Herbalism - Uldum

    The desert kingdom of Uldum is home to multiple Cinderbloom nodes, as well as the only area with Whiptail spawns (except for the tiny little crocolisk swamp in Tol Barad, but the competition is so high there regardless that it is impractical and therefore insignificant. >_> ) Uldum is designed to be accessed at level 83, although technically a character can fly into the zone at a lower level and farm. The most common and popular route in Uldum is following along the central river. This path will only provide Whiptail, therefore I threw in a path (grey) I would most likely use for Cinderbloom as well. Feel free to mix up the two or design your own path, although unless you also have mining it will be most profitable to stick to the middle Whiptail route.

    Now…a word about Whiptail. At least as of this post, Whiptail has been buffed and is at a near instant spawn rate. Most herb farmers know this, which makes Uldum an extremely popular spot for flower picking – but luckily because of the insane spawn rate, more farmers almost always means even more Whiptail popping up out of the ground! Unless you are a druid and can stay in flight form while grabbing herbs, you may have to fight off some grumpy native wildlife, but usually the crocolisks will die in a matter of seconds.

    At least until this spawn rate is nerfed, Whiptail remains a gold mine, and Uldum is easily the most profitable zone for pure herbalism. Personally, I have made over 40k gold in less than two days farming this stuff. Next, we will be discussing Twilight Highlands herbs!

Herbalism - Deepholm

    For the second of my posts on Cataclysm herbalism, we will be embarking on a journey into the depths of…Deepholm. There are two types of flowers to pick in this cavern – Heartblossom and Cinderbloom, and you will find them scattered everywhere in the zone. Much like Hyjal, there is no need to stick closely to a specific path, but the map above will give you a general idea of how to farm this zone. Generally, the outer “ring” is the most herb-filled, and the Crimson Expanse and Pale Roost tend to be filled with herbs. The center is the only place to avoid, as it generally has fewer herbs than the outer layers. You will find a gap in herbs as well in the Northern tip of Deepholm, at the cave below Therazane’s Throne.

    You can start farming in Deepholm at 475, although you must be at least level 82 to access the zone. Generally there is a decent amount of competition from other herbalists, yet there are usually enough herb spawns that this is negated. It is worth noting that this is the only zone containing Heartblossom nodes. Especially if your character has mining as well as herbalism, Deepholm can be an extremely profitable region to farm. Next up, Uldum!

Herbalism - Mount Hyjal

    The first Cataclysm herbalism zone we will be taking a look at is Mt. Hyjal. This rugged, fiery mountain is likely to be the first zone herbalists hit once they move past Wrath herbs. Not only is Hyjal a good choice for leveling herbalism until around 475, it is also chock full of Cinderbloom and often less densely populated by farmers than higher-level zones.  There is also a good deal of Stormvine in the lush Northern half of Hyjal, as well as a handful of Azshara’s Veil around the various lakes and rivers.

    The route I have provided is a general idea of how to path around Hyjal, but given that the herbs are dispersed fairly evenly, the path is more of a suggestion than a strict guide. When leveling herbalism at the Cataclysm level, your other choice of zone is Vashj’ir, the 3-subzoned coral reef area. Although Vashj’ir has its own fair supply of herbs, there is a huge disadvantage – you will be swimming for your herbs. Even with the Abyssal Seahorse mount provided early in the questline, it can still get inconvenient, especially if the alternative is epic flying. Vashj’ir has a decent amount of Azshara’s Veil and Stormvine, but unless you are specifically seeking those herbs and do not mind swimming around, Hyjal is an easier zone overall to farm.

     In conclusion, Hyjal is (at least in my opinion…) the ideal zone to level your herbalism to 475. It is stuffed with Cinderbloom, and also an okay source of Stormvine and Azshara’s Veil. Next we will be taking a look at Deepholm! ^-^