Not liking Herbalism

[Digital Oswald]

Im a level 42 Warlock atm and took my professions as alchemy and herbalism. When I need things for potions I typically just scan the AH for what I need for the potions, I don't really like running around picking herbs.

So I'm now thinking of dropping herbalism for tailoring so I can benefit myself better since I wear alot of cloth. Do you think this is a good idea? pros / cons please.

[TheConfusedCaster]

Im a level 42 Warlock atm and took my professions as alchemy and herbalism. When I need things for potions I typically just scan the AH for what I need for the potions, I don't really like running around picking herbs.

So I'm now thinking of dropping herbalism for tailoring so I can benefit myself better since I wear alot of cloth. Do you think this is a good idea? pros / cons please.


Tailoring and Alchemy or Tailoring/Enchanting etc. are professions for people with LOTS of gold. They don't need to farm mats so they just buy them. Prepare to spend ALOT if you're going tailoring.

With that said, you're only level 42, it gets better. I'm a level 70 lock with 375 herb 375 alchemy. Herbalism gets ALOT better. First off high-end herbs drop items such as motes which are used in primals (specifically primal life and primal mana). They have the chance of dropping a Fel Lotus, a semi-rare herb that is used in flasks. Fel blossoms which are used as a shield. Nightmare vines drop "nightmare seeds" a temporary health increasing seed that tanks love and buy for around 8g on my server.

Not to mention, high-end herbs such as Felweed, terrocone, nightmare vine, dreaming glory, and mana thistle sell for alot, but the potions that require them sell for even more.

My recommendation? Stick with herbalism, you're basically picking gold up off the ground, or in this case, mats to make gold from your alchemy. When you get to 70 and eventually get your epic flying mount + riding crop, herbs will be extremely easy to get.

[enidummaihuvet]

sell healthstones for 25 s outside AH. you can make several gold in just a couple of hours!

[Magikhat]

Tailoring/enchanting is a good combo

[larissa]

My Rogue companion found a ring in a patch of Lichen she picked inside Underbog, so that's another 'bonus' to having Herbalism. Plus some herbs will give a buff as well when you pick them.

Without Herbalism, you will be spending a lot of money to make your potions at higher levels, and if you take another craft skill, that's even more money you're putting out. If you have the money, then I say go for what you like. I'm a tailor, and to be honest, I didn't really make all that much for myself. I wore Black Mageweave for a few levels, a Robe of Power ... Spidersilk Boots for a bit. If I ever get enough Primals, I'll end up with the Primal Mooncloth set eventually, until the day I get my Hallowed set pieces.

Still, you may find tailored pieces that suit you very well. I think Tailors get more utility out of being able to make their own bags, to be honest. It's especially nice to be able to kit out a new alt with some nice 12 slot bags right at the start, makes a huge difference, and is really a small investment on your Tailor's part.

Enchanting is the usual second profession with Tailoring, though certainly doesn't have to be. There's a bit of synergy there, though, as you can enchant the stuff you'll wear, or you can disenchant tailored pieces for materials to use in other enchants. A lot of tailors will just make things to raise their skill, and you can't always be guarenteed to sell the item. But being able to then disenchant it and possibly use the materials to raise your Enchanting as well is a definite bonus.

I would go with the others though and say stick with Herbalism. Just turn on your Herb Finding skill and pick flowers as you run around doing your quests. It's only a few extra seconds of your time, and you'll save yourself a lot of money in the long run.

~~~Larissa

[Gyoza]

until you get to 300+, tailoring and blacksmithing are a waste IMO. You can buy MUCH better than you can make on the AH. The only time that those profs get good are when you get to the much higher levels BOP items are craftable, and those are normally pretty great. At lvl 42, you will not be able to use any of those, so the profs are essentially useless. Even enchanting is a net loss for a LONG time once all the costs of the mats to get to a certain level are subtracted out of the equation.

In addition, because these profs require so many mats to make, they are a net loss...

(1) the items you make sell for less than the mats are worth 95% of the time, and

(2) Sure, people say "you can farm the mats and level for free" but that is not really true because those mats have a value, much of which is lost by making something out of them...resulting in a net loss for you.

my suggestion... keep herbs, drop alchemy and pick up skinning.

You invest nothing, and you sell raw goods for exactly what they are worth, so that means that every time you make a sale it is 100% profit. AND, as i mentioned before, the raw mats nearly always sell for much more than the final goods coming out of the production profs. It is a huge net profit.

You will have nothin but G flowin in constantly, and then you can buy everything you ever need. Once at a top level and grinding/levelling is over, then maybe consider dropping skinning and power level alchemy with all the gold you have. Your herbalism should be maxed out by then, so I would keep that.

I have done this same thing with 2 toons now and both those ended up WAY AHEAD of the other 3 toons that went the enchant/tailor or mining/blacksmith route.

On the two that followed this plan, I have never had to specifically go out and "farm" so i could make gold and afford something. On the others, I had to constantly do that.

I have always had more than enough to buy anything I wanted, and if what I wanted came from a tailor or chanter... i found one and bought it from them.

[bhroam]

I'm with Goyza on this one. You usually can find someone to make you something is you hand them mats. If you can't, sell the mats and but it off the AH.

The other reason to keep alchemy:
A) its a breeze to level
B) pots are consumable... people always need more, especially for raiding.

The other crafting professions create perm items. You won't be selling more than 1 riding crop to one person. They're also WAY harder to level. Because you create perm items, the mats are much harder

1 pt at 365 alchemy: 1 nightmare vine + 1 dreaming glory
1 pt at 365 leatherworking requires 20 pieces of leather of different types, plus half a dozen primals.... and this will hopefully get you a point.

The only real reason to go tailoring is the BoP epic patterns at 375.

I suggest either
1) if you have alc's in the guild, go Herb+Skinning (or herb+mine, but its more of a pain due to dealing with multiple tracking skills)
2) keep herb/alc

it might be a pain now, but its well worth it in the long run... not to mention to 2-3 extra buffs you get when leveling along the way... Fort pots for an extra lifetap, defence pots when you pull aggro off your pet... int pots for extra mana... the list goes on.

[TheConfusedCaster]

My Rogue companion found a ring in a patch of Lichen she picked inside Underbog

Holy crap, a ring? Green, blue, epic? Stats? I'm interested....never seen this happen.

[larissa]

Holy crap, a ring? Green, blue, epic? Stats? I'm interested....never seen this happen.

No, not an epic. It was green, and wasn't useful to our party, but still, I'm sure pockets at least a couple of gold for her alone. It was a few weeks ago, and not a caster ring, so didn't really think to remember the stats. Think it was something basic like +stamina and +agility or similar. I seem to remember this being mentioned before somewhere, and that it was just with Ancient Lichen patches in instances, but I really don't know any further details.

I'll write down the next one we find that way for everyone to see :grin:

~~~Larissa

[bhroam]

I've had a ring drop a couple of time from a Lichen pick. They're always green and crappy...

You generally get a high 50s ring in a level 65 instance.... and not a very good one at that. If you go search for Ancient Lichen on wowhead, it'll list a few rings which can drop.

[TehDarkrunner]

I'd stick with herbalism. I have herbalism/skinning, both at 300 at lvl 52. Herbalism has made me fat amounts of cash. I've sold stacks of Fadeleaf on Ysondre server for as high as 15 gold. Go farm fadeleaf in STV, if you can hold your own against gankers. I am 100% shadowpriest, so even gankers a few lvls higher think twice about ganking me unless they have help. As a lock, you should be okay most of the time unless alot of high lvls are running around there.

I also go farm Ghost Mushrooms in the Hinterlands (near skulk rock?) and those bring mad gold as well. You'll need a few more lvls I think to farm those.

I don't regret keeping herbalism at all.Now im just waiting to get to the outlands so i can train higher than 300:(

[Aswer]

sell healthstones for 25 s outside AH.you can make several gold in just a couple of hours!

Truly scary time / profit ratio.

[Lunartic]

I am a lvl 18 warlock, picked mining and tailoring. At the moment I can sell a stack of normal copper for 6g. So that brings me in with 6g extra gold from each lvling and questing run. Going to drop tailoring and pick up skinning instead. Tailoring gives me nothing at these lvls. There is sfk, sm instances and cheap greens from AH if I want better cloth.

My advice is go with any gathering skill + skinning. Makes loads of money until high lvl.

[serilea]

keep alch and herb.. Im 300 herb and 300 and 292 alch with my lvl 40 lock.
really, it made me rich! for example.. swiftness potion.. they sell 5-6 gold for 5 potions at my server and the herbs you need are briarthorn and swiftthistle.. so one quick run through a low lvl area and your getting gold like water.
Briarthorn sells for 9 gold a stack!! so if your not into making the pots, then just sell the herbs.
really.. herbalism is great!