How to read these guides
Each guide splits the profession into TBC skill brackets: 1-75, 75-150, 150-225, 225-300 and 300-375. Crafting professions focus on material groups and recipe choices, while gathering professions focus on zone routes and skill requirements. Always compare exact craft counts with the prices on your own realm.
1-75 Apprentice
Start with easy low-level meat or fish recipes.
- If you level Fishing at the same time, use fish routes.
- Otherwise, farmed meat may be faster.
75-150 Journeyman
Move to the next level of meats and fish.
- The bottleneck in Cooking is often buying the recipe from the right vendor.
- Check early when you need a book or a new trainer.
150-225 Expert
In the middle stage, both fish and meat routes are usable.
- Choose whichever you can farm faster yourself.
- If AH prices are low, Cooking is often cheap to buy up.
225-300 Artisan
The late Classic stretch requires higher-level recipes and materials.
- Some recipes come from vendors or quests.
- If you level First Aid or Fishing alongside it, split cloth/fish resources sensibly.
300-375 Master / Outland
Outland meats and fish take the skill to cap and unlock raid-ready buff foods.
- TBC foods are genuinely useful in raids, so the crafts are not just leveling cost.
- Daily recipes can broaden the selection depending on the phase.