World of Warcraft-->Professions-->Herbalism

Herbalism is an almost necessary requirement for Alchemy . You're going to find herbs all around the world, so why not get this skill and take advantage of it? Alchemy is a great skill that allows you to generate all sorts of instant and temporary potions to improve a character's effectiveness.

Getting Started

First of all make your way to the nearest herbalism trainer. Often, alchemists are situated nearby herbalists, so you can learn both closely related skills in the same location.

Finding Plants

Once you've acquired the basics, you're ready to go. Herbalism requires no additional items to use. Be sure to keep a lot of empty bag space for all the herbs you're about to pick up. If you get a lot of extra herbs that you can't use, you can store them in the bank or sell them to other players.

After you have learned the beginning-level herbalism, you will gain the "Find Herbs" ability, which will display nearby herbs as yellow dots on your mini-map. To use it, simply drag the icon down to your action bar and press the corresponding button. Be sure to pay attention to keeping it active; otherwise you may miss important plants!

If while adventuring you spot a yellow dot on your mini map, you've found a plant! Move your cursor over to your mini-map and hold it over the dot. A small window will appear and display the name of the plant. If you decide you want to harvest it, begin running toward it. Watch out for any monsters in your path that may attack you.

Plants can be found underwater and even in caves.

Getting the Goods

Approach the plant. Once you're close enough, the action cursor will light up and you can begin harvesting. If you fail on your first attempt, try again. All plants have a minimum skill requirement before you can attempt to harvest them. If your skill is too low, you won't be able to collect the herbs. Once you're successful, a window displaying the contents of the plant will open. Each plant usually contains one to three herbs. Right-click the herbs in this window to move them to your backpack. After you collect the herbs, the plant disappears.

Plant Skill Levels

Each plant requires a minimum skill in herbalism to harvest. Depending on the level of the plant, you may gain skill levels when you succeed in gathering. The further away your skill is from the level of the plant, the less likely you are to receive a skill increase. The skill required to successfully use a plant also corresponds to the regions it can be found in. Easier plants are found in the lower-level areas, and more difficult plants in the higher-level zones.

	Peacebloom - 1
	Silverleaf - 1
	Earthroot - 15
	Mageroyal - 50
	Briarthorn - 70
	Stranglekelp - 85
	Swiftthistle - * (found uncommonly on Mageroyal and Briarthorn plants)
	Bruiseweed - 100
	Wild Steelbloom - 115
	Grave Moss - 120
	King's Blood - 125
	Liferoot - 150
	Fadeleaf - 160
	Khadgar's Whiskers - 185
	Wintersbite - 195
	Firebloom - 205
	Goldthorn - 215

Terrain Types

Each plant can usually be found in certain terrain types. If you're looking for a snakeroot plant to complete a potion, it pays to search around cliffs and not open plains.

Found in open meadows: Peacebloom, Mageroyal, King's Blood
Found under trees: Silverleaf, Briarthorn
Found on cliffs: Bruiseweed, Snakeroot, Wild Steelbloom
Found near buildings: Bruiseweed
Found on gravestones: Grave moss
Found in watery areas: Stranglekelp

Herbalism Etiquette

If you're in a party with more than one herbalist, share the plants you find with them.
Multiple people can gain skill off the same plant if the first person avoids picking the herbs off the plant. After the plant's contents box appears, simply press "Escape" to stand up, and the second person can then gather and have a chance to raise his or her skill.
Don't pick plants while fighting. Wait until the party is safe before moving over to the plant.
Don't run off to a plant by yourself without letting the other party members know. If there are monsters in the way, ask the party to clear them for you. Basically, don't do anything to jeopardize the safety of the party while you collect plants.