Best WoW Profession Guides

This guide is updated for patch 4.0.3a.

This WoW Archaeology Guide was designed for leveling from 1-525.

Archaeology is the newest secondary profession to hit World of Warcraft with the release of the Cataclysm expansion. It's a unique skill that doesn't require you to buy mats off the Auction House or to complete with other players for nodes (like in Mining and Herbalism). Archaeology is basically a self paced discovery skill that you can do at your own leisure. It doesn't reward you with anything you'll really find valuable or useful for raiding or PvPing so it's up to you for when and how you level your skill up.

Although it can sound complex, Archaeology is actually really simple to do and to level up, it's a no-brainer. Below you'll find the basics.

1-525 Archaeology Guide

1-100: Survey Dig Sites
100-525: Begin Solving Artifacts and Continue to Dig Sites

As you can see from the 1-525 guide above, it's not really a guide and not really complex. If you are clueless as to what I'm talking about in reference to Survey, Dig Sites, Artifacts, and so on, read more.

Dig Sites

Once you train up your Archaeology skill you'll be able to see Dig Sites on your big map (hit the "m" key). There are four of these per continent and you'll see a different number of them depending on what level you are. For example if you are level 20 you aren't going to see them on Northrend or in the Outland.

You now need to travel to one of these Dig Sites to Survey it. Keep in mind that in order to get new Dig Sites to spawn you'll need to dig one out.

Survey

Now that you are at a Dig Site you need to use your Survey skill. Once you do this a survey tool will pop up and point in the direction you need to go to find a Fragment (these are the things you are looking for which you will use to make an Artifact). The tool will also display a color: Green (close), Yellow (farther away), and Red (not close). Use the tool again and again until you locate the Fragment.

Artifacts

You'll be collecting Fragments for your first 100 levels, you will stop gaining levels from Surveying at 100 and then you'll need to begin solving Artifacts. The Artifacts are the things you create with the Fragments you have been looting.

I hope that this explanation clears up any confusion about Archaeology and if anything else, just train up the skill and try it out for yourself and you'll find that it's really easy!

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