Level Requirements When Advancing A Gathering Profession vs A Production Profession
I didn't realize until recently that the level restrictions put in place for maxing your professions level didn't apply to Gathering professions!
Meaning - as a Leatherworker, Alchemist, Blacksmith, etc (anything producing a product) my max-achievable profession level is 75 when I'm level 9 and under, and from 10-19 it's a max of 150, moving to a trainable max of 225 once your toon hits 20, and then 300 when you hit 35 and 375 at level 50. As a Gatherer profession, however (mining, skinning, herbalism), the level restrictions don't apply - as soon as you hit herbalism 50 you can train your max level to 150. As soon as you hit 125 you can train to a max level of 225. As soon as you hit 200 you can train to a max level of 300.
Of course, the challenge generally is that to advance to the minimum levels required for training, you'll have to be gathering herbs that may be surrounded by mobs too high of level for you, and that natural progression of power will keep the profession-advancing in check. It's much more difficult to power-level a gathering profession than it is a production one.
36 Troll Mage, 300 Alchemist
Once I hit level 35 with my Mage Alchemist toon, I moved him over to Swamp of Sorrows for a little while so he could be cuddled up cozy to the 225-300 Alchemist trainer.
My trip to Stonard was an interesting one, because of course to get there, one starts in Grom'Gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale and runs north into Duskwood and through half that zone to head out of the zone just east of Darkshire. Seeing that I'm a Horde, going through that path runs me right into Alliance territory with a bunch of 20-40's running around.
Of course, early in I picked up an Alliance "escort". Some level 40 Dranaei who seemed very confused as to why I was in the area kept giving me questioning looks and following me. Then he progressed to spitting on me and of course, flagged PvP. I just waved at him and laughed in general (not towards him) and kept plugging along the path, making sure not to get too close to any guards. Eventually my escort got bored and went on his way.
Once parked in Stonard, I hopped over to my bank toon that had been diligently storing herbs since this toon maxed out to 225 at about level 25, and I sent gobs and gobs of herbs through the postal system. I probably sent about 120 stacks.
Of course, my Herbalism toons are all under level 35 so the zones they can hang out in to pick herbs are low-to-medium at best, so most of these herbs didn't do a thing to help skill me up, but at least I've got a good selection of 'buff' potions stored up in my bank now, instead of just flowers.
After making a whole bunch of potions from the herbs I had stored up, I ended up buying about 50g worth of herbs that made potions which gave me skill-ups from 275 to 300 as well.
More Skilling Up At 35
Level 35 is an administrative level for my toons. I've got lots to advance now, because other than fishing, I've probably maxed out every other profession I have, and at 35 it's time to train up the new max profession level so I can advance those skills again.
So.... after skilling up to 300 in Alchemy, I moved my Mage over to Tanaris to pick up the Cooking quest to get past 225, and parked him there while I used other toons to send along/gather up the mats for the Cooking quest ( Zesty Clam Meat
Trade Goods
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Requires Level 45
Use: Restores 2148 health over 30 seconds. Must remain seated while eating.
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Alterac Swiss, Giant Egg
Trade Goods
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Giant Egg. The clam meat and cheese I had in the bank already, but the eggs that were for sale in the Auction House were obscenely expensive (1g per egg) so I sent my 62 Hunter out to the Hinterlands to mow down some Owlbeasts and farm eggs.
Next, he progressed over to Hammerfall in Arathi Highlands to visit the Trauma Physician over there and get First Aid's maximum level trained up to 300 by completing the Trauma bandaging quest, and picked up a few quests while running around the wee town there.
Teaming Up With A Warrior
After all that training up, I decided to tackle some of the quests in the area - particularly the ones involving the Raptors because they drop Raptor Flesh
Trade Goods
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Raptor Flesh and Raptor Egg
Trade Goods
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Raptor Egg which are useful components of cooking recipes that will advance my Mage's cooking skills. A bonus is that they drop Raptor Hide
Trade Goods
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Raptor Hide which I can send on to my Leatherworking toon to craft into a Raptor Hide Harness
Binds when equipped
ChestLeather
98 Armor
+13 Stamina
Requires Level 28
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Raptor Hide Harness which the lowbies tend to eat up when I post a few in the Auction House.
I had picked up a quest from someone in Undercity about bringing back three heads of three theives found in Arathi, so as I worked my way through the Raptors, I aimed myself towards the Dabyrie Farmstead. Just as I got there, a level 34 Tauren Warrior arrived as well and started to beat on the farms people wandering around. I helped him kill one, then asked in a 'say' if he's working on the 'heads quest', and then extended an invite to a party.
My new friend accepted the invitation and we started on the quest. There were, unfortunately, a few deaths while we played, but it didn't seem like a big deal to my new friend, and I have a few tricks that let me escape death more readily than my Warrior friend. The first death occurred when he went into a building and didn't drag everything back outside for me to help kill, but we got that one figured out and after I shared a couple of healing potions and we talked about how mages need to be far away from the action, we did a lot better. On occasion, too many mobs would get triggered and death would result, but all in all it was a good experience.
We ended up finishing 3-4 quests together over the next hour, and it was a great partnership. We added each other to our friends lists and moved on, but I will definitely look for that guy for questing together over the next while. It's always good for a Mage to have a friend that keeps the bad guys occupied while the Mage nukes 'em down!
My only regret is that I underused my Polymorph skill. Next time I will work harder at defending my Warrior friend by sheeping meanies pounding on him.
Tags: 300 alchemy, alchemist trainer, frost mage tips, leatherworking, leveling a mage, mage, mage tips and tricks, powerleveling herbalism, powerleveling mining, powerleveling skinning, profession maximums, swamp of sorrows, warcraft herbalism guide, warcraft mining guide, warcraft skinning guide