded, can be located in Darnassus at The Temple of the Moon (43.2, 83.6).
• Harrison Jones, positioned in Stormwind at Stormwind Keep (85.6, 25.8).

Horde:

• Adam Hossack, based in Undercity’s Magic Quarter (76.0, 36.4).
• Belloc Brightblade, found in Orgrimmar at Grommash Hold (49.0, 79.6).
• Elynara, resides in Silvermoon City at The Royal Exchange (81.6, 63.8).
• Otoh Greyhide, located in Thunder Bluff at Elder Rise (75.8, 28.0).

Neutral:

• Boduro the Seeker, situated in Shattrath’s Lower City (62.5, 70.2).
• Dariness the Learned, located in Dalaran at The Legerdemain Lounge (48.5, 38.6).

Leveling Archaeology

Advancing in Archaeology can be accomplished through three methods:

• Excavating a fragment grants 1 point (up to skill level 50).
• Solving a common artifact awards five points.
• Solving a rare artifact earns 15 points.

To level efficiently, focus on excavating fragments until reaching level 50, preserving both fragments and keystones. Once excavation ceases to yield skill points, proceed to solve artifacts until reaching the level cap.

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Dwarven Chip

In Cataclysm, Dwarves gain a new racial ability called Explorer, which positions them as the premier race for mastering Archaeology. This unique racial skill enhances the quantity of fragments you can gather per excavation and facilitates faster surveying.

Searching And Digging For Fragments

To utilize your Archaeology skill, you must first locate a digsite and then use your Survey ability to unearth artifacts. Below, we’ll guide you through the process.

Digsites

To begin excavating artifacts, you must first find a digsite. Each continent has four digsites available at any given time. Once you complete a digsite on a continent, a new one will appear on your map. Your digsites are exclusive to you; other players cannot excavate your artifacts. However, you may encounter other players with digsites in the same location.

Digsites are represented on the continent map by a shovel icon. Zooming in on the zone will reveal areas outlined in red, indicating the digsite locations.

Initially, you can only access digsites in Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. Upon reaching Archaeology skill level 300, you’ll gain access to Outland digsites. At level 375, you can dig in Northrend. Achieving level 450 allows you to excavate in Cataclysm zones for levels 80–85. Digsites are fixed in specific locations, so you may excavate the same site multiple times. They are not found in starting zones, as these areas are too low-level for Archaeology.

Surveying

Upon reaching a digsite, you can employ your Survey ability, found in the Professions tab of your Spellbook. You can only use Survey while inside a digsite (within the red outline on the map).

Surveying will display a telescope-like object pointing toward the nearest fragment, with an attached light indicating the distance.

Here are approximate distances, though they may vary based on digsite size:

• Red: 80 yards or more.
• Yellow: 40-80 yards.
• Green: Under 40 yards.

Move in the direction indicated by the telescope (the wider end) and Survey again. You may need to repeat this process several times before pinpointing the exact location. The telescope’s direction is not precise; it’s more of a cone. Sometimes, you’ll be fortunate to uncover the fragment on your initial dig or even discover multiple fragments in the same spot without the telescope’s appearance.

Once you use the Survey ability close enough to the fragment, it will materialize on the ground instead of the telescope, allowing you to pick it up by clicking on it.

The fragment’s appearance varies depending on the digsite type, but it’s easily recognizable by the golden sparkles surrounding it. If you’re having difficulty locating it, you should spot it as a yellow dot on your minimap. Don’t delay in picking it up, as it can vanish, requiring you to start over. Looting it will yield multiple fragments and possibly a keystone.

Once you’ve looted from three fragments, the current digsite will disappear from your map, and a new one will emerge elsewhere on the same continent.

Crafting Goodies And Artifacts

Surveying will yield fragments and keystones, which are essential for creating artifacts. Let’s look at everything in order:

Fragments

Fragments are fundamental for assembling artifacts. The type of fragments you unearth depends on the digsite location. Since each continent only hosts four active digsites at a time, acquiring specific fragments often involves excavating unrelated sites until a digsite containing the desired fragments appears. You can accumulate up to 200 fragments of each type.

Below is a table detailing the various types of fragments, the skill level required to excavate them, and their respective locations. The location names are ranked based on the frequency of finding the fragment type in each area, with the top location being the most favorable for finding it.

Keystones

While excavating fragments, you may occasionally acquire keystones. These are tradable items that can be bought and sold on the Auction House. Keystones serve two primary purposes: providing buffs in endgame dungeons (refer to the Archaeology Dungeon Quests section at the bottom of this guide) or aiding in completing artifacts.

Each keystone counts as 12 fragments of the same type. However, you can only use 1-3 keystones per artifact, so you’ll still need to collect fragments as well. It’s worth noting that there are no keystones available for fossils. Below are all the keystones and their associated artifact types:

Artifacts

To view your current research projects, open your Archaeology profession window and click on the blue bookmark on the right. A new project is initiated each time you obtain a new type of fragment, and it remains active until completion. However, you cannot select which artifact to work on, as the game randomly chooses one. Therefore, if you’re aiming for a specific reward, you may need to complete multiple artifacts of the same type before accessing your desired one.

Clicking on a race reveals its ongoing research project. Most projects involve common artifacts, gray or white-quality items that can be sold to vendors for gold. Occasionally, you’ll encounter a rare artifact, such as a toy, pet, mount, or endgame gear piece.

A progress bar indicates the number of fragments you currently possess for that type. Below the progress bar are hexagonal sockets where you can insert keystones of the same type. Common artifacts typically have one keystone slot, while rare artifacts have three slots. Each keystone adds the equivalent of 12 fragments to your progress bar.

When the progress bar is full, the Solve button turns red, indicating that you can click it to create the item. Any remaining fragments are retained, and a new research project appears while the item is placed in your inventory.

You can review your completed artifacts by clicking on the purple bookmark in the Archaeology window.

Cataclysm Archaeology Rewards

Archaeology offers a plethora of unique vanity items, along with several pieces of 359 item-level gear. These items are all account-bound, allowing you to mail them to your other characters. The gear is generally superior to anything except Heroic raid loot, making it desirable for many players as part of their endgame gearing process.

Cata Classic Archaeology Dungeon Quests

Characters with Archaeology skills leveled to at least 425 gain access to repeatable quests within various high-level dungeons. These quests require a specific keystone to be turned in and grant your party a unique buff for the duration of the dungeon.

Here are the buffs, quests, keystones, and locations:

Let’s Sum It Up!

Archeology is quite an interesting profession, which does not pull the blanket over itself as the main one. This profession is suitable primarily for players who like to explore and get to know World of Warcraft. Exploring locations, searching for artifacts, which are rewarded with all sorts of wonders, along with immersion in the history of race civilizations, as well as additional quests. A very nice innovation in Cataclysm.

F.A.Q.

At what level can I take Archeology in WoW Cataclysm Classic?

You can learn a profession from Trainers in faction capitals from level 20 in WoW Сata Classic.

Which Race is Best for Archeology in WoW Сataclysm Classic?

Dwarves have privileges for the Archeology profession through the passive skill Explorer. A nice bonus if you decide to take a thorough approach to this profession.

What is the benefit of Archeology, and what can it give in WoW Cata Classic?

Archaeology offers an abundance of unique rewards, including toys, mounts, pets, achievements, and even some potent endgame gear.

What is the maximum level of the Archeology profession in WoW Cataclysm Classic?

The maximum Archeology level you can reach in Cataclysm Classic is 525.