A Guide to Leveling the Herbalism Skill
Wrath of The Lich King is right around the corner and with it comes the new skill, Inscription. Much like Alchemy, Inscription will be a great profession for Herbalists, since the herbs you gather will be used in the creation of the inks needed for Inscription.
So, with that in mind, I dumped my mining skill (at 375, poof!) and decided to raise Herbalism from zero.
This guide isn’t a complete Herbalism guide, with details on all the herbs out there and what to do with them (besides sell them,) it’s an Herbalism Leveling guide, intended to get you from 1 to 375 quickly.
Just some quick notes, then the guide.
As I leveled the skill, even though I’m on a PvP server, I saw few other players and little competition. This is on the Bloodscalp server so your mileage may vary.
Naturally you’ll need to be at least level 58 to do this since you’ll need to be able to go to Outlands to get your training and higher level herbs. It’s more interesting if you’re 58 on a PvP server.
The epic ground mount will save you some time and the epic flying mount (if you are 70 and have the cash) is sweet.
A very cool addon to use is Gatherer. Download it for free (donate if you want to) and read the documentation. If you import the WoWhead database you’ll find on the site, this little widget will show you where the various herbs (and ores and boxes) have been found by others previously.
If you’re using the Cartographer Addon the Gatherer data can be displayed on the Cartographer maps once you import the WoWhead database. This will give you a clear idea of which paths to follow to maximize your flower picking.
Make sure you hit your Herbalism trainer as you hit the skill caps at 75, 150, 225, and 300, just like any other profession.
Getitng started
Talk to your Herbalism Trainer, dump a skill if you have to, and get your 1st level Herbalism skill. Then just go to to your favorite starting area and start gathering Peacebloom and Silverleaf. I went to Eversong woods, but it’s all over the place in all the Horde starting areas.
If you’re Alliance you will nead to head over to Durotar… Just kidding. All the Ally starting areas are also rich in herbs.
Once the herbs in your area become green and aren’t giving you any skill improvements, you’ll want to go to the next higher area. For example, from Eversong Woods go to Ghostlands, or from Durotar/Mulgore go to the Barrens. Westfall and Loch Modan are decent areas, too.
After the Ghostlands, I went to Silverpine Woods, Hillsbrad, Arathi Highlands, then the Hinterlands, and lastly to Eastern Plaguelands. That got me to 300 skill. Next, I was off to Thrallmar (Honor Hold if you’re Ally) to get the Master Herbalist skill. Then I did a couple of loops around Hellfire Penninsula to get to 350 or so, then the rest at Zangamarsh.
Note, unless your skill is 300+ you won’t be able to pick anything in the Outlands.
If you’re leveling this skill in order to make specific potions you may want to modify your path a bit to target your preferred herbs.
Your starting area will yield:
Peacebloom, Silverleaf, and Earthroot (requires skill 15.) You’ll need 150 of these herbs in any combination to level your basic inscription skills.
The 10-20 area herbs:
I was in the Ghostlands, but you can find these in Durotar, Silverpine, Westfall, and Redridge. You’ll find:
- Peacebloom, Silverleaf, and Earthroot,
- Mageroyal, requires skill 50
- Briarthorn, skill 70
- Stranglekelp, skill 85 (take a water breathing potion.)
- Bruiseweed, skill 100
In the 18-30 areas (Duskwood, Hillsbrad, and the Wetlands) you’ll find:
- Mageroyal 50
- Briarthorn 70
- Stranglekelp 85
- Bruiseweed 100
- Wild Steelbloom 115
- Grave Moss 120
- Kingsblood 125
- Liferoot 150
Grave Moss can be found in and around, you guessed it, graveyards.
Next up are the 30-40 areas. I went to the Arathi Highlands, but you can also go to Alterac mountains or other areas. Here’s what you’ll find there:
- Stranglekelp 85
- Bruiseweed 100
- Wild Steelbloom 115
- Grave Moss 120
- Kingsblood 125
- Liferoot 150
- Goldthorn 170
- Khadgar’s whisker 185
- Wintersbite 195 (Saw very little of this one.)
There’s a lot of overlap between the Arathi/Alterac zones and Stranglethorn Vale, The Badlands, and Swamp of Sorrows. In STV and the Badlands you’ll find Purple Lotus. The Badlands has Firebloom, and the Swamp has Blindweed. Grab whichever area works best for your needs, including avoiding crowds and gankers.
- Firebloom 205
- Purple Lotus 210
- Blindweed 235
The 40 -50 zone: I went to The Hinterlands next, and then to the Eastern Plaguelands. In the Hinterlands you’ll find
- Purple Lotus 210
- Ghost Mushroom 245
- Golden Sansam 260
- Sungrass 270
Killing the local trolls will result in some Wildvine drops.
In the Eastern Plaguelands (50+) I found:
- Arthas’ Tears 220
- Sungrass 230
- Golden Sansam 260
- Dreamfoil 270
- Mountain Silversage 280
- Plaguebloom 285
- Black Lotus 300 (I didn’t see any of this.)
Ok, now you have your 300 skill and you’re ready to hit the Outlands. Get Master Herbalist when you hit your side’s main town in Hellfire (Thrallmar or Honor Hold,) and then do a few loops around Hellfire Peninsula and Zangamarsh. Unless you’re hunting specific herbs, you won’t need to go beyond Zangamarsh to hit 375.
In Hellfire Peninsula:
- Golden Sansam 260
- Dreamfoil 270
- Mountain Silversage 280
- Felweed 300
- Dreaming Glory 315 (Picking this sometimes gives a nice regeneration buff)
In Zangamarsh:
- Blindweed 235
- Ghost Mushroom 245 (in caves)
- Golden Sansam 260
- Dreamfoil 270
- Felweed 300
- Dreaming Glory 315
- Ragveil 325
You’ll sometimes see various motes (life, shadow, etc.) that will come with your Outland Herb picking, particularly from the Felweed.
Fel Lotus, (which sells for a nice price,) also has a (very small) chance to drop from any of the Outland herbs; the only one I saw came off a Felweed. It’s most commonly seen off of the Felweed, Dreaming Glory, Ragveil, and Flame Caps, all of which can be found in the Outlands. Last I heard it was about a 3% chance to appear.
Note: Wash any flowers before using (you know about those Alliance types,) and bring gloves just in case you’re allergic.
Now go pick some flowers!
edit: Penn’s Professions Guide has a better Herbalism guide than the above and a killer Inscription guide. Here’s my Penn’s Guide review if you want to check it out and get your own copy.
