WoW The War Within Leveling Guide

Jonas Author

Created - 22.11.2024 Updated - 25.11.2024

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This WoW The War Within leveling guide is intended to help anyone max out their character in the massively multiplayer role-playing game’s (MMORPG) most recent expansion. While there’s never a shortage of XP sources, you only want the most efficient ones to rank up quickly.

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Preparations for Faster Leveling

Before jumping into leveling, there are several ways to streamline your journey and get the most out of your time. Here’s what you can do to prepare:

XP Buffs During the 20th Anniversary Event

Logging in during WoW's 20th Anniversary grants you an automatic 10% XP boost. Additionally, there’s a daily quest available that provides another 10% XP buff for 12 hours.

How to Complete the Daily XP Quest

To complete this quest, you’ll need to fill a progress bar to 100% by participating in activities like:

• Killing world bosses.
• Running Timewalking dungeons.

But there’s an easier trick:

1. Loot the Pet Mirror: Locate the chest near Petra, the pet collector, and grab a pet mirror.
2. Summon and Transform: Summon any battle pet and use the mirror to transform into it.
3. Hop into the Basket: Find the basket near the world boss quest giver and click on it.

While sitting in the basket, your progress bar will gradually fill up. Once it hits 100%, turn in the quest to activate the XP buff.

Handling Transformation Limits

Each transformation from the pet mirror lasts 10 minutes, so if your bar isn’t full by then, grab another mirror and repeat the process.

Hopefully, Blizzard updates this system to make the buff account-wide or easier to manage. Right now, this method is tedious for leveling multiple alts but effective if left unaltered.

Heirlooms: Are They Worth It?

Although heirlooms no longer provide an XP boost, they still have value. Upgrading heirlooms to scale up to level 70 means you won’t need to swap gear frequently, saving time in the long run.

Heirlooms and their upgrades can be purchased from vendors across Azeroth. We’ve included a link in the description for exact vendor locations.

Draught of the Ten Lands: A Potion for XP

This potion grants a 10% XP boost and is usable up to level 49. However, there’s a neat trick to extend its effects past this cap (more on that later).

Where to Get It

• Alliance: Purchase for five medals in Boralus.
• Horde: Purchase for five medals in Dazar’alor.

Earn these medals by completing Battle for Azeroth (BFA) content. If you can afford it, this potion is a solid investment for faster leveling.

Timewalking Dungeons: A Goldmine for XP

During the anniversary event, classic Timewalking dungeons are available starting at level 10, providing a huge XP boost. These dungeons are easy and incredibly rewarding.

Interestingly, dungeons from other Timewalking events—like Cataclysm, TBC, and Wrath—are also accessible at level 10. If this feature persists, it’s a fantastic option for weekly leveling, even beyond the event.

XP Buff Through Achievements

There’s a new account-wide achievement that functions somewhat like old heirlooms. For every character you level to 80, your account gets a 5% XP boost, up to a cap of 25%.

While the cap is limiting, we’re hopeful Blizzard removes it in the future to reward players with more max-level characters.

Darkmoon Faire Buff

During the first week of each month, the Darkmoon Faire offers an additional 10% XP buff, so don’t forget to visit when it’s available!

Stacking XP Buffs

Combining War Mode with these buffs can give you a staggering 65–75% XP boost. Once all these preparations are set, it’s time to level up!

Leveling Guide

Level 1-10: Exile’s Reach

If you’re not leveling an allied race character (which starts at level 10), your journey begins here.

When creating a new character, we recommend choosing Exile’s Reach as your starting zone. This modernized beginner area features streamlined quests and valuable treasures.

• Completion Time: Exile’s Reach can be completed in under an hour, even if you’re taking it slow. If you’re efficient, it can take as little as 30 minutes.
• Highlights: The zone is compact and perfect for getting a quick, smooth start.

Level 10-20: Timewalking Dungeons or Legion Questing

After completing Exile’s Reach or creating an allied race character, follow these steps:

1. Activate Your XP Buffs:
• Visit Tanaris to claim the 10% XP buff via the pet mirror method.
2. Method 1: Timewalking Dungeons
• Spam Timewalking dungeons for substantial XP. Queue times are short, even for DPS roles.
• Pro Tip: If you can tank, queues are instant, and you control the pace.
3. Method 2: Legion Timeline
• Use Chromie Time to select the Legion expansion.
• Quest in zones like Azsuna or Val’sharah.
• Take advantage of Dragonriding to move between quests quickly.

If you notice a Legion Invasion, prioritize it! These world quests offer massive XP boosts.

Level 20-50+: Old World Zones with Chromie Time

Once you reach level 20, enable War Mode for the extra 10% XP boost and switch to Cataclysm Chromie Time for old-world questing.

Recommended Zones (Alliance):

• Duskwood
• Redridge Mountains
• Loch Modan

Recommended Zones (Horde):

• Silverpine Forest
• Hillsbrad Foothills
• Arathi Highlands or The Hinterlands

Pro Tip: Potion Buff Trick

If you drink Draught of the Ten Lands right before hitting level 50, the buff will persist and remain active, potentially all the way to level 70!

Level 50-70: Warlords of Draenor

Switch to the Draenor Chromie Timeline and complete the introductory quests, which are quick and offer significant XP.

After setting up your garrison, head straight to Gorgrond and focus on:

• Intro quests.
• Side quests.
• Bonus objectives.

Even without the 25% XP buff from the account-wide achievement, you should reach level 70 by completing Gorgrond content.

Level 70-80: Timewalking Dungeons or Hallowfall

The final stretch can feel lengthy, but it’s manageable.

Method 1: Timewalking Dungeons

• Focus on dungeon completion XP by heading straight to the last boss.
• Tanks can speed up runs significantly.

Method 2: Questing in The War Within Zones

• Head to Hallowfall to complete bonus objectives and world quests.
• Run each delve at least once for XP-rich quests inside.

More Leveling Tips

Now, while the steps above are good for maxing out your level, getting through it simply by doing this method can get boring. For this next part, here are a few tips you can consider to help you level quicker.

Understanding the New Quest Icons

The latest expansion introduces new quest icons, which can feel a bit overwhelming at first. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Main Campaign Quests: These are crucial if your goal is to level quickly. Look for the shield background on the quest icon. These quests progress the storyline and unlock essential features.

2. Quest Status Icons:

   • Exclamation Mark: A quest you need to pick up.
   • Ellipsis (...): A quest in progress.
   • Question Mark: A quest ready to turn in.

3. To familiarize yourself with these icons, open your world map and click on the map legend button. This shows you what each icon means, ensuring you stay on track.

4. Other Important Quest Types:

   • Purple/Pink Quests: These often unlock key systems or grant significant rewards.
   • Blue Meta Quests: Focus on these for unlocking weekly rewards and critical features.

Prioritize the Main Campaign

1. Zone Progression: Main campaign quests allow you to move through each zone seamlessly. Without completing them, you may get stuck, unable to unlock the next area or endgame content.

2. Better Rewards: These quests typically grant more experience and superior rewards, making your leveling journey faster and more efficient.

Managing Side Quests

While side quests can be fun, they’re not necessary for progression. You can always come back to them after completing the main campaign to round out your leveling experience. However, note that side quests won’t need to be repeated on every character, as reputation and renown rewards are now shared across your warband.

XP Shortage in the Campaign

If you stick strictly to main story quests, you may find yourself short of the XP required to reach level 80. Testing during the beta revealed that completing the campaign left most players at around level 78. To fill the gap, consider these strategies:

• World Quests: These offer substantial XP rewards and unlock after finishing the campaign. Keep an eye out for special assignment world quests, which provide even better rewards but require you to complete three other world quests in the same zone first. Be cautious: progress may not count toward these assignments until you’re level 80, so double-check before completing them.

• Bonus Objectives: Scattered across zones, these are marked on the map and provide large chunks of XP. Always complete nearby bonus objectives as you quest.

Efficiently Handling Side Quests

If you decide to tackle side quests, here are some tips:

1. Do Them Once: Most rewards, like reputation and renown, are warband-wide. Completing side quests on multiple characters doesn’t stack benefits, so it’s best to finish them once on a single character.

2. Spread Them Out: If you’re leveling multiple characters, focus on completing side quests in different zones with each character. This spreads out the XP gains and ensures all quests are utilized efficiently.

Exploring Delves for Solo Players

Delves are new, solo-friendly instances that can also be tackled with up to five players. These offer:

• Experience
• Gear rewards
• Various currencies

You’ll only access the first three tiers of delves before hitting level 80. While the rewards are capped at lower levels, they’re still a solid option for filling XP gaps.

Dungeons: A Key Requirement

Dungeons play a crucial role in this expansion:

• Mandatory for Campaign Progression: Some campaign quests require you to complete specific dungeons. Don’t worry—NPC followers are available, allowing you to tackle these dungeons solo if you prefer.

• Extra XP and Gear: Running dungeons also grants decent XP and a chance at gear upgrades, making them a great way to supplement your leveling.

Using Professions for XP Gains

Professions can provide a surprising amount of XP. Here’s how to make the most of them:

1. Gathering Professions:

   • Mining and Herbalism grant XP for each node you gather. Learn the Caz Algar version of these professions early to maximize gains.
   • Gatherers also collect Artisan’s Acuity, a rare crafting material, giving you a head start on endgame crafting.

2. Crafting Professions:

   • Crafting an item for the first time grants a significant XP boost.
   • Focus on cheap recipes to maximize your gains before switching to your desired professions.

3. Tailoring Strategy:

   • Tailors collect more cloth from mobs than other players, making it a lucrative profession while leveling. Use the materials to craft early recipes for XP or sell them for gold.

Bonus XP Buffs for Alts

The expansion introduces a Warband Mentor Achievement system, which grants permanent XP buffs for your alts:

• Your first max-level character unlocks a 5% XP bonus for all alts from levels 1–80.
• This bonus stacks with additional max-level characters, up to 25% total for having five level 80 characters.

Maximizing These Buffs

To get the most out of this system, focus on leveling one character at a time. This ensures you’re benefiting from the maximum possible XP bonus as you level subsequent characters.

Skip the Intro Questline with Alts

If you’ve already completed enough of the campaign on your main character, your alts can skip the introductory questline entirely. When your alts arrive in Sthus, simply speak with the NPC and let them know you’ve "heard the story."

This allows you to bypass all the introductory quests and the Dagal tutorial, so you can dive straight into the content that interests you and start leveling faster.

Rested XP on Alts: Log in Early!

Planning to level multiple characters early on? Be sure to log into each alt shortly after the expansion launches. This kickstarts their rested XP accumulation, ensuring they’ll have plenty of bonus experience waiting when you’re ready to level them.

If you delay logging in, you risk losing out on large amounts of rested XP, which translates directly into more time spent leveling. By logging into every alt early, you’ll set yourself up for a smoother experience across your roster.

What About Dragon Riding Glyphs?

Dragon riding—or Sky Riding, as it’s now called—will be fully unlocked from the start in The War Within. You’ll have access to the full skill tree, all talents, and maximum Vigor immediately.

No more slow regeneration or partial abilities—you’re ready to soar from the moment you touch down in Cazal'gar.

You might be wondering if dragon riding glyphs are still a thing. The answer is both yes and no:

• Yes: The glyphs still exist and can be found on mountaintops or atop tall buildings.
• No: They are no longer tied to unlocking talents. Instead, they serve as collectibles for achievements.

If chasing achievements isn’t your style, you can skip collecting them altogether without missing out on any in-game power.

Unlocking Steady Flying Early

For those who prefer the option of steady flight, you’ll need to complete the War Within Pathfinder achievement. Luckily, this achievement is straightforward:

1. Complete the main campaign story quests for each zone.
2. Fully explore all the new zones.

By prioritizing the campaign while leveling, you can complete this achievement even before reaching max level. Be sure to explore thoroughly as you progress!

Is Leveling Fun This Time?

Leveling in The War Within has been designed to be smooth and engaging. The campaign tells a compelling story that sets the stage for future patches, and the final zone in particular is exciting to experience. Even better, the campaign isn’t overly long—on beta, it took around 7–8 hours to complete.

For those who prefer speed, the campaign's linear progression makes it easy to follow. Simply stick to the shield icons marking the main storyline, and you won’t get lost.

Adventure Mode for Alts

After completing the campaign on your main character, you’ll unlock Adventure Mode for your alts. This feature gives you a lot more flexibility:

• Tackle zones in any order.
• Skip specific zones or quests you don’t enjoy.
• Access world quests, meta quests, weekly activities, and world events right away for extra experience.

With so many ways to gain XP, you can focus on whatever activities you find most enjoyable while leveling your alts.

Max Out Your Level Fast

The War Within is definitely not the last we’ve seen of Blizzard and WoW. If you want to get stronger fast, don’t hesitate to check out RPGStash and our WoW store. We’ve got excellent deals on WoW gold so that you can stock up on great gear fast!