*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*HORDE LEVELING GUIDE~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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 happy.gif), 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 farmers, 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

Levels 56-60

Eastern Plagueland

Blasted Lands

Deadwind Ogre

As you near the end of the leveling process, the focus becomes more
on your end-game gear, the gear you will use in your end game raiding,
as well as PvP. In addition to completing quests for experience, you
may also consider focusing on the quests for their rewards. Many of
these quests can be found in the Eastern Plaguelands. Most of these
quests are chain quests leading to great end-game rewards.

Another option is the Fallen Hero quest line in the Blasted Lands.
This quest chain takes you all over, but is well worth the experience
rewards. This quest line is easily tackled with a small group.

As for straight grinding, it would be well worth the effort to
investigate the ogres in Deadwind Pass. They are quite easy to kill and
bring in loads of experience, just like all of the ogres previously.

At this point in the game you will also begin to start doing
predominantly instances to acquire all of your gear, mainly for your
end-game rare set. I recommend beginning these at level 57 so you can
get a head start at acquiring items while accumulating experience at
the same time. Your instance options (for now) include Stratholme,
Scholomance, Blackrock Spire (Lower and Upper) and the newly
implemented Dire Maul. Just find a group and get started

That’s about all you need to know to enhance your leveling process.
Good luck and you’ll be level 60 and ready to tackle the end game
content in no time!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ALLIANCE LEVELING GUIDE~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*

This is the method the power levelers have used since closed beta and I
finally got one of them to give it up. It is by no means the way to go
if you want to maximize your experience in the game as this method will
bypass almost all the content in the game and essentially ignore many
of the fun, unique aspects of WoW. This is not recommended for new
players and is meant for players who already have experienced the
content and just want to level up an alt to play with their level 60
friends (ie. your level 60 instance group needs a priest and there are
no priests to be had). As a benchmark to how successful you are with
this, download cosmos and use the clock feature to measure your
xp/hour. At level 50 you should be getting about 40,000+/hour.

1-20: Newbie lands, stick to the friendly zones (not contested).
Just grind. The quests are a waste of time up to level 20 if you are
focusing on maxing out xp per hour.

20-26: Wetlands quests and raptors/slime/orcs for grinding. Redridge mountain Lakeshire quests.

26-30: Duskwood quests and undead for grinding. Hillsbrad critter roamers for grinding.

30-35: Did these all in a day on Daggerspines in Hillsbrad right
next to Southshore along the coast. Huge spawn, very fast respawn rate,
easy mobs to kill. Purgation isle (island in the very far Southwest
water area of Hillsbrad) also a nice secluded place you can grind on
undead.

36-40: Hillsbrad southshore quests. Desolace quests and kodo
grinding for 36-38, then Undead Ravagers in the southeast for 38-40.
Cresting exiles at the circle of outer binding in Arathi also for
37-41; extremely easy mobs with a fast respawn. Alterac ogres from
35-40 for grinding. Drywhisker kobolds in Arathi east of Hammerfall for
36-39 for grinding.

41-45: Hinterlands trolls, owl beasts, and wolves for grinding and quests. Badlands ogres, gnolls, and quests.

45-48: Tanaris quests and pirates on the eastern paninsula for
grinding. Stranglethorn vale quests (only if you need rewards imo).
Badlands greater elementals for grinding.

48-52: Felwood deadwood gnolls for grinding and quests from the
sanctuary in the south. Blasted lands dreadmauls for grinding. Un'goro
crater (best started at 50) for primarily quests and grinding off the
plants and tar elementals. Azshara undead highbornes and thunderhead
hyppogriffs for grinding.

52-55: Azshara blood elves for grinding. Burning steppes dreadmaul
rock ogre caves firegut ogres (very low AC) for grinding. Felwood
irontree woods and cave for grinding (great spot). Western plaguelands
questing for argent dawn and grinding on undead throughout the various
camps.

55-58: Eastern plaguelands quests from the sanctuary, grinding on
undead at the ruined towns. Winterspring grinding at winterfall village
or Lake Kel'Theril undead highbornes (my personal favorite camp).
Blackrock Stronghold in Burning Steppes for grinding.

58-60: "The" yeti cave in Winterspring, due Southeast of Everlook
(very nice place). Grosh Gok compound ogres in Deadwind pass (great
spot, no one knows about it). Eastern plaguelands Fungal Vale undead
grinding and argent dawn token farming. Moonowls in northeast
winterspring for grinding.