WoW Forever Beginner Guide: Tips for New Players Leveling Their First Character

New to WoW Forever? Level your first character the simple way: follow quests in zones that match your level, train your spells every time you can, end each session in an inn and don't spend your gold before level 40. Forever keeps Classic's slow, world-first leveling, but it is friendlier to new players than Classic: there's a new tutorial, quest markers on the map if you choose the Enhanced preset, and full controller support.

This page is for your first character. Getting ready before launch? See the launch checklist. Can't log in? See login problems on launch night.

The 10 tips that matter most

1. Choose the Enhanced preset if you're unsure. It marks quest objective areas on the map; Classic leaves you to read the quest text. Blizzard's advice is to start with Enhanced if you're unsure; you can change each setting later under Options. The launch checklist compares Classic and Enhanced.
2. Pick a forgiving class. A Beast Mastery Hunter is the usual beginner pick: the pet takes the hits. See best leveling class.
3. Read the quest text, or use a quest helper. Quests are where most of your XP comes from. Enhanced shows objective areas; Questie adds quest givers to the map for free.
4. Visit your class trainer every two levels. New spell ranks are a big power boost. Trainers stand in every starting area and major town.
5. Spend talent points from level 10. Follow your class guide rather than guessing; respecs cost gold. See talents and dual spec.
6. Equip new bags yourself. Since 2 November, bags don't equip automatically. Drag them onto a free bag slot.
7. Log out in an inn or a capital city. You build rested XP, which doubles kill XP until it runs out.
8. Sell grey items. Grey "junk" items exist to be sold to any vendor. It's most of your early gold.
9. Pick two gathering professions. Herbalism, Mining or Skinning earn money for your mount. See professions.
10. Save for level 40. Your mount and riding training come at 40; plan for about 100 gold (reported by beta players; Blizzard hasn't confirmed a price). See gold while leveling.

How leveling works in WoW Forever

Forever is a "Classic-style" game: levels take time, the world is large and there's no quest-finder that teleports you to content. You level to 60 by:

• Questing. Most XP. Quests are grouped in zones by level; a zone's quests turn grey when they're too low for you to get much XP.
• Killing monsters. Monsters near your level give XP; grey ones give none. Kill what's on your way to quest objectives.
• Dungeons. Five-player instances with their own quests. Forever has new dungeons as early as the teens; see dungeons vs questing.
• Rested XP and camps. Logging out in an inn or city stores rested XP. Forever also adds camps, with features that give buffs and their own boosted rest; see our camping guide.

Blizzard's own data from testing says the average tester took 20.5 hours to reach level 20, almost the same as Classic (how long to level). Levels 1–20 are a small share of the XP to 60, so expect a long journey.

Your first hour

1. Do the tutorial. Blizzard added a tutorial for new players in the 15 October beta build (Blizzard). It covers the basics; don't skip it on your first character.
2. Talk to everyone with a "!" above their head. That's a quest. A yellow "?" means you can hand one in.
3. Set up your action bars. Put your main attack, your heal (if you have one) and food or water on keys you can reach.
4. Eat and drink between fights. Sitting to eat or drink restores health and mana much faster than waiting. Buy food and water from the innkeeper or a vendor.
5. Hand in everything in town before moving on. Then visit your trainer, sell your grey items and repair.

Playing on a controller

Blizzard's 2 November notes say that in WoW Forever "all major gameplay and core user interface experiences can be played with a controller, including movement, spells, interactions, UI navigation". Gamepad support is in what Blizzard calls a "functional Beta state", and you customise it in Edit Mode and Options.

Two tips for controller players:

• Melee and pet classes are easier on a controller than classes that juggle many spells. A Hunter, Warrior or Paladin is a comfortable start.
• Hunters: the 15 October build added an Auto Attack/Auto Shot setting, also supported on gamepad, that switches between melee and ranged automatically.

Mistakes new players make

• Pulling too many monsters. Fight one or two at a time until you know your class. Watch for monsters that walk in while you fight.
• Questing in zones that are too high. Monsters three or more levels above you hit harder and you miss more. Move to a zone that fits your level.
• Skipping the trainer. Old spell ranks fall behind quickly.
• Selling or destroying quest items. Items with a quest tooltip belong to an active quest.
• Logging out in the open. You lose rested XP you could have banked in an inn.
• Spending gold early. The level 40 mount is the big expense. Auction house upgrades can wait.

Easy wins once you're settled

• Group up for hard quests. Some quests are marked elite or need a group; invite players working on the same quest.
• Use the Group Finder for dungeons when you reach their level.
• Earn Legacy points. From level 25, Forever's Legacy system rewards challenges with points you spend on perks; see Legacy points.
• Read your class guide. Each covers spec, talents and spells for leveling; start from the classes overview.

Free help vs a guided route

Many new players use a quest helper. Questie is free and shows quests and objectives on the map; you still decide the order. A paid route addon like RestedXP goes further: it tells you which quests to take, in what order, with an arrow to each step, and the addon itself is free while guide access is paid. Our RestedXP vs Questie comparison explains the difference, and how to install addons walks you through setup.

Not sure about paying? Our RestedXP review covers the Forever routes in depth, is RestedXP free? lists the free chapters for levels 1–20, and the RestedXP discount code page explains the automatic 10% off (there is no code to enter). For prices and packages, see RestedXP for WoW Forever.

Frequently asked questions

Is WoW Forever good for new players?

Yes. Forever keeps Classic's slower, world-first leveling but adds a new tutorial for new players (added in the 15 October beta build), an Enhanced preset with quest markers on the map, and full controller support. You don't need to have played Classic.

What is the easiest class for a beginner in WoW Forever?

Most leveling guides point beginners to a Beast Mastery Hunter: the pet takes the hits and you attack from range. Warlock and Paladin are also forgiving. Our best leveling class guide compares all nine.

Can I play WoW Forever with a controller?

Yes. Blizzard's 2 November notes say all major gameplay and core user interface can be played with a controller, including movement, spells, interactions and UI navigation. Blizzard describes gamepad support as being in a functional beta state, and you set it up in Edit Mode and Options.

Why didn't my new bag equip itself?

Since Blizzard's 2 November update, bags no longer equip automatically into free bag slots. Equip them yourself: drag the bag onto an empty bag slot next to your backpack.

How do I get more XP as a new player?

Do quests in the zones that match your level, kill monsters on the way to objectives, log out in an inn or a city to build rested XP, and visit your class trainer when you level up. A route addon such as RestedXP or the free Questie addon helps you find quests faster.

When do I get talents and a mount in WoW Forever?

Talents start at level 10. Dual Spec unlocks at 40, and the mount comes at 40 together with riding training. Beta players reported about 100 gold for that, but Blizzard hasn't published the price.