Horde Leveling Guide

Here is a Summarized leveling guide for horde players quick Grind and Slam Guide.

Level 1-11

During these stages of the game, you’ll be spending your time in your race’s starting zone: Durotar for the Orcs and Trolls, Mulgore for the Tauren, and Tirisfal Glades for the Forsaken Undead. These zones are quite simple: just proceed through the quests as fast as possible to the next zone. The beginning zones are the only areas where I would suggest completing all or almost all of the quests in your respective zone. Most of the quests are quite easy to complete and take a relatively short amount of time to complete.

Durotar, Mulgore, Tristfal Glades

Level 11-18


Barrens


No matter which race you have chosen, I recommend proceeding to the Barrens following your starting zone. This zone is packed with quests for you to complete and mobs for you to shred. The Crossroads is the place to be. This will be the center of your questing for the next 8 to 10 levels. There are many of the experience friendly “kill x” or “collect y” quests to complete involving various mob types (plainstrider, zhevra, raptors, lions, razormanes, etc.) Your first few levels here should be spent right outside of the Crossroads killing the various mobs that inhabit the area. A good grinding location can be found south of Ratchet, where you will find the Southsea Pirates.

Barrens

Level 18-21

Grinding
Barrens

While I generally don’t recommend instancing if your goal is to level up quickly, I feel that the Wailing Caverns is a must-do. Not only is it a good introduction to instancing, but also you can accumulate a good amount of experience here. Of course, the items are what most instancing is all about, and the Wailing Caverns provides a good amount of items for your next several levels.
Outside of instancing, these next few levels can be spent in the Central Barrens, namely the Bramblescar region. One of the better quest charges you to acquire 100 tusks. While completing this quest, you can accumulate a tremendous amount of experience that can help make these levels go by relatively fast.

For those interested in grinding, there is an incredible spot in the northwest corner of the Barrens. Not only are there a lot of harpies, which are great for fast kills and a lot of random junk items (which add up), but there is also a nearby NPC to which you can sell your loots, saving a lot of downtime.

Barrens
Note that I gave the Barrens a lower rating here. This is because the Barrens are not as effective for leveling during these levels as they were previously. While it is still a good spot to level, it does not have all of the advantages it had during lower levels..

Levels 21-24

Barrens
Hillsbrad

Upon hitting 20, you may choose to travel further south in the Barrens toward the Camp Taurajo area. There are plenty of quests to keep you occupied involving thunderlizards, the Bael Modan dwarves, and various other creatures.

This is also a great time to first test the waters of the infamous Hillsbrad Foothills, a heavily contested zone where you will spend the next 10 levels pondering why the Alliance can be so ruthless (this may apply only to PvP servers). The first few levels here, you will be killing many bears and spiders, including a particularly frustrating quest to obtain a spider ichor. Of course it’s always entertaining to listen to others grumble about searching for hours for the damn ichor only to receive yours on your first mob.

Barrens, Hillsbrad

Levels 24-28

Ashenvale
Hillsbrad

The Hillsbrad fields are a great source of experience during these next few levels. There are several quests to sustain your interest involving farmers, peasants, footmen, etc. The spawns are fast so you generally won’t have to worry about running out of mobs. The main difficulty here is avoiding Alliance gankings. This can be easily avoided by hanging around in small groups while grinding through the fields. If humanoids aren’t your thing, there are also bigger bears and spiders suitable for grinding.

On Kalimdor, Ashenvale is the place to be. The furbolgs and satyrs make for decent grinding to get you through these levels.

Ashenvale, Hillsbrad

Levels 28-32

Yeti/Miner Grind
Hillsbrad
Thousand Needles

Upon reaching these levels, the quests begin to dry up in Hillsbrad, so this is a point where grinding becomes very efficient. The yeti cave near Tarren Mill can be an excellent grinding spot on most servers, unless there is a lot of PvP action in that area. Make sure to grab the quest for Helcular’s Rod because you may end up slaying over a hundred yetis before you find it (luck factor needed for this quest). The real experience from this quest comes from the actual grinding, with the quest reward experience serving more as a pat on the back for your hard work. Another option in Hillsbrad is the Azurelode mine. There are plenty of mobs here with good humanoid drops.

If the PvP action becomes too great, you can travel to Thousand Needles and try your luck there. There tends to be less PvP in this zone, but the quests aren’t as grind-friendly. There are a few spots, however, namely the harpies and the wyverns.

Levels 32-36

Your options for leveling really start to explode as you level into the 30s. Shimmering Flats is the first big zone you want to head too. This area, in southeastern Thousand Needles, contains countless grinding quests that make these levels go by fast. Just complete all the quests simultaneously as you plow through the mobs and you will level quickly.

Shimmering Flats
Stranglethorn Vale
Arathi
Desolace

It is now time to enter Stranglethorn Vale (STV), the mother of all questing zones. While the highly contested STV is cause for much frustration, it is also possibly the best zone for questing in the entire game. There are many quests involving tigers, panthers, raptors, crocodiles, you name it, to supply you with loads of experience for the next 8 to 10 levels. Hit Booty Bay, Grom’Gol, and Nesingwary’s Camp, grab all of the quests, and get started!

Other grinding options include Arathi Highlands, where there are several troll, ogre, and raptor quests, and Desolace, where the centaurs are plentiful. If Desolace is your preferred option, you may wish to stick to grinding the Gelkis clan, as there is generally less PvP action there.

Thousand Needles, Desolace, Arathi, Stranglethorn Vale

Levels 36-40

Stranglethorn Vale
Murloc Grinding
Venture Co.
Badlands

Assuming you’ve completed all of the prerequisites for the chain-grinding quests, you can begin proceeding into the higher-level STV quests. These quests are more or less exactly the same as the quests from previous levels, only the mobs’ levels have increased. One of the better quests requires you to kill Shadowmaw Panthers as well as to obtain a Pristine Tiger fang from a Stranglethorn Tigress. You can accomplish several quests simultaneously, making for a lot of experience accumulation. If you are into grinding, you may want to check out the Murlocs just north of Grom’Gol. These mobs have low hp, drop decent loot, and are quite plentiful. You can clear through them fairly quickly. The Venture Co. used to be a great grind spot as well, but I am not sure how productive they’ve been since their loots took nerfs.

You can also begin running one of the game’s better instances, the Scarlet Monastery, if you haven’t already. This instance is excellent for gathering items as well as accumulating a surprising amount of experience.

As you approach your late 30’s, you can also choose to head to the Badlands. There are several overlapping quests requiring you to kill coyotes, buzzards, and rock elementals, providing you with good experience into your early 40’s.

Badlands, Stranglethorn Vale

Levels 40-44

Dragon Whelp
Feralas
Bear/Wolf Grinding
Badlands
Tanaris
Straglethorn Vale

You can continue the grinding quests in the Badlands into your early 40’s. Make sure to buy Frost Oil and a Gyrochronatom for the Coolant Heads Prevail quest line. You can gather a bit of experience but the real treasure here is the reward for completing the line: A Nifty Stopwatch, an extremely useful trinket that can help you escape dangerous situation by providing a nice temporary speed burst. The dragon whelps in eastern Badlands provide a decent source of grinding also, giving decent experience as well as having a chance to drop a rare whelping pet, which can be quite profitable.

Feralas is a great zone to head to once you’ve finished your Badlands quests. There are several grinding spots as well as ample quest opportunities. The bears and wolves near the Pavilion outside Camp Mojache provide excellent experience for those interested in grinding.

Now is also the time to complete your stay in STV, ending in quests involving apes and buccaneers outside of Booty Bay. For some added variation, you can also choose to test the waters (or brave the sands) of Tanaris, where there are several quests involving bandits and thieves east of the neutral town of Gadgetzan

Badlands, Stranglethorn Vale, Feralas, Tanaris

Levels 44-48

Dustbelcher Ogre
Yeti/Gordunni Ogre
Naga
Dunemaul Ogre
Highborne Undead

Once hitting these levels, grinding becomes as efficient, if not more efficient, than questing. Quests at these levels come few and far between; however, the amount of grindable mobs is astounding. One of my favorite locations in the game can be found in the southwest corner of the Badlands (inside the cave). Here one can find the Dustbelcher Ogres, with the focus being on the Ogre Mages that inhabit the cave. Be careful however, as there are also a few Ogre Lords in the cave (6 if I’m not mistaken), who will call over several “friends” to ruin your day as they begin to take damage. Make sure when fighting these to either clear the room of other mobs, or pull them to a safe spot out of their shout range. These mobs can be cleared relatively fast, yet there are enough spawns to keep you grinding for several levels.

There are also several grinding spots in Feralas, including the Yeti Cave, the Naga Cave, and the Gordunni Ogres. On my server, the Yeti Cave tends to be somewhat crowded and the potential for ganking does not suit my taste. I do not know a whole lot about the Naga Cave over than to say that others have confirmed that it is a great spot. The Gordunni Ogres are decent grinding if you find the Badlands Ogres are becoming too easy. Make sure to stick to grinding the casters though.

Other options include the Dunemaul Ogres in Tanaris and the Highborne Undead of Azshara. These spots tend to have some PvP action so they may not be ideal but they are still viable options. All of these spots, in addition to giving great experience, provide great loot, including higher-level cloths, which sell quite well in the Auction House.

Badlands, Feralas, Tanaris, Azshara

Levels 48-52


Deadwood
Blasted Lands
Miner Grinding
Elemental Grinding

The next few levels tend to go by relatively slow. The best spot I found for the first few levels is the Deadwood Village in Felwood. This area is especially good because of the valuable Timbermaw faction you receive for eliminating their corrupted furbolg enemies. It is important to become at least unfriendly with the Timbermaw in order to make use of their caves for access to Moonglade and Winterspring, as well as have the luxury of not being “Kill on Sight” as you approach them in various regions of the world.

Now is also the time to enter the Blasted Lands, where there is a plethora of grinding quests as well as the option for grinding the Nethergarde Miners in the caves to the north. As a bonus, there is also the possibility of finding Draenethyst Fragments, which provide valuable items, and the flawless give a nice amount of experience as well!

A third alternative is the Elementals, located in Searing Gorge, which I do not know as much about.

Felwood, Blasted Lands, Searing Gorge

Levels 52-56

Legashi / Blood Elf
Un’Goro
Dreadmaul Ogre
Firegut Ogre
Jaedenar
Western Plaguelands
Undead Grinding

It is time to head back to Azshara, but this time for the Legashi Demons and Blood Elves that inhabit the far north. These mobs are quick, easy kills with good spawn rates and great drop potential, especially runecloth, which may sell for almost 2 gold a stack. The downside to this spot is its popularity. It is one of the most heavily farmed locations in the game.

Questing for these levels can be found in Un’Goro Crater, which offers a variety of prehistoric-style quests that can be quickly cleared. Grinding options include the Dreadmaul Ogres of the Blasted Lands, the Firegut Ogres of the Burning Steppes, as well as the mobs of Jaedenar in Felwood.

As you begin to approach higher levels, you may choose to venture into the Western Plaguelands. The cauldron quests are certainly worth the visit, providing massive experience. The Undead fields are good for grinding as well because of the rapid spawn rates.

Azshara, Un’Goro, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Felwood, Western Plaguelands

Levels 56-60

Eastern Plagueland
Blasted Lands
Deadwind Ogre

As you near the end of the leveling process, the focus becomes more on your end-game gear, the gear you will use in your end game raiding, as well as PvP. In addition to completing quests for experience, you may also consider focusing on the quests for their rewards. Many of these quests can be found in the Eastern Plaguelands. Most of these quests are chain quests leading to great end-game rewards.

Another option is the Fallen Hero quest line in the Blasted Lands. This quest chain takes you all over, but is well worth the experience rewards. This quest line is easily tackled with a small group.

As for straight grinding, it would be well worth the effort to investigate the ogres in Deadwind Pass. They are quite easy to kill and bring in loads of experience, just like all of the ogres previously.

At this point in the game you will also begin to start doing predominantly instances to acquire all of your gear, mainly for your end-game rare set. I recommend beginning these at level 57 so you can get a head start at acquiring items while accumulating experience at the same time. Your instance options (for now) include Stratholme, Scholomance, Blackrock Spire (Lower and Upper) and the newly implemented Dire Maul. Just find a group and get started
That’s about all you need to know to enhance your leveling process. Good luck and you’ll be level 60 and ready to tackle the end game content in no time!