WoW Forever Travel Routes: Boats, Zeppelins & Portals

WoW Forever has no flying mounts, so boats, zeppelins and the Deeprun Tram carry you across Azeroth just as they did in 2004. What changed is the network itself. Forever adds three new ship routes and two skyboats: Stormwind finally gets a harbor with a boat to Auberdine, a new ship loops between Menethil Harbor, Southshore and Auberdine, and a neutral goblin ferry links Tanaris with the new Riverglades zone.

The Alliance gains the most, because night elves and humans can now reach each other's starting zones by sea in a few minutes. The Horde keeps its three Classic zeppelins and gets a new skyboat that lands next to Thunder Bluff. Skyborne players start on Zephras Isle and leave by skyboat to Dalaran or Mulgore.

Below you'll find a travel map with every route, the new routes in detail, all Alliance, Horde and neutral connections, how Skyborne get to the mainland, and tips that save time while leveling.

WoW Forever Travel Map

Every transport in Forever fits on one map: 7 boat and ferry routes, 3 Horde zeppelins, 2 skyboats from Zephras Isle and the Deeprun Tram. The thick lines are new in Forever. Ports are marked by their region and coast, and Zephras Isle, which floats in the Skywall above the map, sits in its own box at the top.

New Travel Routes in Forever

Forever adds three ship routes to the Classic network. Blizzard's goal is to keep the sense of a large world while making it easier to reach friends who started on another continent.

Stormwind Harbor to Auberdine

Stormwind gets a harbor years before Wrath of the Lich King built one. Its ship sails straight to Auberdine, so a human in Elwynn Forest and a night elf on Teldrassil can meet in minutes instead of running through the Wetlands. For night elves, this is also the quickest way to the Stormwind trainers, and human hunters reach the bow vendors of Darnassus with one transfer at Auberdine.

The Menethil, Southshore and Auberdine Loop

This ship sails one way around a triangle: Menethil Harbor, then Southshore, then Auberdine, then back to Menethil. The order matters. From Menethil the ship always calls at Southshore before Auberdine, and from Auberdine it heads to Menethil first. The Southshore dock, unused for twenty years in Classic, finally gives Alliance players a sea route into Hillsbrad Foothills and Alterac Mountains.

Steamwheedle Port to Powderfuse Port

The goblin ferry links Steamwheedle Port on the Tanaris coast with Powderfuse Port, the neutral port of the Riverglades. Both factions can ride it. It is the main way for Kalimdor players, especially the Horde, to reach the new level 35 to 45 zone and the middle of the Eastern Kingdoms.

Everything about the Riverglades, from its quests to the Krol'dok Stronghold dungeon, is in our WoW Forever new zones guide.

Alliance Routes: Boats, Tram and Portals

The Alliance has the densest network in Forever, with Auberdine as its hub: four routes meet there. The table lists every Alliance connection, new and old.

With these routes, most Alliance trips take one transfer. From Stormwind to Darnassus, take the harbor ship to Auberdine and then the boat to Rut'theran Village. From Theramore to Stormwind, sail to Menethil Harbor, ride the loop to Auberdine and change to the Stormwind ship, or run from Menethil through the Wetlands and Loch Modan to Ironforge and take the tram.

Alliance Portals

Mages are the fastest way to travel. Alliance Mages learn teleports to Stormwind and Ironforge at level 20 and Darnassus at 30, portals for the group at 40 and 50, and Forever adds a teleport to Dalaran at level 50. Beta players also report a portal in Dalaran that takes Skyborne straight to Stormwind; the Skyborne section below explains how that route works.

Horde Routes: Zeppelins and Portals

The Horde keeps its three Classic zeppelins, and they link all of its main cities except Thunder Bluff. Orgrimmar's towers stand outside the main gate in Durotar, Undercity's north of the city in Tirisfal Glades, and Grom'gol's in the camp in Stranglethorn Vale.

There is still no zeppelin to Thunder Bluff. The new skyboat from Zephras Isle lands on Skywatcher Plateau in northwestern Mulgore, and from Orgrimmar the quickest way is the flight path. The middle of the Eastern Kingdoms is the Horde's weak spot: from Kalimdor, the goblin ferry from Tanaris to the Riverglades is often faster than the zeppelin to Grom'gol and the long run north.

Horde Portals

Horde Mages learn teleports to Orgrimmar and Undercity at level 20 and Thunder Bluff at 30, with group portals at 40 and 50. The new Dalaran teleport at level 50 is open to Horde Mages too.

Neutral Boats

Two routes are run by goblins and open to both factions. Expect to meet the other faction on board, and on a PvP ruleset the docks are a common place for a fight.

The two goblin routes also make a southern loop possible: from Booty Bay you can sail to Ratchet, travel down to Tanaris and take the ferry to the Riverglades. Powderfuse Port has a neutral flight master with a single flight, so plan your next leg before you arrive.

Skyborne Travel

Skyborne start on Zephras Isle in the Skywall and can leave at any level, even at level 1. Two skyboats depart from the docks of Valanaar, the town at the southern end of the island, and arrive about every 5 minutes.

Both factions can ride either skyboat. You don't need the Skyborne race to visit the island either: anyone can sail there, while the starting questline needs the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.

• Alliance Skyborne usually take the Dalaran skyboat. Beta players report a portal in Dalaran that sends Skyborne straight to Stormwind, which makes it easy to join friends in the human starting zones; treat it as unconfirmed until launch.
• Horde Skyborne fly past Thunder Bluff and land on Skywatcher Plateau, at the border of Mulgore and Desolace. There is no portal on this side, so most Horde Skyborne start out leveling alongside the Tauren.

Racials, classes and the full Zephras Isle story are covered in our WoW Forever Skyborne race guide.

Travel Tips

A few habits save a lot of time once you know the network:

• Ask the dock guard. Guards beside every boat and zeppelin tell you where the next transport goes, which helps at Auberdine and Menethil, where several ships share a dock.
• Mind the loop direction. The Menethil ship never sails straight from Menethil to Auberdine. If you are in a hurry to reach Darkshore from the Wetlands, the Southshore stop is part of the trip.
• Pick up new flight paths early. Forever adds five flight masters. In the Riverglades, Alliance Farholde Keep connects to Lakeshire, Thelsamar and Morgan's Vigil, Horde Rog'mar connects to Stonard, Hammerfall, Kargath and Flame Crest, and Powderfuse Port serves both factions. On Mount Hyjal, Tainted Foothills links to Everlook in Winterspring, and the Summit of Eternity serves both factions.
• Set your hearthstone with the route in mind. An Alliance hearth in Auberdine puts you one boat away from Stormwind, Darnassus, Menethil and Southshore.
• Use boats on Hardcore. Sea routes skip dangerous roads, such as the Wetlands run for low-level night elves, which makes them the safest way across the map once Hardcore opens.
• Expect company on a PvP ruleset. Neutral docks in Booty Bay, Ratchet and the Riverglades see both factions, so wait for the boat out of sight if you are low on health.

Blizzard fixed a beta bug on October 6 that could disconnect players riding an elevator or transport, so long boat trips should be stable at launch.

WoW Forever Travel Routes FAQ

These are the questions players ask most about getting around in Forever.

More WoW Forever Guides

These guides cover the places these routes take you: