Archaeology allows you to discover valuable treasures and learn ancient lore of the world.
So in my travels around the newly ravaged Azeroth I have come across an interesting new profession, Archaeology! This post will cover everything I know about this interesting and exciting new profession. I am going to be updating the post and the maps in it as often as I can. Any help is appreciated! If I missed something or if you have any digsites/fossil fields to add to the map, feel free to comment below and let me know!
A quick mention: The guide is out of date, I know. I will be working on it soon and just getting all the new information in here. Keep checking back!
Firstly, you can find the FAQ and maps at the bottom of the post. (Check them both out!) You can read the full, official, announcement of how the profession works below. You can find a link to this post in the sidebar of my site. I will be updating this regularly! Below that you can find a little explanation of my own including pictures, maps and I will even be adding a video soon explaining it all.
How Archaeology Works – By Ghostcrawler
Cataclysm Archaeology Guide And Preview on YouTube
For those of you too lazy to read the entire post, we’ve got you covered! Sit back and enjoy the Cataclysm Archaeology Guide And Preview on YouTube.
If you liked the video please subscribe! Be sure to check out the latest Pulse episodes over at Tales of Lumin on YouTube as well. Help me help you!
Where Do I Train It?
Ironforge (Hall Of Explorers)
Stormwind (Royal Library)
Darnassus (
Orgrimmar (The Valley Of Strenght)
Thunderbluff, (The Elder Rise)
Undercity (The Magic Quarter)
Silvermoon City (Royal Exchange)
Shattrath City (Lower City)
Night Elf, Troll, Dwarf and Fossil can be used when training the skill.Draenei and orc require archaeology skill 300.
Vrykul and nerubian requires skill 375.
Tol’vir requires skill 450.
Those extras that you find while surveying (Troll Tablet, Highborne Scroll, Dwarf Rune Stone, etc.) will also come in handy if you know where to use them. They make that research go quite a bit faster so use them when you can. Keep in mind that the slot is only available on certain items and will not always be there. See below!
I have started adding a few questions here that I have been asked over the past week or two. I will be updating this as I go along. I am also working hard at getting the maps updated again, check back soon! (If you have anything to add, let me know!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What are the Troll Tablet, Highborne Scroll, Dwarf Rune Stone, etc. used for?
A:You can use these to make that research go a bit faster. (See above) There is a slot that appears on some of the artifacts that need to be solved that you will be able to place one of these in. Once in it will add a set number of ‘fragments’ to the research, thereby making it easier to solve! Keep in mind that the slot is only available on certain items and will not always be there.
Q:Should I save fragments till my skill is at 100 and then start solving those artifacts?
A:I think that generally it would work out better if you do. You stop getting those skill points from Surveys at around 100 Archaeology Skill so after that it’s just those solves!
Q:How do I get the fragments I want? I want Tol’vir but I never get sent to Uldum.
A:Luck! That is one of the harder parts of Archaeology. You just need to keep surveying, clearing those digsites or fossil fields and hoping the ones you want will spawn after you clear the others.
Q: Why are there no digsites or fossil fields in Elwyn, Durotar, Eversong, Azuremyst Isle, Teldrassil, etc?
A: You can only train the Archaeology Skill at level 20. You won’t find those fragments in the low-level starting areas! This also makes it easier for the level 80’s picking it up to start off in the higher level areas instead of trekking all the way to the starting zones.
Q:Do the digsites ever change or cycle? Will they stay the same untill I survey them completely?
A:They won’t change untill you survey them completely. (Unless Blizzard decides otherwise) I have had patches been applied to the servers, restarts and shutdowns, but the sites stay the same! So if there are ones you don’t like just go survey them and get them out of the way!
Q:What’s this talk about Triangulating to get to your fossil or artifact?
A: While the triangulating method is cool and all and might well be useful later on, I just find that, more often than not, it ends up being easier just looking which direction the scope is pointing and following it based on the distance. You can use your mount to skip the longer red distances and after a bit of practice you will be able to do it quite effectively in 3 or less Surveys.
Q: Are there set spawn points for artifacts or fossils within the digsites or fossil fields?
A:Yes, that seems to be the case! That means after doing this for quite some time the chances are good that you will be able to know quite a few of the spawns and speed up the Surveying process a lot.
To help you all make your choices of which digsite / fossil field to pick I have created a map showing where exactly you will find which artifacts or fossils. So should you want to quickly power your way to the cute little Fossilized Hatchling, this is where you’ll wanna look! The map has a legend showing which colors belong to which races. Enjoy!
Last Map Update: 16 October, 2010. Updated the Outland Map. Working on a few more soon, been really busy!
The higher you level your skill the better the items you will receive, obviously. There are a couple of Epic level 85 Bind on account items to be found as well as a few mounts, pets and other interesting things. See the posts over at MMO-Champion or World of Raids for more on that.
Keep checking back here for updates and don’t hesitate to comment if you have anything to add. Feel free to link or use the maps anywhere you like but please refer or link back to my site if you do! 😀
Enjoy!
[…] thought I would just remind eveyone that there is a really cool Cataclysm Archaeology Guide up here on Mitarn. It has a bunch of information and a lot of cool maps included! There’s […]
Very nice post.
Hey, thanks! 😀
And thanks for the comment too. I will try update these maps as often as possible! Next update is tomorrow sometime.
Just wanted to add that there is a Night Elven dig site in Darkshire next to the Emerald Dream portal
Great video and article, really looking forward to doing some digging in Cataclysm.
Just have one question I can’t seem to find an answer to: The gray items created through solving the artifacts, what do you do with them? Vendor trash? What do they typically sell for?
Hey Dracula
Thanks for the comment.
The gray items are usually just vendored. They usually sell for no more than a couple of silver. The higher your skill the more their value, of course. I think once you get above about 200 skill the profession really gets interesting!
But ye, don’t expect this profession to make much gold for you! 😀
Asu, thanks a lot! We have added that one and will be uploading new maps in the morning!
[…] can also find a cool Cataclysm Archaeology Guide here. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Cataclysm – The Female GoblinWoW Goblin […]
[…] has made quite an extensive guide from experience in the Beta, and Totalbiscuit also has made a video on the subject. Whether for […]
http://img843.imageshack.us/f/outlandsdigging.jpg/
http://img121.imageshack.us/f/northrenddigging.jpg/
just a few more you missed, mine ain’t done at all just cnped the screens
One thing I’m curious about and hasn’t been mentioned before, do the spawn points for a given player ever change other than excavation? I’m sure simply logging out and back in doesn’t randomize them, but what about a server restart?
[…] has put together a fantastic guide to Archaeology, including maps with color coded locations marked so you can quickly glance and know what to expect […]
Xentropy, good question and thanks for asking!
They never change. I guess unless Blizzard wants them to they won’t change by themselves. I have had patches been applied to the servers, restarts and shutdowns, but the sites stay the same!
And thanks Madax! I am looking into those today! 😀
Hey there!
AWESOME guide, thanks a lot!
btw, I’m in charge of the community management of GameCreds.com (http://www.gamecreds.com) – we have just released a new full-fledged blog section for members.
Would you be ok to open a Blog page here on GameCreds? I’m pretty damn sure the thousands of WoW players registered there would love to read this, and I’ll make sure we shed some light on it!
In any case, keep up the good work 🙂
++Titio
[…] Mitran Guide ( Best Archaeology guide out there ) […]
[…] Cataclysm: Archaeology Guide And Maps […]
seems to be very booooooooooooring profession
exists some benefits from this professions like from jewelcrafting and others?
Not really Dededede, you can get cool items, pets and mounts. Otherwise as far as I can tell there are no passives or anything extra like that!
Nice guide, definatley going to save he maps for when the expansion hits..would kill to have archeology for now though if I could 😦
Want in the beta so badly just to lvl this
thanks for the great work.
This is what I (and everyone else) will need to know
Awesome job sven
Ehm just nice Thank You!
[…] you get beyond picking what continent to be on, so be prepared for some frustration. The maps found here are quite […]
[…] https://mitarn.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/cataclysm-archaeology-guide-and-maps/ […]
[…] https://mitarn.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/cataclysm-archaeology-guide-and-maps/ […]
Nice points. Do you get xp for low level archaeology while at level 80-something? If so, roughly how much?
Might do some of this while my mage is queued for random dungeons and horde camps quest areas in the new zones…
@wikinetwow You get a lot! It gives you the same amount as your gathering profs would give. My girlfriend actually got to level 82 by just doing Archaeology!
The items you can get are pretty great too. I am gonna be updating this guide soon, probably over this coming weekend to reflect the new changes and additions 😛
Note: Triangulating really doesnt work in live because it appears the direction the telescope points is random, but never off more than 90 degrees in either direction from the artifact. Still the fact that it doesn’t point directly at the target means triangulation is useless.
I have reached my 525 skill yesterday after 4 days of digging, working on my 9th rare artifact at the moment, but still, one question lies on my head.
What is that 10th race all about? You dont get it at 525 that’s for sure 🙂
Is it on live servers yet? How do you unlock it? What does it award you? I’m so curious 😀
In the meantime i’ll just keep on working on my arqueology wish list, 1 ou of 4 done – the Ring of the Boy Emperor hurray 😀
[…] Alle Karten stammen vom Archäologie-Guide von Mitarn. […]
In Kalimdor, if your 78+, you should set your heartstone to nordrassil (mt. Hyjal) and from there fly down and then hs back, since its the highest place of the continent and is well placed on the map.
hi.
I just did some stupid pics about scops, how i think they work, and its helped me a lot. dont blame me i did it in paint 😀 if there is any pics like this (only better) on net plz link here, i didnt find any 🙂
ok i found some info:
* Green, 100 yards
sorry here it is:
Green, less then 50 yards
Yellow, between 50 and 100 yards
Red, more then 100 yards
[…] Die Karten stammen von Mitarn. […]
There is another fossil field in the southern barrens @ coordinates 44.7 43.8
🙂
great guide, thanks. got my questions answered 😀
Nice guide but you as well as everyother guide that ive read forget to mention the vaulable xp to be gained with this prof i went from 82 to 84 thanks though i found it usefull
[…] The busiest day of the year was September 24th with 6337 views. The most popular post that day was Cataclysm: Archaeology Guide And Maps. […]
I just wanted to thank you for putting this together, it’s helped me so much, I am finally working on my fossil pet thanks to knowing which sites are fossil when they pop. I really appreciate this.
im lvl 190 and none of my artifacts give me XP. thats so lame
I have been looking for a list of zones and which artifacts can be found there, and finding maps was an even better surprise! thanks for taking the time to do them!
[…] Alle Karten stammen vom Archäologie-Guide von Mitarn. […]
So is ogre a speculation or a confirmed 10th race for archaeology? Cause i haven’t found anywhere else besides here.
K so ive got a question. My archeology is about 100-110 and every dig site i go to is pretty much grey. Is there a reason why this is happening? Also is there a way to tell if its grey on the map?
Joe after 100 digsites stop giving levels for kal and EK, not sure about outlands and north thoguh. Would assume the same, you have to get levels from solving.
K thanks very much
Archeology took some time to level, but there are two other benefits to it. If you start at 80 or 81, you will level to 83 or 84 by the time you reach 525. That is a pretty good alternative to questing and allows you to explore the changes in the world.
With today’s patch, I was just given a totally new digsite in Northrend, another Nerubian spot just north of the one already in Icecrown.
I can only presume this isn’t the only one to have been added, so just a heads-up.
Has there been any more updates thereafter to this post?
Seems to have been quite after this.
Well, I was wondering if this profession will enable you to uncover artifacts that are above your level of use;
For example, if you are a level 82, can you potentialy uncover the Zin Blade (which requires level 85 to use)?
You can get level 85 items before level 85. The chances are pretty slim, though, as they require quite a lot of fragments to create and, well, you also gain experience from doing the archaeology, so you will probably level by just doing that.
You can, however, get those items on your other characters, perhaps the ones that are already level 85, then move them over to your alts. (some of them are Bind on Account)