WoW Classic Zones by Level - Find the Best Farming Spots!

Classic WoW zones by level

Even though, the world in Vanilla was much smaller back then, there were plenty of interesting areas to see and more importantly, farm gold and quest in them. It's good to know about all the locations, because some of the most popular ones on your server might often be overcrowded. A random different zone might result in better exp gains if you have it all for yourself. Let’s take a look at all the different WoW Classic zones by lvl and talk about the most important activities that players can complete there, as well as the level thresholds for each of the locations in patch 1.12. 

WoW Classic starting zones

In the early game, both factions stay in safety of their own parts of Azeroth. Players don’t have to visit contested areas in the early levels. Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves and Gnomes will stay in the Alliance territory, while Orcs, Tauren, Trolls and the Undead will farm and quest in the Horde zones. This level tier consists of all the starting locations for different races.

Dun Morogh (1-10)

Dwarves and Gnomes inhabit this cold and snowy mountainous region. Their starting area is called Coldridge Valley. Dun Morogh quests include fighting against bears, wolves, frostmane trolls and troggs. This zone of course features Ironforge – the capital city of Dwarves that’s also home to many Gnomes. This zone also includes a dungeon called Gnomeregan – the former capital city of Gnomes, now occupied by troggs. Of course there are also two starting factions in this zone: Ironforge and the Gnomeregan Exiles.

Durotar (1-10)

This red, dry and hot desert-like land is one of the major Horde areas. This crude terrain surrounds Orgrimmar – the capital city and starting faction of Orcs. It’s one of the main centers of The Horde. Durotar is also the starting zone for Orcs and Trolls, so it includes the first quests that players will complete (Valley of Trials). There also are numerous class quests for Horde players. They can also access the Ragefire Chasm dungeon through the city of Orgrimmar.

Elwynn Forest (1-10)

The starting Human area is green, lush and full of life. It includes the faction and iconic city of Stormwind – the capital of Human race and Alliance as a whole. Besides early class quests, Elwynn Forest also includes tasks focused around fighting kobolds and murlocs. Through the city of Stormwind, players can enter an Alliance exclusive instance – The Stockade.

Mulgore (1-10)

The Tauren race inhabits these vast, grassy plains. They are located between Stonetalon Mountains and The Barrens. Mulgore includes the Camp Narache in Red Cloud Mesa which is the starting location for all the Tauren players. Many quests explore the Tauren tribal and ritualistic society. Their starting city and faction is called Thunder Bluff.

Teldrassil (1-10)

Every player who wants to create a Night Elf character will start their adventure on the Teldrassil island, specifically in Shadowglen. Darnassus – the capital city of Night Elves and their starting faction is located here. Teldrassil is also the name of a sacred World Tree that the city has been built upon. In Vanilla, the only early game way to travel from Teldrassil onto the continent of Kalimdor is taking a boat to Stormwind.

Tirisfal Glades (1-10)

This once peaceful land is now home of the Forsaken Undead with Undercity as their capital. The plagued hills and forests are full of various threats. Firstly, there are hostile undead of the Scourge's legion, on the on the other hand, there are troops and outposts of the Scarlet Crusade. It’s a zealous organization devoted to eradicating all the Undead. Numerous Tirisfal Glades quests send the players to fight against either one of these enemy groups. The area includes the Scarlet Monastery dungeon complex that’s designed for higher level parties. 

Level 10+ Zones

Darkshore (10-20)

This coastal region of Kalimdor is one of the Alliance territories. Most of the quests can be taken in the Auberdine village. While completing tasks in Darkshore, you will have to face various types of foes, including satyrs, naga, ghosts as well as Dark Strand and Twilight’s Hammer cultists. You can also complete some low level fishing quests in this area.

Loch Modan (10-20)

Loch Modan zone is named after the lake placed in the center of it. It is surrounded by rocky hills and mountains. It’s an Alliance zone, considered a territory belonging to the Ironforge city. The other significant part of the region is an abandoned archeological site. Most of the quests are focused around the digsite and the lake. Majority of the enemies here will either be troggs, kobolds or ogres.

Silverpine Forest (10-20)

These widespread woods are controlled by the Forsaken Undead, which means that this territory belongs to the Horde. Besides questing, players can also try and complete the Shadowfang Keep dungeon. The foes here include gnolls, murlocs and worgen. While it’s a Horde territory, it’s often stormed by Alliance players who want to enter the Shadowfang Keep.

Westfall (10-20)

Westfall is an area occupied by Defias Brotherhood - Humans who do not belong to The Alliance. That being said, Westfall is still considered to be an Alliance territory, due to the geographical proximity to Stormwind and the attempts that are being made to reclaim control. Besides the Defias, other enemies include gnolls and malfunctioning harvest watcher golems. One of the most prominent quest chains – The People’s Militia, is focused around rebelling against the Defias Brotherhood. The Deadmines instance is also an important part of this zone.

Barrens (10-25)

This vast desert with a few oases and settlements is mostly under control of the Horde. It’s the main questing zone for Orcs, Trolls and Tauren after level 10. Multiple trade routes lead through Barrens, but the caravans are in constant danger of centaurs and quilboars that attack in small groups. Even though it’s a Horde territory, there are a few quests exclusive to Alliance members.

This, alongside the three dungeons is the reason of pretty frequent Alliance attacks onto the zone. The dungeons that can be entered in Barrens are: The Wailing Caverns, Razorfen Kraul and Razorfen Downs. While the general area is only good until you hit level 25-30, some of the instances are geared towards higher level players. Barrens are also home of Goblins of the Ratchet faction and from phase 3, the Orcs of the Warsong Outriders clan.

Level 15+ zones

As players continue to level up, they will have to start meeting with the members of opposing faction more often. At this point the true contested zones begin. Upon entering them, you have to always be cautious of the nearby enemy faction members. Open world PvP plays a huge part in Classic WoW and players need to be ready to fight back if necessary.

Redridge Mountains (15-25)

While it’s considered a contested zone, it’s still a bit Alliance favored. Furthermore, there are no dungeons in this area, so there’s no real reason to fight for. Alliance Warriors have access to an interesting quest chain around Yorus Barleybrew, there also are some other worthwhile quests that aren’t class restricted. The enemies in Redridge Mountains include gnolls, Blackrock Orcs, murlocs and wild animals.

Stonetalon Mountains (15-27)

This is the first truly contested zone. It features a similar amount of Horde and Alliance quests, as well as a few neutral ones. The enemies that inhabit these peaks and slopes include: kobolds, beasts, wyverns and elementals. While it is a contested area for both factions, there’s not much to fight about due to lack of dungeons.

Ashenvale (18-30)

While traditionally Ashenvale belonged to Night Elves, attempts of colonization by the Horde made it a contested zone. The area is mostly covered by forests, with plenty of furbolgs, satyrs, spiders, wolves and bears lurking in the woods. Usually there is a lot of fights and skirmishes, since both factions have interesting quests and travel hubs in Ashenvale. There’s also the entrance to the Blackfathom Deeps dungeon.

Duskwood (18-30)

Duskwood is located fairly close to Elwynn Forest. It’s considered an Alliance zone, but it’s much less influenced by it than Westfall is. Besides the Defias Brotherhood, there are plenty of other dangers in this area. Skeletons, ghouls and worgen hide in the constantly dark forests. Duskwood is a great zone for treasure hunting, since the chests that spawn here are usually less guarded than the ones in other parts of Azeroth. While there are no dungeons in Duskwood, there are numerous quests and some of them offer really worthwhile rewards.

Level 20+ zones

Hiilsbrad Foothills (20-30)

This is probably the bloodiest zone for low-to-mid level characters in the entire World of Warcraft Classic.  Each of the factions has its own settlement here, for Alliance it’s Southshore and for Horde – Tarren Mill. The cities are fairly close to each other, what results in numerous Alliance and Horde member stumbling onto each other and quite often starting fights. There are no dungeon entrances to fight around, but it didn’t seem to matter to players over the years. Numerous quests in the area revolve around Humans and Forsaken fighting over this territory. Hillsbrad Foothills are also the main territory of Ravenholdt faction.

Wetlands (20-30)

In World of Warcraft Classic, Wetlands are a contested zone located nearby Loch Modan. It’s a marsh area with plenty of lakes and brooks. It’s not nearly as bloody as Hiilsbrad Foothills though. In general not many Horde players spend much time here, since there’s not that much to do for them. There are no instances in this zone.

Thousand Needles (25-35)

Thousand Needles is a contested zone located south of Barrens. Some of the enemies here include centaurs, harpies and kobolds. The whole area is a dry canyon. Thousand Needles is also the home to Mirage Racetrack, where Goblins and Gnomes race in their tinkered vehicles in order to find out which side has better engineers. While there are no dungeons in this zone, questing players should be extra careful around here, since Thousand Needles feature some popular ganking spots.

Level 30+ zones

Alterac Mountains (30-40)

This cold and rough region can offer some good ogre farming spots and the Alterac Valley Battleground. While there are no quest hubs for either one of the factions, plenty of quests given in Hillsbrad Foothills take place partially, or completely in the Alterac Mountains. The Syndicate is also a prevalent category of enemies in this zone.  

Arathi Highlands (30-40)

Arathi Highlands are another contested zone that features Battlegrounds – in this case it’s Arathi Basin. Moreover, there are plenty of Syndicate members, naga, kobolds and ogres roaming around. Refuge Pointe serves as an Alliance base, while Hammerfall is the Horde settlement.

Desolace (30-40)

Desolace is a vast cursed rocky plain. There are plenty of settlements belonging to different warring factions. Alliance has Nijel’s Point as their outpost, while Horde players can organize in Shadowprey Village. The whole zone is ruled predominantly by the four centaur tribes that constantly fight against each other. Two factions located here are Gelkis Clan Centaur and Magram Clan Centaur. Desolace also features a single dungeon – Maraudon. It’s one of the favorite farming spots of every Hunter and his pet in Vanilla World of Warcraft. Many Hunters will spend a lot of time on this activity, using range and rest of their kit to make some gold. 

Stranglethorn Vale (30-45)

Stranglethorn Vale is a wilderness region just south of Duskwood. It’s a highly contested zone, because of the good farming spots and worthwhile quests available there. In phase 1, two factions are located in Stranglethorn Vale. Booty Bay that’s related to the Steamwheedle Cartel and their opponents – the pirate faction called Bloodsail Buccaneers. During phase 4 of Classic, players will have the possibility going for the Zul’Gurub raid which is just another reason to fight in Stranglethorn Vale. It also introduces another faction – trolls of the Zandalar tribe.

Dustwallow Marsh (35-45)

This zone is a damp swampland located southeast of Barrens. The enemies that can be found here include raptors, spiders, crocolisks and naga. Dustwallow Marsh includes a elite farming spot on the Alcaz Island and, more importantly, the Onyxia’s Lair raid that will be available as soon as Classic starts. Featuring an entrance to the raid makes it a highly contested zone and place of numerous fights between the factions.

Badlands (35-45)

Badlands are a hot and dry desert located between Loch Modan and Searing Gorge. Only Horde has a travel hub in this area, but it’s still considered a contested zone, as there are interesting questing options for both factions. Some of the enemies that can be found here are: gnolls, troggs, Dark Iron Dwarves and black dragons. This area also holds the entrance to the Uldaman dungeon.

Swamp of Sorrows (35-45)

This wet and damp region is another contested zone. The only travel hub is located in Stonard and belongs to Horde. Murlocs, jaguars, crocolisks and green dragons are some of the dangers lurking around the swamp. There’s also entrance to Temple of Atal’Hakkar, which is a dungeon where players can fight trolls and dragons.

Level 40+ zones

Feralas (40-50)

Feralas is a lush forest region located between two deserts: Thousand Needles and Desolace. Even though the additional content will be in later updates (Dire Maul dungeon in phase 2 and Dragons of Nightmare in phase 4), the zone is expected to be heavily contested from the beginning. The enemies that you can fight in Feralas include naga and ogres.

Hinterlands (40-50)

This contested area is full of green hills and mountains. Hinterlands are also home to multiple settlements. Forest Trolls of the Revantusk Tribe support Horde, while the Wildhammer Dwarves of Aerie Peak stand on side of the Alliance. It’s another zone in which Dragons of Nightmare can spawn from phase 4 onwards. There are no dungeons in Hinterlands, but there is an elite green dragonflight farming spot.

Tanaris (40-50)

Tanaris is a vast, barren desert. This hot and sandy are is home to the Goblins of Steamwheedle Cartel, who built the city of Gadgetzan – a faction that remains neutral regarding the conflict between Horde and Alliance. It’s a very popular zone for farming and questing after level 40 (some of the quests are really time-efficient), which also means a lot of PvP skirmishes. The mobs that you can encounter here include ogres and pirates. The entrance to Zul’Farrak dungeon is located in Tanaris.  

Searing Gorge (45-55) and Blackrock Mountain

Entering this zone is quite difficult for both factions. Horde players can only go through a hidden passage through Badlands (more specifically in Kargath). Alliance characters have to open a massive door in Loch Modan. The recommended way of doing it is completing a chain of quests that results in obtaining Key to Searing Gorge, but a Rogue with high level lockpicking can also open them. The zone is under control of the Dark Iron Dwarves and one of their factions – Thorium Brotherhood. The zone itself is full of great quests and farming spots.

While there are no dungeons or raids in Searing Gorge, you can find plenty of them in Blackrock Mountain which is right next to it. In phase 1, players will have possibility to try their luck in Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire (separated in two instances: lower is a 5-man dungeon, while upper is a 10-man raid). Finally, there’s Molten Core where you’ll be able to fight Ragnaros himself. In phase 3 of WoW Classic there will be another 40-man raid open to the players. It’s called Blackwing Lair and it culminates with a battle against the black dragon Nefarian. 

Azshara (45-55)

This coastal region includes the ruins of Night Elven Kaldorei Empire. It includes beautiful beaches and plenty of flora locked in never-ending autumn. Azshara is also home to the Hydraxian Waterlords faction. There are no dungeons or raids, but there’s Lake Mennar - an elite farming spot where players can kill blue dragonflight. Other creatures include naga, satyrs, furbolgs and numerous sea creatures.

Blasted Lands (45-55)

Blasted Lands are the location of the Dark Portal that led Orcs to Azeroth for the first time. The dark magic destroyed all the life in this area, leaving it completely arid. There’s only one settlement in this zone – the Alliance-sided Nethergarde Keep. Blasted Lands don’t include any dungeons or raids, but in phase 2, the world boss Lord Kazzak will spawn here. The standard mobs that you can find include demons and ogres. Blasted Lands are also home of the quests that reward you with the 60 minutes long +25 stat potions.

Un’Goro Crater (48-55)

This green and tropical region is extremely important to every profession that wears leather armor. Un’Goro Crater is the only place where you can farm Devilsaurs. They can drop a crucial material – Devilsaur Leather that’s necessary to craft the Devilsaur Armor set – leggings and gauntlets. A big portion of players' community view these two items as Best in Slot for quite some time if you’re playing a leather-wearing class. This monopolized character of that material often makes this zone extremely contested and a place of many skirmishes and ganks.

Felwood (48-55)

Felwood is a cursed forest that happens to be home to the Timbermaw Hold furbolg faction. There are also plenty of Tauren and Night Elves trying to fight the corrupted creatures and reclaim this territory. These monsters include: satyrs, infernals and treants. There are no instances in this zone.

Level 50+ Zones

Burning Steppes (50-58)

Burning Steppes is a vast volcanic area that’s controlled in majority by the Dark Iron Dwarves. Even though it’s dangerous, it’s the main transport route from Stormwind to the Dwarven Khaz Modan kingdom. While there are no instances in the Burning Steppes, the seconds entrance to aforementioned Blackrock Mountain is located here.

Western Plaguelands (51-58)

Western Plaguelands are a corrupted forest region that is a contested zone filled with the Scourge’s Undead. The whole area is constantly fogged and the plants and beasts are infected with the Lich King’s plague. Furthermore, there’s an entrance to the worthwhile Scholomance dungeon. It features multiple bosses that can drop some pre-raid Best in Slot items for a few classes. Moreover, you can find some members of the Argent Dawn faction here.

Eastern Plaguelands (53-60)

Similarly to its sister, western zone – Eastern Plaguelands are a once great area that’s now completely devastated and remains under Scourge’s strong influence. This part is even more corrupted than the previous one, since there are virtually no patches of fertile land. Players have an opportunity to fight the blighted creatures, Scourge’s minions and some of the strongest forces of the Scarlet Crusade. This zone is the location of Stratholme dungeon and one of the theaters of operation for the Argent Dawn faction. When phase 6 comes online, it will also unlock the entrance to the famous Naxxramas dungeon. Eastern Plaguelands also offer plenty of rewarding quests and some great farming spots, like Tyr’s Hand.

Winterspring (53-60)

Winterspring is a snowy canyon located between the mountains. A Steamwheedle Cartel trading post called Everlook is located here. Alliance players have an opportunity to gather reputation points with the Wintersaber Trainers, what can eventually allow them to access the Winterspring Frostsaber mount. The enemies that you will be able to find here include plenty of different wild beasts, demons and blue dragonflight.

Deadwind Pass (55-60)

This zone is located between Swamp of Sorrows and Duskwood. It’s a decent farming location for characters trying to reach level 60, but definitely not the most popular one. The mobs that you can kill are ogres and Undead. You can loot decent items, mainly for spell caster classes there. Deadwind Pass has no entrances to any dungeons or raids.

Silithus (55-60)

In Classic WoW, Silithus is a high level zone with rich Thorium deposits for mining. There are no dungeons or raids. You can find a few quests to do, but not too many. This zone is a home to Cenarion Circle faction. Enemies that you can find here are mostly elementals and beasts. Silithus really comes quite late, because it happens in phase 5 of Vanilla. That’s when the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj event happens and the two raids are unlocked for the players.

WoW Vanilla zones - Summary

These are all the farming and questing zones in Classic WoW. As you can see, there’s a lot of places to visit and plenty of things to do during the leveling process. When you’re choosing your farming location, make sure to keep in mind the potential loot that you can get. Equipment in Classic won’t be easy to get and getting lucky with a good item drop can sometimes make a big difference. The classes available to play are: Warrior, Rogue, Hunter, Mage, Warlock, Shaman, Druid and Paladin.

For some of you it will all be just a piece of cake. Some of you may know the drill and already be willing to purchase power leveling or boosting later on (yes, Warriors, we're pointing at you). Some may already cry knowing how hard will it be to clear certain dungeons, afford a mount or even get to level 60 to fight raid bosses. But no matter the approach, one thing should be in common - fun and refreshing memories of the game's early version - back from the days when it all started. Playing Classic WoW after dozen or so years after the release will be like visiting an old friend, like "Back to the future" type of stuff. For younger players it might be even a history lesson. We all appreciate Blizzard's effort to bring those memories back. 

Let us know what you think. Post comments on Facebook and Twitter, follow ours news page. We appreciate every piece of feedback our community can provide us with.

FAQ

What are starting zones in Vanilla?

There are six starting zones in WoW Classic. All of them include low level monsters to kill as well as some early game quests. The starting location depends on the character’s race. Dwarves and Gnome begin their adventure in Dun Morogh, with the Dwarven capital city Ironforge. Humans start in Elwynn Forest surrounding the city of Stormwind. Night Elves’ starting zone is the Teldrassil island with Darnassus as their capital. 

As for Horde, Orcs and Trolls spawn in Durotar, nearby the fortified city of Orgrimmar. Forsaken Undead start in Tirisfal Glades with their capital in the Undercity. Finally, Tauren begin their adventure on plains of Mulgore that surround the Thunder Bluff city that has been built on several hills.

What is the difference between Alliance, Horde and contested zones?

A zone’s affiliation to Alliance, doesn’t mean that Horde players can’t enter it. They won’t have any exclusive quests to do there and they won’t have access to travel hubs. Furthermore, players that venture into the opposing faction territory, put themselves in danger due to the likeliness of enemy having the numbers advantage there. You can of course storm the enemy with a group of friends, if you have something to look for there. Alliance players going through Silverpine Forest in order to get inside Shadowfang Keep is a great example of it.

Contested zones don’t belong to any faction. They will very often (but not always) feature separate travel hubs and settlements affiliated with Alliance and Horde. Usually both factions have some exclusive quests in these zones, but there also are plenty of neutral quests, available to all players. All the high level zones belong to the contested category.  

What are the best farming zones in Classic WoW?

There are multiple great farming spots in Vanilla. The choice of optimal one should depend on your level, class and professions. Skinning is a great example of profession that should influence your decision. 

Some of the general good options are: Excavation Site in Wetlands, Swamp Jaguars in the western part of Swamp of Sorrows, Felwood, Chimaeras on Isle of Dread in Feralas and Devilsaurs in Un’Goro Crater. If you’re playing a Hunter you can also learn to do the famous solo Maraudon runs. 

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