A Guide, leveling 70-80 in WotLK

Well somewhat. Could just never get around to writing this somewhat guide as long as it has sat in my draft folder. But though I write this somewhat to make some readers life easier to some degree based on my leveling experience from Beta up to 80. Its from my perspective and experience in Beta as a Horde player mostly. Overall leveling in WotLK will be more Fun overall and much easier than leveling in tBC with nicely designed zones. However you choose to level in WotLK is entirely up to you and what you like.

Their are two Starter Zones as indicated in previous post. But you will be amazed of how many people won't know how to get to Northrend especially if you were in Beta with how many players that seem to keep asking in Trade chat. Helps to read your Patch notes when your doing all that downloading.

Trainers
After you arrive in Northrend at either of the landing areas in the Starter Zone you will find the area packed with quests all around. You will also find among the quest givers many if not most of the profession trainers for various professions. Some can also be found at the other Quest areas in the Starter Zones as well. One of the obvious first things you want to do is get training for whatever specific profession you have and get all the new recipes. For cooking if I remember you will want to just go ahead and pick up the quest which allows you to get training later also. Later on leveling up you will find all Trainers for every profession in Dalaran. Mages at lvl 71 can learn Portal spell which allows them to port to Dalaran easily.

Quests & Questing
Questing is really easy and somewhat focused in the areas you usually get quests to go to so pretty easy. If this hasn’t changed much from Beta to WotLK one thing you will find is collecting X of Y for such quests is changed much and doesn't take long to get for such quests. Very high drop rates for such quests on items and really doesn't take any time at all. But many quests are just different overall than tBC and often many have different objective for quests. Much easier and fun quests are overall. As well some quests also give reputation for various major factions of the zone area. Quests also give LOTS of XP in Northrend as well much more than in Outland and often quick to do. Much easier than just grinding Instances which really don't have that much trash for XP either and usually short.

From 70-77 you will be using ground mounts as they are no flying on the continent of Northrend until the player hits lvl 77 at which time you can purchase Cold Weather Flying in Dalaran on the flight pad or in Scholazar Basin at the Flight Master for 1000g. I think the Flying Quest was removed. Anyway you will be making use of ground mount allot that’s just the way it is for WotLK.

Starter Zones.
The starter area I spent the most time in was Howling Fjord so my view is from there. There are several quest hubs and flight paths in either of the starter zones. I know in Howling Fjord almost all the quests are targeted to specific areas usually for objectives to complete quests so its usually back and forth to specific areas. It’s pretty easy to quickly complete most the quests in a quest area if they are not that many and often the follow up quests just send you off to the other area as usual.

In Howling Fjord for Horde one the first quest giver you want to do quest for is High Executor Anselm who is real obvious to find and gives a series of several quests as well several quests leads back to him. However he does at some point completing several series of quest chains give you the quest for Utgarde Keep the first Northrend Dungeon at 70 and which does give various quests item rewards. You'll want to do all the quests he gives first if you can. I’m sure it’s the same for Alliance as well. Whatever quests you do after that in that area is up to you.

At Warsong Hold in Borean Tundra for the Horde there are allot of quests right in the landing area as well at the Horde stronghold. At some point later a bit later on doing all the quests there you will get a quest among all the others from High Overlord Saurfang which eventually returns you to Orgrimmar to Thrall which leads to the Battle for Undercity for a very Epic quest line. It’s a ton of Epic fun. But if you’re doing all the quests there immediately in Warsong Hold you will eventually pick it up. I'm not sure what the Alliance version of this is.

Borean Tundra: Amber Ledge
Wondering outside of Warsong Hold into Borean Tundra you will want to make your way up to Amber Ledge and If I remember their is a quests that also sends you there as well. However you want to get there to Amber Ledge start doing the quest chains with the Kirin Tor faction and the wizards which eventually allows you to get the quest from Surristrasz the Elite Flight Master dragon to reach the Nexus Coldarra area where the Nexus is as its otherwise inaccessible to get there.

Borean Tundra: Nexus Coldarra
At the Nexus Coldarra in the protective bubble dome there are some really nice and fun quests and quests which eventually leads to the Nexus Dungeon itself. The Nexus is a 71-73 Dungeon. Some Instance quest there have some nice Quest rewards especially some nice Plate shoulders if I remember. Completing all the quests in the area give lots of XP. Beyond that it’s all up to you after you leave there. You can complete most of the Howling Fjord area quests and then start doing the Nexus area quests if you like. However it can be easy if your just doing quests in Howling Fjord for example and some guildie/group doing quests in Borean Tundra or Nexus area needs you for a group and summons you straight to the Nexus area too.

If you ever get summoned straight to the Nexus Instance and not having done the quest to get there to the Coldarra, best is exit the dungeon and pickup the Flight Path outside at the quest area to the Coldarra. Or you will have to do the quests in Borean Tundra to get back there for the Flight Path. That was how I got to the Nexus in Beta since a Pug group needed a Tank while I was questing in Howling Fjord, which saved me having to do all the previous quests to get to the Nexus Coldarra area. All up to the player whatever they choose. The dungeon for The Oculus lvl 80 is also located inside the Nexus as well.

Howling Fjord
There are several quests hubs here and easy to navigate to. But overall there are enough quests in Howling Fjord where you can hit level 72 at least or more. Was kind of different in Beta as the XP requirement for leveling kept changing quite a bit in Beta back and forth. Anyway doing the Quests in Howling Fjord will eventually send you to Dragonblight which open up quests in that area and not available there until you get the quest to do so in that zone. The Tuskarr area has some really nice quests and its also a faction The Kalu'ak as well on the Kamagua Island south east of Howling Fjord which are all fun. Quests give reps for that faction also and one the first faction that have faction gear you can earn. Both Utgarde Keep lvl 70 and Utgarde Pinnacle lvl 80 are located in Howling Fjord at the same dungeon.

Completing all the quests there eventually you get sent later on to the next quest zone area for the Tuskarr's at a different quest point in Dragonblight as well. You want to do all the quests there which easily get you Honored. They have some faction gear at their QM you can pick up though not usable till around lvl 76. A nice chest piece for Tanks you can easily obtain.

However if you also have the option as well if you are too crowded in either of the starter zone doing quests to head to Grizzly Hills which is a really lush and beautiful forested area and pick up and do quests there. Grizzly Hill also have some PvP areas also. But It’s also a lvl 72+ area. There are quests available as a lvl 70 that you can pick up there in the zone quest areas. However mobs range from lvl 72-75. Really nice zone though.

Other Zones.
Beyond the Starter Zones questing spreads out from there as to the choice of zones you like to quest in. For me I went from Howling Fjord from 70-72. Dragonblight around 72-74. I skipped most of Grizzly Hills but there are nice quests there as well. Did Zul'Drak from 74-75/76. Sholazar Basin from 75/76 to 77 and from 77-80 in Icecrown/Storm Peaks though it was almost entirely in Icecrown Zone. All zones have some really fun quests.

Dragonblight
Dragonblight have some really nice and fun quests after the starter zones and again most the quests are focused for completion in specific areas. The zone is the home of the Wyrmrest Accord faction also. There is a ton of fun quests that involve the Scarlet Crusade at New Hearthglen that you will do in the area as well for questing and reps as well to Icemist Village to fight undead spiders invasion. All the quests for the Wyrmrest Accord faction at Wyrmrest Temple you will want to do to at least earn all the faction reps which goes along way to picking up some really nice faction gear leveling at Honored and later on at Revered. As well they have daily quests also for reps. But quests in Dragonblight are fun as well. Dungeons Azjol Nerub 72-74, Ahn'Kahet 73-75, Chamber of Aspects lvl 80, and Naxxrasmas lvl 80 are all located here.

Zul'Drak
At around lvl 74 you can start heading to Zul'Drak as quests there in the zone don't really open up before that. On the passageway route from Dragonblight to Zul'Drak at Lights Trust you will pick up a few quests at a Agent Crusade outpost and upon quick completion will send you to The Argent Crusade outpost at Light's Breach in Zul'Drak. Zul'Drak is an ancient troll city the entire zone. Questing in Zul'Drak is really fun and there you will gain reps with The Argent Crusade at the various outpost and eventually The Knights of the Ebon Blade at Ebon Watch to the far east of the zone. You want to do all the quests at Light's Breach as one quest is a elite quests which has some nice Blue weapon reward and has one the first and best Blue Tanking weapon upgrade in WotLK that will last a while also.

There is really allot of quests here in the zone for each faction and you will want to do all the quests for the reps as both faction has some nice gear rewards. As well Argent Dawn has daily quests here as well and Flight Paths. One Flight Path here has to be unlocked also if I remember. But there is allot of Plate gear in the Zone as well from all the various quests. There is just allot of quests here in the zone and lots of nice rewards as well as quests that lead to two of the Dungeons in the zone. Zul'Drak seem to start out with lower, mid and upper city zone quests. Upper being the last and harder part of the zone to the far North where the other Instance Dungeon is.

In Zul'Drak you will also find the new Ring of Blood similiar to the one in Nagrand, but with a huge new Amphitheater. I think the quest there is available around lvl 75 or so from the goblin inside there and its really fun to do in a group and have some nice Blue reward weapons also. Lots of fun. Dungeons for Drak'Tharon Keep and Gundrak are both located here.

Scholazar Basin
Around lvl 75/76 or so it’s all up to you as you can if you so choose continue to complete the zone quests or head off to the next zone of Scholazar Basin if you want a zone change or after completing the zone. Sholazar Basin is a bit similar to Un'Goro but more safari like as it’s a bit tropical and really nice zone as well. There is also a Quest in Dalaran at that level that sends you there also on the Flight Pad. There is various plate gear to be found here as well and some really nice quests overall and lots of lore quests to be found here also. Very fun zone overall with variation of quests in a relatively large zone.

Icecrown & Storm Peaks
Beyond that, at lvl 77 quests become available in Icecrown with Knights of the Ebon Blade and The Argent Crusade for lots of faction quests and reps. Its all your choice here but at this point you really need to have your Flying Mount as well for either zones. Here questing gets allot more fun and lots of nice gear and item pieces to pickup with both factions. I'll probably say you can do whichever of these faction quests first that means more to you in reps as they are many. Both faction have some really nice gear rewards as well but The Argent Crusade with the Helm Enchant for Tanks at Revered and some nice plate.

You also have the option to quest in Storm Peaks which has lots of fun quests and a huge zone but it’s all in what you like. There is a quest in the sewers of Dalaran with a goblin that sends you to Storm Peaks if I remember to start questing there. In Icecrown some Flight Paths don't become available until you do the various quests to unlock the areas. In Storm Peaks you will find the massive Uldular dungeon complex for Hall of Stones lvl 77-79 and Hall of Lightning lvl 80.

Dalaran
You won't initially entering Northrend be able to get to Dalaran unlil lvl 74 via a quest in the zone. However Mages at lvl 71 are able to pick up the Portal spell to Dalaran and if your lucky you want a guildie mage or a friendly mage to get you a Portal to Dalaran as soon as they can for all the reasons in the world. Getting to Dalaran you will want to set that Hearthstone as it makes it much easier to get to everywhere else from there. But once in Dalaran you have access to all the portals back to every major city in Azeroth and to Outland as well. All the trainers and vendors of every kind are also there in Dalaran as well. There is one Dungeon in Dalaran for the Violet Hold which is a lvl 75-77 Dungeon for which you pick up a quest outside the Dungeon in Dalaran. As well daily quests for new Cooking Recipes and Dungeons can be picked up there in Dalaran as well.

Beyond that after reaching Icecrown or Storm Peaks it’s just a matter of time getting to 80 questing or Instancing to get there. You want to really hit up all the dungeons leveling but especially the lvl 76+ Dungeons as they are some really nice dungeon loot drop and the lvl 78-80 Dungeons especially for some really nice Blue gear for gearing at lvl 80 and beyond. Faction reps will become obvious as your gaining them with whichever faction but do check each faction QM to see what you may need to pick up or whenever you can pick up needed items.

This post is much longer than I ever though it would be as well.

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