Master WoW’s New Expansion with These 7 Must-Know Speed-Leveling Strategies

The War Within Early Access drops today and the race to level 80 starts! Whether you’re aiming for the World First or want to streamline your whole leveling process, these speed-leveling tips are essential! From War Mode tactics to the best questing routes, this guide will equip you with everything you need to dominate Khaz Algar!

The following post is based on the extremely useful tips of Aes Verstaile found in their Reddit thread, but we’ve added some of our own tips too!

Early Access Preparations: Starting Strong

As soon as Early Access starts, you will receive a quest to speak with Magni in the Chamber of the Guardian in Dalaran. The introduction scenario/questline is important to complete, or you won’t be able to proceed. To avoid FPS drops due to the inevitable crowd, consider using the Overtuned Corgi Goggles. These transform all NPCs into adorable corgis, substantially reducing FPS lag.

Here is a macro that will remove all quests from your quest log when you want to start with 0 quests in your log. Please note this will DELETE ALL QUESTS from your QUEST LOG AND YOU SHOULD NOT USE IT IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO DO THAT!

/run for i=1,C_QuestLog.GetNumQuestLogEntries() do C_QuestLog.SetSelectedQuest(C_QuestLog.GetInfo(i).questID); C_QuestLog.SetAbandonQuest(); C_QuestLog.AbandonQuest() end;

Optimal Use of War Mode: When to Toggle

War Mode offers access to Honor Talents and a 10% Experience boost, but it comes with certain risks. When you reach Dornogal, assess your shard’s faction balance before turning it on. If you feel like your faction is dominant, leave War Mode on for the XP bonus. If not, disable War Mode until you are in a safer area.

You can equip Cloak of Coordination or usePotion of Deepholm to quickly toggle War Mode when returning to your main quest hub.

Trinket Swapping: A Speed-Leveling Secret

Few players know that trinkets can be swapped out of combat every 30 seconds. This strategy may be useful at around Level 76 and above when mobs become tougher. Rotate through trinkets like Bacon, Grieftorch, and Ashes for consistent boosts during difficult pulls.

If your gear is good, you can skip this tip, but it can be a lifesaver for alts with bad gear.

Speed-Leveling Gear: Must-Have Items

Skyriding is unlocked straight from the beginning, but it is still good to have some speed items. Gunshoes can help navigate difficult terain and complete quests more efficiently. You can keep some Cracked Radinax Control Gems for when you are stuck in tight spots or our out of Vigor.

Efficient Question Routes for the War Within Leveling: Main Campaign and Side Quests

We recommend you to download TomTom for in-game coordinates before proceeding further.

The main level-up campaign will only get you to Level 76, so you will need to complete select side quests to optimize your XP/hour. Below is the most efficient route based on Beta testing:

Isle of Dorn Leveling Route (Level 70-76)

1. Starting Point: Land on the beach and follow the main campaign.
2. Dornogal: Upon arrival, turn on War Mode if your faction is dominant. Set your Hearthstone here.
3. The Fourth Seat Quest: When you reach Foundation Hall, detour to pick up side quests at 55.22,55.85:
   • “Wanted: The Boroughbreaker”
   • “A Sassy Arathi”
   • “The Earthwound”
   • “To Mourning Rise”
4. Side Quest Chain:
   • Complete “Not Enough Minerals” and “The Opalfront” at 44.81,64.39 to unlock “Golgrin’s Reach.”
   • Complete “Golgrin’s Reach” in the bonus objective area at 61.64,70.14.
   • Finish the side quests around Mourning Rise and Rambleshire, then return to Dornogal.
5. Main Campaign Continuation: Follow the campaign quests and prioritize side quests that align with the main path, such as “A Titanic Expedition” and “How Scandalous!”

The Ringing Deeps Leveling Route (Level 76-78)

1. Gundargaz City: Follow the main campaign and pick up “On Cold, Dark Wings” from Watcher Toki.
2. Side Quests: Prioritize quests in and around Shadowvein Point:
   • “Listener Lost” and “A Sip of Cinder”
   • “Desperately Seeking Skorthuz”
   • “Dread in the Den” (complete with the bonus objective)
3. Main Campaign Continuation: Finish the campaign until you reach the “Hall of Awakening Scenario.”
4. Side Quest Wrap-Up: Before the scenario, complete quests at 51.07, 14.87.

Hallowfall Leveling Route (Level 78-79)

1. Main Campaign Progression: Follow the campaign until you reach the skiff quest “A Lamplighter’s Duty.”
2. Side Quests: Focus on:
   • “For Morale” and “Suspicious Minds”
   • “Arcane Trickles” at 48.73,64.34
   • Complete the bonus objective at 53.92,31.40 while looting mobs for the “Alluring Offer” quest.
3. Campaign Continuation: Progress through the campaign, completing side quests as you go, such as “Fishing is Good for the Soul” and “The Brothers Braunpyke.”

Azj-Kahet Leveling Route (Level 79-80)

1. Final Push: Final Push: Follow the main campaign through Azj-Kahet, completing only essential side quests like “The Second Front” and “Offensive Counter.”

How Long Does It Take to Reach Level 80?

Here is a video showing speed-leveling through the campaign and the most efficient side quests. The whole process took 3 hours and 29 minutes.

Alternative Leveling Strategies: Beyond the Traditional Path

• First craft XP is disabled in the War Within, so crafting won’t provide you with any Experience, as confirmed by Blizzard.
• Delves offer a great way to level by exploring and clearing specific areas with mob density. This method is particularly useful if Brann Bronzebeard will be uncapped during Early Access.

Best Delves for Leveling

• The Skittering Breach and The Sinkhole in Hallowfall are great for leveling.
• Kriegvall’s Rest and Earthcrawl Mines in the Isle of Dorn too.

Preparing Your Alt Army: Efficient Leveling for Alts

• Do not forget to log in with your alts at least once and park them in a rested area so they can start accruing Rested XP.
• Wait until the first week’s reset for World Quests to pop up.
• In the meantime, reach Level 80 with your main to unlock Adventure mode on alts!

Some Important Last-Minute Tips

• Utilize XP Bonuses – With War Mode, you get +10% XP, and during Darkmoon Faire, you can ride the carousel for an additional 10% boost to XP and reputation gains.
• Stock up on Consumables – Items like weapon runes, potions, drums, phials will give you that extra edge, especially during the first few chaotic days following launch.