World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, and this WoW Forever leveling guide gives you the full zone-by-zone route from 1 to 60 for both factions: where to quest at every level, where the Skyborne join after Zephras Isle, when to run each new dungeon and which quests to bring, and where the new Riverglades and Shen’dralas zones fit.
The short version: follow the Classic zone order, run every dungeon once with all of its quests, keep a crafted food buff up, and use the Leatherworking Camp Tent whenever your rested XP runs dry. Forever kept the Classic experience curve but moved dungeon XP into quests, so how you level matters more than before.
How solid is this route? Levels 1 to 30 have been played in the beta, capped at 30 since the October 1 build. Nobody outside Blizzard has played 30 to 60 in Forever yet, so that half follows the Classic zone ranges from Warcraft Wiki plus the new zones. We will check it against the live game in launch week.
WoW Forever Leveling Zones at a Glance
The main zones per bracket, in the order we recommend them. The faction tables below add dungeons and details.
| Level | Alliance zones | Horde zones |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | Elwynn Forest, Dun Morogh, Teldrassil (Skyborne: Zephras Isle to 12) | Durotar, Mulgore, Tirisfal Glades (Skyborne: Zephras Isle to 12) |
| 10-20 | Loch Modan or Darkshore, Westfall, Redridge | The Barrens, Silverpine Forest |
| 20-30 | Redridge, Duskwood, Wetlands, Hillsbrad | Stonetalon, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, Hillsbrad |
| 30-40 | Arathi, Stranglethorn, Desolace, Riverglades | Arathi, Stranglethorn, Desolace, Riverglades |
| 40-50 | Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows, Dustwallow, Tanaris, Feralas, Hinterlands | Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows, Dustwallow, Tanaris, Feralas, Hinterlands |
| 50-60 | Un’Goro, Azshara, Felwood, Burning Steppes, Plaguelands, Winterspring, Silithus | Un’Goro, Azshara, Felwood, Burning Steppes, Plaguelands, Winterspring, Silithus |
WoW Forever Alliance Leveling Route 1-60
The Alliance route stays in the Eastern Kingdoms for most of 1 to 30, because both Alliance-friendly new dungeons, the Hall of Thanes and the Excavation Site, are there. Zone ranges in brackets are the Classic ranges from Warcraft Wiki.
Alliance 1-30 (tested in the beta)
| # | Level | Zone | Notes and dungeons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-10 | Elwynn Forest, Dun Morogh or Teldrassil (1-10) | Your race’s start zone. The Great Outdoors quest around level 5 teaches the Basic Campfire. Train Cooking and First Aid on your first city visit. |
| 2 | 10-14 | Loch Modan (10-20); Night Elves: Darkshore (10-20) | Humans can do Westfall first and swap rows 2 and 3. Night Elves take the boat from Auberdine to Menethil Harbor around 15. |
| 3 | 14-20 | Westfall (10-20) | Hall of Thanes (13-18) under Ironforge fits between rows 2 and 3. Finish Westfall with The Deadmines. |
| 4 | 18-22 | Redridge Mountains (15-25) | Blizzard adjusted Redridge respawns during the beta. Songblade Search (Excavation Site) starts in Lakeshire but needs level 24, so grab it on a later pass. |
| 5 | 22-26 | Duskwood (18-30) | The Stockade in Stormwind on the way. Faster respawns since October 1. |
| 6 | 25-29 | Wetlands (20-30) | Excavation Site: Wetlands (26-31 in the beta) with its quests. Gnomeregan if you have a group. Faster respawns since October 1. |
| 7 | 28-31 | Hillsbrad Foothills (20-35), Alterac Mountains (30-40) | Southshore. City of Dalaran (28-33) sits in Alterac and joined the beta on October 8. |
Alliance 30-60 (Classic data plus new zones, untested)
| # | Level | Zone | Notes and dungeons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 30-34 | Arathi Highlands (30-40) | Refuge Pointe. Scarlet Monastery if you make the trip to Tirisfal. |
| 9 | 32-38 | Stranglethorn Vale (30-45) | Rebel Camp, then Booty Bay. The Drowned City (35-40) is in Stranglethorn; the entrance isn’t public yet. |
| 10 | 35-38 | Desolace (30-40) | Nijel’s Point. Shen’dralas borders Desolace (see below). |
| 11 | 37-42 | Riverglades (35-45, new) | Farholde Keep flight point. Krol’dok Stronghold (40-45). Boat from Powderfuse Port to Tanaris. |
| 12 | 40-44 | Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows (35-45) | Uldaman in the Badlands. |
| 13 | 42-45 | Dustwallow Marsh (35-45) | Theramore. |
| 14 | 44-48 | Tanaris, Feralas (40-50) | Gadgetzan, Feathermoon Stronghold. Zul’Farrak, Maraudon. |
| 15 | 46-50 | The Hinterlands (40-50), Searing Gorge (45-50) | Aerie Peak, Thorium Point. Sunken Temple. |
| 16 | 48-52 | Un’Goro Crater (48-55), Azshara (45-55) | Marshal’s Refuge, Talrendis Point. Alcaz Prison (48-53) back in Dustwallow. Blackrock Depths. |
| 17 | 51-55 | Felwood (48-55), Burning Steppes (50-58), Blasted Lands (45-55) | Talonbranch Glade, Morgan’s Vigil, Nethergarde Keep. Blackmaw Hold (55-60) in Azshara. |
| 18 | 54-58 | Western and Eastern Plaguelands (51-58, 53-60), Winterspring (53-60) | Chillwind Camp, Light’s Hope Chapel, Everlook. Blackrock Spire, Scholomance, Stratholme. |
| 19 | 58-60 | Silithus (55-60) or more Winterspring | Cenarion Hold. Shaper’s Terrace (58-60) in Un’Goro. |
WoW Forever Horde Leveling Route 1-60
Most Horde races start in Kalimdor, and the route crosses to Lordaeron at 16 for the new Ruins of Lordaeron. From 30 on, both factions use the same contested zones, so rows 8 to 19 match the Alliance table with Horde bases.
Horde 1-30 (tested in the beta)
| # | Level | Zone | Notes and dungeons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-10 | Durotar, Mulgore or Tirisfal Glades (1-10) | Your race’s start zone. The Great Outdoors quest around level 5 teaches the Basic Campfire. Train Cooking and First Aid early. |
| 2 | 10-16 | The Barrens (10-25) | Undead do Silverpine first and swap rows 2 and 3. Ragefire Chasm under Orgrimmar, Wailing Caverns in the Barrens. |
| 3 | 16-20 | Silverpine Forest (10-20) | Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20), entrance on the Undercity map next to the front gate. Shadowfang Keep. |
| 4 | 20-23 | Stonetalon Mountains (15-27) | Blizzard adjusted Stonetalon respawns during the beta. |
| 5 | 22-25 | Ashenvale (18-30) | Splintertree Post. Blackfathom Deeps. Faster respawns since October 1. |
| 6 | 25-28 | Thousand Needles (25-35) | Razorfen Kraul at the southern edge of the Barrens. Faster respawns since October 1. |
| 7 | 28-31 | Hillsbrad Foothills (20-35), Alterac Mountains (30-40) | Tarren Mill. City of Dalaran (28-33, in the beta since October 8). Excavation Site: Wetlands is reachable from here; grab Dragonmaw Rumors in Hammerfall first. |
Horde 30-60 (Classic data plus new zones, untested)
| # | Level | Zone | Notes and dungeons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 30-34 | Arathi Highlands (30-40) | Hammerfall. Scarlet Monastery in Tirisfal. |
| 9 | 32-38 | Stranglethorn Vale (30-45) | Grom’gol, then Booty Bay. The Drowned City (35-40). |
| 10 | 35-38 | Desolace (30-40) | Shadowprey Village. Shen’dralas next door. |
| 11 | 37-42 | Riverglades (35-45, new) | Rog’mar flight point. Krol’dok Stronghold (40-45). |
| 12 | 40-44 | Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows (35-45) | Kargath, Stonard. Uldaman. |
| 13 | 42-45 | Dustwallow Marsh (35-45) | Brackenwall Village. |
| 14 | 44-48 | Tanaris, Feralas (40-50) | Gadgetzan, Camp Mojache. Zul’Farrak, Maraudon. |
| 15 | 46-50 | The Hinterlands (40-50), Searing Gorge (45-50) | Revantusk Village. Sunken Temple. |
| 16 | 48-52 | Un’Goro Crater (48-55), Azshara (45-55) | Marshal’s Refuge, Valormok. Alcaz Prison (48-53). Blackrock Depths. |
| 17 | 51-55 | Felwood (48-55), Burning Steppes (50-58), Blasted Lands (45-55) | Bloodvenom Post, Flame Crest. Blackmaw Hold (55-60). |
| 18 | 54-58 | Western and Eastern Plaguelands (51-58, 53-60), Winterspring (53-60) | The Bulwark, Light’s Hope Chapel, Everlook. Blackrock Spire, Scholomance, Stratholme. |
| 19 | 58-60 | Silithus (55-60) or more Winterspring | Cenarion Hold. Shaper’s Terrace (58-60). |
Skyborne Leveling: Where Zephras Isle Joins the Route
Skyborne level from 1 to 12 on Zephras Isle, a floating island in Skywall, and then fly to their faction’s continent by airship from Valanaar. According to Warcraft Wiki, the Alliance airship lands in Dalaran in the Alterac Mountains and the Horde airship at the Skywatcher Plateau in Mulgore, a new area north of Thunder Bluff.
- Alliance Skyborne arrive in a 28 to 33 area at level 12, so don’t quest around Dalaran. Warcraft Tavern describes a portal from Dalaran to Stormwind, and Icy Veins reports that the Skyborne portal in Stormwind only works for Skyborne. From Stormwind, join the Alliance route at row 3 (Westfall), or at row 2 (Loch Modan) if you want the Hall of Thanes early.
- Horde Skyborne walk down from the plateau into Thunder Bluff and head east into the Barrens, row 2 of the Horde route. Blizzard’s beta notes also mention a Skyborne quest, Exploring the Horde, that sends you to Lady Sylvanas in the Undercity, which lines up with row 3 and the Ruins of Lordaeron.
At 12, Skyborne are slightly ahead of the curve for the 10 to 20 zones and can skip the first few quests there.
New Dungeons on the Leveling Route: Which Quests to Bring
Dungeon quests are where WoW Forever puts its dungeon XP, so the order matters: collect the quests first, then run the dungeon once. Our WoW Forever dungeons by level guide covers every dungeon and the XP changes; this table only lists the quests to pick up before you zone in. All Excavation Site and City of Dalaran quests need level 24.
| Dungeon (level) | Route row | Alliance: bring these | Horde: bring these |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Thanes (13-18) | Alliance 2-3 | Important Heirlooms (Thom Filch, at the bridge outside) and The Restless Dead (Afadra Dunwall, up the stairs). Old Ironforge Incursion needs the Dark Iron map from Earthseer Farsen’s quest in Dun Morogh. | None. Warcraft Tavern and Zockify list no Horde quests. |
| Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20) | Horde 3 | All four start inside (Captain Truman at the entrance, plus drops). Only worth the trip if you’re nearby. | Light’s Justice and The New Plague (Undercity), The Wrath of Rath’mael (Deathguard Kristof, Tirisfal), A Frightened Request (Tabitha Heartweaver, the Sepulcher in Silverpine). |
| Excavation Site: Wetlands (26-31) | Alliance 6, Horde 7 | Songblade Search (Dorin Songblade, Lakeshire), Lost in the Thicket Things (Caitlin Grassman, Menethil Harbor), Horrors in the Highland (Rethiel the Greenwarden, after three earlier quests). | Changing Tastes (Borstan, Orgrimmar), Open the Maw (Deathstalker Agent near the entrance, after Dragonmaw Rumors from Zaruk in Hammerfall). |
| City of Dalaran (28-33) | Alliance 7, Horde 7 | Datamined: A Green Sample and Power Overwhelming (Stormwind), Starving Arcane (Archmage Modera outside Dalaran). | Datamined: The Grave Knight (Melisara, Tarren Mill), Source of Power (Doctor Martin Felben, Undercity), Opportunistic Education (Rexxie Copperclutch near the Dalaran sewers). |
Quest givers for the first three come from Warcraft Tavern’s beta guides; the City of Dalaran list is beta quest data published by Zockify, since that dungeon isn’t playable yet. More quests start inside or drop from bosses. The other five new dungeons have no public quest lists yet.
Riverglades and Shen’dralas: Where the New Zones Fit
Riverglades (35 to 45): the Riverglades is a new contested zone on the east coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, east of the Badlands and Burning Steppes and north of the Swamp of Sorrows. Blizzard’s What’s Next panel recap promises more than 150 new quests covering the mid-30s to mid-40s, and beta data sites list it at 35 to 45. The zone holds Krol’dok Stronghold (40 to 45). Flight points are Farholde Keep (Alliance) and Rog’mar (Horde), and the goblin town of Powderfuse Port has a boat to Tanaris. We slot it at 37 to 42. Nobody has quested there yet, so if it turns out quest-dense, it can replace part of Stranglethorn or Desolace.
Shen’dralas (range unannounced): Shen’dralas sits south-east of Desolace, between Feralas and Mulgore, per Warcraft Wiki. Neither Blizzard nor the beta data has a level range. Warcraft Tavern guesses 30 to 50 and says its quests tie into Razorfen Downs and Maraudon, which points to the mid-30s to mid-40s (our estimate). Treat it as an option next to rows 10 and 14 once the range is known.
Mount Hyjal, the fourth new zone, is endgame content reached through Darkwhisper Gorge in Winterspring (Warcraft Tavern), not part of the 1 to 60 route as far as anyone knows.
WoW Forever Leveling Tips That Save Real Time
Eat crafted food: +5% kill XP
Blizzard’s BlizzCon systems panel recap says crafted food can grant a small experience bonus; the BlizzCon recipes and the beta datamine put it at 5% more XP from kills for 15 minutes while Well Fed. If kills are about half of your XP, that is roughly 2.5% faster leveling (our estimate), but only with the buff always up. Level Cooking as you go, and First Aid too: it now makes healing potions as well as bandages.
Rested XP and the Camp Tent
Rested XP doubles kill XP until the pool runs out. In Classic it built up at 5% of a level per 8 hours in an inn, up to 1.5 levels, and Forever hasn’t announced a change. The new tool is the Leatherworking Camp Tent: placed at a campfire, it fills your rested pool up to 5% of a level, and does nothing if you already have more stored (Icy Veins). Rested XP is used up as you earn the doubled XP, so that pool is worth about 2.5% of a level in bonus XP. Camp objects run on a one-hour cooldown, but whether you can top up again every hour isn’t confirmed. If you can, the tent beats food at most levels (our math, untested). It needs a Leatherworker with skill 20, a campfire and about a minute of sitting, so it works best with a guildmate.
Legacy perks that help leveling
The Legacy System helps your second character far more than your first: a new account has no points, and the first ones come from milestones like your first class to 25. On an alt with the full 16 points, the leveling perks are Well Rested (rested XP 20% faster, cap 20% higher), Talented (talents from level 5), Thrill of Adventure (killing blows restore 5% health and mana) and Frequent Flier (flights 50% cheaper and 20% faster). Values are from the beta client; our WoW Forever Legacy System guide has the builds.
Run dungeon quests once, don’t farm dungeons
Blizzard cut dungeon mob XP way down and raised dungeon quest XP (Kris Zierhut to The Sun), and the October 1 build halved the extra quest XP. The October 8 build gave some back: dungeon mob XP is up about 20%, and a bug that cut XP for groups with a higher-level member is fixed. Blizzard expects both to “dramatically increase” dungeon XP for most players, but a first run with every quest is still the best use of a dungeon. One full run with all quests is the efficient use of a dungeon.
Solo or group in crowded layers
Blizzard says an ordinary mob takes a solo player 10 to 15 seconds, so Forever is tuned for solo questing. The problem at launch will be crowds. Zones are split into layers (Blizzard calls them world instances), and beta players report that an invite can move the whole group into another, often busier layer (Icy Veins). Quest solo by default, group for elites and drop-heavy quests, and form the group before you reach the quest area. Blizzard raised respawn rates in Hillsbrad, Ashenvale, Wetlands, Duskwood and Thousand Needles on October 1 after reports of quests that were hard to finish.
Move on when mobs turn green
Mobs at your level give Classic XP, but lower-level mobs give 4 to 20% less, according to a player analysis reported by Icy Veins. Blizzard’s Aidan “Zirene” Moon called it intended, to offset food and camping bonuses. Leave a zone once its mobs fall below your level.
The mount at 40 (datamined)
Blizzard confirmed Burning Crusade-style riding: you pay for training and get a mount with it. Level and price aren’t announced. The beta files (build 1.60.1.70094, via wowforeverbuilds.com) list the mount at 20 gold for level 40 and 200 gold for level 60, without the training cost. Plan for 40 and save gold through your 30s; Classic charged 100 gold in total.
Level 30 class weapon quests
Warriors keep their level 30 weapon quest, and the beta revealed a new one for Shamans (Rage of the Storm, Lightning’s Grasp or Tidebringer’s Claw, plus a shield). A player walkthrough reported by Icy Veins says it needs the last boss of Razorfen Kraul, totems from mobs of level 34 and up in Dustwallow, Desolace, Swamp of Sorrows and the Badlands, and a level 40 elite quest in Thousand Needles, which fits rows 10 to 13. Other classes may get similar quests; none are confirmed.
Is WoW Forever Leveling Faster Than Classic?
No. WoW Forever leveling is about as fast as Classic. Kris Zierhut told The Sun that the experience curve is unchanged, and on the WoW Forever Podcast Josh Greenfield and Tim Jones said beta players take 20.5 hours on average to reach level 20, compared with 20.4 hours in Classic (via Icy Veins). Food, the Camp Tent and Legacy perks can put you ahead of Classic pace; the nerf to low-level mob XP and crowded launch layers pull the other way.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- Levels 30 to 60. Forever adds over 1,000 new quests, and no list of Classic zones with changed level ranges exists. The zone ranges above are Classic data until launch proves otherwise.
- Riverglades and Shen’dralas. Blizzard describes the Riverglades only as mid-30s to mid-40s, and Shen’dralas has no range at all. Neither has quest counts per level band.
- Five new dungeons. The Drowned City, Krol’dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, Blackmaw Hold and Shaper’s Terrace have no entrance or quest data, and City of Dalaran only joined the beta on October 8.
- XP tuning. Blizzard already cut dungeon quest XP once during the beta and could change it again before November 4. The Talented Legacy perk is also argued about on the forums.
- Riding level and cost. Not announced. The 40 and 60 breakpoints come from the beta files.
FAQ
What is the best leveling route in WoW Forever?
For the Alliance: start zone, Loch Modan or Darkshore, Westfall, Redridge, Duskwood, Wetlands, then the contested zones from Arathi to Silithus. For the Horde: start zone, the Barrens, Silverpine, Stonetalon, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, then the same contested zones. Add Riverglades at 37 to 42 on both sides.
Where should Skyborne go after Zephras Isle?
Alliance Skyborne fly to Dalaran, go on to Stormwind and start Westfall at 12. Horde Skyborne land at the Skywatcher Plateau north of Thunder Bluff and head into the Barrens.
What level do you get a mount in WoW Forever?
Blizzard hasn’t announced it. The beta files point to level 40 for the first mount and 60 for the fast one, the same as Classic.
Should you level in dungeons in WoW Forever?
Run each dungeon once with all of its quests. Dungeon mobs give much less XP than in Classic (the October 8 build gave back about 20%), so farming dungeons for levels is slower than questing.
Sources: Blizzard’s beta development notes (September 24 and October 1), Blizzard’s BlizzCon systems panel recap, Warcraft Wiki’s Classic zones by level, Riverglades, Shen’dralas and Zephras Isle pages, Icy Veins on leveling speed, low-level mob XP, layering, the Shaman weapon quest, camping and Zephras Isle access, Warcraft Tavern’s new zones overview and quest guides for Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron and Excavation Site: Wetlands, Zockify’s City of Dalaran data, and wowforeverbuilds.com’s mount datamine. Maps and screenshot: Blizzard Entertainment.