Leveling from 1 to 60 in WoW Forever takes days of play, and the difference between doing it well and badly is in the details: when to rest, what to eat, what to carry in your bags and what not to do. Here is everything we know that speeds up the climb, with data from the client and from Blizzard. If you want the quest-by-quest route, it's in the leveling route.
In short: always level rested; eat what leaves you well fed (+5% experience per kill); get the Cozy Sleeping Bag and a bag early; train at every even level; save 100 gold to ride at 40; and don't stay in zones you've outgrown.
What speeds up leveling, at a glance
| What | What it does | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Rested experience | Double experience from kills until the stored amount runs out. It fills up when you log out in inns and cities | Level 1 |
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Food that leaves you well fed | +5% experience per kill while it lasts (new in Forever) | Level 1 |
|
Cozy Sleeping Bag | +1% experience per minute lying down, up to 3%, for an hour | Level 14 |
 |
Canvas Latchbag | 6-slot bag from the Grund and Gozwin quest (Dun Morogh) | Level 4 |
 |
Camping | Campfire and profession items with buffs while you rest at it | Level 1 |
 |
Legacy | Account perks: more rested experience, earlier talents, cheaper flights | Level 25 (usually) |
 |
Grouping up | Bad luck protection on quest items | Level 1 |
 |
Mount | Learning to ride costs 100 gold at 40 and the first mount is free | Level 40 |
1. Always level rested
Rested experience is the most noticeable thing in the whole climb: while you have it, every enemy gives double. It fills up when you log out in an inn or a city (and more slowly outside them).
- Always log out in an inn. Even just for dinner: when you come back you'll have rested experience.
- Well Rested, the first perk of the Legacy Adventure tree, makes rested experience build up 20% faster and with a 20% higher cap.
- The tent from the leatherworking camp (Camp Tent) raises rested experience up to 5% of a level while you're at the camp.
2. Eat well (and make use of cooking)
In Forever, crafted food that leaves you well fed gives, besides its stats, 5% more experience for every enemy while it lasts. It's one of the cheapest things that speed up leveling:
- Level Cooking as you go: the ingredients drop from the enemies in your own zone.
- Gourmand, from the Legacy Resourcefulness tree, doubles how long food effects last.
- If you don't cook, buy crafted food at the auction house: it's cheap at low levels.
3. Get the sleeping bag and a bag early
- The Cozy Sleeping Bag comes from a quest chain starting at level 14 (Westfall or the Barrens up to Thoradin's Wall). You lie down, gain up to +3% experience for an hour and also build up rested experience.
- Bags save you trips to sell. In Dun Morogh, the Grund and Gozwin quest gives a 6-slot bag at level 4.
4. Train at every even level
In Forever, as in Classic, trainers teach you something new almost always at even levels (2, 4, 6…): of the ranks in the beta client, practically all are at even levels. Go back to the trainer every two levels or when you're passing through the city: a new rank of your main attack is noticeable in every fight.
- Your spellbook says what you learn at each level.
- What do I do at my level? gathers what you should train now and in the next levels, with the zone and the dungeons for your level.
- Talent points arrive from level 10 (from level 5 with the Talented Legacy perk). The builds for each class are in the talent calculator.
5. Follow a route, don't wander
What wastes the most time is going back and forth without a plan. Our leveling route works out, by faction and race, the order to visit each zone to get more experience, and inside each zone which quests to pick up, do and turn in, in order, with coordinates.
- Pick up all the quests in a town at once and turn them in together.
- Set your hearthstone in the town where you'll turn in the most quests.
- Discover every flight point as soon as you pass: they save minutes on each later trip. The Frequent Flier Legacy perk makes them 50% cheaper and 20% faster.
6. Don't stay in zones you've outgrown
As in Classic, quests and enemies far below your level give very little experience (grey enemies, none). If a zone no longer gives you much, move to the next one even if you have quests left: the leveling route tells you which zones you can skip.
7. Use dungeons wisely
- Since October 1 dungeon quests give half the bonus experience (Blizzard cut it). They're still worth entering for the loot, which is often some of the best for your level, but don't count on them for leveling.
- The new Forever dungeons have their own guides: Hall of Thanes, Lordaeron Ruins, Excavation Site and Dalaran City.
8. Upgrade your gear without obsessing
- The quests that give gear and dungeon loot cover almost everything up to 30.
- In BiS you can save your gear and see which pieces upgrade you and where they come from.
- Repair before heading out: dying costs durability. The Reinforce Legacy perk makes you lose 40% less when you die.
9. Save gold for the mount
At level 40 you learn to ride for 100 gold, and in Forever the first mount is free. Mounts cost far less than in Classic (20 gold at 40 versus 80, and 200 at 60 versus 1,000), so you won't have to spend days saving. All of them, with price and render, in mounts.
10. If you can, level with someone
Going with someone speeds things up enormously: quests give their full experience to each of you, elites become easy and in a group quest items have bad luck protection. It's all in leveling as a duo.
Mistakes that waste the most time
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
| Logging out in the middle of the field | Log out in an inn to build up rested experience |
| Leveling without food | Always be well fed (+5% experience) |
| Doing grey quests "to finish the zone" | Skip to the next zone |
| Not training for a long time | Stop by the trainer at every even level |
| Vendoring what you don't recognize | Check it in items first: some materials are worth quite a bit |
| Entering dungeons just for their quests | Enter for the loot |
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to level in WoW Forever?
Follow a quest route through zones of your level, always be rested and well fed (food gives 5% more experience per kill in Forever), use the Cozy Sleeping Bag from level 14 and, if you can, level with someone.
Is leveling faster in WoW Forever than in Classic?
The experience needed for each level is Classic's. What speeds up leveling in Forever are the extras: food with an experience bonus, the Cozy Sleeping Bag, camping, Legacy and bad luck protection in groups.
How much does the mount cost in WoW Forever?
Learning to ride costs 100 gold at level 40 and the first mount is free. Mounts cost 20 gold for the level 40 ones and 200 for the level 60 ones, much less than in Classic.
How often should you train in WoW Forever?
Almost everything trainers teach is at even levels, so the best thing is to stop by the trainer every two levels, or whenever you're in the city.
Is it worth running dungeons to level?
For the loot, yes. For the experience from their quests, less than before: since October 1 they give half the bonus experience.
