A pocket guide to leveling through all the zones in WoW Classic, for that moment when you run out of quests.

With WoW Classic almost here, you may be planning your trip around Azeroth with zone levels in mind. Our friends at Wowhead have guides to maximize your leveling time. But if you want to see the country and still level, you may want a list of what zones are what level.

Where to go to lose that new character luster

The starting zones from levels 1-10 remain the same as they are now.

• Durotar – Orcs and Trolls
• Elwynn Forest – Humans
• Mulgore – Tauren
• Teldrassil – Night Elves
• Tirisfal Glade – Undead
• Dun Morogh – Dwarves and Gnomes

You may find yourself sticking around the initial starting area below level 5 longer than you probably currently do. Dwarves and Gnomes have to get through the trogg tunnel to Kharanos. It helps to be close to their level when you go through.

From the starter zones, you’ll progress out into the wide world. For zones 10-20, you’ll progress to the next zone the way you typically do, but you’ll likely stay in the earlier zone a bit past the level 10 benchmark. I remember a lot of quests out of Razor Hill. Also, the cleft with the thunder lizards and the bridge heading into The Barrens will no longer be under water.

Other level 10-20 zones are:

• Darkshore
• Loch Modan
• Silverpine Forest
• Westfall
• The northern part of The Barrens

Ah, Loch Modan. I remember dinging level 20 while fighting the ogres over by the dam.

Levels 20 to 30 have options

Once you hit level 20, there are six zones to choose from. Many of the bigger zones, such as The Barrens, will be available to you for a long stretch of levels. It’s merely a decision on whether you want to finish every quest in a particular zone or if you want to wander about, leveling as you go. At level 20, you can quest in

• Redridge
• Stonetalon Mountains
• Ashenvale
• Duskwood
• Hillsbrad Foothills
• Wetlands

I adored original Duskwood. Stalvan Mistmantle. The Bride. Mor’ladim. Stitches. All of these bosses made the story in the zone so exciting. I can’t wait to read the Town Crier yelling about an abomination on the road toward Darkshire, and mustering everyone to stop Stitches before he gets to town. I didn’t know frustration until I went into the cemetery and Mor’ladim got me. If you were level 36 or lower, it was as if he could smell you when you walked in.

Levels 25-35 can go to Thousand Needles. If you spent your leveling time from 10 onwards in The Barrens, you’re probably close to level 30 by the time you get to Razorfen Kraul and Razorfen Downs so the next logical place is Needles. I’m looking forward to falling off the Great Lift. Seriously. As Alliance, you’re running from the guards — toward a lift — which is headed down.

Levels 30 to 40 are where you really meet the other faction

Prior to level 30, you have seen the other faction, particularly if you go to Hillsbrad Foothills and Stonetalon Mountains. But when you’re level 30, you start questing in more contested zones. You’ll be questing alongside — and if you’re on a PvP realm against — the other faction. These zones include

• Alterac Mountains
• Arathi Highlands
• Desolace
• Stranglethorn Vale
• Badlands
• Swamp of Sorrows
• Dustwallow Marsh

Keep in mind that these zones are large. If you come in at starting level and to all the quests available, you’ll probably be 8 – 10 levels higher. Classic zones were great like that. There seemed to always be another quest tucked around a corner somewhere.

Levels 40 to 50 put your skills to use

There are 20 more levels to cap. You’ve been running back to the trainer to level those skills. These zones are where you’re going to learn to be effective. You can enter these zones earlier than level 40 and you might stick with them until you’re level 53 because there is a lot to do here.

• Feralas
• Hinterlands
• Tanaris
• Searing Gorge
• Azshara
• Blasted Lands
• Un’Goro
• Felwood

That’s quite a diverse group. One of my current alts was leveled to 60 solely in Eastern Kingdoms. You won’t be able to do that in Classic unless you’re fond of grinding. I remember finishing Hinterlands, taking the road to Western Plaguelands and being summarily stomped by skeletons. I decided I needed to get “bigger” and headed to Tanaris.

Vanilla WoW leveling was as much an exploration adventure as it was actual leveling. The levels came slowly and you might exhaust your supply of quests before you had reached a level where you could be effective in the next higher zone. Sticking to a comparable zone is the way to go.

That’s Narain Soothfancy‘s house north of Steamwheedle Port in the screenshot above. He was an exceptionally quirky NPC with a number of cool quests, especially when I was getting the Scepter of the Shifting Sands.

Levels 50 to 60 and the end of leveling

You’re almost there. The end is in sight. The last two zones listed above — Un’Goro and Felwood — can take you well into the 50’s. Felwood in particular can get you deep into the 50’s if you are planning on questing in Winterspring. The Furblogs at the north end of the zone will not be friendly when you first meet them. If you deal with the corrupted ones south of the tunnel until the Timbermaw regard you as Unfriendly so they don’t attack you when you run through the tunnel to the snowy zone — that adds levels.

To finish off leveling you’ll find yourself in:

• Burning Steppes
• Western and Eastern Plaguelands
• Winterspring
• Deadwind Pass
• Silithus

I completely forgot about Deadwind Pass while leveling in Classic. There are ogres and spiders and birds to kill, if you’re into grinding. I hit level 60 in Winterspring while killing moonkin. I spent a bit of time in Silithus but didn’t level much there. The bugs were elite and I tended to get eaten.

If you want to make your own leveling route, this should help you move into level appropriate zones. The best leveling advice I have is when you feel you’re ready, go into the next zone. If you’re having problems, go back or go sideways.

Plus, you’ll be exploring — that’s always worth experience points.