Top 5 - Classic Horde Leveling Zones

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here! And today, I'm pleased to be back with another top 5 list for you!

As we all know, World of Warcraft Classic has a lot to offer for anyone who decides to pick it up and play. But no matter if your goal is raiding, PVP, or just to enjoy some good old fashioned RP, you're going to have to level up a bit. It's basically unavoidable...unless you're doing some level 1 gnome raids on Orgrimmar, that is...

Anyway, since I've already talked about some of the more well-known quests, I thought it might be fun to talk about some of my favorite leveling zones again now that Classic is out. Plus, I've been maining Horde this time around, so I've definitely a different perspective on things than I used to. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy as I tell you my Top 5 Classic Horde Leveling Zones.

#5 - Stranglethorn Vale

Stranglethorn Vale

Stranglethorn Vale is a lush jungle with a rich backstory, great quests, and one of the greatest soundtracks of any zone in Classic. It is also the only zone that is unavoidable while leveling (so long as you're not solely dungeon grinding, that is). No matter whether you're playing Horde or Alliance, you'll find yourself in this jungle eventually...

I love Stranglethorn Vale for a few reasons - the massive number of beasts to kill and skin, the jungle-music that adds to the atmosphere, and the wide level 30-50 range to name a few. But my favorite aspect of STV after playing through this zone as a Horde character this time has got to be the sheer number of quests it provides - especially for my faction. Trolls and Tauren alike can start questing here, as I said, at around level 30 or so, killing tigers and panthers for Hemit Nesingwary Jr. up in the north. You continue killing trolls, raptors, and pirates for quest givers in Grom'gol and Booty Bay for ages - always having something to do - while constantly hearing that relaxing jungle beat in the background. It's really no wonder this was at the top of my list last time I thought about the different zones of Classic.

Grom'Gol

STV has its issues - the gankfest it is on PVP servers, the stretches of few to no quests for some levels, and the massive size of the jungle to name a few. However, it is without a doubt one of the quintessential zones of Classic leveling. And with Grom'Gol having a near perfect position in the middle portion of the zone, it becomes all that much better for the Horde.

#4 - Thousand Needles

Thousand Needles

Thousand Needles is, without a doubt, my most unexpected entry on this list. Nevertheless, it was one of the more memorable and fruitful zones I quested in on my troll's journey to 60. Though somewhat confusing and definitely very large geographically for a pre-40 character, it is chocked full of interesting and useful quests.

Darkcloud Pinnacle

First off, you have the Darkcloud Pinnacle quests, which basically ask you to climb up on top of the massive pillars of the zone and take on the Grimtotem clan head-on. If you weren't careful, you could tumble into the valley below, adding an extra element of danger to these quests - especially when doing the escort.

Secondly, there are tons of centaur here, right around Freewind Post, which are excellent for farming Silk Cloth - an item that my tailoring desperately needed around level 28 or so. These mobs are close together and die fairly quickly, which makes it a nice, relaxing place to farm exp when you don't feel like scouring the world for new quests to do.

Shimmering Flats

Finally, the absolute best part of this zone, from a leveling perspective anyway, has got to be the Shimmering Flats: a large open space with more quests than one can even hope to complete in one sitting. Sure, it's pretty far away from Freewind Post, but it's only a little ways from Gadgetzan to the south, so traveling to and fro isn't too bad. Of all the subzones (zones within zones), this is probably my favorite for this reason - quest central!

#3 - Un'Goro Crater

Un'Goro Crater

Un'Goro Crater is a large circular crater in the southernmost part of Kalimdor. This zone is a prehistoric paradise! Home to tar beasts, devilsaurs, and Nintendo spoofs, it is right up there in my favorite zones of all time! It's the only zone in this list that is purely neutral too, so Alliance players, rejoice! You too can do all of the quests here! At least, I'm pretty sure you can...

When leveling my priest in November 2019, I actually nearly forgot this zone existed - only going sometime after level 50. I arrived at Marshal's Refuge with only a handful of quests in my log: mostly dungeon quests for ST that I'd never complete if I remember correctly. But as soon as I picked up the quests here and opened up my map to see where to start, I was blown away. Questie (yes, I use the addon because I'm casual AF) lit up the entire map with so many icons that I could barely see the actual map underneath. It was pretty ridiculous.

Devilsaurs are Dangerous

Needless to say, I was busy in this zone for a long time. But the number of quests isn't why it's so good for leveling - there are lots of zones filled with quests. It is the complete overlapping of the quest items and objectives that make it so amazing. You can leave Marshal's Refuge, run around for an hour picking up soil, dinosaur bones, and ooze samples constantly and STILL not be done with the quests. There are plenty of quests with specific locations to grind in, that's true, but you can easily progress on 3 or 4 other quests while running there and back. And then running to the next area and back. And again. And again.

Combine this amazing questing experience to the nice green color of the zone, the terror of being trampled by a Devilsaur, and the deep, foreboding soundtrack this zone utilizes to keep you on the edge of your seat, and you've got one hell of a leveling zone!

#2 - Feralas

Feralas

Feralas is, most definitely, one of my favorite zones of all time now. Having played Alliance for so long, I feel that I never really appreciated just how epic it is - probably because I always had to wait for that damn boat to get anywhere! As a troll this time, however, I really got to enjoy this lush rain forest the way it should be experienced.

Like most forests, Feralas is green, so it's already a wonderful zone in my book. The music is pleasant, (a mix of STV and Barrens music if I'm not mistaken), and the entire zone is covered in a dense humid-looking fog. It's far away from Orgrimmar, which makes going to town to learn new skills a bit of a pain, but it's got a town with a mailbox, flight master, and everything else that we sometimes take for granted in World of Warcraft. It's this town, I believe, which makes Feralas such an amazing zone for Horde leveling compared to the Alliance.

A Lush Rain Forest

Camp Mojache is located in the eastern part of the zone, literally on the road. There are MANY great quests offered here, but their location is key - many of the Horde quests for Feralas are right around the Camp. There's the epic gnoll quest (yes, I said it) directly to the south, the ogre quests to the north and south-west, and the Muisek quest chain which has objectives all over the map just to name a few. Best of all, there's no need to take the boat to the islands housing Feathermoon Hold for Horde! It's really just an awesome zone to go relax, kill yetis, fish, or do whatever else you want on your journey to 60!

#1 - The Barrens

The Barrens

Because of course it is! The Barrens is, without question, the most iconic Horde leveling zone in World of Warcraft. Though it's pretty dull and colorless - a drab brownish yellow that blends the grasses and rocks together for the most part - the music, quests, and most importantly players of this zone make it an absolute must for anyone leveling a Horde character in Classic.

Similar to STV, The Barrens spans a wide range of levels. Players come here directly either from Mulgore or Durotar around level 10 and may continue to quest here into the 20s. Upon your first trip to the Crossroads, a site of considerable world PVP back in the day if I remember correctly, you pick up around 10 quests to complete - many of which overlap each other similar to Un'Goro later on. You continue questing until you get to around level 17 or so, when many of the quests you end up getting are no longer for The Barrens, but rather a place called Wailing Caverns - the Horde equivalent to the Deadmines.

Bramblescar

Like I said, there are many reasons to love The Barrens: music, quests, and more. But what really makes The Barrens the best Classic leveling zone for Horde players is the community...

In other words, Barrens Chat:

"Has anyone seen Mankrik's wife?"
"Anal [Thunderfuy, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker"

[Insert random political statement here]

Even months after wrapping up my priests quests here, I still love it every time I fly through this zone and glance at my chat box. It always makes me smile...or cringe, depending on the topic of the hour.

Sure, every zone of Classic has its merits, but as a leveling zone for Horde players on a 15 year old internet game, the Barrens reigns supreme.


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So there you have it - my Top 5 Classic Horde Leveling Zones. Honestly, all 5 of these, and many many more, are great zones to level in as underlings of Thrall or the Banshee Queen, but these ones in particular were the ones I enjoyed the most - especially Feralas and The Barrens. It was especially hard to choose which of those two would be the #1 spot.

You might have noticed that I excluded the starting zones, as well as the "max level" zones. This wasn't entirely intentional, as I simply did not feel that the Horde starter zones held up as well as later leveling zones (especially Mulgore), nor did I think that the endgame zones were as enjoyable for leveling. Still, I would like to say that I do love most of the zones in Classic, and you should too! The game is a masterpiece and the zones each have their own unique aspects to enjoy. That being said, let me know which zones are your favorite for leveling by leaving a comment down below. I'd love to hear what you have to say!

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this post, why not add yourself to my mailing list? Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for other updates, and check out my videos over on YouTube if you'd like to see more of my content in the future. Thanks a lot for reading, have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!