You can learn your first gathering profession without visiting a trainer in WoW Forever! Early quests in each starting area now reward training manuals, letting you pick up Mining, Herbalism, or Skinning while completing your first quests in the beginning zones.
Starting Quests That Reward Profession Manuals
Here’s which quest to look for in your starting area:
| Race | Starting Area | Quest |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Northshire Valley | Rascally Rodents |
| Dwarf and Gnome | Coldridge Valley | Coldridge Valley Mail Delivery |
| Night Elf | Shadowglen | The Woodland Protector |
| Orc and Troll | Valley of Trials | Galgar’s Cactus Apple Surprise |
| Tauren | Camp Narache | A Humble Task |
| Undead | Deathknell | Marla’s Last Wish |
| Skyborne | Thendal Grove on Zephras Isle | Harvesting Windstones |
For Coldridge Valley Mail Delivery, the manual comes from the second delivery, which sends you to Grelin Whitebeard. The Woodland Protector and A Humble Task award their manuals from the first quest in their quest chains.
Choose Your Profession Manual
Each of these quests offers a choice of three books:
Mining for Dummies teaches Mining.
Wild Harvest teaches Herbalism.
Pelt Collecting for Beginners teaches Skinning.
Choose the profession you want, then use the book from your bags after completing the quest. The manuals can also increase an existing profession’s skill by 2, but cannot raise it above 15.
These still count toward your two primary professions. A manual won’t let you learn a third profession if you already have both profession slots filled.
If you choose Mining or Skinning, remember to buy a 
Mining Pick or 
Skinning Knife from a nearby vendor. Learning the profession doesn’t supply the tool!