Planning your leveling route is the key to success when playing on a Classic Hardcore server in World of Warcraft. There are 6 starting zones that you can end up in when you make a new character, and some of them are much easier to play through than others.
Below, we’ve ranked every Classic WoW starting zone from trickiest to easiest, based on how easy it is to take a Hardcore character through the main story quest lines and general area without getting into deadly situations.
Teldrassil
While this zone may be easier for some classes than others, Teldrassil is considered to be one of the most challenging Hardcore starting zones in the game. It’s the Night Elf starting zone, and while it might be beautiful to look at, it can be utterly deadly.
This is down to two main factors.
The zone is large and requires a lot of travel time through roads with lots of roaming mobs, and there are essential questlines that require players to go inside winding caves where it’s easy to get cornered. The respawn timers in these caves can be brutal.
If you’re determined to level in Teldrassil, make sure to plan your route well, ensure that you’ve got mob name tags on, and keep your eyes open for any roaming Nightsabers.
Durotar
Durotar may seem like a simple zone to level in at first, but it can actually pose quite a few threats once you work through the first few levels. It’s a dual starting zone - acting as the home base for both Orcs and Trolls at first - and it’s a popular one at that.
Several areas in Durotar are notably tricky. The Tiragarde Keep and Skull Rock areas can be difficult, and Echo Isles is notorious for having mobs with frustrating abilities. There are also plenty of caves with low visibility to contend with.
Durotar is also quite popular, as mentioned. Depending on how busy your server is, you may facerun into a fair amount of competition or a lack of mobs.
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Tirisfal Glades
Tirisfal Glades can be an easy starting zone, but it requires some forethought and planning.
There are some nasty mob packs and tricky underground areas to contend with. In particular, any quests that send you into a Crypt can be hard to get through unless you’re leveling alongside someone else or playing as a bulkier class.
Despite the Crypts and tricky mobs, the rest of Tirisfal Glades is quite enjoyable. It’s in a decent location and there are plenty of routes you can take through it to get a consistent leveling experience. If you’re a lore buff, there are many intriguing questlines to follow, too.
Elwynn Forest
Elwynn Forest is one of the most popular starting zones on Hardcore servers, as there are a lot of people playing as Humans in World of Warcraft.
We’d put Elwynn Forest as a medium-difficulty zone.
It has plenty of nice, open spaces with frequent quest NPCs and handy drops, but it also has some specific areas and mob types that can be run-ending. It’s easy to get stuck in places like Fargodeep Mine for example, and packs of Murlocs can be a real nightmare to tackle without assistance.
As we said, Elwynn Forest is also incredibly popular. Depending on your server and the time of day, there can also be a lot of competition for mobs, especially with rare spawns.
Dun Morogh
Dun Morogh is one of the dual starting zones in World of Warcraft, with both Dwarves and Gnomes kick-starting their journey here. It does throw up some challenges, but Dun Morogh is still one of the easiest zones to level up in as a Hardcore player.
It’s got a good variety of quests to pick from, offering consistent leveling experience and opportunities to tackle mobs in a safe, open environment.
There are a few caves to contend with in this zone which can be a problem, but it’s possible to tackle most necessary quests without ever venturing too far inside. The mob density inside these caves isn’t too horrendous, so it’s possible to pace it if you do need to head into one.
Dun Morogh is also situated in an ideal location. It’s relatively easy to get to other places in the Eastern Kingdoms, and Ironforge is within arms reach, too.
Mulgore
Out of all the possible zones in HC Classic WoW to level up in, Mulgore is a dream.
Mulgore is vast, with a decent amount of quests and not too many problem areas to contend with. There are a few caves, notably including the Venture Co. Mine, but in general, the areas where you have to fight mobs are open and easy for classes with kiting abilities.
There are plenty of quests and useful vendors in the Mulgore zone, too. Traveling around the zone can take some considerable time as a low-level character, but if you want an enjoyable experience as a newer Hardcore player, this is the best pick.
Make sure not to fall off the cliffs in Thunder Bluff, though. It’s much more of a common way to end a run than you might think.
Final Thoughts
Overall, if you’re looking to remove some of the stress from leveling up a character in Hardcore World of Warcraft, remember to keep an eye out for zones that are:
- Open, with minimal caves and underground networks
- Spaced out well with clear roads and paths
- Placed in handy locations with access to a capital city if needed
Dun Morogh is the best starting zone to pick as an Alliance player and Mulgore is the best zone to pick as a Horde player.
That’s not to say they don’t pose any challenge, though, in the same way that Teldrassil and Durotar can be a breeze if you level mindfully and plan your route well. Above all else, build your character based on what you enjoy and go from there.
