Leveling in WoW Forever takes exactly as much experience as it did in Classic, about 4.1 million XP from level 1 to 60, but almost everything around that number has changed. More than a thousand new quests fill the old gaps, Riverglades and Mount Hyjal take over the second half of the climb, and nine new dungeons sit along the way, from The Hall of Thanes at level 13 to Shaper's Terrace at 60. Dungeons now pay mostly through their quests rather than their mobs, and small bonuses stack on top of each other: rested XP, +5% from new cooking recipes, a Camp Tent at your campfire and the +3% Cozy Sleeping Bag.
The beta stopped at level 30, so the first half of the route is tested and the second half is built on Blizzard's level ranges. Below you will find how experience works in Forever, a zone route for Alliance and Horde, which dungeons to run at which level, what opens up after 30, the habits that save the most time, and links to our leveling guide for every class.
Blizzard did not touch the experience curve: each level needs the same XP as in Classic, from 400 for level 2 to 209,800 for level 60. What changed is how you earn it. Forever adds more than a thousand new quests across the whole 1–60 range, mostly in zones that used to run dry, so the old "grind mobs between zones" stretches are much shorter. The quest log now holds 40 quests instead of 20, there is no level scaling and no flying, and flight paths and the new ships carry you between hubs.
Rested XP is a pool of bonus experience your character builds while logged out. As long as the pool lasts, every kill gives double experience; quest turn-ins are not doubled. A character builds 5% of a level every 8 hours, roughly 15% a day, up to a cap of one and a half levels, which takes about 10 days to fill.
It only builds properly in an inn or a capital city such as Stormwind City or Orgrimmar. You can tell you are in a rest area in two ways: the level on your portrait turns into a "zzz" icon, and logging out is instant instead of a 20-second countdown. Because the pool is measured in levels, a week of rest at level 59 is worth far more raw XP than a week at level 10.
Forever adds two ways to push it further. The Well Rested Legacy perk makes rested XP build up to 20% faster and raises the cap by up to 20% at five ranks. A Leatherworker's Camp Tent next to a campfire tops your rested XP up to 5% of a level once an hour; if you already have more than that, it does nothing. Student Fodder, which granted rested XP in Season of Discovery, now only heals and gives a short Trail Snack speed boost.
If you plan to level several characters, rested XP becomes the backbone of the plan: our WoW Forever alt leveling guide shows how to rotate four characters so almost every dungeon run happens at double kill experience.
Dungeons in Forever were rebuilt to pay through their quests. At launch of the beta, experience from dungeon mobs was cut well below Classic, while dungeon quests got a large bonus on top of their normal reward. Two builds then moved the balance:
Blizzard's designers have said that grinding the same dungeon over and over is not the optimal way to level, while a well-prepared run with every quest in your log can come close to good questing. In practice, the best result comes from running each dungeon once, at the right level, with all of its quests picked up beforehand.
Everyone in a group gets the full reward for a shared quest, but experience from kills is split between members. Groups of three or more get a small bonus on kill XP, so a duo trades some kill experience for faster quest objectives and safer pulls. If one member is far above a mob's level, nobody in the group gets experience from it, which stops high-level players from boosting low-level ones.
On top of rested XP, several new effects add a few percent each, and they all work at the same time. The catch is that most of them only boost experience from kills, so they matter most in grinding spots and dungeons.
| Bonus | Effect | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Rested XP | Double XP from kills until the pool runs out | Log out in an inn or a capital city |
| Well Rested | Rested XP builds up to 20% faster, cap up to 20% higher | Legacy perk, 5 ranks |
| Cooking buff food | +5% XP from kills for 15 minutes | Most new Forever recipes, such as Twice-Spiced Raptor Slice or Breakfast Omelette |
| Camp Tent | Tops rested XP up to 5% of a level, once per hour | Leatherworking 20, placed at a campfire |
| Cozy Sleeping Bag | +1% XP per minute of rest, up to +3% | Quest chain from level 14, 1-hour cooldown |
The zone order in Forever follows the Classic map, with two big changes: new quests make the starting zones and the 20s longer, and Riverglades adds a whole contested zone for the mid-30s to mid-40s. Up to level 30 each faction has its own path, because most early zones belong to one side. From 30 onward almost every zone is contested, and Alliance and Horde level through the same places.
Use the level ranges as a guide, not a rule. When a zone turns green and its quests stop paying well, move on instead of finishing every last quest. A few levels of overlap between zones are normal, and you will often keep one or two quests from the previous zone for the next town you pass.
Leveling Route to Level 30 by Faction
Pick your faction to see its zones, dungeons and route map
Alliance Leveling Route 1–30
Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes and Night Elves each start in their own zone, and Alliance Skyborne start on Zephras Isle. The new ship between Auberdine and Stormwind Harbor means Night Elves are no longer stuck in Darkshore and can join the human route in Westfall early.
| Levels | Zones | Dungeons on the way |
|---|---|---|
| 1–12 | Elwynn Forest, Dun Morogh, Teldrassil or Zephras Isle | None |
| 12–18 | Westfall, Loch Modan or Darkshore | The Hall of Thanes at 13–18 |
| 18–22 | Redridge Mountains, end of Westfall | The Deadmines at 18–23 |
| 22–27 | Wetlands, Duskwood, Ashenvale | The Stockade, Blackfathom Deeps |
| 27–30 | Duskwood, Wetlands, Hillsbrad Foothills | Excavation Site: Wetlands, City of Dalaran |
Horde Leveling Route 1–30
Orcs and Trolls start in Durotar, Tauren in Mulgore, Undead in Tirisfal Glades, and Horde Skyborne on Zephras Isle, which connects to Mulgore by skyboat. Undead players stay on the eastern continent a little longer through Silverpine Forest and the new Ruins of Lordaeron dungeon above the Undercity.
| Levels | Zones | Dungeons on the way |
|---|---|---|
| 1–12 | Durotar, Mulgore, Tirisfal Glades or Zephras Isle | None |
| 12–18 | The Barrens or Silverpine Forest | Ragefire Chasm at 13–18, Ruins of Lordaeron at 15–20 |
| 18–22 | The Barrens, Stonetalon Mountains | Wailing Caverns |
| 22–27 | Hillsbrad Foothills, Ashenvale, Stonetalon Mountains | Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps |
| 27–30 | Thousand Needles, Ashenvale, Hillsbrad Foothills | Excavation Site: Wetlands, City of Dalaran |
After 30 both factions share the same zones, and the main choice is which ones fit your route and server. On a PvP ruleset, Stranglethorn Vale is the classic ganking hotspot, and Riverglades is a fresh alternative for the same levels. The ranges past 30 come from Blizzard and the Forever database rather than from beta play, since the beta stopped at level 30.
| Levels | Zones | Dungeons on the way |
|---|---|---|
| 30–40 | Arathi Highlands, Desolace, Stranglethorn Vale, Alterac Mountains, Thousand Needles | Scarlet Monastery, Razorfen Kraul, Gnomeregan, The Drowned City |
| 35–45 | Riverglades, Dustwallow Marsh, Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows | Krol'dok Stronghold, Razorfen Downs, Uldaman |
| 40–50 | Tanaris, Feralas, The Hinterlands, Searing Gorge | Zul'Farrak, Maraudon, Alcaz Prison |
| 48–55 | Un'Goro Crater, Felwood, Azshara, Blasted Lands | The Temple of Atal'Hakkar, Blackrock Depths |
| 50–60 | Burning Steppes, Western Plaguelands, Eastern Plaguelands, Winterspring, Silithus | Blackrock Spire, Blackmaw Hold, Shaper's Terrace |
| 55–60 | Mount Hyjal, entered through Winterspring | Dire Maul, Scholomance, Stratholme |
Each of our class leveling guides follows this route with class-specific stops, and our WoW Forever new zones guide covers Riverglades, Zephras Isle and Shen'dralas in more detail.
Level 30 matters mostly because that is where the beta ended: from September 17 to October 23 testers could only reach 30, so everything past it will be new to everyone on November 4. Blizzard's "Your Leveling Journey Past 30" video, released on October 19, previewed the second half of the climb. It does not change any rules at 30; it shows where the new content sits between 30 and 60.
Riverglades picks up where routes used to thin out after Redridge Mountains. It is a contested zone with more than 150 new quests for roughly levels 36 to 44. Alliance players work with the Brotherhood of the Horse at Farholde Keep, while the Horde side follows an ogre clan that broke away from the Twilight's Hammer. Both factions fight the Twilight's Hammer, and the zone also holds a fighting ring against the ogres' best brawlers and the outdoor dungeon Krol'dok Stronghold for levels 40–45. You reach it by land through a new road off Redridge, or by ship from Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris.
Blizzard calls Mount Hyjal "the climax of your leveling journey". The druids have opened the road into Hyjal for the first time since the Third War, and you work with the Cenarion Circle while Horde and Alliance tensions flare up again. Blizzard has not published a level range; database entries point to the late 50s up to 60, with the entrance through Winterspring. Hyjal also holds the entrance to the Barrow Deeps, one of the three raids that open on December 9.
The rest of the second half is familiar Classic ground with new stops along the way. These are the milestones that change how you play:
There are no flying mounts in Forever and Blizzard has said none will be added, so every flight path you pick up on the way matters more past 30. For prices and every mount in the game, see our guide to all WoW Forever mounts and how to get them.
Forever refreshes nearly every Classic dungeon with updated rewards and higher quest experience, and adds nine new ones. A prepared first run can be worth one to two levels in the teens and 20s: testers reported close to two levels from a full The Hall of Thanes or Ruins of Lordaeron run with every quest in the log. The same dungeon a second time pays far less, because the quests are gone and mob experience is still below Classic.
The table lists the recommended level range for every dungeon on the way to 60. Ranges for the nine new dungeons come from Blizzard; Classic dungeons have no official Forever list yet, so their ranges follow Classic. Dungeons without a link do not have a Forever database page yet.
We list every dungeon with its bosses and rewards in our WoW Forever dungeons list.
Most of a dungeon's experience is in its quests, so the run starts before you enter. Pick up every quest for it, including the ones in town and the prerequisite chains, and bring the quest items you need. Most dungeon quests start outside the dungeon and cannot be shared since the September 24 and October 1 builds, so every player has to collect them.
There are no summoning stones in Forever. The Group Finder lists groups and checks who is eligible for which dungeon, but it does not teleport anyone, so everyone travels to the entrance on foot or by flight path; a Warlock with Ritual of Summoning saves the group a lot of time. If forming a group will take more than about 20 minutes, quest in the meantime instead of waiting, and skip second runs for collection quests.
Our WoW Forever dungeon quests guide lists every quest for the early dungeons with its giver, prerequisites and reward.
None of these habits is a big deal on its own, but together they decide whether you hit 60 in the first weeks or a month later. They come from the beta and from players who leveled several characters to 30 there.
Every starting zone now has a quest that rewards a free 6-slot bag, usually by level 7; on Zephras Isle it is the Simple Leather Satchel. Grab it before you leave, along with the quest item in each starting zone that lets you learn a gathering profession early. Vendors also sell small herb, mining and skinning pouches that hold only those materials, and Tailors and Leatherworkers can make new reagent bags such as the Linen Reagent Bag and the Light Leather Reagent Bag. The bank starts with 64 slots instead of 24, so a bank alt parked in a capital city takes even more pressure off your bags.
Our WoW Forever bag guide shows every free and cheap bag from level 1 to 30 and when to pick each one up.
With a 40-quest log you can carry quests for the next two zones and every dungeon on your route, and turn in whatever is on your way. Keep green quests: they still pay well and often open the next step of a chain, while gray ones are the ones to drop. Some quest items that used to drop for one player are now lootable by the whole party, so grouping for named mobs and busy quest areas speeds things up, especially on launch day. Take the quest first and invite after, since joining a group can move you to another layer and lose your target.
Capital cities also have new delivery and errand quests that give a lot of experience for very little travel. One delivery in the Undercity was worth about 1,200 XP on the beta, so check the quest givers every time you pass through a city.
Camping is the biggest new leveling system in Forever. At level 5 to 6 you pick up The Adventurer, which leads to The Great Outdoors and unlocks campfires. A Basic Campfire Kit needs only Cooking 1, and anyone with a profession can add a camp feature to it. Sit at the fire for about a minute and the buffs last an hour; they do not stack with class buffs of the same kind. For experience, the one that counts is the Leatherworker's Camp Tent, crafted from 5 Light Leather at Leatherworking 20. Make your hourly camp stop your break from the keyboard.
Keep a +5% XP food buff up at all times. Most new Forever recipes have it, from the Twice-Spiced Raptor Slice at level 5 to the Prehistoric Pulled Raptor at 45, and leveling Cooking from the boars and wolves you kill anyway costs almost nothing.
The Cozy Sleeping Bag adds 1% XP for every minute you rest in it, up to 3%, and can be used once an hour. The chain opens at level 14 with ... and that note you found: Alliance players start in Westfall and Horde players in The Barrens. It then takes you through Stepping Stones in Stonetalon Mountains, Wet Job in Loch Modan and Eagle's Fist in Hillsbrad Foothills. The whole chain takes two to three hours across both continents, so pick up each step when your route passes nearby instead of making a special trip at 14.
We walk through every step of the chain with coordinates in our WoW Forever Cozy Sleeping Bag guide, and our WoW Forever camping guide explains every campfire and camp feature.
Legacy points are shared across your account, and at launch each character can spend up to 16 of them in perks; you open the Legacy window with the Y key. Each class earns a point the first time it reaches 25, 45 and 60, so your first character pays for the perks of the next ones. For leveling, these perks matter most:
For the best perk combinations and how to earn points quickly, read our WoW Forever Legacy points guide.
The first mount comes free with the riding skill, but Apprentice Riding still costs 100 gold at level 40. Save for it by skipping ranks of spells you never cast and by not overspending on auction house greens; most classes should still train their main abilities every couple of levels. Keep your weapon upgraded first, since base character power in Forever is lower and gear matters more, and casters should pick up an early wand such as the Lesser Magic Wand or Greater Magic Wand. Since the October 15 build, wands and Auto Shot need you to stand still for half a second before they fire.
Set your Hearthstone at the inn of the hub you will return to most, and log out there so the character rests. If you would rather skip the climb on a second character, our WoW Forever leveling boost takes it to the level you need.
The route above works for everyone, but talents, rotation and the best dungeons differ a lot between classes. Each class guide covers the best leveling spec, talents by level, the rotation, gear, races and a route with the stops that matter for that class.
If you have not picked a class yet, our WoW Forever best leveling class ranking compares all nine for solo speed, and the WoW Forever duo leveling tier list does the same for pairs.
New to classic WoW altogether? Our WoW Forever beginner's guide explains how quests, talents, camping and Legacy Points work before you pick a route.
These are the questions players asked most often about leveling during the beta and after Blizzard's level 30–60 preview.
The XP needed is the same as in Classic, about 4.1 million from level 1 to 60, so expect a similar total play time if you quest normally. Optimized routes on the beta aimed for roughly 20 hours of play from 1 to 30, and the second half takes longer because each level needs more experience.
No. Rested XP is the in-game bonus that doubles experience from kills after you log out in an inn or a capital city. RestedXP is a separate third-party leveling route addon; the addon itself is free, while its full guides are paid. You do not need it to use the rested bonus.
One and a half levels, the same as in Classic, filled at 5% of a level every 8 hours of rest. Five ranks of the Well Rested Legacy perk raise the cap and the build-up speed by up to 20%.
Not on its own. The first run of each dungeon with all of its quests is one of the best experience sources in the game, but repeat runs pay far less because mob experience is still below Classic. Mix dungeons into your questing route at the right level instead of grinding one dungeon.
No. The +5% from cooking food boosts experience from kills only, and the Camp Tent only tops up your rested XP, which also applies to kills. Quest turn-ins are not affected.
At level 40, when you train Apprentice Riding for 100 gold; the first mount comes with the skill. Journeyman Riding for the epic mount costs 1,000 gold at level 60.
They can, but The Hall of Thanes sits beneath Ironforge, so getting there as Horde means a long, dangerous trip through Alliance land. Horde players usually take Ragefire Chasm and Ruins of Lordaeron at the same levels, and the Ruins entrance is outdoors, so Alliance groups can reach it too.
No. The cap of 30 applied only to the beta. WoW Forever launches on November 4 with the full 1–60 range open, and the raids follow on December 9.
These guides go deeper into the topics this hub only touches on, from rested alt rotations to every free bag on the way to 30.
