Formulas : Gather XP New to Patch 4 . 0 . 1 . New to Patch 4 . 0 . 1 , mining , herbalism , and archeology grant XP . Skinning does not grant XP . This experience gain is actually larger than a mob kill by 2x to 4x ( at pre - 60 levels , the multiplier varies wildly as level mismatches between herbs / ore gathered and mobs fought can be great ) . Basic Principles Herbalism and Mining . This new system has a few quirks . Basic Principles Archaeology . Each archaeology find yields experience equal to 1 / 460 of your current level , rounded to nearest 10 or 100 xp . So , with rest experience , 230 finds will net a level . At 3 . 5 finds per dig site , that ' s 66 dig sites per level . Now many people point out Archaeology is a slow grind , because you have to fly between dig sites . I recommend using Archy and TomTom mods to allow you to tab - out , and an alert sounds when you get to a new dig site . While Archaeology might not be a good way to level , if you plan to level archaeology , you would be foolish to wait to hit the level cap before doing it , because all that time can net you some free levels . Basic XP gain from gather . The level of the item gathered determines XP gained . " Data is still being collected to get these formulas exactly right . There is clearly a mitigating factor not yet determined , causing as much as 10 % variation ( usually < 5 % ) . My best guess would be number of drops or random . Nonetheless , you can get a good idea of the potential XP benefits . " XP modification based on character Level . The formula used to determined decreased experience earned from quests is used . See Experience Point . Additionally , there is a small penalty for gathering above one ' s level . Presumably , the penalty for gathering at lower level is 2 . 6 % per level ; only tested a difference of 2 . Using the System to your Advantage . " Herbalism for Powerleveling " . Herbalism gives much more opportunities to gain extra XP than mining . " Herbalism and Mining for Powerleveling " . For the ultimate experience gain and get - rich - quick scheme , choose both professions . Now you can track both on the minimap ! " Powerleveling tips and tricks , Classic " . Several things about this system make it very attractive as an aid to help level . In Thousand Needles , Stranglekelp ( skill 80 , 300XP ) and Iron Ore ( skill 125 , 450XP ) are prevalent and there are no red mobs around them . This is a veritable field day . Coming here is possible once hitting level 15 , with some clever planning with smelting to level and / or getting herbalism up to 80 . Felwood has a great deal of herbs . It ' s obscene , actually . Skill starts at 210 and ranges to 260 . Coming here at 210 skill will allow you to advance herbalism skill easily to 300 and get a great deal of XP . Swamp of Sorrows has the lovely level 57 Sorrowmoss in abundance , and you can fight the mobs at level 50 . This is around 3x XP per gather as mob kill . Wow ! This can result in less than 100 gathers granting a level . At level 70 , mining in Icecrown or herbing in Storm Peaks with fast flying mounts is possible . This will get gather skill up but also produce experience from resource nodes level 75 - 80 . However , at this level , the XP gains are only 2x per mob kill , and jumping 5 levels doesn ' t have a dramatic effect , so this is not recommended for grinding .