1. Level Cooking from 1 to 300
The route below follows the fish ladder from the Forever recipe book: each row is a real recipe with its own yellow and grey thresholds. Fish are the shopping list — buy them raw on the auction house or catch them along the way; either fills the same pouch.
Craft counts are starting budgets: yellow recipes can miss a point, so buy a few extra fish per bracket rather than an exact count.
Stage 1 of 4 · Skill 1–75
Brilliant Smallfish and Mud Snappers
Learn Apprentice Cooking at character level 5 from Stephen Ryback in Stormwind or Zamja in Orgrimmar, and Journeyman at skill 50 and level 10. The Basic Campfire is a cooking recipe now — make one before your first batch of fish.
Stormwind City78.2, 53.1
Orgrimmar57.4, 54.0Formulas to find
Recipe: Brilliant SmallfishSkill 1- Recipe: Longjaw Mud SnapperSkill 50
Materials to buy
- 50
Raw Brilliant Smallfish - 25
Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper
Crafting order
- 1–50
Brilliant SmallfishCrafts:×50 - 50–75Longjaw Mud SnapperCrafts:×25
always a pointyellow: may fail
Before you move on
Both fish cook to skill targets quickly while orange. Raw Brilliant Smallfish and Longjaw Mud Snapper are cheap on the auction house; keep the cooked fish for leveling recovery rather than vendoring.
Stage 2 of 4 · Skill 75–150
Catfish through the Journeyman cap
At skill 125 and character level 20, learn Expert Cooking from your city trainers to raise the cap to 225. Bristle Whisker Catfish carries almost the whole stage on its own.
Formulas to find
- Recipe: Longjaw Mud SnapperSkill 50
- Recipe: Bristle Whisker CatfishSkill 100
Materials to buy
- 27Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper
- 52
Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish
Crafting order
- 75–100Longjaw Mud SnapperCrafts:×27
- 100–150Bristle Whisker CatfishCrafts:×52
always a pointyellow: may fail
Before you move on
The Journeyman Campfire recipe opens at skill 95 — upgrade your camp fire when you pass it. Catfish stays orange deep into the stage, so this stretch is fast and cheap.
Stage 3 of 4 · Skill 150–225
Mithril Headed Trout to the Artisan check
Artisan Cooking is not a trainer purchase: at skill 225 and character level 35, the Clamlette Surprise quest in Gadgetzan opens the 300 cap. Plan the Tanaris trip as the trout run ends.
Formulas to find
- Recipe: Bristle Whisker CatfishSkill 100
- Recipe: Mithril Head TroutSkill 175
Materials to buy
- 69Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish
- 52
Raw Mithril Head Trout
Crafting order
- 150–175Bristle Whisker CatfishCrafts:×69
- 175–225Mithril Head TroutCrafts:×52
always a pointyellow: may fail
Before you move on
Mithril Headed Trout starts yellow late but greys at 255 — finish the stage, then swap fish before the trip. The Expert Campfire at skill 205 is the third camp upgrade on the way.
Stage 4 of 4 · Skill 225–300
Spotted Yellowtail and Mightfish to 300
With the Clamlette quest done, no further ranks remain — the last 75 points are all cooking. Spotted Yellowtail is a trainer recipe; Mightfish Steak is learned from its recipe, so pick it up before the final push.
Formulas to find
- Recipe: Spotted YellowtailSkill 225
- Recipe: Mightfish SteakSkill 275
Materials to buy
- 52
Raw Spotted Yellowtail - 25
Large Raw Mightfish - 25
Hot Spices - 25
Soothing Spices
Crafting order
- 225–275Spotted YellowtailCrafts:×52
- 275–300
Mightfish SteakCrafts:×25
always a pointyellow: may fail
Before you move on
Yellowtail greys at 305 — it can in principle finish the whole route, but Mightfish Steak is the calmer ending. Either way, fish past the target rather than stopping short of 300.
2. What Cooking Crafts Are Worth Making in Forever?
Forever Cooking is also the camp profession: the Basic, Journeyman and Expert campfires are cooking recipes, and the book adds teas, smoothies, feasts and a full Iron Oven at 300.
Campfire line
Basic, Journeyman and Expert Campfires are cooking recipes: the fire every camp facility needs, plus the Cooking Fire every recipe asks for. Place one and the whole camp opens.
- Basic Campfire Kit
- Journeyman Campfire Kit
- Expert Campfire Kit
Iron Oven
The capstone camp station: a placed oven for recipes that want real kitchen hardware, sharing the one-hour camp cooldown.
- Iron Oven
Cookie's Feast
A group feast on the Forever menu — one craft feeds the whole camp instead of handing out single meals.
- Cookie's Feast
Tea and smoothie lines
Forever adds two drink ladders — Peace, Royal, Root, Triage, Sunny and Sage’s Teas plus the smoothie line — quick buffs that level alongside your cooking.
- Peace Tea
- Royal Tea
- Root Tea
Spinefin Halibut
A Forever fish dish in the late brackets — worth knowing if your leveling stalls on the classic catch.
- Spinefin Halibut
Cooking Common Questions
How do you level Cooking from 1 to 300 in WoW Forever?
This guide splits Cooking 1–300 into 4 stages: 1–75 (Brilliant Smallfish and Mud Snappers), 75–150 (Catfish through the Journeyman cap), 150–225 (Mithril Headed Trout to the Artisan check), 225–300 (Spotted Yellowtail and Mightfish to 300). Each stage lists the trainer, the materials to buy and how many of each craft to make.
Where are the Cooking trainers in WoW Forever?
Stephen Ryback in Stormwind City at (78.2, 53.1), Alliance, Apprentice · Journeyman; Zamja in Orgrimmar at (57.4, 54.0), Horde, Apprentice · Journeyman.
What materials do you need for Cooking 1–300?
On this route the biggest material needs are 121 Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish, 52 Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper, 52 Raw Mithril Head Trout, 52 Raw Spotted Yellowtail and 50 Raw Brilliant Smallfish. Each stage's shopping list already nets out what earlier crafts leave over.
What is worth making with Cooking in WoW Forever?
The Forever Cooking picks on this page include Campfire line, Iron Oven, Cookie's Feast, Tea and smoothie lines and Spinefin Halibut, each with what it does and where the recipe comes from.
At what skill do the Cooking ranks unlock?
Journeyman at 50, Expert at 125, Artisan at 225. Visit a trainer once you reach each skill to learn the next rank.