There is no “best†way to level. Certain people may prefer questing, some may
prefer grinding. Some may prefer instancing, while others may prefer of
combination of all of the aforementioned methods. Whether you prefer to level to
60 as fast as you can, or whether you prefer to take your time to enjoy every
aspect of the game is entirely up to you, but this guide is meant to help you in
your leveling process by providing you with the information you need to enhance
your leveling experience.
* Before you go out to grind mobs, find out if there are any quests you can
accomplish in the area simultaneously. It’s always nice to turn in a few quests
at the end of a period of grinding and receive a nice reward of
experience/items/money.
* Unless the quest deals with mobs you’re grinding, stick to the quests that say
to “kill x mobs†or to “collect y items.†These quests are great because not
only do you receive experience for quest completion, but you also accumulate a
surprising amount of experience in the process of completing it. These quests
are also generally short on travel time and there is a great potential for
financial gain due to all the random loot you will find. You might even get
lucky and snag a rare item every once in a while!
* Avoid downtime! Avoid quests that force you to do a lot of traveling unless
they are necessary for a chain that you need. Avoid unnecessary trips to town.
Take care of everything that needs to be done before you head out to level. Make
sure you have a good supply of food and drinks to last you for a while. In some
situations, it can be helpful if there is an NPC nearby the area where you are
grinding/questing, so you can sell all of the things you find without wasting
time running back to town.
* Pick up all of the items you find. This seems almost self-explanatory, but
you’d be surprised at the serious cash you can make by picking up all of the
random junk you find (Believe it or not those slabs of tender wolf meat can add
up!). Pick up almost all of the loot you gather, with few exceptions.
* Fight mobs that are generally within 2 levels of your level. Anything out of
that range and your experience generally won’t balance out your kill speed (and
vice versa). Of course, there are exceptions based on the class you have chosen
and the way you play.
* Avoid the elite quests. Generally these quests are MUCH better for the item
rewards rather than the experience rewards. Unless you can accomplish a bunch of
quests at the same time, the experience isn’t worth the time spent. There are
several exceptions to this rule, mainly when you need the items from a certain
place such as the end-game instances, which you will be running countless times
in order to get the gear you need
* Take advantage of the resources provided to you. Whether its resources
provided directly by Blizzard, informational sites such as Thottbot and
Allakhazam, or guild sites such as Nurfed, Conquest, and Discordia
(self-promotion ^_^), these sources can prove to be invaluable in making the
game more enjoyable for the players.
It is important to note that many of the following zones/mobs overlap into
different level groups and that there is no single set path to level. These are
just merely suggestions and hotspots for you to look in to. Then you can decide
which spots you enjoy most and focus on them.
Level 1-11
During these stages of the game, you’ll be spending your time in your race’s
starting zone: Durotar for the Orcs and Trolls, Mulgore for the Tauren, and
Tirisfal Glades for the Forsaken Undead. These zones are quite simple: just
proceed through the quests as fast as possible to the next zone. The beginning
zones are the only areas where I would suggest completing all or almost all of
the quests in your respective zone. Most of the quests are quite easy to
complete and take a relatively short amount of time to complete.
Durotar, Mulgore, Tristfal Glades
Level 11-18
Barrens
No matter which race you have chosen, I recommend proceeding to the Barrens
following your starting zone. This zone is packed with quests for you to
complete and mobs for you to shred. The Crossroads is the place to be. This will
be the center of your questing for the next 8 to 10 levels. There are many of
the experience friendly “kill x†or “collect y†quests to complete involving
various mob types (plainstrider, zhevra, raptors, lions, razormanes, etc.) Your
first few levels here should be spent right outside of the Crossroads killing
the various mobs that inhabit the area. A good grinding location can be found
south of Ratchet, where you will find the Southsea Pirates.
Barrens
Level 18-21
Grinding
Barrens
While I generally don’t recommend instancing if your goal is to level up
quickly, I feel that the Wailing Caverns is a must-do. Not only is it a good
introduction to instancing, but also you can accumulate a good amount of
experience here. Of course, the items are what most instancing is all about, and
the Wailing Caverns provides a good amount of items for your next several
levels.
Outside of instancing, these next few levels can be spent in the Central
Barrens, namely the Bramblescar region. One of the better quest charges you to
acquire 100 tusks. While completing this quest, you can accumulate a tremendous
amount of experience that can help make these levels go by relatively fast.
For those interested in grinding, there is an incredible spot in the northwest
corner of the Barrens. Not only are there a lot of harpies, which are great for
fast kills and a lot of random junk items (which add up), but there is also a
nearby NPC to which you can sell your loots, saving a lot of downtime.
Barrens
Note that I gave the Barrens a lower rating here. This is because the Barrens
are not as effective for leveling during these levels as they were previously.
While it is still a good spot to level, it does not have all of the advantages
it had during lower levels..
Levels 21-24
Barrens
Hillsbrad
Upon hitting 20, you may choose to travel further south in the Barrens toward
the Camp Taurajo area. There are plenty of quests to keep you occupied involving
thunderlizards, the Bael Modan dwarves, and various other creatures.
This is also a great time to first test the waters of the infamous Hillsbrad
Foothills, a heavily contested zone where you will spend the next 10 levels
pondering why the Alliance can be so ruthless (this may apply only to PvP
servers). The first few levels here, you will be killing many bears and spiders,
including a particularly frustrating quest to obtain a spider ichor. Of course
it’s always entertaining to listen to others grumble about searching for hours
for the damn ichor only to receive yours on your first mob.
Barrens, Hillsbrad
Levels 24-28
Ashenvale
Hillsbrad
The Hillsbrad fields are a great source of experience during these next few
levels. There are several quests to sustain your interest involving gamers,
peasants, footmen, etc. The spawns are fast so you generally won’t have to worry
about running out of mobs. The main difficulty here is avoiding Alliance
gankings. This can be easily avoided by hanging around in small groups while
grinding through the fields. If humanoids aren’t your thing, there are also
bigger bears and spiders suitable for grinding.
On Kalimdor, Ashenvale is the place to be. The furbolgs and satyrs make for
decent grinding to get you through these levels.
Ashenvale, Hillsbrad
Levels 28-32
Yeti/Miner Grind
Hillsbrad
Thousand Needles
Upon reaching these levels, the quests begin to dry up in Hillsbrad, so this is
a point where grinding becomes very efficient. The yeti cave near Tarren Mill
can be an excellent grinding spot on most servers, unless there is a lot of PvP
action in that area. Make sure to grab the quest for Helcular’s Rod because you
may end up slaying over a hundred yetis before you find it (luck factor needed
for this quest). The real experience from this quest comes from the actual
grinding, with the quest reward experience serving more as a pat on the back for
your hard work. Another option in Hillsbrad is the Azurelode mine. There are
plenty of mobs here with good humanoid drops.
If the PvP action becomes too great, you can travel to Thousand Needles and try
your luck there. There tends to be less PvP in this zone, but the quests aren’t
as grind-friendly. There are a few spots, however, namely the harpies and the
wyverns.
Levels 32-36
Your options for leveling really start to explode as you level into the 30s.
Shimmering Flats is the first big zone you want to head too. This area, in
southeastern Thousand Needles, contains countless grinding quests that make
these levels go by fast. Just complete all the quests simultaneously as you plow
through the mobs and you will level quickly.
Shimmering Flats
Stranglethorn Vale
Arathi
Desolace
It is now time to enter Stranglethorn Vale (STV), the mother of all questing
zones. While the highly contested STV is cause for much frustration, it is also
possibly the best zone for questing in the entire game. There are many quests
involving tigers, panthers, raptors, crocodiles, you name it, to supply you with
loads of experience for the next 8 to 10 levels. Hit Booty Bay, Grom’Gol, and
Nesingwary’s Camp, grab all of the quests, and get started!
Other grinding options include Arathi Highlands, where there are several troll,
ogre, and raptor quests, and Desolace, where the centaurs are plentiful. If
Desolace is your preferred option, you may wish to stick to grinding the Gelkis
clan, as there is generally less PvP action there.
Thousand Needles, Desolace, Arathi, Stranglethorn Vale
Levels 36-40
Stranglethorn Vale
Murloc Grinding
Venture Co.
Badlands
Assuming you’ve completed all of the prerequisites for the chain-grinding
quests, you can begin proceeding into the higher-level STV quests. These quests
are more or less exactly the same as the quests from previous levels, only the
mobs’ levels have increased. One of the better quests requires you to kill
Shadowmaw Panthers as well as to obtain a Pristine Tiger fang from a
Stranglethorn Tigress. You can accomplish several quests simultaneously, making
for a lot of experience accumulation. If you are into grinding, you may want to
check out the Murlocs just north of Grom’Gol. These mobs have low hp, drop
decent loot, and are quite plentiful. You can clear through them fairly quickly.
The Venture Co. used to be a great grind spot as well, but I am not sure how
productive they’ve been since their loots took nerfs.
You can also begin running one of the game’s better instances, the Scarlet
Monastery, if you haven’t already. This instance is excellent for gathering
items as well as accumulating a surprising amount of experience.
As you approach your late 30’s, you can also choose to head to the Badlands.
There are several overlapping quests requiring you to kill coyotes, buzzards,
and rock elementals, providing you with good experience into your early 40’s.
Badlands, Stranglethorn Vale
Levels 40-44
Dragon Whelp
Feralas
Bear/Wolf Grinding
Badlands
Tanaris
Straglethorn Vale
You can continue the grinding quests in the Badlands into your early 40’s. Make
sure to buy Frost Oil and a Gyrochronatom for the Coolant Heads Prevail quest
line. You can gather a bit of experience but the real treasure here is the
reward for completing the line: A Nifty Stopwatch, an extremely useful trinket
that can help you escape dangerous situation by providing a nice temporary speed
burst. The dragon whelps in eastern Badlands provide a decent source of grinding
also, giving decent experience as well as having a chance to drop a rare
whelping pet, which can be quite profitable.
Feralas is a great zone to head to once you’ve finished your Badlands quests.
There are several grinding spots as well as ample quest opportunities. The bears
and wolves near the Pavilion outside Camp Mojache provide excellent experience
for those interested in grinding.
Now is also the time to complete your stay in STV, ending in quests involving
apes and buccaneers outside of Booty Bay. For some added variation, you can also
choose to test the waters (or brave the sands) of Tanaris, where there are
several quests involving bandits and thieves east of the neutral town of
Gadgetzan
Badlands, Stranglethorn Vale, Feralas, Tanaris
Levels 44-48
Dustbelcher Ogre
Yeti/Gordunni Ogre
Naga
Dunemaul Ogre
Highborne Undead
Once hitting these levels, grinding becomes as efficient, if not more efficient,
than questing. Quests at these levels come few and far between; however, the
amount of grindable mobs is astounding. One of my favorite locations in the game
can be found in the southwest corner of the Badlands (inside the cave). Here one
can find the Dustbelcher Ogres, with the focus being on the Ogre Mages that
inhabit the cave. Be careful however, as there are also a few Ogre Lords in the
cave (6 if I’m not mistaken), who will call over several “friends†to ruin your
day as they begin to take damage. Make sure when fighting these to either clear
the room of other mobs, or pull them to a safe spot out of their shout range.
These mobs can be cleared relatively fast, yet there are enough spawns to keep
you grinding for several levels.
There are also several grinding spots in Feralas, including the Yeti Cave, the
Naga Cave, and the Gordunni Ogres. On my server, the Yeti Cave tends to be
somewhat crowded and the potential for ganking does not suit my taste. I do not
know a whole lot about the Naga Cave over than to say that others have confirmed
that it is a great spot. The Gordunni Ogres are decent grinding if you find the
Badlands Ogres are becoming too easy. Make sure to stick to grinding the casters
though.
Other options include the Dunemaul Ogres in Tanaris and the Highborne Undead of
Azshara. These spots tend to have some PvP action so they may not be ideal but
they are still viable options. All of these spots, in addition to giving great
experience, provide great loot, including higher-level cloths, which sell quite
well in the Auction House.
Badlands, Feralas, Tanaris, Azshara
Levels 48-52
Deadwood
Blasted Lands
Miner Grinding
Elemental Grinding
The next few levels tend to go by relatively slow. The best spot I found for the
first few levels is the Deadwood Village in Felwood. This area is especially
good because of the valuable Timbermaw faction you receive for eliminating their
corrupted furbolg enemies. It is important to become at least unfriendly with
the Timbermaw in order to make use of their caves for access to Moonglade and
Winterspring, as well as have the luxury of not being “Kill on Sight†as you
approach them in various regions of the world.
Now is also the time to enter the Blasted Lands, where there is a plethora of
grinding quests as well as the option for grinding the Nethergarde Miners in the
caves to the north. As a bonus, there is also the possibility of finding
Draenethyst Fragments, which provide valuable items, and the flawless give a
nice amount of experience as well!
A third alternative is the Elementals, located in Searing Gorge, which I do not
know as much about.
Felwood, Blasted Lands, Searing Gorge
Levels 52-56
Legashi / Blood Elf
Un'Goro
Dreadmaul Ogre
Firegut Ogre
Jaedenar
Western Plaguelands
Undead Grinding
It is time to head back to Azshara, but this time for the Legashi Demons and
Blood Elves that inhabit the far north. These mobs are quick, easy kills with
good spawn rates and great drop potential, especially runecloth, which may sell
for almost 2 gold a stack. The downside to this spot is its popularity. It is
one of the most heavily farmed locations in the game.
Questing for these levels can be found in Un’Goro Crater, which offers a variety
of prehistoric-style quests that can be quickly cleared. Grinding options
include the Dreadmaul Ogres of the Blasted Lands, the Firegut Ogres of the
Burning Steppes, as well as the mobs of Jaedenar in Felwood.
As you begin to approach higher levels, you may choose to venture into the
Western Plaguelands. The cauldron quests are certainly worth the visit,
providing massive experience. The Undead fields are good for grinding as well
because of the rapid spawn rates.
Azshara, Un'Goro, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Felwood, Western Plaguelands
　
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