World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online game or MMORPG, that was launched in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. The game is set in the Warcraft universe four years after the events in Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. World of Warcraft was an instant hit, becoming the most popular MMORPG ever to be created and still holds the crown to this day.
World of Warcraft “suffered” a lot of core changes with its expansions which made many players unhappy about the state of the game. Mechanics and especially the game’s social aspect was affected, the introduction of cross-realm play killing the servers’ identity over time. For many years players asked for a resurrection of Vanilla WoW and finally, Blizzard announced World of Warcraft Classic at Blizzcon 2018, with the release date scheduled for August 27, 2019.
This complete guide is set to help returning WoW Vanilla players gain an advantage in WoW Classic by presenting various class guides, addons, gold farming methods, leveling helpers, fast profession leveling and more.
Table of Contents
Leveling by zones in Azeroth
Unlike its brother, in Classic WoW each zone has a different level range for you to level in. That means you if you go to zones in which mobs are way higher level than you, you’ll get killed in a matter of seconds. It’s important to know the level range for each zone in the world if you plan on power leveling or simply you run out of quests for a specific zone. With that in mind, here’s a nifty little map with every zone on the map, each stamped with the level range, cities, and dragon marks.
Fast Leveling to 60 in Classic WoW
There are various ways in which you can level fast or power level, having an optimal questing route while killing certain mobs along the way, farming dungeons or AOE grinding in several spots. Of course, some players like to combine these leveling techniques to create a more optimal and less boring route. While most players will level up normally by doing quests and killing mobs along the way, there are some that want to get to end-game quickly. For those, we compiled several resources.
- We discovered this leveling resource recently and it’s pretty awesome, providing you an interactive map with race and class choice, the leveling zones, the order of the quests and extra pointers. It also gives you various tips like setting your Hearthstone regularly to decrease your downtime while leveling. We definitely recommend checking them out.
- Use an addon like Questie or ClassicCodex, we covered a range of leveling addons for Classic WoW here
- If you are a Horde player, Bustea’s Leveling guide is an awesome resource that offers you a bunch of life-saving tips along the way.
- Alternatively, as an Alliance player, you have to check out this 1- 60 leveling guide, as it’s nicely organized by zones and level ranges.
Class Guides
There are 9 classes in World of Warcraft, each with their distinctive gameplay and mechanic. These classes are Mage, Warrior, Priest, Warlock, Rogue, Hunter, Shaman, Paladin and Druid. Both factions, Alliance and Horde, can create any class, the only exceptions being Paladin and Shaman, exclusive to Alliance and Horde respectively.
Since Classic WoW has the original talent tree system, players can create different specs, adding a more unique layer to the game. Each class has a maximum of 51 points to spend in the talent tree at level 60 and it’s important how we distribute these points during the leveling phase. That being said, at end-game, each class has 1 or 2 viable specs, depending on the raids. For example, mages aren’t viable with a fire spec in Molten Core or Blackwing Lair but fire does a lot more than frost in Naxxramas or AQ.
We compiled a set of resources for each class that includes talent builds, rotations, stat priority, gear and more.
Mage
Mage Guides
- Icy Veins Mage Guide – it includes almost everything you need to know from builds and rotations to stat priority and gear
- Wowhead Mage Guide – a complete guide that includes talents, rotations, gear, enchants and stats
Mage Videos
- I am AliveTV Mage Guide
- Mage Leveling Guide by MetaGoblin
Warlock
Warlock Guides
- Wowhead Warlock Guide – a complete guide that includes talents, rotations, gear, enchants and stats
Warlock Videos
- Punkrat Warlock Leveling Guide
- 5 Tips for Warlocks in Classic by Erik the Warlock
Warrior
Warrior Guides
- Warrior Tanking Guide by Wowhead – includes a lot of useful information such as gear, rotations, talents and more
- PvE DPS Guide by Icy Veins – gear, stat priority, enchants, cooldowns etc
Warrior Videos
- Protection Warrior Guide by TipsOut and Skarm
- Comprehensive Warrior Guide by Grimprospect
Shaman
Shaman Guides
- Elemental Shaman DPS Complete Guide by Wowhead
- Healing Shaman Guide by Wowhead
- Enhancement Shaman Guide by Icy Veins
Shaman Videos
- Advanced Shaman Guide by Defcamp & Melderon TV
Hunter
Hunter Guides
- Hunter Guide by Wowhead
- Hunter Leveling Guide by Icy Veins
Hunter Videos
- Hunter Leveling Guide by Punkrat
- 10 Hunter Tips in Classic WoW by MetaGoblin
Rogue
Rogue Guides
- Rogue DPS Guide by Wowhead
- Rogue Leveling Guide by Icy Veins
Rogue Videos
- Rogue Leveling Guide by Punkrat
- Classic Rogue Beginner Guide by Raganark
Priest
Priest Guides
- Priest Healing Guide by Wowhead
- Shadow Priest Guide by Wowhead
- Priest Leveling Guide by Icy Veins
Priest Videos
- How To Priest by Kala
- Priest Leveling Guide by Kala
Druid
Druid Guides
- Feral Druid DPS Guide by Wowhead
- Druid Tank Guide by Wowhead
- Druid Healing Guide by Wowhead
Druid Videos
- Classic Druid Leveling by powerfulnoun
- Resto Druid Itemization Guide by Yar TV
- Druid Pros and Cons by ebbnflow
Paladin
Paladin Guides
- Classic Retribution Paladin Guide by Wowhead
- Classic Holy Paladin Guide by Wowhead
- Paladin Leveling Guide by Icy Veins
Paladin Videos
- Paladin Leveling Guide and Progression by MetaGoblin
- Paladin Healing Guide by I am AliveTv
Classic WoW Profession Guides
There are 9 main professions in Classic WoW and 3 secondary ones, Cooking, First Aid and Fishing. The player can pick only 2 main professions and level all secondary ones. The main professions are Alchemy, Enchanting, Tailoring, Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, Engineering, Mining, Skinning, and Herbalism. As you can see, there are 6 crafting professions and 3 complementary gathering professions. Usually, players tend to choose a gathering profession and a crafting one, using the gathered materials to craft and level up the crafting professions.
However, when you start fresh, it’s optimal to plan ahead, choosing 2 professions that you’ll want in end-game but picking 2 gathering professions at the start of your leveling process to sell the gathered materials. This ensures you have a constant flow of gold as you level up and if played right, gets you the mounts when you get to level 40 and 60. In Classic WoW each profession has a max level of 300 which lets you access the best crafting recipes and materials.
That being said, professions can be leveled fast by having a certain amount of mats or buying them off the Auction House. Below, you’ll find a fast leveling guide for every profession in the game.
Alchemy Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Blacksmithing Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Tailoring Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Enchanting Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Leatherworking Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Engineering Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Mining Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Skinning Leveling Guide 1 – 300
Herbalism Leveling Guide 1 – 300 (coming soon)
Addons for Classic WoW
World of Warcraft is also known for its huge selection of addons that enhance the game, making it even better and in some instances, more visually appealing. There are different types of addons, from interface modifications to spell trackers, unit frames, map enhancements, Auction House tools and many more.
We’ve compiled a list with the best addons for Classic WoW that in our opinion, make the game even better than it already is. The guide will be constantly updated with more popular addons that are being ported back to Classic.
Farming and gold making in Classic WoW
It’s no secret that Vanilla WoW, for many players, was difficult to farm gold, especially at the lower levels. However, many years have passed since its launch and fortunately, now, there are many ways to grind gold in World of Warcraft. Depending on your class, spec and professions, there are various ways to grind that sweet coin. It’s very important we have the necessary amount of gold to train our spells constantly and more importantly, to have the gold to get our first mount, which will increase our leveling and grinding speed exponentially.
That being said, there are many ways in which you can farm gold in Classic WoW and it’s mainly a player’s preference. If you like to play the Auction House, AOE grind or just solo farm in dungeons, to name a few, you have to check out our Classic WoW gold farming guide.