Herbalism is the craft of gathering the different herbs, shrubs, and leaves that appear throughout every zone in WoW. Once gathered, these plants act as the primary reagents in Alchemy, so the two are often paired together. Elsewhere, the herbs are sometimes used in Enchanting, Cooking, Engineering, and various other professions.
Because Alchemy is suitable for all classes, so is Herbalism. And, as the profession takes place across every zone, there is no specific race that benefits more or has an easier time leveling.
Training Herbalism
Azeroth
Blizzard has made the trainers for most professions — including Herbalism — in all major capitals able to teach you Apprentice through Artisan. As the guide below tries to include different zone options on each continent, no particular city is more advantageous than another.
Outland
To become a Master Herbalist, you must travel through the Dark Portal and find trainers in your faction’s first questing area. This will be Rorelien in Honor Hold for the Alliance, and Ruak Stronghorn at Thrallmar will do the same for the Horde
Leveling Herbalism
When leveling Gathering professions, the most optimal route for collecting different node types is often a large circle, or “circuit”, around an entire zone or smaller route within it. With that in mind, unless otherwise noted, a zone written below means to complete a complete circuit. Often, by the time you’ve finished, the nodes at the beginning will have respawned.
Azeroth
1- 50: Silveleaf and Peacebloom
To start off, you’ll be gathering Silveleaf and Peacebloom, which spawn in the areas immediately outside of all capital cities.
Once you’ve collected enough to reach skill level 50, you can train up to Journeyman and begin diversifying your gathering.
50 – 70: Earthroot and Mageroyal
To begin gathering Earthroot in the Eastern Kingdoms, players should search in either Darkshore or the Barrens. In Kalimdor, Hillsbrad Foothills holds the highest number of spawns.
For Mageroyal, those in the Eastern Kingdoms will have an easier time than those in Kalimdor, as the spawns are more plentiful in EK. The nodes themselves will spawn at the base of trees or near rivers and streams in the same zones where you can gather Earthroot.
70 – 100: Briarthorn
For players already gathering in The Barrens, Briarthorn spawns can easily be added to your route by focusing on the area from Crossroads northeast to Sludge Fen and as far west as Stonetalon Mountains.
Those in Darkshore can continue the same path, as can those in the Eastern Kingdoms. Briarthorn nodes will generally be found at the base of hills or mountains. They also usually spawn near mining nodes.
100 – 115: Bruiseweed
In the Eastern Kingdoms, stick around Hillsbrad Foothills and begin to gather Bruiseweed. Those in Kalimdor will have to move on to either Stonetalon Mountains or Ashenvale. If you’re still in the Barrens, it’s also possible to find Bruiseweed there, but the nodes are far rarer than other herbs.
115 – 125: Wild Steelbloom
To start finding Wild Steelbloom players in the Eastern Kingdoms should begin a circuit in the northern section of Stranglethorn Vale. If you come here now, you’ll be able to stay in this zone for quite a while. Otherwise, Arathi Highlands will do the trick. In Kalimdor, you can continue gathering in Stonetalon Mountains.
After you hit 125, find the nearest trainer and learn Expert Herbalism.
125 – 160: Kingsblood
Kingsblood will spawn in the same zones you were previously gathering in. In Stranglethorn Vale, begin to open your loop south of Grom’Gol Base Camp, and in Stonetalon Mountains, focus on the Charred Vale.
160 – 185: Fadeleaf
To gather Fadeleaf, the easiest spot is undeniably Swamp of Sorrows. Because of this, it’s worth your time to make your way out there if you’re not nearby already. Once you’re in, just make complete circuits, and you should finish quickly.
185 – 205: Khadgar’s Whisker
To find Khadgar’s Whisker, those in the Eastern Kingdoms can continue using their route in Stranglethorn Vale or move to Arathi Highlands, where circuits around Witherbark Village and the Ogre Compound will be most effective. In Kalimdor, circuits around Feralas or Dustwallow Marsh should be sufficient.
After reaching 205, return to a trainer and learn Artisan. From here, there are two paths up to 275, so choose a combination of herbs and zones below that works best for you.
205 – 230: Purple Lotus
There are few locations to effectively gather Purple Lotus. In the Eastern Kingdoms, The Hinterlands will work best, and in Kalimdor, Azshara has a high concentration of nodes throughout.
230 – 250: Sungrass
For Sungrass, both continents can remain in the same zones.
250 – 275: Ghost Mushroom
After you’re done gathering Sungrass, those in the Hinterlands can stay, but they should focus their efforts around Skulk Rock. On Kalimdor, the best place is in Desolace in the area surrounding Valley of Spears.
OR
205 – 220: Khadgar’s Whisker
It is possible to continue gathering Khadgar’s Whisker until 220. This, however, will change the rest of the leveling process.
220 – 250: Arthas’ Tear
To begin gathering Arthas’ Tear effectively in the Eastern Kingdoms, all players should head to the Plaguelands. This will give you a distinct advantage, as you can finish most of your leveling through 300 here. In Kalimdor, the best option is Felwood.
250 – 275: Gromsblood
Gromsblood is most commonly found in Felwood. Continuing your circuit around the zone should be more than sufficient for you to reach 275 after 2 or 3 completions. In the Eastern Kingdoms, your best bet would be to continue gathering in the Plaguelands and to not leave to attempt this step.
275 – 290: Dreamfoil
To gather Dreamfoil, players in the Eastern Kingdoms must make their way to the Eastern Plaguelands, if you have not done so already. In Kalimdor, 3 or 4 circuits around Un’Goro Crater should be enough.
After reaching 290 is the most opportune time to cross into Outland and learn Master Herbalism. Once you do, however, it’s fastest to continue leveling in Old World content for a brief period. Competition for low level herbs can get quite intense, so this is a helpful way of ensuring your leveling goes smoothly.
290 – 310: Icecap
Icecap is found in only one zone in the entire game: Winterspring. 1 – 2 complete circuits around should get you to 310 easily.
310 – 330: Felwood or Eastern Plaguelands
Between 310 and 330, herbs in Felwood or the Eastern Plaguelands should still be able to grant you enough skill-ups to reach 310. This might be one of the more time intensive portions, due to herbs becoming green, but it is still most likely faster than trying to race other players in Hellfire Peninsula.
Outland
330 – 375: Zangarmarsh
After hitting 330, it’s finally time to cross into Outland. Out of all zones, Zangarmarsh is the easiest to consistently level your Herbalism, due to its biodiversity and mobs like Bog Lord that act as an Herbalism node after being defeated. You can make complete circuits, or focus on specific areas like the north-west corner around Marshlight Lake and Ango’Rosh Grounds and around Umbrafen Lake. Whatever you choose to do, this will be your final step.
Once you’ve farmed enough, you’ll hit the cap! Congratulations! Keep reading to learn about the rarer herbs in TBC and what they can be used for.
Mana Thistle and Fel Lotus
Out of all herbs that have an individual node, one is of particular importance: Mana Thistle. It’s used as a reagent in a number of highly useful, endgame Alchemy creations as well as a couple of elixirs.The most nodes are in Terokkar Forest above Shattrath and around Skettis. The zone with the second most is Nagrand, where they’re around Twilight Ridge and near the border with Terokkar.
Mana Thistle is a reagent for:
- Cauldron of Major Arcane Protection
- Cauldron of Major Fire Protection
- Cauldron of Major Frost Protection
- Cauldron of Major Nature Protection
- Cauldron of Major Shadow Protection
- Elixir of Empowerment
The other highly coveted herb is Fel Lotus. Unlike most other herbs in Outland, it does not have its own individual node. Instead, there’s a 4% chance to collect it from all Outland Herb nodes while gathering something else. As a result, the only way to farm Fel Lotus is to generally farm all types of herbs.
Fel Lotus is a reagent for:
