How to read these guides
Each guide covers five skill brackets: 1-75, 75-150, 150-225, 225-300 and 300-375. Crafting guides outline materials and recipe choices; gathering guides cover suitable areas and skill requirements. These are progression overviews, not complete shopping lists. Check recipe requirements and your realm's prices before buying materials.
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
Continue with recipes that use meat and fish from higher-level areas.
- 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 ingredient prices are low at the auction house, buying them can be an inexpensive way to level Cooking.
225-300 Artisan
The late Classic stretch requires higher-level recipes and materials.
- Some recipes come from vendors or quests.
- If you level Fishing alongside Cooking, use your own catch and choose Cooking recipes that use those fish.
300-375 Master / Outland
Outland meats and fish take the skill to cap and unlock raid-ready buff foods.
- Keep useful TBC food for raids, so your leveling crafts serve a purpose beyond skill points.
- Daily recipes can broaden the selection depending on the phase.