Horde Mage Solo AoE Leveling Guide 1-60: AoE Locations, Quests, Talents, & Stat Priority – WoW Classic

This guide discusses the leveling route that I think is the best for mage in Classic WoW. I based the information off of stress test data, private server data, and from what other players in the beta discovered. The guide mostly quests from levels 1-22 and then prioritizes AOE grinding to 60 from there. I included multiple AOE farm locations for each level range to try to help in the case that a spot is already camped on all layers (after layering there will be less competition on leveling mobs). Then I also added in some quest zones (that are the most efficient for mage IMO) that you can do if you get bored of grinding.

Talents

If you AREN’T mostly AoE farming, I recommend deep frost to get the shatter combo, or you can get wand spec in the arcane tree.

For AoE farming I get wand spec and arcane concentration before going back to the frost tree because a free blizzard is huge, even though its not as powerful as on private servers (also the arcane hit chance is nice for finishing pulls with arcane explosion).

You can also drop points out of improved frostbolt for other things (shatter mainly) in the frost tree if you feel the need, I just like the 1 sec cast on rank 1 frostbolt for pulling groups, also just for when I single target a mob down/pvp

Here is the build that I will be using:

• Level 1-39 Talents
• Level 40-46 Talents
• Level 47-60 Talents

Class Quests

I only do the Mage’s Wand quest, Celestial Power quest, and Destroy Morphaz quest (do destroy Morphaz at 60 most likely, and you can do the same with others but they can be nice to have while leveling)…other than these 3 I don’t recommend any of the others.

• Mage’s Wand: (lvl 40 wand) (2 prereqs)
• Celestial Power: (restore mana OH)
• Destroy Morphaz: (16 sp neck) (do at 60)

Stat Priority

Stam = Int > Spirit > Spell Power > Agi = Str

Your goal is to get the biggest health and mana pool as possible to make AOE grinding easier, since spellpower doesn’t have a good coefficient on AOE spells.

Spell Efficiencies (Dmg/Mana)

Frostbolt:

• Lvl 4 r1=0.78 best 4-6
• Lvl 8 r2=0.95714 best 8-12
• Lvl 14 r3=1.09‬ best 14-20
• Lvl 20 r4=1.20769 best 20+

Fireball (1st=w/o dot, 2nd=with dot):

• Lvl 1 r1=0.61666 (0.68333) best 1-4
• Lvl 6 r2=0.85555 (0.92222) best 6-8
• Lvl 12 r3=0.97692 (1.06923) best 12-14
• Lvl 18 r4=1.05789 (1.18421) worth to cast once for dot 18-20
• Lvl 24 r5=1.16785 (1.31071) worth to cast once for dot

Fireblast:

• Lvl 6 r1=0.7125 (don’t use unless need to)
• Lvl 14 r2=0.86 (don’t use unless need to)
• Lvl 22 r3=1.00434 (don’t use unless need to)

Arcane Missle (don’t even buy):

• Lvl 8 r1=0.8470
• Lvl 16 r2=1.02857
• Lvl 24 r3=1.19148

Arcane Explosion

• Lvl 14 r1=0.46 worth on 3 mobs or more

Leveling & Farming Spots

Lvl 1-5 Starting Zone

• Skip 1st quest, (just farm to lvl 2)
• Bat/Wolf Quest is level 2
• boxes/spider quest=lvl3 samuel also lvl 3 (skip unless lucky)
• The Scarlet Crusade quest (lvl 4)
• Get to 5 asap to go to tirisfal glades

Lvl 5-10 Tirisfal Glades

• Try to get to LVL 6 before making it to Brill, (do the gloom weed quest [Gordo’s Task] and pumpkin quest [Fields of Grief] while killing things)
• Level 6 allows you to train new spells and get extra quests before doing a big round of quests in the zone
• Set Hearth in Brill / Learn First Aid
• Get to lvl 10 ASAP then immediately go to UC then Silverpine

Lvl 10 Undercity

• Set hearth in UC
• Train 10 skills
• Buy dagger & 1h sword skill for 10s each
• Exit out sewers

Lvl 10-12 Silverpine

• Hold onto 6 discolored worg hearts for quest later
• Get to at least lvl 12, but mainly try to complete all the low level silverpine quests that are green or yellow unless one is congested
• Before the Barens: If you can afford it, buy a lvl 15 wand from wand vendor (33s 40c) at Undercity before leaving because it is faster than trying to do a high level wand quest at 13 where you risk dying, however if someone is selling one of the Enchanting wands you can buy one of those also I would not recommend leveling enchanting yourself if your goal is speed leveling

Lvl 12-17 The Barrens

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR CHEN’S EMPTY KEG

• Set hearth at ratchet/crossroads (at ratchet before going to Stonetalon)
• Skip any quests that have too much competition for mob spawns, also I don’t like the Miner’s Fortune quest…mainly because I’m never lucky
• Once you start to run out of quests in the Barrens or they are slightly too high of a level…go to Stonetalon Mountains

Lvl 16-18 Stonetalon Mountains

Do the easy to complete quests, which are all the quests in the southeast side of Stonetalon, so not in the Charred Veil or anywhere north of Sunrock Retreat and those can you get about 1.5 to 2 levels especially if you kill your way around the zone. Also skip the quest at the top of the waterfall in the Windshear Crag as there is too much travel time.

Lvl 18-19 The Barrens

• Finish up any quests in northern Barrens and then finish off in Southern Barrens
• If you can make it to 20 here…great, if not, no big deal…just keep hearth in Org if possible but Ratchet/Crossroads works too

Lvl 19-20 Silverpine Forest

• If you can’t make it to 20 in the Barrens just finish up in Silverpine on the quests to the south
• At 20 train tp to UC, hearth to org, train tp to org, then tp back to UC

Lvl 20-22 Hillsbrad Foothills

• Do low level quests to get to 22 asap so you can AoE more effectively
• Here is a list of the low level quests that are doable at 20/21:
  • The Rescue
  • WANTED: Syndicate Personnel
  • Battle of Hillsbrad (Part 1)
  • Elixir of Suffering (Part 1)
  • Elixir of Suffering (Part 2)
  • Elixir of Pain (Part 1)
  • Elixir of Pain (Part 2)
  • Souvenirs of Death
• That should get you 2 levels if you are killing your way wherever you go
• You can probably do Battle of Hillsbrad (Part 2) also

AOE TIME (ranked by ~xp/hr and lvl)

Lvl 22-30

1. Lvl 22-27 Hillsbrad farm
2. Lvl 28-32 Hillsbrad cave (Azurload Mine)
3. Lvl 27-33 Highperch Wyverns (thousand needles) grab the quests
4. Lvl 22-28 Beasts around Hillsbrad
5. Lvl 24-31 Beasts in Thousand needles
6. SM spam 28-42/43

Lvl 30-40

1. Lvl 30-36 Dabyrie’s Farmstead (Arathi Highlands) ~30k xp/hr
   1. Lvl 31-36 Northfold Manor NW Arathi Highlands
   2. Lvl 30-36 Raptors in Arathi Highlands (all over the place)
   3. Lvl 30-36: Torn Fin Murlocs – Western Strand (Coords 44.8 , 66.0) – Hillsbrad Foothills – Mobs are lvls 30-32 AVOID CASTERS
   4. 33-37: Syndicate Humans – Corrahn’s Dagger (Coords 48.5 , 82.9) – Alterac Mountains – Mobs are lvls 32-34 AVAOID RANGED MOBS
   5. Beasts in STV (you should know what will the problem with this is though)
2. Lvl 36-40 Murloc in NE of Dustwallow marsh
   1. Lvl 35-41 Spiders in NW of Dustwallow marsh
   2. Lvl 35-41 Bloodfen Raptors North of Dustwallow Marsh
   3. Lvl 34-40 Venture Co. in North East Straglethorn Vale
3. Lvl 38-39 Badlands ~1 level has some really good quests like nifty stopwatch also some prequests for Uldaman
4. Uldaman quests and has some good aoe farm spots/packs for the quests (if you can bring a frost oil, Gyrochronatom (engi item), healing potion, lesser invisibility potion, and patterned bronze bracers (bracers are optional))
5. Lvl 35-36 Desolace quests (up to 80k xp/hr) 1 lvl total
6. Lvl 34-35 aoe farm beasts in Thousand Needles while doing quests (Shimmering Flats) ~1 level from doing and completing quests (up to 40k xp/hr)
7. Lvl 37-38 Dustwallow Marsh quests (less than 1 lvl) (buy 3 soothing spices from city before going there) Ogron Escort (Questioning Reethe) gives 30.6 dps wand

Lvl 40-50

At Lvl 40, if you can’t afford your mount right away this can be a good time to do an Uldaman quest run to get the rest, should have 5 quests + mage quest for ulda (4 are outside instance) + necklace drops inside and the disks are at the end

1. Lvl 46-52 Mara aoe farm (need scepter from Mara quests) (up to 80k/hour at lvl 50 Up to 73k/hr @ 51!! will be more at lower levels!!)
   1. 39-46 Ferales wolves on the small island
2. Lvl 38-46/47 Badlands (rock eles, wolves, tigers, buzzards, ogres….KILL IT ALL!!!)
3. Lvl 42-46/47 Murlocs on the southeast coast (Swamp of Sorrows), drop AH items and ok for gold(lvl 42/43) (60-80k xp/hr)
4. Lvl 39-43 Tanaris Wastewander Bandits/Thieves (lvl 40/41)
5. Lvl 43-49 Tanaris Docks (lvl 44/45 mobs)
   1. Lvl 46-51 Green Sludges in Hinterlands (lvl 45-48 mobs)
6. Lvl 45/46 ZF and its 5 quests ~1 level
7. Lvl 47-48 Hinterlands (get prequests from Gromgol, Org, and Booty Bay) keep 10 long elegant feathers from Gryphons and 2 plumes if u can hold 2) ~1 level
8. Lvl 48-49 Ferales quests (~1 level)
9. Lvl 43-53 ZF spam
10. 47-50/51 Netherguard miners

Lvl 50-60

1. Lvl 49-54 Netherguard Keep soldiers (avoid clerics)
   1. Lvl 48-54 Turtles on coast of Hinterlands (lvl 49/50) wand pull them
   2. Lvl 50-56 Sorrow Hill (Western Plaguelands)
2. Lvl 52-60 Dalson’s Tears Western Plaguelands (lvl 52-54) massive aoe pulls ~55k xp/hr @lvl 56
3. Lvl 54-60 Northridge Lumber Camp (Western Plaguelands) (lvl 55/56s)
   1. Lvl 57+ Hearthglenn (Western Plaguelands)
4. Lvl 56+ Silithus Dredge crusher and scorpions (lvl 56-58s) ~50k xp/hr @lvl 59
5. Lvl 52 Ungoro quests -Bring a mithril casing if doing quests
6. Lvl 48-54 Felwoood (cursed/tainted) Slimes (lvl 49-52) in front of Jaedenar (~38k xp/hr @54)
7. Lvl 48-52 Ravasaurs in Un’goro (lvl 47-50) less than Mara farm
8. Lvl 52-56 Timbermaw Hold North Felwood (lvl 53/54) ~36k xp/hr @55
9. Lvl 56+ Eastern Plaguelands Quests (~40k-70k xp/hr) ~1.5 levels
10. Lvl 56+ Silithus Quests (~50k xp/hr)
11. Winterspring kinda sucks for mages b/c high frost resist, but there are a few quests you can do there, and possibly can aoe farm frostsabers in the north if they don’t have high frost resist in classic (lvl 56-59) so b/c high levels could be a good spot, didn’t get to test xp/hr because of gankers