Professions in WoW Forever: a beginner's guide

Which two professions to pick, how ranks and recipe colors work, what you can make by level 20, where trainers stand and herbs and ore grow, and what Forever's new campfires add.

WoW Forever is in beta and the level cap is 20. Ranks, recipes, items and camp features in this guide come from the Forever client. Trainer names and places, the level each rank needs, and where herbs and ore grow come from Classic's data and are marked as such: Forever may have moved things.

What professions are

A profession is a trade skill. Gathering professions collect raw materials ("mats") from the world: Herbalism picks herbs, Mining digs ore and stone out of veins, and Skinning takes leather and hides from dead beasts. Crafting professions turn mats into things you use or sell: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking and Tailoring.

You can have two primary professions at a time, in any mix of gathering and crafting. On top of those, every character can learn the three secondary skills, Cooking, First Aid and Fishing, which don't use up one of your two slots.

Each profession has a skill number. You raise it by gathering or crafting. Each rank has a skill cap, and a trainer teaches you the next rank to raise it. The rank spells in the client say what each crafting profession needs: Alchemy "Requires Herbs found with the Herbalism skill" (Alchemy); Blacksmithing and Engineering need "stone and metal found with the mining skill" (Blacksmithing, Engineering); Leatherworking needs "leather scraps and hides gathered with the Skinning skill" (Leatherworking); Tailoring needs "cloth found on humanoids" (Tailoring); and Enchanting needs "Dusts and Essences found by disenchanting magic items" (Enchanting).

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, World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap

Forever also ties every profession to camping: each one can add an object to a campfire that helps everyone sitting there. That has its own section below.

Picking your two professions

The easiest start is a gathering profession plus the crafting profession that uses what it gathers. You never have to buy mats, and what you don't need you can sell. These pairs fit together, going by what the recipes use and make:

Your class matters too. The weapon and armor rules below are from the Forever client:

• Warriors and Paladins can wear mail from level 1; Hunters and Shamans only from level 40. Before then, Blacksmithing's mail armor is mostly for Warriors and Paladins. Its weapon stones help every melee class.
• Only Mages, Priests and Warlocks can use wands, which Enchanting makes.
• Warriors, Hunters and Rogues can use guns, which Engineering makes.
• Leatherworking's quiver and ammo pouch raise ranged attack speed, which is what a Hunter wants.
• Bags, bandages, food and potions help every class, so Tailoring, First Aid, Cooking and Alchemy are never wasted.

Tip: Not sure? Take two gathering professions while you level. They make money from your first node (a "node" is an herb or ore vein in the world). You can drop one later for a crafting profession, but as in Classic, dropping a profession loses all of its skill and recipes.

Watch out: Gathering-only has one Forever catch: the Legacy System gives points for professions only for non-gathering (crafting) professions, at skill 150, 225 and 300. See the Legacy section below.

Ranks, and how far you can go by level 20

Every profession has four ranks. Each rank raises the highest skill you can reach, and the Forever client stores those caps in the rank spells:

From the rank spells in the Forever client.

The character level a trainer asks for is mostly not in the client; it lives in the trainers' own data. The levels below are Classic's trainer data, so Forever may have changed them.

Character level each rank needs, from Classic's trainer data. — means the data gives no level. Fishing's Journeyman and Expert spells carry level 1 in the Forever client itself.

Speculation: In Classic's trainer data a rank also needs a minimum skill: 50 for Journeyman and 125 for Expert, in every profession. Classic's gathering trainers and First Aid ask for no character level for their first ranks, only that skill. If Forever keeps these rules, a level 20 character can train Expert in any profession and raise it to 225, and Artisan (level 35 in the same data) waits for a later level cap.

What that means at the level 20 cap: Expert is the last rank you can train, so 225 is your ceiling. In practice your skill is held back more by the mats you can reach. The gathering table further down shows that the level 20 to 30 zones hold herbs and veins the starting zones don't, such as Kingsblood, Liferoot and Iron.

How skill-ups and recipe colors work

You gain a skill point (a "skill-up") by crafting a recipe or gathering a node, but not every time. The color of a recipe in your profession window, and of a node's name in its tooltip, tells you the odds:

• Orange: a skill-up every time.
• Yellow: usually a skill-up.
• Green: only now and then.
• Grey: never. Time for something harder.

The Forever client stores, for every recipe, the skill at which it turns yellow and the skill at which it turns grey. Some examples:

Yellow and grey thresholds from the Forever client (SkillLineAbility). Below the yellow number a recipe is orange.

Two things stand out in Forever's data. Many new recipes have a very short window: Minor Mageblood Elixir goes from yellow to grey in 5 points, and Gemmed Copper Boots turns grey at the same skill it turns yellow, so it only gives skill-ups while it is orange. And the client doesn't record the skill you need to learn most recipes (the trainer decides), except for recipes taught by an item: Plans: Gemmed Copper Boots, for example, needs Blacksmithing 35.

You know a few recipes the moment you learn a profession; the client marks them as learned automatically. New tailors know Bolt of Linen Cloth and Linen Bag, new blacksmiths Rough Sharpening Stone and Rough Copper Vest, new leatherworkers Light Leather and Light Armor Kit, new engineers Rough Blasting Powder and Rough Dynamite, and new cooks Basic Campfire.

Tip: Level a profession with the cheapest recipe that is still orange or yellow, and make things you will use or can sell. When everything you know is green or grey, go back to the trainer: new recipes start orange.

Camping: what each profession adds

Camping is new in Forever. Cooking makes a campfire, and players sitting at it can add objects from their own professions, each with a buff or a service for everyone nearby.

A Basic Campfire allows up to three special crafted objects to be added by nearby players. Each player can contribute one object, and those objects share a one-hour cooldown. Every profession has three different objects learned at different skill levels, and each profession provides its own buff or utility no matter which object is placed. Blizzard, World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap

In the client, each profession's first object needs skill 20 and its second needs skill 140, so both are within reach before level 20. What they do, from their tooltips:

Required skill and effects from the item tooltips in the Forever client. Most buffs scale with level, so we leave out their numbers.

• Every feature "Requires a Campfire nearby", and "All camping features share a cooldown of 1 hour." Most skill 140 objects can be placed over your skill 20 object to replace it.
• The campfire kit says: "Players sitting or crafting nearby for 1 min will gain benefits from other camp features." Since the September 24 beta notes you can also get the buff while sitting in a chair, sleeping, lying down or kneeling, and you can buff, cast and craft while you wait.
• Each buff is exclusive with the class buff it copies: Mana Well with Blessing of Wisdom, Sharpening Wheel with Strength of Earth Totem, Enchanted Lute with Mark of the Wild, Incense Candle with Arcane Intellect, Lodestone with Blessing of Might, Camp Chair with Moonkin Aura, Faction Banner with Divine Spirit, First Aid Kit with Power Word: Fortitude, Fish Bowl with Blessing of Kings.
• Blizzard says the first objects are learned "from special nonplayer characters (NPCs) who introduce players to camping or from profession trainers", and that the more advanced ones "come from Blueprint recipes that drop from specific dungeon bosses." The client's skill 300 objects include Alchemy Laboratory, Master Forge and Fishing Hut.
• Rested experience is bonus experience you build up while logged out in an inn or a city. The Camp Tent is a way to top it up in the wild.

One small mismatch: Blizzard's Deep Dive says the Sharpening Wheel "increases Attack Power", but its tooltip in the beta client says Strength. Read more in our Deep Dive recap.

Watch out: Blizzard warns that "some parts of Azeroth are better suited for a quiet rest than others." Sitting still by a fire in a busy or contested zone leaves you open to attack, especially on the PvP ruleset.

Gathering: Herbalism, Mining and Skinning

Gathering needs no workshop and earns money from your first node. You can do it while you quest: turn on tracking, and pick up what you pass on the way.

Herbalism

Herbalism picks herbs "for use in Alchemy" (Herbalism). You also get Find Herbs: "Nearby herb bushes appear on the minimap. Only one type of thing can be tracked at a time." The herbs of the early zones are Peacebloom, Silverleaf, Earthroot, Mageroyal, Briarthorn, Bruiseweed and Stranglekelp; the table below shows where they grow.

Camp features: Incense Candle at skill 20 (Intellect) and Greenhouse at 140, which "will grow herbs over time from seeds planted". Seeds such as Commonplace Herb Seeds are already in the client.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Tannysa (Stormwind City), Reyna Stonebranch (Ironforge), Kali Healtouch (Loch Modan), Malorne Bladeleaf (Teldrassil), Firodren Mooncaller (Darnassus), Alma Jainrose (Redridge Mountains).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Mishiki (Durotar), Jandi (Orgrimmar), Komin Winterhoof (Thunder Bluff), Faruza (Tirisfal Glades), Martha Alliestar (Undercity).

Mining

Mining pulls ore and stone from veins "for use in Engineering and Blacksmithing" and "Requires a Mining Pick" (Mining; the pick is Mining Pick). You learn Find Minerals, which shows veins on the minimap, and Smelting, which turns ore into bars; smelting "requires a forge". You start with Smelt Copper and can later learn Smelt Tin, Smelt Bronze, Smelt Silver and Smelt Iron, all of which turn yellow below skill 150 in the client.

Camp features: Lodestone at skill 20 (melee Attack Power) and Rock Garden at 140, which "spawns a common mining node over time".

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Gelman Stonehand (Stormwind City), Yarr Hammerstone (Dun Morogh), Geofram Bouldertoe (Ironforge), Brock Stoneseeker (Loch Modan), Kurdram Stonehammer (Darkshore).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Krunn (Durotar), Makaru (Orgrimmar), Brek Stonehoof (Thunder Bluff), Brom Killian (Undercity), Johan Focht (Silverpine Forest).

Skinning

Skinning takes leather and hides from beasts "for use in Leatherworking" and "Requires a Skinning Knife" (Skinning; the knife is Skinning Knife). Loot a beast first, then use it again to skin it. You get things like Ruined Leather Scraps, Light Leather and Light Hide. Skinning has no nodes to find: most beasts you or others kill can be skinned, so it fits wherever you quest.

Camp features: Camp Chair at skill 20 (2% critical strike chance) and Field Guide at 140, which lets players "read it and gain Track Beasts".

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Helene Peltskinner (Elwynn Forest), Maris Granger (Stormwind City), Balthus Stoneflayer (Ironforge), Radnaal Maneweaver (Teldrassil), Eladriel (Darnassus), Wilma Ranthal (Redridge Mountains).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Thuwd (Orgrimmar), Yonn Deepcut (Mulgore), Mooranta (Thunder Bluff), Rand Rhobart (Tirisfal Glades), Killian Hagey (Undercity), Dranh (The Barrens). Blizzard's September 24 notes confirm you can learn Skinning from Helene Peltskinner in Elwynn Forest in Forever.

Classic's data has no trainers on Zephras Isle, the Skyborne starting island (levels 1–12 per Blizzard), so we can't list them there yet. See Meet the Skyborne.

Where herbs and ore grow (Classic data)

This table lists, for the starting zones and the zones up to about level 30, the herbs and ore veins Classic's data puts there, with the number of spawn points. Use it to decide where to gather; the numbers are spots a node can appear, not how many you will see at once.

Spawn points from Classic's data (CMaNGOS). For each herb or vein the data lists only the eight zones with the most spawns, so "none listed" means few or none, not always none. Several vein types share spawn points, which is why some counts match. Quest levels: Classic levels of the quests the Forever client has. Forever may place nodes differently.

Crafting: the six crafting professions

Crafting needs mats and a trainer visit every so often. Each section lists useful things you can make by level 20 (the level in brackets is the level needed to use the item), the profession's camp features, and its trainers.

Alchemy

Alchemy brews potions and elixirs from herbs. Forever changed it a lot. The plain healing potions are no longer Alchemy's: the client lists Minor Healing Potion, Lesser Healing Potion and Healing Potion as First Aid recipes. Alchemy's own healing potions are the "Discolored" ones, like Minor Discolored Healing Potion: "Restores 150 to 170 health instantly, however you also suffer 75% of that amount over time", as either a 6 sec poison or a 12 sec disease.

• Minor Mana Potion (level 5): "Restores 140 to 180 mana."
• Minor Mageblood Elixir (level 5): regenerates 3 mana every 5 seconds for 30 min. New in Forever.
• Elixir of Minor Strength and Elixir of Minor Agility: +4 Strength or +4 Agility for 1 hour.
• Minor Frenzy Potion, Minor Spellblasting Potion and Minor Mender's Potion (level 5): 30-second boosts to Attack Power, spell damage or spell healing for a hard fight. New in Forever.
• Swiftness Potion (level 5): 50% run speed for 15 sec, for getting away.
• Discolored Healing Potion (level 12): the bigger Discolored potion, 600 to 680 health at once, with the same drawback.

Camp features: Mana Well at 20 and Fermenter at 140. Blizzard says alchemists can later place an Alchemy Lab (Alchemy Laboratory, skill 300 in the client).

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Tel'Athir (Stormwind City), Vosur Brakthel (Ironforge), Ghak Healtouch (Loch Modan), Cyndra Kindwhisper (Teldrassil), Milla Fairancora (Darnassus).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Miao'zan (Durotar), Whuut (Orgrimmar), Kray (Thunder Bluff), Carolai Anise (Tirisfal Glades), Doctor Martin Felben (Undercity).

Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing makes mail armor, weapons and weapon stones from Mining's bars and stone.

• Rough Sharpening Stone and Rough Weightstone: +2 damage on a sharp or blunt weapon for 30 minutes. Known from the start and useful to every melee class.
• Rough Copper Vest (level 2): a green chest piece in Forever; it was a white item in Classic.
• Copper Chain Belt, Copper Chain Vest and Copper Chain Boots: early green mail for Warriors and Paladins.
• Copper Dagger (level 6) and Copper Battle Axe (level 8): early weapons.
• Gemmed Copper Boots and Glowing Copper Boots (level 10): new blue (Rare) boots, taught by recipe items such as Plans: Gemmed Copper Boots (Blacksmithing 35). The client doesn't say where these drop.
• New green Skyforged mail for levels 5 to 7, such as Azure Skyforged Chain, taught by plans like Plans: Azure Skyforged Chain (Blacksmithing 50).

Camp features: Sharpening Wheel at 20 and Anvil at 140.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Smith Argus (Elwynn Forest), Dane Lindgren (Stormwind City), Tognus Flintfire (Dun Morogh), Groum Stonebeard (Ironforge), Delfrum Flintbeard (Darkshore).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Dwukk (Durotar), Ug'thok (Orgrimmar), Thrag Stonehoof (Thunder Bluff), Basil Frye (Undercity), Guillaume Sorouy (Silverpine Forest).

Engineering

Engineering builds explosives, guns, scopes, goggles and gadgets from metal and stone. You start knowing Rough Blasting Powder, Rough Dynamite and Crafted Light Shot.

• Rough Dynamite: "Inflicts 26 to 34 Fire damage in a 5 yard radius." It needs Engineering to use. The new SAF-T Dynamite does the same damage and has no skill requirement in the client, so anyone can use it, which makes it something to sell.
• Rough Copper Bomb (needs Engineering 30): Fire damage plus a 1 sec stun in a 3 yard radius; any damage breaks the stun.
• Rough Boomstick (level 5), a gun, and Crude Scope, which permanently adds 1 damage to a bow or gun.
• Flying Tiger Goggles: goggles that need Engineering 100 to wear.
• Mechanical Squirrel Box: a mechanical squirrel that follows you around.

Camp features: Reagent Bot at 20 and Repair Bot at 140. Gnomes have a racial for Engineering (see Racials below).

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Sprite Jumpsprocket (Stormwind City), Bronk Guzzlegear (Dun Morogh), Jemma Quikswitch (Ironforge), Deek Fizzlebizz (Loch Modan), Jenna Lemkenilli (Darkshore).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Mukdrak (Durotar), Tinkerwiz (Durotar), Thund (Orgrimmar), Twizwick Sprocketgrind (Mulgore), Graham Van Talen (Undercity).

Leatherworking

Leatherworking turns Skinning's leather and hides into leather armor, armor kits and bags. You start knowing Light Leather, Light Armor Kit and a set of Handstitched armor.

• Light Armor Kit: "Permanently increase the Stamina value by 1 and the Armor value by 8" of a chest, legs, hands or feet item.
• Light Leather Quiver and Small Leather Ammo Pouch: an 8-slot quiver and ammo pouch that increase ranged attack speed by 10%. Every Hunter wants one.
• Kodo Hide Bag: a 6-slot bag.
• Handstitched Leather Vest and Handstitched Leather Pants: green leather armor for the first levels.
• Black Whelp Slippers and Dark Leather Boots (level 10): new blue boots from patterns such as Pattern: Black Whelp Slippers (Leatherworking 35).
• Light Leather Reagent Bag: a new 6-slot reagent bag from Pattern: Light Leather Reagent Bag (Leatherworking 30).

Camp features: Camp Tent at 20 (a real help while leveling) and Tanning Rack at 140, which Blizzard says is "required for more advanced Leatherworking recipes".

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Adele Fielder (Elwynn Forest), Randal Worth (Stormwind City), Gretta Finespindle (Ironforge), Nadyia Maneweaver (Teldrassil), Darianna (Darnassus).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Kamari (Orgrimmar), Chaw Stronghide (Mulgore), Mak (Thunder Bluff), Shelene Rhobart (Tirisfal Glades), Dan Golthas (Undercity), Waldor (The Barrens).

Tailoring

Tailoring sews cloth armor, shirts and bags from the cloth that humanoid enemies drop, so it needs no gathering profession. You start knowing Bolt of Linen Cloth, Linen Bag, Linen Cloak, Brown Linen Shirt and Simple Linen Pants.

• Bags: Linen Bag (6 slots) from the start, then Woolen Bag, Red Linen Bag and Green Woolen Bag (8 slots each). Everyone needs bags.
• Linen Reagent Bag: a new 6-slot reagent bag, taught by Pattern: Linen Reagent Bag (Tailoring 5).
• Red Linen Robe and Brown Linen Robe (level 5): green robes for casters.
• Novice Arcanist's Sash and Novice Ardent's Sash (level 10): new blue sashes from their patterns (Tailoring 50).
• Green items like these are also what an Enchanter disenchants.

Camp features: Faction Banner (Alliance) or Faction Banner (Horde) at 20, and Spinning Wheel at 140.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Eldrin (Elwynn Forest), Lawrence Schneider (Stormwind City), Uthrar Threx (Ironforge), Trianna (Darnassus), Grondal Moonbreeze (Darkshore).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Snang (Orgrimmar), Vhan (Thunder Bluff), Bowen Brisboise (Tirisfal Glades), Victor Ward (Undercity), Kil'hala (The Barrens).

Enchanting

Enchanting adds permanent bonuses to gear and makes wands and weapon oils. Its mats come from Disenchant, which "Extracts the magical element(s) from good quality (Green) or better weapons or armor" and destroys the item. New in Forever: Dust to Motes "Divides 1 pile of Strange Dust into 3 Motes of Magic", and the client says Mote of Magic is "Available from enchanting vendors".

• Novice's Practice Wand (level 1): a wand you know from the start. Lesser Magic Wand (level 5) and Greater Magic Wand (level 13) follow. Only Mages, Priests and Warlocks can use wands.
• Minor Wizard Oil (level 5): "increases spell damage and healing by up to 8" on your weapon for 30 minutes.
• Early enchants: Enchant Bracer - Minor Stamina, Enchant Weapon - Minor Striking, Enchant 2H Weapon - Minor Impact and the new Enchant Bracer - Minor Intellect.

Camp features: Enchanted Lute at 20 and Arcane Salvager at 140.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Betty Quin (Stormwind City), Thonys Pillarstone (Ironforge), Alanna Raveneye (Teldrassil), Lalina Summermoon (Darnassus), Kitta Firewind (Elwynn Forest).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Jhag (Orgrimmar), Mot Dawnstrider (Thunder Bluff), Vance Undergloom (Tirisfal Glades), Malcomb Wynn (Undercity).

Secondary skills: Cooking, First Aid and Fishing

Any character can learn all three, on top of two primary professions. They are cheap to level and help every class.

Cooking

Cooking "Requires meat from beasts and fire to make food" (Cooking). In Forever it also makes the fire: you know Basic Campfire from the start, and its Basic Campfire Kit "allows cooking and the placement of up to 3 additional camp features".

Food got a big update. In the client even simple food makes you well fed (a short food buff) if you keep eating for 10 seconds:

• Roasted Boar Meat: 1 Strength for 15 min. Spiced Wolf Meat: 1 Agility. Both are level 1 food.
• Coyote Steak (level 5): 3 Agility for 15 min.
• Westfall Stew (level 5): "15% movement speed while in Westfall for 15 min".
• Peace Tea: a new drink that restores mana and gives 2 Healing Power when well fed.
• Not everything does: Charred Wolf Meat gives no buff.

Upgrades: Blueprint: Journeyman Campfire (Cooking 90) teaches the Journeyman Campfire, whose kit Journeyman Campfire Kit needs Cooking 140 and holds up to 5 features. The Expert Campfire (Expert Campfire Kit, Cooking 220) holds 10.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Tomas (Elwynn Forest), Stephen Ryback (Stormwind City), Gremlock Pilsnor (Dun Morogh), Daryl Riknussun (Ironforge), Zarrin (Teldrassil), Alegorn (Darnassus).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Zamja (Orgrimmar), Pyall Silentstride (Mulgore), Aska Mistrunner (Thunder Bluff), Eunice Burch (Undercity), Duhng (The Barrens).

First Aid

First Aid makes bandages from cloth (First Aid) and, in Forever, a lot more. You start with Linen Bandage. Bandaging costs no mana, so it's the cheapest way to heal between fights.

• Bandages: Linen Bandage "Heals 66 damage over 6 sec." Heavy Linen Bandage, Wool Bandage and Heavy Wool Bandage heal more, and need First Aid 20, 50 and 75 to use.
• Healing potions: the client lists Minor Healing Potion (70 to 90 health), Lesser Healing Potion (140 to 180) and Healing Potion (280 to 360, level 12) under First Aid.
• Cures: Anti-Venom cures poisons up to level 25; the new Simple Poultice cures diseases up to level 25 and Woolen Tourniquet cures bleeds up to level 30. The two new ones can't be used in combat.

Camp features: First Aid Kit at 20 and Toxin Study at 140.

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Michelle Belle (Elwynn Forest), Shaina Fuller (Stormwind City), Thamner Pol (Dun Morogh), Nissa Firestone (Ironforge), Byancie (Teldrassil), Dannelor (Darnassus).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Rawrk (Durotar), Arnok (Orgrimmar), Vira Younghoof (Mulgore), Pand Stonebinder (Thunder Bluff), Nurse Neela (Tirisfal Glades), Mary Edras (Undercity).

Fishing

Fishing: "Equip a fishing pole and find a body of water to fish. Right-Click on the bob in the water when it splashes to catch your fish." You need a pole such as Fishing Pole. Forever's Fishing skill also has Find Fish, which makes "Nearby fishing nodes appear on the minimap". Fish feed Cooking: Slitherskin Mackerel, for example, gives 6 Attack Power when you're well fed.

Camp features: Fish Bowl at 20 ("8% increased stats") and Fishing Rack at 140, which lets you "catch uncommon fish for 1 hour".

• Alliance trainers (Classic data): Lee Brown (Elwynn Forest), Arnold Leland (Stormwind City), Paxton Ganter (Dun Morogh), Grimnur Stonebrand (Ironforge), Warg Deepwater (Loch Modan), Androl Oakhand (Teldrassil), Astaia (Darnassus).
• Horde trainers (Classic data): Lau'Tiki (Durotar), Lumak (Orgrimmar), Uthan Stillwater (Mulgore), Kah Mistrunner (Thunder Bluff), Clyde Kellen (Tirisfal Glades), Armand Cromwell (Undercity).

Speculation: The client has a new skill named Comprehension in the same group as Cooking, First Aid and Fishing. Its only ability so far is Comprehend Scroll: "Decipher an untranslated scroll." Blizzard hasn't explained it, and it may not be something you can learn in the beta.

Racials that touch professions

Two races have a profession racial in the Forever client, and a third has one that helps gatherers:

• Tauren, Cultivation: "Cultivate a nearby herb, growing a duplicate you can harvest without requiring Herbalism skill. Each herb may only be cultivated once." The September 24 beta notes add a level requirement: the herb's Herbalism requirement divided by 5 (herbs above 300 skill need level 60). You still have to find the herb, but a Tauren can harvest herbs without Herbalism, or get extra ones with it.
• Gnome, Engineering Specialization: "Your gnomish ingenuity reduces the rate of engineering devices failing or backfiring when you use them by 20%." A natural fit for Engineering.
• Dwarf, Find Treasure: not a profession racial, but Blizzard says it "can now remain active alongside other tracking abilities", so a Dwarf can track treasure and herbs or veins at the same time.

No other race, the Skyborne included, has a profession racial in the client. More on every race in Races, classes and reworked racials.

Legacy points and perks from professions

Forever's Legacy System gives account-wide points for challenges. Blizzard's post on it says professions count in two ways:

• You unlock the Legacy System with your first point, usually at level 25, "though you can also unlock it by reaching 150 in a non-gathering primary tradeskill or exploring the entire world map." With the beta capped at 20, a crafting profession at 150 is one way in, if the beta has the system turned on (Blizzard hasn't said).
• Tradeskill challenges: for each non-gathering primary profession, reaching 150, 225 and 300 skill earns a point (18 in total).

Points are spent in trees, one of them Professions. The perks Blizzard lists for professions and camping:

• Working Overtime: a higher chance of a skill-up in all tradeskills, including Lockpicking.
• Bountiful Harvest: "helps you find additional Scarce resources when mining, herbing, or skinning."
• Bartering: cheaper vendor purchases.
• Master Chef: a chance for cooking recipes to make extra. Luremaster: a chance to fish up extra fish.
• Dedicated Study: a daily cooldown to raise your tradeskills faster.
• Field Guide: shortens the 1-hour cooldown on placing camp features. Permanence: longer party, raid and camping buffs. Field Medicine: a shorter Recently Bandaged debuff outside dungeons, raids and battlegrounds.
• Reagent Economy: class abilities no longer need bought reagents, and tier 1 camp features need no mats to craft.

Blizzard also names two new factions, the Azeroth Commerce Authority (Alliance) and Durotar Supply and Logistics (Horde), as "a major source of new tradeskill activities". Full details in The Legacy System explained.

Speculation: The client has "Waylaid Supplies" items that ask for crafted goods and mats, such as Waylaid Supplies: Peacebloom ("Add 20 Peacebloom to complete the shipment."). These look tied to those factions, but Blizzard hasn't said how they work in Forever.

Tips for leveling a profession

• Train early. Learn your professions as soon as you can (level 5 for crafting in Classic's data) and go back to the trainer before you hit each cap. At 75, 150 and 225 you stop gaining skill until you train the next rank.
• Gather while you quest. Keep tracking on and pick up the nodes along your route. Stopping for a node near your quest mobs costs less time than a separate gathering trip.
• Watch your bank space. Mats fill bags fast. Make or buy bags early (Tailoring and Leatherworking make them), and keep mats for later recipes in the bank rather than your bags.
• Sell what you don't use. A vendor pays little for raw mats (the client puts Peacebloom at 10 copper), while other players buy them at the Auction House. See Making money.
• Use what you make. Your own bags, bandages, weapon stones, food and potions save gold while you level.
• Carry a campfire kit. Every cook knows the recipe from the start, and once your professions reach skill 20 you can add your own features and share the buffs with anyone who sits down.
• Look things up. Every item and recipe in this guide links to its page; search for more on Items and Spells, and find trainers on the maps.

Checked against WoW Forever beta build 1.60.1.70009.