Leveling your Mining profession in World of Warcraft Classic is crucial for aspiring Blacksmiths and Engineers. Mining provides the raw materials needed for these crafting professions, making it an essential skill to acquire. This guide will walk you through the fastest and most efficient routes to level your Mining from 1 to 300 in Classic WoW, ensuring you’re ready to gather the resources you need.
If you’re also planning to level Blacksmithing or Engineering, be sure to check out our dedicated Classic Blacksmithing leveling guide and Classic Engineering Leveling Guide for complementary professions.
Still on your journey to level 60? Consider using a leveling guide to speed up the process. We recommend Zygor’s 1-60 Leveling Guide to help you reach max level quickly and efficiently.
Finding Your Classic Mining Trainer
To begin your Mining journey, you’ll first need to learn the profession from a Mining Trainer. These trainers can be found in major cities and starting zones for both the Horde and Alliance factions. Click on the links below to find the exact locations of trainers for your faction.
Horde Mining Trainers
- Borum Stonehoof (Thunder Bluff)
- Krugosh (Orgrimmar)
- Furen Longbeard (Undercity)
Alliance Mining Trainers
- Brock Stonebeard (Ironforge)
- Yarrick (Stormwind City)
- Gelman Stonehand (Darnassus)
Classic Mining Leveling Guide: 1 – 300
Every starting zone in World of Warcraft Classic is rich in Copper Ore, the foundational ore for Mining. No matter your starting zone, you’ll find ample opportunities to begin leveling your skill.
Important Note for Night Elf players: If you are a Night Elf, you will need to travel to Darkshore to begin mining Copper Ore, as Teldrassil does not contain any Copper veins.
Before you start swinging your pickaxe, remember to purchase a Mining Pick from a Mining Supply vendor located near your trainer. You don’t need to equip it, but it must be in your inventory to mine.
Mining Level 1 – 65: Copper Rush
During these initial levels, your focus will be solely on mining Copper Ore. Stick to the starting zones, as they are abundant with Copper Veins. Here are some recommended zones and routes for efficient Copper mining:
Alt text: Copper mining route in Durotar, World of Warcraft Classic, highlighting Venture Co. Mine.
Durotar (Horde): Durotar offers excellent Copper mining opportunities. High-level players should venture into the Venture Co. Mine. Clearing both the mine and the area behind it on the mountainside will yield approximately 8 Copper Veins. (The side area is accessible only from within the mine). The map provided shows the mine layout, although it’s from the Cataclysm expansion, the structure remains the same in Classic. Explore every corner of the cave for maximum ore gathering. Low-level characters should avoid the Venture Co. Mine and focus on surface veins.
Alt text: Copper mining route in Mulgore, World of Warcraft Classic, circling around Stonebull Lake.
Mulgore (Horde): Circle around Stonebull Lake in Mulgore. This area provides a concentrated route for efficient Copper mining.
Alt text: Copper mining route in Tirisfal Glades, World of Warcraft Classic, around the Undercity outskirts.
Tirisfal Glades (Horde): Focus on the areas surrounding Undercity. This zone offers a good density of Copper Veins for Horde players. Low-level players should avoid caves and stick to the surface.
Alt text: Copper mining route in Elwynn Forest, World of Warcraft Classic, showcasing paths around Northshire and Eastvale Logging Camp.
Elwynn Forest (Alliance): Elwynn Forest is a prime location for Alliance players to mine Copper. Routes around Northshire and Eastvale Logging Camp are particularly fruitful.
Alt text: Copper mining routes in Darkshore, World of Warcraft Classic, depicting two efficient paths for gathering ore.
Darkshore (Alliance): Darkshore presents two effective routes for Copper mining. The respawn rate of Copper Veins is fast enough that you likely won’t need to traverse the entire zone. Utilize these two routes, and if competition is present, alternate between them while mining Copper in between.
Alt text: Copper mining route in Dun Morogh, World of Warcraft Classic, highlighting areas around Kharanos and Coldridge Valley.
Dun Morogh (Alliance): Dun Morogh offers excellent Copper mining around Kharanos and Coldridge Valley. Follow the outlined route for a steady supply of Copper Ore.
Mining Level 65 – 125: Branching into Tin and Silver
Once you reach Mining skill level 50, visit your trainer to learn Journeyman Mining. In this range, you’ll start encountering Tin Ore and occasionally Silver Ore in addition to Copper. Zones in this level range will contain all three ore types.
Reaching skill level 75 allows you to smelt Silver Ore into Silver Bars. Smelting Silver Ore can help boost your skill to 125. Interestingly, Silver Ore and Silver Bars often sell for similar prices on the Auction House. Consider purchasing Silver Ore, smelting it into bars, and then selling the bars for a small profit while leveling your skill.
Here are recommended zones for Mining levels 65-125:
Alt text: Tin and Copper mining route in Hillsbrad Foothills, World of Warcraft Classic, marking routes and caves to avoid for low-level players.
Hillsbrad Foothills: Hillsbrad Foothills offers a good mix of Tin and Copper. Low-level players should avoid the caves marked on the map and stick to the surface veins.
Alt text: Tin and Copper mining route in Redridge Mountains, World of Warcraft Classic, showing routes and caves, advising low-levels to avoid caves.
Redridge Mountains: Redridge Mountains provides both Tin and Copper. Low-level players should avoid both caves indicated on the map and focus on the eastern side of Redridge for safer mining. The respawn rate of veins outside the cave should be sufficient. However, for higher-level characters, the cave marked on the map usually contains two Tin Veins and is worth a quick detour.
Alt text: Tin and Copper mining routes in Ashenvale, World of Warcraft Classic, depicting northern and southern paths with varying ore density.
Ashenvale: Ashenvale presents two mining routes: a southern and a northern path. The southern route generally has a higher concentration of Tin and Copper. However, the northern route serves as a viable alternative if the southern area is heavily farmed. The difference in ore quantity between the two routes is not substantial.
Alt text: Tin and Copper mining route in The Barrens, World of Warcraft Classic, outlining a path through the central and southern regions.
The Barrens: The Barrens is a large zone with scattered Tin and Copper deposits. Follow the route shown, focusing on the central and southern regions of the zone.
Mining Level 125 – 175: Iron Age
At Mining skill level 125, return to your trainer to learn Expert Mining. Iron Ore becomes the primary ore to mine in this range, though you will still find Tin and occasional Gold Ore.
At skill level 155, you can learn to smelt Gold Ore into Gold Bars. Similar to Silver, smelting approximately 30 Gold Ore can help you reach skill level 175 quickly. Consider buying Gold Ore, smelting it, and selling the bars on the Auction House.
Recommended zones for Mining levels 125-175 are:
Alt text: Iron and Tin mining route in Arathi Highlands, World of Warcraft Classic, highlighting routes and caves to avoid for low-level players.
Arathi Highlands: Arathi Highlands is rich in Iron Ore. The map indicates four caves marked with red circles. Explore these caves thoroughly, venturing to the very back, as mining veins are often located deep inside and not visible from the entrance. Low-level players should avoid all four caves and stick to surface mining. For low-level Alliance players, consider taking a detour south of Hammerfall for safer surface veins.
Alt text: Iron mining route in Desolace, World of Warcraft Classic, showing a path through the central regions of the zone.
Desolace: Desolace offers a decent supply of Iron Ore, especially in the central regions. Follow the outlined route to efficiently gather Iron.
Alt text: Iron mining route in Thousand Needles, World of Warcraft Classic, depicting a path through the canyon areas.
Thousand Needles: Thousand Needles, particularly the canyon areas, is a good zone for Iron mining. The route shown will guide you through the most productive areas.
Mining Level 175 – 245: Mithril and Truesilver
Don’t forget to visit your Mining trainer to learn Artisan Mining once you reach skill level 200 and Mining level 225!
In this skill range, you will primarily be mining Mithril Ore and Truesilver Ore. These ores are more valuable and sought after.
Recommended zones for Mining levels 175-245:
Alt text: Mithril and Truesilver mining route in The Hinterlands, World of Warcraft Classic, marking a route and caves to avoid for lower-level players.
The Hinterlands: The Hinterlands is an excellent zone for Mithril and Truesilver. The “red route” indicated on the map should be avoided by lower-level players due to the presence of level 62 elite enemies. Lower-level players should also consider skipping the cave marked with a red circle, depending on their gear and class. Players below level 60 should avoid all four caves marked with red circles.
Alt text: Mithril and Truesilver mining route in Tanaris, World of Warcraft Classic, outlining a path through the desert landscape.
Tanaris: Tanaris offers a vast desert landscape with scattered Mithril and Truesilver deposits. Follow the route shown to maximize your ore gathering in this zone.
Mining Level 245 – 275: Thorium Emerges
In this range, Thorium Ore starts to appear alongside Mithril and Truesilver. Thorium is highly valuable and essential for high-level crafting.
Recommended zones for Mining levels 245-275:
Alt text: Mithril and Thorium mining route in Un’Goro Crater, World of Warcraft Classic, highlighting routes and caves to consider and avoid based on player level.
Un’Goro Crater: Un’Goro Crater becomes a prime location for Mithril and Thorium. The map indicates two caves marked with red circles. Both caves are heavily populated with enemies. This farming location is best suited for level 60 players with good gear or stealth classes like Druids and Rogues.
Alt text: Thorium mining route in Blasted Lands, World of Warcraft Classic, showing a path and a cave to consider for mining.
Blasted Lands: The Blasted Lands offers a reliable source of Thorium. The cave marked with a red circle usually contains 2-3 mineral veins and is worth exploring as it’s not too large and has relatively few enemies. High-level players can often navigate past some enemies without aggro.
Alt text: Thorium mining route in Felwood, World of Warcraft Classic, outlining routes and caves, with recommendations based on player level and stealth.
Felwood: Felwood provides Thorium veins, but be cautious of the caves marked on the map, especially Shadow Hold at Jaednar. These caves are generally not recommended, unless you have stealth capabilities. The cave marked with a red circle on the map usually contains 2 mining nodes and is worth a quick detour.
Mining Level 275 – 300: Rich Thorium Veins and the Final Stretch
Congratulations, you’re in the final stretch! In this last leg to 300 Mining, you’ll continue mining Thorium Ore and Mithril Ore. Crucially, you can now mine Rich Thorium Veins, which offer a significantly higher yield of Thorium.
Recommended zones for Mining levels 275-300:
Alt text: Rich Thorium and Thorium mining route in Un’Goro Crater, World of Warcraft Classic, depicting a route with emphasis on Rich Thorium Veins.
Un’Goro Crater (Rich Thorium): Return to Un’Goro Crater, now focusing on Rich Thorium Veins in addition to regular Thorium. The route is similar to the previous Un’Goro route but now prioritizes Rich Thorium Veins.
Alt text: Thorium mining route in Eastern Plaguelands, World of Warcraft Classic, highlighting various areas and caves with difficulty ratings for different player levels.
Eastern Plaguelands: The Eastern Plaguelands offers several mining locations, each with varying levels of difficulty:
- North Cave: The enemies in this cave are manageable for most classes, making it worth clearing.
- Central Cave: Most classes can safely enter the initial part of this cave. Deeper exploration depends on your gear and class.
- Gorge Area: Elite patrols are common in this gorge, but you can usually navigate past most of them, occasionally needing to defeat one or two.
- Southern Area: This area is generally not recommended for most players due to the high risk of death. It’s only suitable for experienced players with good gear and mob-avoidance skills.
Alt text: Thorium mining route in Winterspring, World of Warcraft Classic, outlining a path and caves to avoid for lower-level characters.
Winterspring: Winterspring is another excellent zone for Thorium mining. The two caves marked with red circles are populated by level 50 enemies and might be challenging for lower-level characters, depending on gear and level.
Alt text: Thorium mining route in Burning Steppes, World of Warcraft Classic, depicting a path through volcanic terrain.
Burning Steppes: The Burning Steppes provides a final zone for reaching 300 Mining. Explore the volcanic terrain for Thorium deposits.
Congratulations on reaching Mining skill level 300 in Classic WoW! You are now a master miner, ready to supply yourself and others with valuable ores.
If you have any feedback on this guide, including suggestions for improvements, corrections for typos or errors, or information on material drop rates, please send feedback.
