WoW ForeverProfessions

WoW Forever Professions

Pair a gathering profession with the crafting profession it supplies: Mining with Blacksmithing or Engineering, Herbalism with Alchemy, Skinning with Leatherworking. Tailoring needs no gathering profession. WoW Forever keeps the same 12 professions, each with four ranks from Apprentice to Artisan and a highest skill of 300. What changed: 884 new recipes since the original game, 596 recipes that turn yellow and grey at different skill points, and the six standard Healing Potions moved from Alchemy to First Aid.

  • Professions12
  • Ranks4
  • Max skill300
  • New recipes884

Profession leveling guides 1-300

Crafting professions turn materials into gear and consumables, gathering professions collect those materials, and Cooking, First Aid and Fishing are secondary professions.

Crafting professions

Gathering professions

Secondary professions

Four ranks in every profession

  1. Apprentice1 to 75
  2. Journeyman75 to 150
  3. Expert150 to 225
  4. Artisan225 to 300

Learn the next rank at 75, 150 and 225. Fishing's Expert comes from a book, and its rank stops at 225 and 300 are confirmed; 75 and 150 are estimates.

Best profession combinations

Each pair is a gathering profession that supplies the materials its crafting partner's leveling route uses most. Material counts are approximate.

Best professions in WoW Forever

The best professions in WoW Forever depend on your goal: Alchemy and Herbalism for raiding, Engineering and Mining for PvP. For gold or leveling, start with two gathering professions, since gathering costs nothing in materials.

Best professions by goal

  • Raiding

    TakeAlchemyHerbalism

    WhyAlchemy makes the flasks, elixirs and potions a raid uses, nine flasks among them, four of those new in WoW Forever. Herbalism gathers the herbs they need. The Alchemist's Stone binds to the alchemist and needs Alchemy to wear.

    Flask of the TitansFlask of Supreme PowerAlchemist's StoneGoblin Sapper Charge
    OrEngineeringMining

    Engineering adds raid explosives, such as the Goblin Sapper Charge and Dense Dynamite, that need Engineering to use.

  • PvP

    TakeEngineeringMining

    Why96 Engineering items need Engineering skill to use, so only an engineer gets them: nets, rocket boots, mind control and the spell reflectors. Ore and stone are the biggest materials of the Engineering route, so Mining supplies it.

    Gnomish Net-o-Matic ProjectorGoblin Rocket HelmetUltra-Flash Shadow ReflectorFree Action Potion
    OrAlchemyHerbalism

    Anyone can drink Alchemy potions, but an alchemist makes their own Free Action Potion and Swiftness Potion instead of buying them.

  • Gold

    TakeHerbalismMining

    WhyEvery crafting route in this guide runs on gathered materials, and a gatherer sells them without buying materials first. Herbs are most of the Alchemy route, while ore and stone are the biggest materials of Blacksmithing and Engineering.

    OrSkinning

    Skinning sells the leather that is most of the Leatherworking route.

  • Leveling

    TakeHerbalismSkinning

    WhyTwo gathering professions let you collect materials to sell while you level. Add the crafting profession one of them feeds once you know what you want to make. First Aid now makes the six standard healing potions, Minor Healing Potion through Major Healing Potion, so you can make your own without Alchemy.

    Healing Potion
    OrMining

    Mining in place of Skinning, if you plan on Blacksmithing or Engineering later.

Best crafting profession for your armor

Tailoring, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing each make pieces that bind when picked up, so only the crafter can wear them. Pick the one that makes your armor type. Nearly every piece below is new in WoW Forever, but the beta stops at level 30, so only the lower ones are in reach.

  • Cloth

    • Priest
    • Mage
    • Warlock
    Tailoring

    107 cloth pieces, 103 new in WoW Forever, for levels 10 to 57

    For example

    WhyTailoring runs on cloth, which no gathering profession collects, so your second slot is free. Enchanting fits it well, since its dust comes from disenchanting the magic items you find.

  • Leather

    • Rogue
    • Druid
    Leatherworking

    102 leather pieces, all new in WoW Forever, for levels 10 to 50

    For example

    WhyLeatherworking pairs with Skinning, which supplies most of its route.

  • Mail

    • Hunter
    • Shaman
    Leatherworking

    24 mail pieces, all new in WoW Forever, for levels 40 to 50

    For example
    Blacksmithing

    58 mail pieces, all new in WoW Forever, for levels 10 to 35

    For example

    WhyLeatherworking and Blacksmithing both make mail that binds to the crafter. Leatherworking pairs with Skinning, Blacksmithing with Mining.

  • Plate

    • Warrior
    • Paladin
    Blacksmithing

    34 plate pieces, 33 new in WoW Forever, for levels 40 to 58

    For example

    WhyBlacksmithing pairs with Mining, whose ore and stone are the biggest materials of its route.

Race bonuses that changed for professions

In the original game these two racials added profession skill. WoW Forever replaces both.

  • Engineering Specialization Gnome

    Original gameEngineering skill increased.

    WoW ForeverYour gnomish ingenuity reduces the rate of engineering devices failing or backfiring when you use them by 20%.

    WhyA Gnome no longer starts Engineering ahead, but its gadgets fail and backfire less often, which makes Engineering a strong pick for a Gnome who uses them.

  • Cultivation Tauren

    Original gameHerbalism skill increased.

    WoW ForeverCultivate a nearby herb, growing a duplicate you can harvest without requiring Herbalism skill. Each herb may only be cultivated once.

    WhyA Tauren no longer gets extra Herbalism skill. Cultivation grows a copy of a nearby herb that a Tauren can pick without Herbalism, once per herb, so a Tauren alchemist can pick up some herbs without the gathering profession.

What WoW Forever changed for professions

What is new or different from the original game.

  • 884 new recipes

    Not counting the six moved Healing Potions. By profession:

    • Leatherworking 267
    • Blacksmithing 194
    • Tailoring 176
    • Engineering 73
    • Alchemy 66
    • Enchanting 61
    • Cooking 37
    • First Aid 8
    • Mining 2

    New materials

    PitchblendeHeavy Thorium Oreand Cerulean, Magenta and Viridian Dye

  • 596 recipes turn yellow and grey at different skill points

    Almost all of them earlier:

    • Tailoring 208
    • Leatherworking 198
    • Blacksmithing 184
    • Alchemy 3
    • Enchanting 2
    • Engineering 1

    Good to knowA route written for the original game keeps you on these recipes after they stop giving skill.

  • Healing Potions moved to First Aid

    Alchemy→→First Aid

    The six standard Healing Potions, Minor through Major, are now First Aid recipes. Alchemy keeps a Discolored Healing Potion line that heals but deals part of it back to you as damage over time.

  • Mining gains two smelts

    Smelt Azerothium at a Forge

    PitchblendeCoal→Azerothium Bar

    Smelt Heavy Thorium at a Molten Foundry

    Heavy Thorium Ore→Heavy Thorium Bar

  • Camp features for every profession

    Mana WellAlchemyMolten FoundryMining

    Every profession has recipes for camp features, such as the Alchemy Mana Well and the Mining Molten Foundry.

Professions are also gaining more depth, with over 600 new recipes across professions and level ranges, adjusted crafted food that can grant a small experience bonus and stat boosts, and advanced Blueprint recipes from dungeon bosses.

Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap, September 13, 2026. Blizzard's figure is its own count, separate from the counts on this page.

Sources: WoW Forever game data, build 1.60.1.70790. Craft counts, green colors and the skill each ore needs are estimates.

RankedBoost is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment. World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Images: Blizzard Entertainment official artwork and World of Warcraft Forever game client assets.