Leveling guide

Levels 1–20 guide

Where to go and what to learn from character creation to level 20. Only level numbers Blizzard has announced are listed.

Starting zones and next zones by race

Do your first quests in the starting area, then move through your race's starting zone to the next zone.

The level next to each zone is its core level, estimated from the zone's quest reward experience in official Battle.net game data. Blizzard hasn't announced zone level ranges, so it's an estimate and the real range is wider on both sides. The order also runs from the lowest reward experience upward.

Alliance

Human
1. Starting area
  Northshire ValleyAbout level 3
  20 quests6 new
2. Starting zone
  Elwynn ForestAbout level 7
  60 quests26 new
3. Next zone
  WestfallAbout level 12
  52 quests17 new
Dwarf · Gnome
1. Starting area
  Coldridge ValleyAbout level 3
  13 quests
2. Starting zone
  Dun MoroghAbout level 6
  55 quests28 new
3. Next zone
  Loch ModanAbout level 15
  41 quests
Nearby new dungeon Hall of Thanes Levels 13–18
Night Elf
1. Starting area
  ShadowglenAbout level 3
  16 quests2 new
2. Starting zone
  TeldrassilAbout level 8
  45 quests10 new
3. Next zone
  DarkshoreAbout level 15
  77 quests6 new

Horde

Orc · Troll
1. Starting area
  Valley of TrialsAbout level 4
  14 quests1 new
2. Starting zone
  DurotarAbout level 8
  49 quests19 new
3. Next zone
  The BarrensAbout level 19
  117 quests19 new
Tauren
1. Starting area
  Red Cloud MesaAbout level 4
  12 quests1 new
2. Starting zone
  MulgoreAbout level 8
  55 quests30 new
3. Next zone
  The BarrensAbout level 19
  117 quests19 new
Undead
1. Starting area
  DeathknellAbout level 3
  14 quests1 new
2. Starting zone
  Tirisfal GladesAbout level 8
  56 quests21 new
3. Next zone
  Silverpine ForestAbout level 14
  50 quests8 new
Nearby new dungeon Ruins of Lordaeron Levels 15–20

High Order Skyborne · Windshaper Skyborne

Zephras IsleLevels 1–12

120 quests120 new

Skyborne of either faction start on Zephras Isle. The official guides don't say where to go after the island; head to one of the next zones of another race from your faction.[1]

To play a Skyborne, you need the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher upgrade.[2][3]

Milestones

Things worth knowing between levels 1 and 20, in order.

First login
On your first login you choose an Experience Preset. Enhanced starts with quest guidance on; Classic starts with quest guidance, the one-bag view and transmog turned off. You can still change each setting later under Options.[1][4]
Every level
When you level up, visit your class trainer to learn new abilities. New abilities aren't placed on your action bars automatically, so drag them there from your Spellbook (P).[2][5]
Levels 1–60
Training every class ability from level 1 to 60 costs 206–207 gold in total, whatever your class. Early on, save your money and train each time you level up.[5]
Levels 1–12
Zephras Isle, the Skyborne starting zone, covers levels 1–12.[1]
Levels 13–18
New 5-player dungeon Hall of Thanes: Beneath Ironforge, Dun Morogh.[6][7]
Alliance players can reach the entrance easily from inside Ironforge, while Horde groups have to brave the journey into Alliance territory.
Levels 15–20
New 5-player dungeon Ruins of Lordaeron: Ruins above the Undercity, Tirisfal Glades.[6][7]
Horde players can reach the entrance easily from the Undercity, while Alliance groups have to venture into Horde territory.

Abilities each class learns up to level 20

Abilities you learn from class trainers, in level order. Abilities granted by talents are left out.

Ability names are as they appear in the game's Spellbook. Training levels may change with post-launch adjustments. The talent calculator gives you 1 talent point per level from level 10. Forever's official guides don't give a different value, so it follows Classic rules.

Warrior23 new abilities

Level 1	Heroic Strike Battle Stance Battle Shout
Level 4	Charge Rend
Level 6	Thunder Clap
Level 8	Hamstring New ranks: Heroic Strike
Level 10	Defensive Stance Taunt Bloodrage Sunder Armor New ranks: Rend
Level 12	Shield Bash Overpower New ranks: Battle Shout
Level 14	Demoralizing Shout Revenge Tactical Mastery
Level 16	Mocking Blow Shield Block New ranks: Heroic Strike
Level 18	Disarm New ranks: Thunder Clap
Level 20	Cleave Retaliation Victory Rush Slam New ranks: Rend

All Warrior abilities Warrior Talent Calculator Warrior class quests

Paladin22 new abilities

Level 1	Devotion Aura Holy Light Seal of Righteousness New ranks: Seal of Righteousness
Level 4	Blessing of Might Judgement
Level 6	Divine Protection Holy Strike Seal of the Crusader New ranks: Holy Light
Level 8	Hammer of Justice Purify
Level 10	Lay on Hands Blessing of Protection Righteous Fury Seal of Fury New ranks: Devotion Aura, Seal of Righteousness
Level 12	New ranks: Blessing of Might, Holy Strike, Seal of the Crusader
Level 14	Blessing of Wisdom New ranks: Holy Light
Level 16	Retribution Aura
Level 18	Blessing of Freedom New ranks: Seal of Righteousness, Divine Protection, Seal of Fury
Level 20	Exorcism Flash of Light Blessing of Kings Consecration Voice of Truth New ranks: Devotion Aura, Holy Strike

All Paladin abilities Paladin Talent Calculator Paladin class quests

Hunter23 new abilities

Level 1	Auto Shot Track Beasts Raptor Strike
Level 4	Serpent Sting Aspect of the Monkey
Level 6	Hunter's Mark Arcane Shot
Level 8	Concussive Shot New ranks: Raptor Strike
Level 10	Revive Pet Aspect of the Hawk Track Humanoids New ranks: Serpent Sting
Level 12	Mend Pet Wing Clip Distracting Shot New ranks: Arcane Shot
Level 14	Eyes of the Beast
Level 16	Mongoose Bite Immolation Trap New ranks: Raptor Strike
Level 18	Multi-Shot Track Undead New ranks: Serpent Sting, Aspect of the Hawk
Level 20	Disengage Freezing Trap Aspect of the Cheetah Aimed Shot New ranks: Arcane Shot, Mend Pet, Distracting Shot

All Hunter abilities Hunter Talent Calculator Hunter class quests

Rogue16 new abilities

Level 1	Sinister Strike Stealth Eviscerate
Level 4	Backstab Pick Pocket
Level 6	Gouge New ranks: Sinister Strike
Level 8	Evasion New ranks: Eviscerate
Level 10	Sprint Slice and Dice Sap
Level 12	Kick New ranks: Backstab
Level 14	Garrote Expose Armor New ranks: Sinister Strike
Level 16	Feint New ranks: Eviscerate
Level 18	Ambush New ranks: Gouge
Level 20	Rupture New ranks: Stealth, Backstab

All Rogue abilities Rogue Talent Calculator Rogue class quests

Priest32 new abilities

Level 1	Smite Power Word: Fortitude Lesser Heal
Level 4	Shadow Word: Pain New ranks: Lesser Heal
Level 6	Power Word: Shield New ranks: Smite
Level 8	Renew Fade
Level 10	Resurrection Touch of Weakness(Undead only) Mind Blast Hex of Weakness(Troll only) Starshards(Night Elf only) Desperate Prayer(Dwarf only) Divine Grace(Human only) Confounding Flash(Gnome only) New ranks: Lesser Heal, Shadow Word: Pain
Level 12	Inner Fire New ranks: Power Word: Fortitude, Power Word: Shield
Level 14	Cure Disease Psychic Scream New ranks: Smite, Renew
Level 16	Heal New ranks: Mind Blast
Level 18	Dispel Magic New ranks: Shadow Word: Pain, Power Word: Shield, Starshards, Desperate Prayer, Divine Grace
Level 20	Mind Soothe Flash Heal Elune's Grace(Night Elf only) Devouring Plague Fear Ward Shackle Undead Feedback(Human only) Holy Fire Shadowguard(Troll only) Dark Sacrifice(Undead only) Chastise(Dwarf only) Contingency Plan(Gnome only) New ranks: Renew, Fade, Touch of Weakness, Hex of Weakness, Inner Fire

All Priest abilities Priest Talent Calculator Priest class quests

Shaman21 new abilities

Level 1	Healing Wave Lightning Bolt
Level 4	Earth Shock Stoneskin Totem
Level 6	Earthbind Totem New ranks: Healing Wave
Level 8	Lightning Shield Stoneclaw Totem New ranks: Lightning Bolt, Earth Shock
Level 10	Searing Totem Flame Shock Strength of Earth Totem
Level 12	Purge Ancestral Spirit Fire Nova New ranks: Healing Wave
Level 14	New ranks: Lightning Bolt, Earth Shock, Stoneskin Totem
Level 16	Cure Poison New ranks: Lightning Shield
Level 18	Tremor Totem New ranks: Healing Wave, Stoneclaw Totem, Flame Shock
Level 20	Ghost Wolf Healing Stream Totem Lesser Healing Wave Frost Shock Totemic Recall Call of the Elements New ranks: Lightning Bolt, Searing Totem

All Shaman abilities Shaman Talent Calculator Shaman class quests

Mage25 new abilities

Level 1	Fireball Frost Armor Arcane Intellect
Level 4	Frostbolt Conjure Water
Level 6	Conjure Food Fire Blast New ranks: Fireball
Level 8	Polymorph Arcane Missiles New ranks: Frostbolt
Level 10	Frost Nova New ranks: Frost Armor, Conjure Water
Level 12	Slow Fall Dampen Magic New ranks: Fireball, Conjure Food
Level 14	Arcane Explosion New ranks: Arcane Intellect, Frostbolt, Fire Blast
Level 16	Flamestrike New ranks: Arcane Missiles
Level 18	Remove Lesser Curse Amplify Magic New ranks: Fireball
Level 20	Blizzard Fire Ward Mana Shield Blink Teleport: Stormwind(Human · Gnome · High Order Skyborne only) Teleport: Ironforge(Human · Gnome · High Order Skyborne only) Teleport: Undercity(Orc · Undead · Troll only) Teleport: Orgrimmar(Orc · Undead · Troll only) Evocation New ranks: Frost Armor, Frostbolt, Conjure Water, Polymorph

All Mage abilities Mage Talent Calculator Mage class quests

Warlock23 new abilities

Level 1	Immolate Shadow Bolt Demon Skin Summon Imp
Level 4	Corruption Curse of Weakness
Level 6	Life Tap New ranks: Shadow Bolt
Level 8	Bane of Agony Fear
Level 10	Summon Voidwalker Drain Soul Create Healthstone New ranks: Immolate, Demon Skin
Level 12	Health Funnel New ranks: Shadow Bolt, Curse of Weakness
Level 14	Drain Life Curse of Recklessness New ranks: Corruption
Level 16	New ranks: Life Tap
Level 18	Create Soulstone Searing Pain New ranks: Bane of Agony
Level 20	Ritual of Summoning Demon Armor Summon Succubus Summon Incubus Rain of Fire Curse of the Elements New ranks: Immolate, Shadow Bolt, Health Funnel

All Warlock abilities Warlock Talent Calculator Warlock class quests

Druid30 new abilities

Level 1	Mark of the Wild Wrath Healing Touch
Level 4	Rejuvenation Moonfire
Level 6	Thorns New ranks: Wrath
Level 8	Entangling Roots New ranks: Healing Touch
Level 10	Demoralizing Roar Bear Form Growl Maul Nature's Grasp Teleport: Moonglade New ranks: Mark of the Wild, Rejuvenation, Moonfire
Level 12	Enrage Regrowth Revive
Level 14	Bash Cure Poison New ranks: Wrath, Healing Touch, Thorns
Level 16	Swipe Aquatic Form New ranks: Rejuvenation, Moonfire
Level 18	Faerie Fire Hibernate New ranks: Entangling Roots, Maul, Nature's Grasp, Regrowth
Level 20	Cat Form Rip Claw Starfire Prowl Shred Omen of Clarity Rebirth New ranks: Mark of the Wild, Healing Touch, Demoralizing Roar

All Druid abilities Druid Talent Calculator Druid class quests

Leveling tips

Useful leveling advice picked from Blizzard's starter guide and developer announcements.

Combat and resting

Combat is tuned so that a solo player takes about 10–15 seconds to defeat an ordinary enemy.[8]
Pull one enemy at a time, and eat and drink between fights to restore health and mana.[2]
When you die, run back to your corpse as a spirit to resurrect. Resurrecting at the Spirit Healer damages your gear's durability and can give you Resurrection Sickness.[2]

Travel and upkeep

Bind your Hearthstone at an inn, and learn the flight path from the flight master in each new town you reach.[2]
Sell items you don't need to vendors, repair your gear, and store spare materials in the bank.[2]
Check whether gear has the stats your class needs before looking at its quality. The tooltip compares it with what you're wearing.[2]

Professions and Camping

You can learn up to two primary professions and all of the secondary skills (Cooking, Fishing, First Aid).[2]
Crafted food gives a small experience bonus along with its stats.[8]
Camp features unlock once a profession reaches skill 20. Place a Camp Tent next to a Basic Campfire from Cooking to gain Rested experience. You only get camp effects after sitting or crafting nearby for 1 minute.[9]

Dungeons and groups

Base experience from dungeon enemies went up 20%. The developers say that with optimal play, leveling in dungeons is about as fast as questing, but running only dungeons to 60 won't be the fastest way.[10]
Groups, guilds and dungeons only work between players on the same ruleset and faction. If you want to play with friends, agree on both before you create your characters.[11][4]

After level 20

The next new dungeon is Excavation Site (Levels 24–29, Above Whelgar's Excavation, Wetlands).[6][7]
The Legacy System unlocks when you earn your first Legacy Point, usually around level 25 on your first character.[12]
The new Darkspear Islands battleground is open to levels 30–60.[13]

Sources

[1]World of Warcraft: Forever Goes Live Globally November 4!Blizzard Entertainment · Nov 3, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[2]New Player’s Starter Guide: Welcome to World of Warcraft: ForeverBlizzard Entertainment · Oct 28, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[3]World of Warcraft: Forever (product page)Battle.net Shop · checked Nov 4, 2026
[4]WoW: Forever—What’s New and What Feels FamiliarBlizzard Entertainment · Nov 3, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[5]WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated November 2 (blue post)Official WoW Forums (Blizzard) · checked Nov 4, 2026
[6]Explore the New Dungeons of World of Warcraft: ForeverBlizzard Entertainment · Oct 20, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[7]Krol’dok Stronghold (blue post)Official WoW Forums (Blizzard) · checked Nov 4, 2026
[8]World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel RecapBlizzard Entertainment · Sep 13, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[9]Gather Around the Campfire in World of Warcraft: ForeverBlizzard Entertainment · Oct 21, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[10]The WoW: Forever Podcast: Episode 3 - Dive Into Dungeons With Devs ft. @Hammerdancegaming (blue post)Official WoW Forums (Blizzard) · checked Nov 4, 2026
[11]Choose Your Ruleset in World of Warcraft: ForeverBlizzard Entertainment · Oct 22, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[12]Get to Know the World of Warcraft: Forever Legacy SystemBlizzard Entertainment · Sep 23, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026
[13]Battle for the Darkspear Islands in World of Warcraft: ForeverBlizzard Entertainment · Oct 7, 2026 · checked Nov 4, 2026