The goal of many World of Warcraft players when a new expansion like The War Within drops is to level to 80 as quickly as possible. Here are some basic tips to help you on your journey while saving time.
Unlike previous WoW expansions, completing The War Within (TWW) campaign storyline will not provide enough XP for you to reach level 80. At most, you’ll end up between levels 77 and 78. This means alternative methods of gaining XP are necessary to hit level 80. Blizzard did include a new bonus XP system for players who want to level up alternative characters after hitting level 80 with your main.
Tips to reach level 80 quickly in WoW: The War Within
With TWW launching through early access on Aug. 22 and officially releasing on Aug. 26, expect a large number of players attempting to complete the same quests. Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way to help you progress faster while avoiding the crowds.
- Focus on TWW campaign quests only through the first two zones: Isle of Dorn and The Ringing Deeps.
- The campaign will have you test the new Delves system and require you to complete a dungeon within The Ringing Deeps zone. Don’t rerun the Delve as the XP granted is low, but farming XP while in The Ringing Deeps is fine as long as there aren’t too many players attempting to farm and complete quests.
- I recommend waiting to hit side quests until you reach the Hallowfall Zone. Level requirements for Hallowfall are 75 to 78, making it the ideal zone to start hitting all the side quests. Crowds should be thinned out as well as most players will get stuck in The Ringing Deeps after completing the Isle of Dorn storyline chapters.
- The final zone is Azj-Kahet, where I highly recommend completing side quests to hit level 80 by the time you complete The War Within campaign.
- Make sure one of your Professions is a Gathering Profession (Mining and Herbalism) as you’ll earn XP each time you gather materials. Skinning sadly doesn’t provide XP.
- Farm XP in Delves at higher tiers. Some lower-tier Delves will help you reach the level needed for the next zone and bosses in that zone.
- Farm XP in Dungeons after hitting level 75.
- Craft to earn XP after hitting level 78.
WoW Warband Mentoring bonus XP in The War Within
Having to earn XP outside of the main TWW storyline quests is slightly annoying but Blizzard has made up for the inconvenience through a new bonus XP system called Warband Mentoring. After reaching level 80 with your main character, the WoW Warband Mentoring system is unlocked. Here’s how it works, according to Wowhead.
- Your first alternative character receives a five percent bonus to XP when leveling to 80 for all tasks.
- Each additional alt earns five percent bonus to XP for each character you have at level 80, up to 25 percent.
- Reaching level 80 earns you a Warband Mentors bonus. Leveling your fifth alt with four characters at level 80 will earn you 25 percent extra XP for all tasks.
To help your first alternative WoW character reach level 80, take advantage of the Warband Mentoring system by completing early zone side quests in The War Within. The extra five percent XP will add up quickly, allowing you to start on a second alt sooner than you could in the past.
