Alchemy Guide — Vanilla WoW 1-300 (Patch 1.12.1)
Alchemy is the gold-printing profession of vanilla WoW. At max level, you produce flasks and elixirs that every raider consumes by the stack — Flask of Supreme Power, Greater Arcane Elixir, Elixir of the Mongoose — and those materials need to be restocked every single raid night. This guide gets you from 1 to 300 with minimal waste.
Why Choose Alchemy?
At max level, Alchemy has the best passive income of any profession. Raiding guilds consume enormous quantities of consumables. If you can craft Flask of Supreme Power and the major elixirs, you will make gold consistently with minimal effort. The tradeoff is that raw materials (herbs) are expensive — you ideally pair Alchemy with Herbalism.
Materials Overview
You will need the following herbs across the full 1-300 journey (approximate):
- ~100 Peacebloom, ~100 Silverleaf, ~80 Earthroot
- ~60 Briarthorn, ~60 Bruiseweed, ~50 Mageroyal
- ~80 Stranglekelp, ~60 Kingsblood, ~40 Liferoot
- ~60 Goldthorn, ~40 Khadgar's Whisker, ~40 Wild Steelbloom
- ~50 Sungrass, ~50 Blindweed, ~30 Ghost Mushroom
- ~60 Dreamfoil, ~60 Mountain Silversage, ~30 Golden Sansam
Leveling 1–300
Skill 1–60: Apprentice Recipes
Train Apprentice Alchemy. Craft Minor Healing Potion (1x Peacebloom, 1x Silverleaf, 1x Empty Vial) from 1 to 60. These cost almost nothing and can be sold or given to lowbies.
Skill 60–105: Journeyman
Learn Journeyman Alchemy. Craft Minor Mana Potion to 80, then switch to Swiftness Potion or Lesser Healing Potion to reach 105.
Skill 105–150: Expert Range
Craft Healing Potion (Bruiseweed + Briarthorn) from 105 to 150. These are useful potions you can keep or sell easily.
Skill 150–225
Craft Greater Healing Potion from 150 to 185 using Liferoot and Kingsblood. Switch to Elixir of Agility or Fire Protection Potion from 185 to 225.
Skill 225–285: Artisan
Learn Artisan Alchemy. Craft Superior Healing Potion (Sungrass + Khadgar's Whisker) from 225 to 250. Then craft Elixir of Greater Intellect or Elixir of Superior Defense to 285.
Skill 285–300: Endgame Recipes
Craft Major Healing Potion or Greater Arcane Elixir (Golden Sansam + Dreamfoil) to reach 300. These are both valuable and sell consistently on the AH.
Best Max-Level Recipes for Gold
| Item | Materials | Why It Sells |
|---|---|---|
| Flask of Supreme Power | 30 Dreamfoil, 10 Mountain Silversage, Black Lotus, Crystal Vial | BiS flask for caster DPS, consumed on every raid night |
| Greater Arcane Elixir | 2 Golden Sansam, 2 Dreamfoil | Core caster consumable, high volume sales |
| Elixir of the Mongoose | 1 Fadeleaf, 1 Goldthorn | Melee DPS use this every raid; cheap to craft |
| Major Mana Potion | 2 Dreamfoil, 1 Icecap, Crystal Vial | All casters and healers consume stacks per raid |
Transmutation (Extra Passive Income)
Alchemy also unlocks Transmutation recipes — turning one material into another on a 24-hour cooldown. Transmute: Arcanite (Thorium Bar → Arcanite Bar) is the most profitable: Arcanite Bars are required for high-end crafting recipes and always sell above material cost. One transmute per day adds up significantly over a raiding tier.
Recommended Addons
Use Gatherer to track herb node locations while farming your Alchemy materials. Auctioneer is essential — check herb and flask prices daily so you know which recipes are profitable to craft vs. which materials you should sell raw.