WoW Forever Horde Leveling Guide: 1–60 Route, Zones and Dungeons

This WoW Forever Horde leveling guide gives the full 1–60 route for Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, Undead and Windshaper Skyborne: which zones to quest in and in what order, where the new Forever quests and dungeons fit, and the Horde-only shortcuts. For Horde, Forever's new content sits close to home: the Ruins of Lordaeron above the Undercity, The Drowned City just off Grom'gol and the Horde town of Rog'mar in the new Riverglades.

For both factions side by side, see the WoW Forever leveling guide. For the Alliance version of this page, see the Alliance leveling guide.

Horde leveling at a glance

Starting zones	Durotar (Orc, Troll), Mulgore (Tauren), Tirisfal Glades (Undead), Zephras Isle (Skyborne, 1–12)
New race/class combos	Undead Paladin, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock; Windshaper Skyborne can be Shamans
New Horde quests found by 9 Oct	63 across the starting zones, the Barrens and the 20s zones (RestedXP count)
Closest new dungeons	Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20), City of Dalaran (28–33), The Drowned City (35–40), Krol'dok Stronghold (40–45)
New Horde town	Rog'mar in the Riverglades
Mount	Riding at 40, reported at 100 gold including the mount

The Horde zone order, 1–60

This is the free Wowdee addon's published Horde chapter list, grouped by level. We've added where Forever's new content fits. It's one tested-in-beta route up to 30. Above 30 it's a plan.

Levels	Zones in order (Wowdee)	Forever additions to fit in
1–14	Your starting zone. Orcs and Trolls: Durotar, then through the Undercity to Silverpine. Tauren: Mulgore to 12. Undead: Tirisfal, then Silverpine. Skyborne: Zephras Isle, then Silverpine	New quests in every starting zone; Undead Paladin quest line in Tirisfal
12–26	The Barrens, Hillsbrad Foothills, back to the Barrens	Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20); Cozy Sleeping Bag chain from 14
26–34	Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, Hillsbrad, Thousand Needles	City of Dalaran (28–33); pick up the attunement in Tarren Mill
34–41*	Desolace, Stranglethorn, Dustwallow Marsh, Arathi Highlands, Badlands, Stranglethorn, Swamp of Sorrows, Desolace	The Drowned City (35–40) from Grom'gol; the Riverglades from about 36
41–50*	Tanaris, Feralas, Stranglethorn, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Feralas	Krol'dok Stronghold (40–45); the Riverglades to the mid-40s; Alcaz Prison (48–53)
50–60*	Blasted Lands, Searing Gorge, Azshara, Felwood, Un'Goro Crater, Felwood, Eastern Plaguelands, Silithus, Felwood	Mount Hyjal (late 50s); Blackmaw Hold (55–60, Azshara); Shaper's Terrace (58–60, Un'Goro)

* Above level 30 nobody has played the route yet. Wowdee calls its levels "the guide's plan, not a promise," and its list doesn't include the Riverglades or Mount Hyjal.

Levels 1–12: Horde starting zones

Your homeland is familiar, but Forever has changed it. RestedXP's 9 October update counted new Horde quests in Durotar (13), Tirisfal Glades (14, plus 8 for Paladins only), Mulgore (9), Orgrimmar (5) and the Undercity (1), and 5 on Skywatcher Plateau, where Horde Skyborne arrive in Mulgore. A Classic Era route will walk you past these.

• Orc and Troll: Durotar, with more to do than before. Wowdee then sends you through the Undercity to Silverpine rather than straight into the Barrens.
• Tauren: Mulgore to about 12, then the Barrens.
• Undead: Tirisfal Glades, then Silverpine Forest. Undead Paladins, new in Forever, get their own quests in Tirisfal. RestedXP's route includes the Paladin "Redemption" chain. Blizzard's Found Photos recap says the Forsaken Paladin story centers on Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal's Whispering Wood.
• Windshaper Skyborne: Zephras Isle from 1 to 12, then Skywatcher Plateau in Mulgore. Our Skyborne leveling guide covers the start step by step.

Talents start at 10 and many Horde classes get their key leveling tool around then: the Hunter pet, the Warlock Voidwalker and Shaman totems. Class-by-class plans are in our Shaman, Warlock and Hunter guides.

Levels 12–26: the Barrens, Silverpine and Hillsbrad

The Barrens is still the Horde's main hub, with 10 new quests in RestedXP's count, and you will be back there more than once. Hillsbrad Foothills comes in between.

Three Forever stops belong in this bracket:

1. Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20). Above the Undercity, so it's the Horde's "home" dungeon. Horde get six quests, four of them picked up outside in Tirisfal, Silverpine and the Undercity. Our Ruins of Lordaeron guide lists them all.
2. The Cozy Sleeping Bag chain (from 14). Horde start at the Burned-Out Remains in the southern Barrens (46, 74), according to Warcraft Tavern's walkthrough. The chain then visits Westfall, Stonetalon, Loch Modan and Hillsbrad. It ends with a bag that gives up to +3% XP. RestedXP's Horde Dungeon Guide includes the Stonetalon steps. The Loch Modan step means a long trip past level 30 Alliance guards, so do it when your route already takes you to the Eastern Kingdoms. Details are in our XP buffs guide.
3. Wailing Caverns, Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps and Razorfen Kraul. These Classic dungeons are mandatory in RestedXP's Horde Dungeon Guide as of 3 November.

Levels 26–34: Ashenvale, Thousand Needles and Dalaran

Ashenvale, Stonetalon Mountains and Thousand Needles each have two new Horde quests in RestedXP's count. Hillsbrad sits in the middle of this bracket, which matters for the new dungeon:

• City of Dalaran (28–33) needs an attunement. Blizzard's dungeon overview says Horde start with "Key to the City" and "Prison Break-In" from Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill. Pick them up during your Hillsbrad visit so the dungeon is open at 28. The City of Dalaran guide has the full chain.

Levels 34–45: Stranglethorn, the Drowned City and the Riverglades

Classic Horde routes zig-zag through Desolace, Stranglethorn, Dustwallow, Arathi, the Badlands and the Swamp of Sorrows here. Forever adds two Horde-friendly stops:

• The Drowned City (35–40) is "off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom'gol," in Blizzard's words. Every quest that fan databases have found for it so far is Horde, and they appear to start at Grom'gol. Take the zeppelin to Grom'gol, collect the quests and dive for the entrance. Our Drowned City guide covers the entrance and quests.
• The Riverglades (mid-30s to mid-40s). Horde quest from Rog'mar alongside the Bolder'ok ogres. The game client shows Rog'mar's flight master linking to Kargath, Stonard, Hammerfall and Flame Crest, according to WoW Forever DB, so it slots in between your Badlands, Swamp and Arathi visits. The Twilight's Hammer and Krol'dok Stronghold (40–45) are in the same zone. See the Riverglades guide for area levels.

RestedXP's 3 November update removed Desolace from its Horde Dungeon Guide, which shows how much the new content changes these middle levels.

Levels 45–60: the long finish

Tanaris, Feralas and the Hinterlands lead into Azshara, Un'Goro, Felwood and the Plaguelands, much as in Classic. Forever adds:

• Alcaz Prison (48–53) on Alcaz Island off Dustwallow Marsh, near Theramore, so it's a contested trip for Horde.
• Blackmaw Hold (55–60) in Azshara and Shaper's Terrace (58–60) in Un'Goro. Pick up power crystals while questing in Un'Goro, because Blizzard says the consoles inside use them.
• Mount Hyjal, the new late-50s zone. Fan coverage of Blizzard's October video calls it the climax of leveling.

Getting around as Horde

• Zeppelins: Orgrimmar ↔ Undercity, Orgrimmar ↔ Grom'gol and Undercity ↔ Grom'gol, as in Classic. Grom'gol is now also your gateway to The Drowned City.
• Neutral boats: Ratchet ↔ Booty Bay as before, plus the new Steamwheedle Port (Tanaris) ↔ Powderfuse Port (Riverglades) ship listed in Overgear's travel guide.
• New Horde flight path: Rog'mar in the Riverglades. Walk in and collect it first.

The new boats that Forever adds elsewhere, Stormwind Harbor ↔ Auberdine and a route linking Menethil, Southshore and Auberdine, run between Alliance towns.

Horde dungeons to plan for

RestedXP's 3 November update lists the dungeons in its Horde Dungeon Leveling route. It's a useful checklist even if you don't use the addon:

Status	Dungeons
Mandatory	Ragefire Chasm, Ruins of Lordaeron, Wailing Caverns, Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps, Razorfen Kraul, Gnomeregan, Excavation Site, City of Dalaran, Razorfen Downs, Zul'Farrak, Maraudon, Blackrock Depths
Optional	The Deadmines, Scarlet Monastery, Uldaman, Sunken Temple
Coming after launch	Krol'dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, Blackmaw Hold, Shaper's Terrace

Since 1 October, dungeon quests give half as much bonus XP as before. Since 8 October, dungeon kills give about 20% more XP. Run each dungeon once at the right level with its quests. Our dungeon vs questing guide explains why.

Milestones on the way

• Level 25: your first Legacy Point. Our Legacy guide has the perks worth taking for alts.
• Level 40: riding and dual specialization. Beta players reported riding costs 100 gold including your race's mount. Gold while leveling shows how to have it ready.
• Level 60: Forsaken Paladins start their own epic mount quest. Blizzard says they ride "in the name of Retribution."

To decide between the paid route and free addons, read our RestedXP review, or see how the RestedXP discount code is applied.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Horde leveling route in WoW Forever?

Start in your race's zone, move to the Barrens or Silverpine Forest by 12–14, then follow Hillsbrad, the Barrens again, Ashenvale and Thousand Needles to the mid-30s. From there go to Desolace, Stranglethorn, Dustwallow, Arathi, the Badlands and the new Riverglades, then Tanaris, Feralas and the Hinterlands, and finish in Un'Goro, Felwood, Azshara and the Plaguelands.

Which new dungeons are easy to reach for Horde in WoW Forever?

Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20) sits above the Undercity, and The Drowned City (35–40) is just west of Grom'gol in Stranglethorn. For City of Dalaran (28–33), Horde start the attunement with Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill. Krol'dok Stronghold (40–45) is in the Riverglades, where Horde players quest from Rog'mar.

Where do Horde players quest in the Riverglades?

From Rog'mar, alongside the Bolder'ok ogres. The game client shows Rog'mar's flight master linking to Kargath, Stonard, Hammerfall and Flame Crest. Blizzard says the zone covers much of the mid-30s to mid-40s.

How many new Horde quests are in WoW Forever's early zones?

RestedXP counted 63 new Horde quests by 9 October: 13 in Durotar, 14 in Tirisfal Glades plus 8 for Paladins only, 10 in the Barrens, 9 in Mulgore, 5 in Orgrimmar, 5 on Skywatcher Plateau and a few in Stonetalon, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles and the Undercity. Blizzard's total for the whole game is more than 1,000.

Do Undead Paladins have a special quest line?

Yes. Undead Paladins in Tirisfal Glades get their own Paladin-only quests, including a Redemption chain, and Blizzard says Forsaken paladins have their own epic mount quest at level 60, ridden in the name of Retribution.