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Archaeology is the newest addition to the list of secondary skill in WoW. Introduced in the Cataclysm expansion, this profession offers a lot of interesting content and a chance to see what's underneath Azeroth--literally. Archaeologists must travel around the world, looking for fragments of ancient artifacts, many of which have interesting tidbits of lore attached.

Dig Sites

Archaeology works unlike any other profession in the game right now. The moment you learn archaeology, you will see 4 dig sites appear in random zones of every content your skill allows for. Originally that would be only Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, but Outland will unlock when you reach 300 and Northrend will be yours at 350. The only exception to the rule is Uldum, which unlocks at 450 and is the only zone with Tol'vir dig sites.

Fragments

Those dig sites will belong to one of the 9 archaeology races. The race each site is associated with is important, because it will determine the type of fragments and keystones you gain when you Survey the site. You can survey each site to find exactly three containers with fragments, each yielding 6-9 (depending on luck and skill) fragments and if you get lucky - a keystone, which can be used instead of 12 fragments in most artifacts. To find the locations of the fragments' containers on each site, you will need to use the survey spell repeatedly to triangulate on the position of the fragments. Each time you cast Survey, you will see a telescope-like tool pointing in the direction of the nearest fragments, as well as light (red, yellow, or green) indicating how close the container is.

Artifacts

You will use the fragments you have found to create artifacts, both common and rare. Every time you complete an artifact of a certain race (or when you first find fragments), you will be assigned a new artifact of that race, usually common (gray vendor trash like Castle of Sand) but occasionally a rare (vanity item or an epic weapon/armor like Crawling Claw or Nifflevar Bearded Axe). Each artifact takes a fixed number of fragments and up to 3 keystones. When you have enough to solve the artifact, you can do so on its page and be assigned a new project. Higher skill level allows you to research better rare artifacts, but does not seem to increase your chance of getting one over getting a common.

For its exclusive vanity items alone, many of which offer players unique appearance altering effects or non-combat pets, this profession is a must-have for anyone into completing their character.