Cooking Leveling Guide 1-225 for Phase 2 of Season of Discovery (SoD)

Cooking Leveling Guide for Season of Discovery

The Cooking profession in Season of Discovery is largely the same as it was in Vanilla or Classic WoW. The main difference is in the lower level caps. For Phase 2, that means your Cooking skill will max out at 225 instead of 300.

For a look at the best recipes you can craft at 225 Cooking skill, check out our Season of Discovery Cooking Overview. This guide will focus on how to level your Cooking skill to that point.

How to Level Cooking in Season of Discovery

When it comes to leveling methods, there are two possible routes. You can level your Cooking by collecting meat from beasts all across Azeroth. Alternatively, you can choose to level your Cooking skill alongside your Fishing skill, crafting food from the fish you catch. We’ll cover both strategies in this guide as well as noting key differences for Alliance and Horde players.

Trainer Locations

Training plays a huge role in leveling your Cooking as you’ll need new recipes learned from trainers and vendors both to reach even higher levels. For any specific recipes you’ll need to find, we’ll tell you where to find them in the section where you need them. For general Cooking trainers that offer you level cap increases, you can find them at these locations:

  • Apprentice (1-75) – Like most other professions, simply ask a guard in any major city where you can find the Cooking Trainer.
    • For Wow Alliance Crest Alliance, that means Stormwind, Ironforge, or Darnassus.
    • For the Horde, you can go to Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, or Undercity.
  • Journeyman (75-150) – Return to the same city you originally learned Cooking in. This is the last time you’ll visit this trainer!
  • Expert (150-225) – To learn Expert Cooking, you’ll actually need to learn it from a cookbook! How fitting.
    • For Wow Alliance Crest Alliance players, you can purchase Expert Cookbook from Shandrina in Mystral Lake, Ashenvale, or find it on the Auction House.
    • Horde players can purchase Expert Cookbook from Wulan in Shadowprey Village, Desolace or from the Auction House.

WoW Classic Cooking Guide - Shandrina Location
Shandrina Location
WoW Classic Cooking Guide - Wulan Location
Wulan Location

Important Notes

Before you start cooking, there are a few key things to keep in mind! Depending on what faction you play and how you want to tackle leveling, you’ll have a very different experience!

Factions

Although both Wow Alliance Crest Alliance and Horde players have fairly similar leveling routes to reach 225 Cooking, there are several instances where a different recipe is used. The first 75 levels are identical for both factions, but then the route differs.

The exception to this is Night Elves who do not have wolves or boars in their starting zone. Instead they learn to craft Kaldorei Spider Kabob from a quest of the same name in their starting zone.

For those sections, each faction will have their own instructions.

Fishing

One of the easier ways of leveling Cooking is by simultaneously leveling your Fishing skill. You can entirely source your way to 225 Cooking from Fishing alone, but this will require several hours of fishing in order to reach a high enough level to catch the fish you’ll need to cook.

If you already plan on leveling your Fishing skill, this is a perfect opportunity for you to freely level your Cooking skill at the same time.

Because fishing drastically changes the recipes you’ll use, there is an entirely separate section in this guide for if you want to fish rather than kill beasts.

WoW Classic Cooking - Fishing Guide

Quests

WoW Classic Quest Icon

Throughout the guide, you’ll notice there are a few quests that you’ll need to do. These quests are required to learn the recipe you’ll use, but fortunately most quests are as simple as collecting a set amount of ingredients and handing them in.

For anything more advanced, we’ll illustrate how to complete the quest. Additionally, we’ll mention when you need to purchase a specific recipe from a vendor!

Materials Needed

Depending upon your method and faction, your material needs will differ. Keep in mind totals will vary based upon your RNG, but these should serve as a good guideline of what to expect. Here are the totals for each leveling method:

Wow Alliance Crest Alliance Cooking Materials (Without Fishing)

Horde Cooking Materials (Without Fishing)

Cooking Materials from Fishing (Both Factions)

Leveling Cooking Without Fishing

Leveling Cooking as Alliance

1-75: Apprentice Cooking

Welcome to the wonderful world of cooking! Where flavor is king and quality is never an afterthought! Just kidding, you’ll use any old cut of meat you can find!

To get started, learn the Apprentice Cooking skill from any Cooking Trainer. While you’re there, train the first recipe below.

1-40: Charred Wolf Meat, Roasted Boar Meat, or Kaldorei Spider Kabob x 40

For your first cooking recipe, make any combination of the above to reach 40 Cooking. You can kill boars and wolves found around Elwynn Forest or Dun Morogh for their meat. If you are playing as a Night Elf, wolves and boars are not an option, so hunt spiders all over Teldrassil to get the legs you need for a Kaldorei favorite!

40-75: Smoked Bear Meat x35

You’ll need to purchase the next recipe from a vendor. Then kill bears from the surrounding area. Smoke enough bear meat to reach at least 75 Cooking.

75-150: Journeyman Cooking

Head to any Cooking Trainer to learn Journeyman Cooking, and pick up the next recipe while you’re there.

75-85: Crab Cake x10

Now things start to get a little different! Learn Journeyman Cooking while also picking up this nifty little recipe for some delectable crab cake. Make just 10 of them, but don’t eat them all at once! Don’t forget to buy the Mild Spices from a cooking vendor near your trainer. You can find some pinchy crawlers over in Westfall near the coast.

85-100: Cooked Crab Claw x15

Crabfest continues, but now you’re cooking whole crab claws. Pick up this recipe in Stormwind. Cook crab claws until you reach triple digits for your Cooking level! These also drop from crawlers, so keep farming them in Westfall.

100-130: Seasoned Wolf Kabob x30

Yes, wolf is actually quite a versatile meat. You’re going to turn it into a kabob now, which requires you to complete a quest in Duskwood to learn the recipe. You’ll need to collect 10 Lean Wolf Flanks from the wolves in the zone and then pick up the herbs from Felicia Gump in a flower shop in the Canal District of Stormwind City.

130-150: Curiously Tasty Omelet x20

For this next part, you’ll actually need to head to a few spots. First you’ll need to purchase another recipe in Stormwind if you haven’t already. To make these omelets, you’ll need (surprise!) eggs, but more specifically, raptor eggs! You can get them from raptors around Arathi Highlands, but might have more luck with the raptors in the Wetlands just north of Grim Batol. Don’t forget to buy Hot Spices from a cooking vendor!

150-225: Expert Cooking

Upon reaching 150 skill, you’ll need to purchase an Expert Cookbook to unlock Expert Cooking. You can buy it at Mystral Lake in Ashenvale from a vendor named Shandrina (or on the Auction House).

150-175: Curiously Tasty Omelet x20

Nothing new here, you made 20 of these to get to 150. Continue farming raptor eggs from Arathi Highlands all the way to 175!

175-200: Soothing Turtle Bisque x25

Once you reach 175 Cooking, you’ll encounter another recipe quest! This one requires collecting meat from turtles along the river in Hillsbrad Foothills.

200-225: Spider Sausage x25

Do spiders even have any meat to make a sausage? Don’t try to understand it, but make 25 of these. The spiders in Dustwallow Marsh are a great source for this.

Leveling Cooking as Horde

1-75: Apprentice Cooking

Welcome to the wonderful world of cooking! Where flavor is king and quality is never an afterthought! Just kidding, you’ll use any old cut of meat you can find!

To get started, learn the Apprentice Cooking skill from any Cooking Trainer. While you’re there, train the first recipe below.

1-40: Charred Wolf Meat or Roasted Boar Meat x 40

For your first cooking recipe, make any combination of the above recipes to reach 40 Cooking. You can kill boars and wolves found around Mulgore and Durotar for their meat.

40-75: Smoked Bear Meat x35

You’ll need to purchase the next recipe from a vendor. Then kill bears from the surrounding zones. Smoke enough bear meat to reach at least 75 Cooking. Then train and keep going to 90.

75-150: Journeyman Cooking

Head to any Cooking Trainer to learn Journeyman Cooking.

75-90: Smoked Bear Meat x20

Continue killing and cooking bears until you’ve reached 90 in Cooking. You can still get the bear meat easily enough in Silverpine Forest and you’ll already be there so it is convenient.  If you are looking for a higher drop rate and are high enough level (at least 28), the Giant Ashenvale Bear drops meat at a 71% rate, which is the highest.

90-130: Dig Rat Stew x40

While the Alliance gets to make some tasty crab dishes, the Horde gets the pleasure of the delicacy that is dig rat stew. This requires you to complete a quest of the same name from Grub, who you’ll find in one of the towers that hug the mountain north of the road between Ratchet and The Crossroads. Once you have the quest, head south to the Bael’dun Excavation site in The Barrens and collect Dig Rats in Bael Modan to fulfill the quest requirements and reach 125 in Cooking.

130-150: Curiously Tasty Omelet x20

The easiest way for Horde players to get the recipe for this one is to take the zeppelin from Orgrimmar to Grom’gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale and purchase it from Nerrist. You can also get it from Keena at Hammerfall in Arathi Highlands and may want to, as hunting raptors for the eggs for this recipe can be done from the Arathi Highlands, or more efficiently from  the Wetlands, just north of the road to Grim Batol.

150-225: Expert Cooking

Once you’ve capped at 150, make your way to Shadowprey Village in Desolace to purchase an Expert Cookbook from Wulan (or buy it from the Auction House).

150-175: Curiously Tasty Omelet x20

Continue doing what you were doing before – farming raptor eggs from Arathi Highlands all the way to 175!

175-200: Roast Raptor x25

Have you ever thought about what a raptor would taste like? Now’s your chance to find out! Head to Grom’gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale to purchase this recipe if you haven’t already, and don’t forget some spices! Roast up some raptor from the surrounding jungle until you’ve reached 200 in Cooking.

200-225: Spider Sausage x25

It still makes no sense how white spider meat can make a tasty sausage, but your character doesn’t seem to be complaining. Make 25 tubed meats to reach 225 in Cooking. You can find these spiders in Dustwallow Marsh.

Leveling Cooking With Fishing

WoW Classic Cooking with Fishing Guide

1-75: Apprentice Cooking

To get started, learn the Cooking and Fishing skills from any Cooking Trainer and Fishing Trainer.

1-50: Brilliant Smallfish x50

This recipe is available from many Fishing Supplies vendors. You can buy Recipe: Longjaw Mud Snapper at the same time. Fish and cook these until 50 Cooking. The best spots to catch these are in Elwynn Forest for Wow Alliance Crest Alliance players and Mulgore for Horde players, close to the Fishing trainer in each zone.

50-75: Longjaw Mud Snapper x25

Once you reach 50 in Cooking, you can start cooking those pesky mud snappers! You should have bought this recipe from the same spot you purchased Recipe: Brilliant Smallfish. Keep fishing in the same place to catch these.

75-150: Journeyman Cooking

Train Journeyman Fishing and Cooking before you continue on.

75-100: Longjaw Mud Snapper x25

The mud snappers are back! They won’t go away until you’re at least 100 in Cooking, so keep catching and cooking until you get there! No need to switch up fishing spots unless you want a change of scenery.

100-150: Bristle Whisker Catfish x50

Both factions will now converge in Hillsbrad Foothills and look to fish out of the river, picking up the next recipe from a vendor in their quest hub.

150-225: Expert Cooking

Once you reach 150, don’t forget to unlock Expert Cooking! For Wow Alliance Crest Alliance, purchase your cookbook from Shandrina at Mystral Lake in Ashenvale. Horde players can seek out Wulan at Shadowprey Village in Desolace. You can also buy your Expert Cookbook off the Auction House.

150-175: Bristle Whisker Catfish x50

Continue fishing and cooking those catfish. Once you reach 175, you’re ready for the next recipe!

175-225: Mithril Head Trout x80

At this point, Wow Alliance Crest Alliance and Horde players will split once again.

Wow Alliance Crest Alliance players can pick up the next recipe before leaving Hillsbrad Foothills, and head to Arathi Highlands to fish.

Horde players need to pick up this recipe at Shadowprey Village in Desolace, which is also a great spot to fish.

This step will take a while, so don’t be surprised if it takes upwards of 100 fish. When you’re done, you’ll have maxed out both of these professions for Phase 2!

 

About the Author

Luxrah

I've been playing World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, usually as a healer or caster and often as a guild leader. I play both retail and classic. I also love RPGs, sandboxes, and sims.
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