Gettin' Dirty with Professor Blastbrew

Well met!

Lemme take a minute to introduce meself.  Professor Kormak "Boomstick" Blastbrew, Explorer's League, at yer service.  I'm here today to talk about Archaeology and the fastest ways you, too, can become a Professor ... or even a Seeker of Knowledge!

Now there's no getting around it -- earning that tenure is gonna take you a while.  Just how long depends on the luck of the draw, and some are gonna see it quicker than others.  That bein' said, there are things you can do to grease the wheels a bit.  Because remember: it's not how you get there that's the important part, it's the research you can publish when you're done.

I'm gonna assume, since you're taking this course, that you already know the basics of Archaeology -- where and how to look for fragments, putting them together when you've got enough, all that.  If you don't have a handle on the preliminaries, I suggest you go take Professor Jones's intro course and then come on back over.

Tip 1: Be a Dwarf

Now this is good advice in general.  It's always better to be a dwarf than, say, an elf or one of them Horde folk.  But in this case it's doubly so, for we dwarves are just better at digging (better at digging) than anyone else. 

Look at that perfect form.

Not only will our knack for getting the lay of the land save you time on your quest, our penchant for catching the little bits that the other races overlook mean you'll be putting your treasures together sooner and with less effort.  Win-win.

Tip 2: Be a Hunter

Hands down, hunters are the best Archaeologists.  Not that the support classes can't manage, but hunters have a few little extras that speed things along.  In the case of Aspect of the Cheetah, literally.  Nothing will get you moving from one survey to the next faster than that -- and it's never on cooldown.  Just remember to turn it off if you have to pull out your gun.

Beats a sword every time.

The other big thing is your faithful companion.  As is so often true, having someone to keep the nasties off you while you work is invaluable.  It's not so important for archaeology as it is for things like mining or herbing, but hey -- in less-dangerous parts of the world, your pet can do all the heavy lifting while you sit back and dig.

Archaeology.  Thirsty work.

If for some reason you can't be a hunter, then you have a few less-optimal options.  Druids have that instant-cast bird thing, which makes zipping from one survey to the next real quick.  This is probably second-best; in fact, if dwarves could be druids, it might be first best.  After druid, mages have the easiest time moving around and between worlds, and paladins fly fastest, so those are probably your next-best choices.  For every other class, it's a wash.

Tip 3: Be an Engineer

No profession will help your journey to your PhD more than Engineering.  Specifically, Goblin Engineering.  No, it's not because all the explosives help you clear out the dirt faster.

I know.  I tried it.

Engineering helps because it lets you build gadgets that can get you around the world faster.  For this, the two specialties are almost even -- both let you build a teleporter that can take you to one end of Kalimdor, and you can use the portals in Stormwind to make your way to the other end if you need.  Goblin Engineering slightly edges out Gnomish Engineering, though, because of their Outland portal -- Area 52, at the northern end of Outland, rather than Toshley's Station, which is practically right next to Shattrath.

Side effects may include Z-axis displacement, gender reversal, and magnification of latent demonic tendencies.

Engineering also has a few extra perks via Jeeves and mailbox.  Never know when you might need to stick a finished artifact into your bank, or mail something off to ... look, all that's your business, not mine.  Point is, utility.  Engineering has it.  The other professions, not so much.

Tip 4: Level in Kalimdor

All the previous tips were preparation.  If you've followed them, you're well on your way to that comfy, cushy fellowship at a prestigious Azerothian university.  But in order to get there you'll have to actually do some Archaeology.  And the best way to get your start is in Kalimdor.

Blasphemy, I know.  Straying so far from the comforts of home to go and play with the elves.  Hear me out, though -- as tragic as it is, the elves have the most rares to be found.  The elves also left behind lots of ruins in Kalimdor.  Ergo, the best place to level your Archaeology is in Kalimdor.

It's simple math -- the more treasure a particular race left out there, the more likely it is you'll find something shiny.  On Kalimdor, you'll mostly find goodies from the elves, with some fossils here and there.  Between those two types, there are twelve valuable artifacts to be found.  Over in the East?  Mostly troll with some dwarf, and there are only seven between them.

So yes, much as it pains me to suggest it, stick with the elves while you level.  Once you've become an Artisan archaeologist, head over to Outland and do some digging.  When you become a Master, it's time to go to Northrend.  Then, when you've become an Illustrious Master, it's back to Kalimdor -- because now, you can find Tol'vir artifacts too.

Tip 5: Go to Pandaria As Soon As You Can

It turns out that the archaeologists in Pandaria have a solid operation going on -- so once you can fly there, you should finish out your studies under the tutelage of Lorewalker Cho and the legendary Brann Bronzebeard.  Pandaria treasures are relatively easy to find, but unlike in the Old World, even the common pots and coins have some value -- they can be boxed up and, once you've finished your studies and become a Zen Master, traded to Brann for crates of Old World fragments!

He taught me everything I know.

In fact, the best thing to do is to keep digging in Pandaria until you've uncovered all the available treasures from the mogu, the mantid, and the pandaren.  Then, head back to Kalimdor -- unless you've already found all the elf and fossil artifacts, in which case you should probably focus on the Eastern Kingdoms.  Also, at this point you should trade in your boxed artifacts judiciously -- if you're working on any unusual pieces, finish those first, then spend the rest on elf, fossil, or tol'vir.

And there you go, Professor Blastbrew's best advice on joining the faculty as quickly as possible!  As I said at the beginning, there's no getting around that this is a lot of legwork.  Nevertheless, find yourself a good rhythm and you'll be surprised how quickly the work goes.

Good luck, and happy digging!