WoW Forever leveling guide: 1 to 60

What changes from Classic

The experience curve is still Classic's, 1 to 60, but the world has over a thousand new quests, new zones and nine new dungeons. There is no level scaling and there are no flying mounts: every zone has its own level range and you cross the world on foot or mounted.

Instead of realms you pick a ruleset: Normal, PvP or Roleplaying. Hardcore opens after launch. On Normal, player combat only happens when both sides agree. Horde and Alliance can't group, and you can't group with players on a different ruleset either.

An ordinary monster takes about 10 to 15 seconds to kill when you play solo, so each class's speed matters a lot while leveling. If you haven't picked yours yet, see our leveling tier list at the end of this page.

Levels 1 to 12: starting zones

Every starting zone (Valley of Trials, Shadowglen and the rest) got new characters, quests and profession recipes. Do all of it: the first campsite and profession recipes show up here.

Skyborne start on Zephras Isle, their own zone from 1 to 12. The Alliance wakes up in the north of the island and the Horde starts in Thendal Village; the story and quests are the same for both versions. From the south of the island you move on to your faction's continent.

New players get a new tutorial right at the start. If you already know Classic, the tip is simple: finish the starting zone's quests, because early on they give more experience per hour than grinding.

Levels 13 to 30

The first two new dungeons show up here: the Hall of Thanes (levels 13 to 18), beneath Ironforge in Dun Morogh, and the Ruins of Lordaeron (15 to 20), above the Undercity in Tirisfal Glades. The Alliance enters the Hall of Thanes from its capital and the Horde enters the Ruins from theirs; the other faction's groups have to cross enemy territory.

In the low 20s, the Wetlands have new quests and the Excavation Site: Wetlands, a new dungeon above Whelgar's Excavation. Its level range changed during the beta (somewhere between 24 and 31), so check the group finder before gathering people. Respawn times were shortened in Hillsbrad Foothills, Ashenvale, the Wetlands, Duskwood and Thousand Needles, which helps when many players are on the same quest.

Between 28 and 33 is Dalaran, in the Alterac Mountains, with an access questline that depends on your faction: the Alliance starts with “An Alarming Request” from Emissary Jacques in Southshore; the Horde with “Key to the City” and “Prison Break-In” from Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill. Start the chain as soon as you reach the zone.

Undead Paladins have their own story, which starts at Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal Glades. Quest and monster levels in that area went up during the beta, so don't try it in your first levels.

Levels 30 to 45

The Drowned City (35 to 40) sits off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom'gol Base Camp. It is the dungeon for the 30s and pairs well with the Stranglethorn quests.

In Desolace, the centaur faction quests gained new content and rewards. The Valley of Bones quests require level 35 and lead to Shen'dralas, a new area south of Desolace. Some Gelkis and Magram rewards will require level 35.

The big destination for this range is the Riverglades, a new zone the size of Stranglethorn Vale with close to 200 quests for both factions, roughly 36 to 44. You get there on the Steamwheedle Cartel route from Tanaris to Powderfuse Port. Krol'dok Stronghold (40 to 45) is inside it.

Levels 45 to 60

Alcaz Prison (48 to 53) is on Alcaz Island in Dustwallow Marsh. After that, the last two new dungeons are Blackmaw Hold (55 to 60) in Azshara and Shaper's Terrace (58 to 60) in the northern hills of Un'Goro Crater.

Mount Hyjal and Darkwhisper Gorge are new or reworked areas for the end of leveling. Their exact level ranges haven't been published yet; we'll update this page once the servers open.

At 60, the new raids open on December 9: Hyjal Summit, for 20 players, and Barrow Deeps, a max-level challenge for 10. Both bring new tier sets.

Dungeons and group experience

In dungeons, monsters give less experience than in Classic (Blizzard cut it and then gave back about 20%), and dungeon quests give extra experience on top of a normal quest's value. That bonus was halved during the beta but it's still there: pick up every quest for a dungeon before you go in.

The penalty for killing lower-level monsters uses each player's own level, as in Classic. If one group member is far above the monsters' level, nobody gets experience. Getting carried by a high-level friend doesn't work.

Resting, campsites and food

The old cooking fire is now the Basic Campfire, which sets up a campsite with vendors, repairs, profession workspaces and one-hour buffs. To get the buffs you must be rested and stay by the fire for a few moments: sitting, in a chair, lying down or kneeling, and you can cast or craft while you wait.

Each campfire holds up to three profession objects, one per player, with a shared one-hour cooldown (see our professions guide). Crafted food gives stats and a small experience bonus, so always carry some.

Stop at a campsite whenever you need to sell or repair: you get rest, buffs and repairs in the same stop.

Legacy, mounts and talents

Legacy gives points for challenges (leveling a class, reaching a profession milestone and more). Points are account-wide but each character spends its own: at launch, up to 16 per character, out of 65 available. There are three trees; for leveling, the best pick is Well Rested, which increases rested experience and its cap. Bountiful Harvest gives more gathering materials and Reagent Economy removes reagents from class abilities.

Mounts work like in The Burning Crusade: the cost moved to training, and you get the mount when you learn to ride. Check the level and price at your race's riding trainer before saving gold for it.

Talents keep Classic's rows, with milestones at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points (16 is new). Divine Spirit, Blessing of Kings and Improved Mark of the Wild are now baseline for their classes.