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
Gather low-level herbs in starting zones.
- Keep Find Herbs on at all times.
- In starting zones, the route matters more than any single herb.
75-150 Journeyman
Move to slightly higher-level zones where Briarthorn and Mageroyal style herbs appear.
- Avoid zones that are too high if nodes still fail often.
- Gather side materials too, because Alchemy uses them later.
150-225 Expert
Goldthorn, Khadgar's Whisker and similar mid-tier herbs carry the middle stage.
- At this point, choose the zone route according to population.
- If a zone is farmed empty, switch continents instead of waiting in place.
225-300 Artisan
From Sungrass to Dreamfoil and Mountain Silversage.
- The late Classic stretch is a good time to collect future alchemy materials.
- Higher-level zones are more efficient if your character can survive without downtime.
300-375 Master / Outland
Felweed starts Outland; the rest follows Zangarmarsh, Terokkar, Nagrand, Blade's Edge, Netherstorm and Shadowmoon routes.
- Flying speeds up the late stage considerably.
- Mana Thistle and other valuable herbs are contested; do not plan the whole climb around them.