WotLK Herbalism Guide: 1 – 450 (WoW Classic Leveling)

WoTLK

I always had a soft spot for herbalism. It may not be the most profitable profession, but there is something relaxing about flying around and collecting flowers. Herbalism is a pure money-making profession. The bonus you get with it is Lifeblood, which is a 5 seconds self-heal with a 3-minute cooldown. It can be useful for leveling and niche situations, but no serious raider will level herbalism only for that. If you want to make gold, continue reading this WotLK herbalism guide so you can easily reach the max level.

When presented with different options in this guide, choose the one which you like the most and/or will make you travel the least. Leveling herbalism from scratch can be annoying as it is, so you need to help yourself in any way you can. Azuremyst Isle isn’t included in the starting zone pool because of the low herb density. Eversong Woods isn’t included because it has a lot of Bloodthistle nodes which are completely useless.  

Here’s a helpful table that shows when you can collect each herb, and when it goes yellow, green, and grey.



Herb
Orange
(Skill lvl)
Yellow
(Skill lvl)
Green
(Skill lvl)
Gray
(Skill lvl)
Peacebloom12550100
Silverleaf12550100
Earthroot154065115
Mageroyal5075100150
Briarthorn7095120170
Stranglekelp85110135185
Bruiseweed100125150200
Wild Steelbloom115140165215
Grave Moss120145170220
Kingsblood125150175225
Liferoot150175200250
Fadeleaf160185210260
Goldthorn170195220270
Khadgar’s Whisker185210235285
Wintersbite195220245295
Firebloom205230255305
Purple Lotus210235260310
Arthas’ Tears220245270320
Sungrass230255280330
Blindweed235260285335
Ghost Mushroom245270295345
Gromsblood250275300350
Golden Sansam260285310360
Dreamfoil270295320370
Mountain Silversage280305330380
Plaguebloom285310335385
Icecap290315340390
Black Lotus300325350400
Felweed300325350400
Dreaming Glory315340365415
Ragveil325350375425
Terocone325350375425
Flame Cap335360385435
Ancient Lichen340365390440
Netherbloom350375400450
Nightmare Vine365390415465
Mana Thistle375400425475
Goldclover350375400450
Firethorn360385410460
Tiger Lily375400425475
Talandra’s Rose385410435485
Adder’s Tongue400425450500
Frozen Herb400425450500
Lichbloom425450475525
Icethorn435460485535
Frost Lotus450475500550

Herbalism guide WoW Classic

Start by learning herbalism from one of these trainers:

Horde

Alliance

1 – 75

Silverleaf, Peacebloom, Earthroot

Durotar isn’t the simplest route there is because every now and then you’ll have to go further inside the zone instead of just following the edges. Still, it’s a very big zone with a lot of nodes and you should be able to level up here in no time.
In Tirisfal Glades follow the inner edges of the center of the zone. Do circles while completely ignoring the eastern part of the zone and the Deathknell area. It’s not the best starter area for herbalism, but at the same time, that means there shouldn’t be any competition.
Mulgore is my favorite horde starter zone for herbalism. It is beautiful and easy to traverse. Taurens also start with increased herbalism skills which means they can herb Earthroot from the start. Earthroot is usually found in the mountains so the best route is following the edges of the northern part of the zone. However, if you are not a Tauren, or want to collect other herbs as well, you can go further inside the zone.
Elwynn Forest is a very popular starter zone, and rightfully so. The ambiance is relaxing with all the lush green. It is also good for herbalism. You can do circles through the southern part of the zone. There is no need to around Stone Cairn Lake, but you can check that part as well if you have a fast mount.
Teldrassil is a very underappreciated zone for herbalism. My personal suggestion is to start here, the herb density is impressive, and Darkshore is near which is where the next part of the guide will take you. Follow the edges of the zone, but make sure to ignore cities: Darnassus, Dolanaar, and Shadowglen.
Dun Morogh is my least favorite Alliance starter zone for herbalism. The herb density isn’t bad, but the majority of herbs can be found in two somewhat unconnected routes. That means you’ll have to do some running, and Dun Morogh is already annoying to traverse with all the rocks and hills.

Don’t forget to train Journeyman herbalism (75 – 150) once you reach skill level 50.

The routes from now on are good regardless of your faction – just be extra careful if you’re on a PvP server.

75 – 115

Mageroyal, Briarthorn, Stranglekelp, Bruiseweed

Barrens is one of the best zones there is for classic wow herbalism. It is huge, easy to traverse, has a lot of different herbs, and - of course - Barrens chat. Run along the edges of the zone, but avoid the harpy area in the northwest, it’s not worth going there.
Darkshore isn’t a very popular questing zone but is superb when it comes to collecting herbs. If you are a night elf or started your herbalism journey in Teldrassil, definitely go to Darkshore. The route is another simple one - complete circles of the zone.
Westfall can feel underwhelming, but it is the best Eastern Kingdoms zone for this part of the guide. Follow the edges of the zone to collect the more important herbs, and check the beaches for Stranglekelp which grows in the sea. If you still want to collect lower-level ones, you can go a bit more inward. Anyways, you can ignore the Dagger Hills in the south.

115 – 170

Wild Steelbloom, Kingsblood, Liferoot

Hillsbrad is another chill route to follow. Follow the edges while ignoring the area straight east of Durnholde Keep. When you get a higher skill level and are able to collect Liferoot, start going up and down the river as well. Liferoot can only be found there.
Just like Hillsbrad Foothills, do circles in Wetlands while ignoring the eastern part (in this case: the road to Grim Batol). The inner circle on the map is where Liferoot spawns, so start doing that route when you get a high enough skill level.

Don’t forget to train Expert Herbalism (150 – 225) once you reach skill level 125.

175 – 205

Fadeleaf, Goldthorn, Khadgar’s Whisker

Arathi Highlands is by far the best zone for this part of the guide, so I won’t be including any alternatives. The route is large, so you won’t be bothered even if you get some competition - and every single herb you need spawns here.

205 – 230

Purple Lotus, Firebloom

Tanaris is kinda awful. The best route is to do circles inside the zone. However, this is the desert without many landmarks and everything looks the same. It is incredibly boring, and you might even lose track and thus stop following the optimal route. However, it does have better herb density than the alternative.
I find Tanaris to be better than Searing Gorge, but if you are already in Eastern Kingdoms and don’t feel like traveling, Searing Gorge will do. This zone is irritating to traverse because you will need to zig-zag on the road, and even go down the Cauldron at some point.

230 – 270

Sungrass, Golden Sansam, Ghost Mushroom

After the previous horrible step, it’s smooth sailing from now on. The Hinterlands is crazy good. Do circles inside of the zone, while ignoring the altar of Zul, Jintha’Alor, the beach, and Seradane. There are zero hills and annoyances on this route so you will be able to do rounds in no time. If you want, you can go inside Skulk Rock to gather some Ghost Mushrooms if your skill is high enough.

270 – 300

Dreamfoil, Mountain Silversage, Plaguebloom, Gromsblood

Felwood is my personal all-time favorite classic wow zone for herbalism. I spent many hours herbing in this zone. The herb density is great and each one you need spawns here. At first, it may seem a bit complicated to traverse because you will need to go up and down some hills here and there, but you will be able to learn it in no time.

Herbalism guide TBC

Learn Master herbalism (300 – 375) from one of these trainers:

Horde

Alliance

  • Rorelien in Honor Hold, Hellfire Peninsula

Neutral

300 – 325

Felweed, Dreaming Glory

Hellfire Peninsula is a huge zone, with herbs spawning in every nook and cranny. That’s why it’s hard to define the optimal route. You can do no wrong by following the edges of the zone, or doing circles around the Hellfire Citadel. Still, feel free to run around whenever you want.

325 – 350

Terocone

For this part of the guide, I enjoy Terokkar Forest the most. But you won’t do much wrong by going to Zangarmarsh, or Nagrand, or even staying in Hellfire Peninsula. However, if you want to put your hands on some Terocone, Terokkar Forest is the place to be. The best route is to follow the edges of the zone, but you can check the inside of the zone as well, just be sure to avoid the Auchindoun area.

Herbalism guide WotLK

Learn Grand Master herbalism (350 – 450) from one of these trainers:

Horde

Alliance

Neutral

Dalaran: Dorothy Egan

350 – 400

Goldclover, Tiger Lily

Both Borean Tundra and Howling fjord are completely viable for this part of the guide. However, I personally think Borean Tundra has the worst aesthetic of all the Northrend zones, and Howling Fjord is my favorite one. You will have to somewhat zig-zag when going through the western part of the zone, but I think it’s worth it for the overall aesthetic of the zone.

400 – 435

Adder’s Tongue

The route in Sholazar Basin can be somewhat annoying until you get used to it. It’s ok if you just want to follow the edges of the zone, but for optimal results, you should avoid the northeastern parts, and go inside the zone to the west of the River’s Heart. The big advantage of Sholazar is that it’s the only place to reliable farm Adder’s Tongue.

435 – 450

Icethorn, Lichbloom

For the final points, you have the option of going to Icecrown or Storm Peaks. Both are perfectly viable, but similar to the Howling Fjord/Borean Tundra situation, I just prefer Storm Peaks more. In both of these zones, you’ll have to fly up and down the mountains so you’ll have to have a flying mount. When in Storm Peaks, you can ignore the northern part of the zones, including Ulduar.

Thank you for reading our WotLK herbalism guide! Hope all that running and flying around didn’t make you bored because that’s how you’ll make gold as a max-level herbalist. Continue doing routes around Icecrown, Storm Peaks, and Sholazar Basin to gather all the endgame valuable herbs.