Herbalism in Forever is more than picking flowers. You can grow herbs from Seeds in a Greenhouse camp object, some herbs have become scarce, and three new herbs show up in the data. Tauren also lost their +15 Herbalism. Cultivation now has them grow bonus herbs instead.
TL;DR: pick the starter quest manual at level 3–4 for a head start. Follow the zone route below, and fit Enchant Gloves or Herbalist's Gloves when you can. It pairs well with Alchemy, or take it with a second gathering profession for pure gold.
The basics in Forever
- Ranks: Herbalism uses the same four ranks as Classic Era: Apprentice (75), Journeyman (150), Expert (225) and Artisan (300). The cap is still 300.
- Character level to train: Zockify lists Journeyman at level 10, Expert at 20 and Artisan at 35. SenseOS notes that the client files don't contain level requirements, so these numbers are unconfirmed until launch.
- Slots: you get two primary professions. Cooking, First Aid and Fishing are secondary, so you can learn all three on top.
- Unlearning: open the profession window (K) and click the red X. Your skill and every recipe you know are gone.
Head start: at level 3–4, a starter quest offers a manual (Wild Harvest, the herbalism one) that teaches the profession and adds +2 skill, up to 15.
Leveling path by skill range
| Skill | Herbs | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1–70 | Peacebloom, Silverleaf, Earthroot, Mageroyal | Starter zones |
| 70–115 | Briarthorn, Stranglekelp, Bruiseweed | Second-tier zones |
| 115–170 | Wild Steelbloom, Grave Moss, Kingsblood, Liferoot, Fadeleaf | Mid-level zones |
| 170–205 | Goldthorn, Khadgar's Whisker, Wintersbite | |
| 205–230 | Firebloom, Purple Lotus | ⚠️ |
| 230–270 | Sungrass, Blindweed, Ghost Mushroom, Gromsblood, Golden Sansam (Felwood) | ⚠️ |
| 270–300 | Dreamfoil, Mountain Silversage, Plaguebloom, Icecap (Eastern Plaguelands, Winterspring) | ⚠️ |
⚠️ = beyond what the level-30 beta could test. New herbs Marefoil, Demonsage and Death Lotus are in the data, but we don't know their skill levels or locations yet.
Skill boosts: Herbalist's Gloves +5, Enchant Gloves – Herbalism +2 / Advanced Herbalism +5. The Herb Pouch has 12 slots.
Scarce herbs
SenseOS flags Frilled Lichen, Rosecap and Stranglevine as scarce. Expect them to sell well at launch, but we don't have price data yet.
Herb Seeds & the Greenhouse
There are 4 tiers of herb seeds. The Greenhouse camp object (skill 140) lets you plant them. The Seed Hybridizer comes at 300.
Best class & profession pairings
- Druids can gather in travel form, as in Classic.
- Herbalism + Alchemy to make your own consumables.
- Herbalism + Mining or Skinning for gold from gathering alone.
- Tauren: Cultivation no longer gives skill. It gives bonus herbs instead.
Your camp objects
Forever adds Camping. A cook places a Basic Campfire, and each player can add one profession object to it. A camp holds 3 objects, and the objects share a 1-hour cooldown. Sit at the camp for 1 minute and you become rested and pick up the buffs. Camp buffs don't stack with the class buffs they copy. You get the first object at skill 20. The more advanced objects come from Blueprints that drop from dungeon bosses.
Herbalism objects: Incense Candle (skill 20, Intellect), Greenhouse (skill 140, plants herb seeds), Seed Hybridizer (skill 300).
Legacy points
SenseOS's client data shows Legacy points coming only from crafting professions (at 150, 225 and 300). Gathering and secondary professions give none. Wowhead's wording is "each tradeskill", which disagrees, so treat this as unconfirmed until launch. The Professions Legacy tree still has perks that matter here: Bountiful Harvest, Bartering, Master Chef, Luremaster and others.
Gold tips
- Sell herbs raw, especially the scarce ones.
- Waylaid Crate: Apprentice Herbs takes 20 Peacebloom, 20 Silverleaf, or 10 Earthroot, Mageroyal or Briarthorn (wow-professions) for Merchant's Favor.
- Bountiful Harvest in the Professions Legacy tree is worth looking at if you gather a lot.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the starter-quest manual and its free skill.
- Expecting Tauren to get +15 skill. That's gone.
- Running Classic routes for the new herbs. Their locations aren't known yet.
FAQ
Where are Death Lotus, Marefoil and Demonsage? Not known yet. We'll update once people find them after launch.
Do I need Herbalism for Alchemy? No, but it saves a lot of money.
Sources
Images: the header and milestone card were made by Systematic with the Systematic wallpaper and brand colours. The third image is a camping screenshot © Blizzard Entertainment, from Blizzard News.
This is a fan guide written by Systematic for the community. World of Warcraft © Blizzard Entertainment. We're not affiliated with Blizzard. Everything here comes from the beta and the launch client, and things can change before the Nov 4 launch. If you spot something that's off once the game is live, or you have a better route, post it below!
