Mage talents

Herbalism allows you to find and harvest herbs from particular resource nodes scattered around the world. It is a primary profession. While a very small number of herbs are sometimes used for other trade skills, the vast majority are used for Alchemy and Inscription. The Burning Crusade expansion contains several mobs that are capable of being harvested.

See harvestable mobs for a list.

Herbalism pointers:

in range of gatherable herb
out of range of gatherable herb

For other articles related to Herbalism, see the Herbalism category.

Proficiencies

Herbalism proficiency refers to a character’s training in Herbalism. The table below summarizes what level and skill required to advance to each proficiency.

Proficiency	Level	Skill
Apprentice	n/a	1 - 75
Journeyman	n/a	50 - 150
Expert	10	125 - 225
Artisan	25	200 - 300
Master	40	275 - 375
Grand Master	55	350 - 450
Illustrious Grand Master	75	425 - 525

Grand Master is only available after installing the expansion Wrath of the Lich King.

Illustrious Grand Master is only available after installing the expansion Cataclysm.

Uses

As herbalism is a gathering profession like Skinning and Mining, it can potentially be useful to any class who intends to use it as a source of income by selling the herbs they gather. However, it is of particular interest to any alchemist, since herbalism gives you a good supply of ingredients for your potions. While the majority of the herbs you will find are used by alchemists to create various potions, some will have other uses as well. Scribes with the inscription skill will also use most type of herbs as ingredients for pigments, which are used to make glyphs.

• Rogues will find  [Swiftthistle] useful in making  [Thistle Tea].
•  [Wildvine] is used for Leatherworking quests for learning the Wild Leather set.
• Certain Tailoring and Leatherworking patterns require relatively small amounts of herbs, mostly  [Wildvine].
• Enchanters use  [Nightmare Vine] for  [Superior Wizard Oil] and  [Netherbloom] for  [Superior Mana Oil].
• [Lifeblood] is a healing spell with Patch 3.0.2 that scales with herbalism skill level.
• While of little importance, the sword  [Phytoblade] requires the player to have a skill of 100 or more in Herbalism in order to be equipped.
• Some herbs were used for class quests, such as  [Liferoot] for Warriors and  [Earthroot] for Druids; but they were removed in Patch 4.0.3a.

Tools

Required Tools

Unlike skinning and mining, no special tools are required to gather herbs, although to collect the high-level herb  [Bloodvine], a  [Blood Scythe] must be in the herbalist's inventory.

Find Herbs

[Find Herbs] is a skill gained when learning Apprentice Herbalism. While active it highlights unharvested herb resources in the immediate area on the mini-map. In addition a number of other resources (those that may be considered plants) will also be highlighted. Find Herbs is a detecting ability. As of patch 4.0.1, it may be active with [Find Minerals] or other tracking abilities. Previously, only one such ability could be active at any given time.

Bags

An Herb bag is a special type of bag that goes into one of your four bag slots (or a bank bag slot). It can carry only herbs (as well as a handful of other related items), but is usually much larger than the average inventory bag that you would normally have at that level. A 12-slot herb bag can be purchased from certain herbalism supply vendors, while the larger varieties (20- and 24-slot) must be made by a tailor with Cenarion Circle rep; they can be found in the Auction House, too. There are also 28-slot and 32-slot herbalism bags available.

Skill bonuses

• Tauren gain a 15-point bonus to their herbalism skill from the "Cultivation" racial trait. However, this does not allow a Tauren to harvest herbs without training the herbalism skill. This racial trait also provides a faster gathering time, as of patch 4.0.1.
•  [Herbalist's Gloves] will give you a +5 bonus to herbalism.
• Enchant Gloves - Herbalism will give you a +2 bonus to herbalism.
• Enchant Gloves - Advanced Herbalism will give you a +5 bonus to herbalism.
• Enchant Gloves - Gatherer will give you a +5 bonus to all gathering professions, including herbalism.

XP table

Level range	[Peacebloom]  [Bloodthistle]  [Silverleaf]	[Earthroot]	[Mageroyal]  [Briarthorn]  [Bruiseweed]	[Stranglekelp]	[Kingsblood]  [Grave Moss]	[Wild Steelbloom]	[Liferoot]	[Fadeleaf]	[Khadgar's Whisker]  [Sungrass]
5	45	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
6	55	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
7	65	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
8	70	70	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
9	80	80	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
10	85	85	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
11	90	85	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
12	90	90	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
13	90	85	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
14	100	85	100	?	?	?	?	?	?
15	110	85	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
16	110	70	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
17	110	?	130	?	?	?	?	?	?
18	110	?	140	?	?	?	?	?	?
19	110	?	150	?	?	?	?	?	?
20	110	?	160	?	?	?	?	?	?
...
22	?	?	180	?	?	?	?	?	?
23	?	?	190	?	?	?	?	?	?
23	?	?	200	?	?	?	?	?	?
24	20	10	200	?	?	?	?	?	?
25	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
26	?	120	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
...
29	?	?	200	?	240	110	?	?	?
30	10	10	200	?	?	70	?	?	?
31	10	10	160	?	250	35	?	?	?
32	10	10	120	?	270	15	?	?	?
33	10	10	80	?	?	15	?	?	?
34	10	10	40	40	310	15	250	?	?
35	10	10	40	?	?	?	250	?	?
36	10	10	?	?	330	?	200	350	?
...
40	10	10	20	?	330	330	28	?	440

Rested doubles XP gained from gathering. Also the PvP buffs in Outland and Northrend zones that increase XP gained from killing monsters increase XP gained from gathering.

Training

Mousing over and inspecting the tooltip for any herb in the game world will allow you to determine whether or not you can harvest it. The "Requires Herbalism" text will be color coded as follows:

• Red: Skill insufficient.
• Orange: 100% chance of increasing skill level. (in past possible "Failed attempt")
• Yellow: 100% chance of increasing skill level.
• Green: < 100% chance of increasing skill level.
• Gray: Hardly ever increases skill level. (Never increases skill level if the "gray point" is 15 or more skill points below your current skill level.)

You must therefore level through the zones sequentially to level herbalism. However, once you are 60, it is very easy to level herbalism from 1-300 because you can move quickly between zones.

At skill levels 75(50+), 150(125+), 225(200+), and 300 you have to visit Herbalism trainers in order to increase your skill further.

It is recommended that you purchase the  [Herbalist's Gloves] with the +5 Enchant Gloves - Advanced Herbalism, giving a total +10 herbalism bonus. This will double if not triple the speed you level on herbs, reducing the time to skill 1-375 significantly, as "orange" and "yellow" herbs will stay so 10 skill points longer, giving a much broader spectrum of herbs you can loot and level on.

Quests

Only one quest is known that requires Herbalism to complete.

•  [16] Root Samples

Harvestable herbs

See: herb for a complete listing of herbs you can gather, as well as their skill requirements.

Herbalism in Outland

This section concerns content related to The Burning Crusade.

With World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, several changes have been made to the herbalism profession in the expansion zone: Outland. Herbalism is the primary gathering trade skill employed by Alchemy to make potions, elixirs and flasks. Skill level 301-375, Master, can be learned at the Herbalism trainer, Rorelien, who can be found in the ground floor room of the tower in Honor Hold, or, for the Horde, Ruak Stronghorn, found in the north-west tower in Thrallmar, on the bottom floor underneath the stairs. You need to have a skill of 275 or higher to learn this. There is no apparent level requirement. With the expansion pack, the following changes have occurred to make herbalism a much more rewarding gathering skill:

• Outland offers a wide array of monsters that can be skinned for herbs after the target has been killed and all loot has been taken. Several types of herbs as well as Vendor Trash can be "herb-skinned" off a kill. Several areas in Zangarmarsh offer monsters that can be "herb-skinned" for herbs such as Ancient Lichen, Terocone, and Felweed. In addition to herbs that can be farmed off of these creatures, motes can also be found. Motes are an integral part of crafting professions in the expansion. Note that "herb-skinning" monsters requires herbalism skill equal to five times the monster's level, like skinning does, but will not cause a player to gain skill.^{[citation needed]} 

• Outland also offers herbalists a slight opportunity to find items of significant value when gathering a herb. Green quality items have been discovered, but this seldom occurs.

• One time use items can be picked up when collecting a herb. These items can also be picked up off of skinning a monster in Outland. These items may be eaten to receive a stat bonus for a short period of time. Herbs can yield an item that will absorb damage for a period of time.

• Merely collecting certain types of herbs in Outland may yield a particular stat bonus for a short period of time. For example,  [Dreaming Glory] gives a buff that regenerates a small amount of health over time.

Abilities gained

Sufficiently skilled herbalists gain the [Lifeblood] ability.

Notes

•  [Bloodthistle] can only be found in Eversong Woods.
•  [Swiftthistle] is occasionally found in  [Briarthorn] and  [Mageroyal] patches. There are no plants that contain  [Swiftthistle] only.
•  [Wildvine], in the same manner as  [Swiftthistle], is found in  [Purple Lotus] patches. Wildvine also drops from many Trolls.
•  [Bloodvine] is an Uncommon herb can only be found in herb bushes in Zul'Gurub, and even then you must have a  [Blood Scythe] in your inventory. A Blood Scythe can be found in some Jinxed Hoodoo Piles.
•  [Black Lotus] (also Uncommon) is extremely rare and hard to find as it spawns randomly and infrequently in various high-level classic zones.
•  [Dreaming Glory] gives a regeneration buff (30 HP5) for 15 min after gathering.
•  [Flame Cap] gives a fire damage buff when used, but has no Alchemy use.
•  [Fel Blossom] is occasionally found with the Outland herb  [Felweed] and gives a damage absorption buff (absorbs 750 to 1250 damage) lasting 15 sec when used. It has no Alchemy use.
•  [Fel Lotus] is occasionally found in Outland herbs including:  [Felweed],  [Ragveil],  [Dreaming Glory],  [Terocone],  [Ancient Lichen],  [Netherbloom],  [Nightmare Vine], and  [Mana Thistle].
•  [Frost Lotus] is occasionally found in Northrend herbs including:  [Goldclover],  [Tiger Lily],  [Talandra's Rose],  [Adder's Tongue],  [Icethorn],  [Lichbloom], and Firethorn.
• Tauren can harvest  [Earthroot] immediately after training Herbalism, since their skill will start at 16.
• If the tooltip text is grey when hovering over an herb blip on the minimap, the node is underground.

Roleplaying resource

A Medicinal Guide to Azerothian and Outland Herbs lists harvestable herbs and their real-world medicinal equivalents or approximations. A resource for role-players who want to use herbs for more than just alchemy. Now you too can be an Apothecary (a doctor-like profession that specializes in herbs).

Patch changes

• Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): XP from gathering increased.
  
• Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): Gathering herbs now gives XP. The higher level the character is, the less XP it will get.
  

External links

For leveling guides please visit Tradeskill leveling guides

World of Warcraft Community Site 

Wowhead 

AHseller.com Discover most profitable herbs. Online database for making gold.