The short answer: nine primary professions, up to two each
The WoW Forever beta data has the same 12 professions that Blizzard lists for WoW Classic.
Nine are primary professions, and a character can learn up to two of them.
Three are secondary professions: Cooking, First Aid and Fishing.
Every character can learn all three secondary professions.
Crafting professions also earn Legacy Points at skill 150, 225 and 300.
Camp objects are learned from profession skill 20.
Blizzard adds over 600 new recipes across professions and level ranges.
We checked Blizzard's WoW Classic primer and its WoW Forever announcements in three languages.
Where Blizzard gives no detail, we use current beta tooltips from Wowhead.
Wowhead is a fan database, not Blizzard, and beta values can still change.
This is a summary of official material and beta data, not a hands-on test.
All 12 professions at a glance
The table follows the first-rank skill tooltips in the WoW Forever beta data.
| Profession | Type | What it does (beta tooltip) |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemy | Primary · crafting | Potions, from herbs |
| Blacksmithing | Primary · crafting | Weapons and armor, from stone and metal |
| Enchanting | Primary · crafting | Enchants, from disenchanted magic items |
| Engineering | Primary · crafting | Contraptions, from stone and metal |
| Leatherworking | Primary · crafting | Leather armor, from leather and hides |
| Tailoring | Primary · crafting | Cloth armor, from cloth on humanoids |
| Herbalism | Primary · gathering | Herbs for Alchemy |
| Mining | Primary · gathering | Ore and stoneneeds a Mining Pick |
| Skinning | Primary · gathering | Pelts and fursneeds a Skinning Knife |
| Cooking | Secondary | Food, from meat and a fire |
| First Aid | Secondary | Bandages, from cloth |
| Fishing | Secondary | Fish, with a fishing pole |
Primary and secondary split: Blizzard's WoW Classic primer. Descriptions: first-rank skill tooltips in Wowhead's WoW Forever beta data, checked October 14, 2026.
Alchemy brews potions from herbs gathered with Herbalism.
Blacksmithing makes weapons and armor from stone and metal found with Mining.
Enchanting enchants items with dusts and essences from disenchanting magic items.
Engineering makes contraptions from stone and metal found with Mining.
Leatherworking makes leather armor from leather and hides gathered with Skinning.
Tailoring makes cloth armor from cloth found on humanoids.
Herbalism gathers herbs from bushes and plants for Alchemy.
Mining pulls ore and stone from veins and needs a Mining Pick.
Skinning takes pelts and furs from animals and needs a Skinning Knife.
Cooking turns meat from beasts into food and needs a fire.
First Aid makes and uses bandages made from cloth found on humanoids.
Fishing needs a fishing pole and a body of water.
Each first-rank tooltip caps the skill at 75, except Fishing, whose tooltip names no cap.
Profession limits: two primary, all three secondary
Blizzard's WoW Classic primer sets the rules this guide starts from.
There are nine primary professions, and a character can learn up to two at once.
There are also three secondary skills, and every character can learn all three.
The WoW Forever beta data follows the same two-profession limit.
Its starter profession books only teach a gathering skill if you do not already know two other professions.
| Rule | WoW Classic primer | WoW Forever beta data |
|---|---|---|
| Primary professions | Nine, up to two at once | Same nine skills; starter books respect the limit |
| Secondary professions | Three, all open to everyone | Cooking, First Aid and Fishing |
| Specializations | Blacksmithing, Engineering, Leatherworking | Not announcedno Blizzard statement yet |
Blizzard's WoW Classic primer and Wowhead's WoW Forever beta data (fan database), checked October 14, 2026.
We found no separate WoW Forever rule from Blizzard on this limit.
The Legacy System points the same way: one character can earn up to 6 tradeskill points.
That matches three milestones in each of two crafting professions (our calculation).
Blizzard also calls Lockpicking a class-specific tradeskill.
In Classic, Blacksmithing, Engineering and Leatherworking have specializations learned from trainers.
Blizzard has not said whether WoW Forever keeps them.
Gathering and crafting pairs
Each crafting tooltip in the beta data names where its materials come from.
That gives the classic pairs below.
| Gathering | Feeds | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Herbalism | Alchemy | Herbs from bushes and plants |
| Mining |
| Needs a Mining Pick |
| Skinning | Leatherworking | Needs a Skinning Knife |
| None needed |
| Cloth from humanoids; disenchanting |
Pairs taken from the material lines of the beta skill tooltips.
Herbalism feeds Alchemy.
Mining feeds both Blacksmithing and Engineering.
Skinning feeds Leatherworking.
Tailoring needs no gathering profession, because its cloth comes from humanoids.
Enchanting needs none either, because it disenchants magic items.
First Aid also uses that cloth, and Cooking uses meat from beasts.
Legacy Points change the math for some players.
Only non-gathering primary professions count, with one point each at skill 150, 225 and 300.
So one gathering and one crafting profession give at most 3 Legacy Points (our calculation).
Two crafting professions give up to 6, the per-character maximum.
Two gathering professions give 0 tradeskill Legacy Points.
| Your two primaries | Tradeskill Legacy Points |
|---|---|
| Two crafting | Up to 6 |
| One crafting, one gathering | Up to 3 |
| Two gathering | 0 |
Our calculation from Blizzard's Legacy System article: one point at 150, 225 and 300 per non-gathering primary profession.
Gatherers have their own Legacy perk instead: Bountiful Harvest.
We do not rank pairs or estimate gold income, because no official numbers support either.
Trainers, skill ranks and starter books
You learn professions and their ranks from profession trainers.
Each training rank raises the skill cap.
In the beta tooltips for Alchemy and First Aid, the four ranks cap at 75, 150, 225 and 300.
300 is also the top Legacy milestone for crafting professions.
The character level each rank needs is not in Blizzard's material, so check the trainer in game.
Picking up a profession
- Choose two primary professionsUp to two at once
- Visit a profession trainerStarter books can teach a gathering skill
- Raise your skill to the cap75 at the first rank
- Train the next rankCaps at 150, 225 and 300
The beta data also has three starter books for gathering skills, each a quest reward.
Mining for Dummies, Pelt Collecting for Beginners and Wild Harvest each add 2 skill points.
They cannot raise the skill above 15.
If you have not trained that skill yet, the book teaches it.
That only works if you do not already know two other professions.
Tailors can make a Linen Reagent Bag, a 6-slot reagent bag from a vendor pattern (beta data).
What changes in WoW Forever
Blizzard says professions gain more depth, purpose and visibility in Forever.
There are over 600 new recipes across professions and level ranges.
Crafted food can grant a small experience bonus and stat boosts.
Advanced Blueprint recipes drop from dungeon bosses.
Every profession has three camp objects, learned at different skill levels.
The first ones come at skill 20 from camping NPCs or profession trainers.
The beta data shows camp objects for secondary professions too.
Fishing has a Fish Bowl and First Aid a First Aid Kit, each at skill 20.
Our camping guide covers the objects, limits and campfires in detail.
New starting-area content adds profession hooks and recipes, Blizzard says.
| Change | Source |
|---|---|
| Over 600 new recipes | Deep Dive recap |
| Crafted food with a small XP bonus and stat boosts | Deep Dive recap |
| Blueprint recipes from dungeon bosses | Deep Dive recap |
| Three camp objects per profession, first at skill 20 | Deep Dive recap |
| Profession hooks and recipes in starting areas | Found Photos recap |
| Two new tradeskill factions | Legacy System article |
| Legacy Points and perks for professions | Legacy System article |
| Professions & Legacy updates (Summer) | Launch roadmap |
Only changes Blizzard has announced. Details of recipes, Blueprints and the Summer update are not published.
Two new factions are a major source of new tradeskill activities.
The Azeroth Commerce Authority serves the Alliance, Durotar Supply and Logistics the Horde.
Two racial abilities touch professions in the beta data.
Gnome Engineering Specialization cuts engineering device failures by 20%.
Tauren Cultivation grows a duplicate herb you can harvest without Herbalism.
Blizzard's beta notes add a player-level requirement for each herb.
Blizzard's roadmap lists Professions & Legacy updates in its Summer column.
The roadmap also says content and timing are subject to change.
Legacy Points and perks for professions
Tradeskills are one of six Legacy Challenge categories.
Each non-gathering primary profession gives one point at skill 150, 225 and 300.
That is 18 points across all crafting professions.
One character can earn up to 6 of them.
Reaching 150 in such a profession is also one way to unlock the Legacy System.
Legacy Points are shared across your account, except on Hardcore characters.
Each character can spend up to 16 points at launch.
The Professions tree has these perks.
Working Overtime raises your skill-up chance in all tradeskills, including Lockpicking.
Bountiful Harvest finds extra Scarce resources when mining, herbing or skinning.
Bartering lowers the gold price of vendor items.
Performance Bonus sometimes grants extra Merchant's Favor with the two new factions.
Master Chef gives a chance of extra results from cooking recipes.
Luremaster gives a chance to fish up extra fish.
Dedicated Study is a daily cooldown for faster tradeskill progress.
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Working Overtime | Higher skill-up chance in all tradeskills |
| Bountiful Harvest | More Scarce resources from mining, herbing and skinning |
| Bartering | Lower gold prices at vendors |
| Performance Bonus | Sometimes extra Merchant's Favor |
| Master Chef | Chance of extra cooking results |
| Luremaster | Chance to fish up extra fish |
| Dedicated Study | Daily cooldown for faster progress |
Professions tree perks from Blizzard's Legacy System article. Effect sizes and costs are not published.
Once all your tradeskills reach 300, it grants free Elemental Essences instead.
In the Resourcefulness tree, Reagent Economy makes tier 1 camping features free to craft.
Blizzard has not published effect sizes or point costs for these perks.
Not announced yet, and a short checklist
As of October 14, 2026, Blizzard has not published the following.
The full list of new recipes and which dungeon bosses drop which Blueprints.
The character level needed for each training rank.
Whether the Classic profession specializations return.
We found no announcement of a new profession, and the beta data has no Jewelcrafting skill.
What the Summer Professions & Legacy updates will contain.
① Decide whether you want Legacy Points from two crafting professions or a gathering pair.
② Learn Cooking, First Aid and Fishing on every character; they use no primary slot.
③ Reach skill 20 in each profession to learn its first camp object.
④ Check this page again after launch, because beta data can change.