MoP Classic prep guide – Checklist before launch
Prepare for Mists of Pandaria Classic with this guide: optimize professions, gear, gold, and characters during the pre-patch for a strong start.
Table of Contents
Key takeaways:
- Early preparation pays off – Maxing professions, capping currencies, and grabbing heirlooms now sets you up for a faster, smoother MoP launch.
- Use the pre-patch window strategically – It’s the perfect time to level alts, farm gold, and complete one-time objectives like the Balnazzar boost.
- Think long-term with your investments – Stocking valuable items like pets, wands, and mats now can lead to big gold gains after launch.
The pre-patch period before the launch of Mists of Pandaria Classic presents a valuable opportunity to optimize your account, characters, and resources. This guide outlines the key steps you should take to prepare effectively, including currency management, profession readiness, item acquisition, and leveling strategies.
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Just a friendly reminder: the MoP pre-patch kicks off on July 1! Want to know what to do? Check out the MoP Classic pre-patch overview for full details.
Maximize professions before prices rise
Professions will remain highly relevant in MoP Classic, so make sure you’re prioritizing them.
If your main already has maxed-out professions, take a look at your alts—leveling up their professions now can give you a major advantage later. This is one of the most important things to do before MoP Classic launch.
As players return in anticipation of the expansion, the demand for crafting materials will increase. Maxing out your professions now will help avoid inflated material prices during the pre-patch and expansion launch. Prioritize professions with high utility in early Mists of Pandaria content, such as:
- Alchemy (for potions and flasks)
- Enchanting (for gear upgrades)
- Engineering (for tools and PvP advantages)
- Jewelcrafting (for stat gems)
Note:
Leveling up your professions not only prepares you for new content in Mists of Pandaria but also provides a reliable source of gold income. Establishing a steady gold flow early on can offer significant advantages, and there is no downside to being financially prepared for the expansion.
Fishing
Fishing is especially noteworthy in Mists of Pandaria due to the introduction of a unique and highly useful mount: the Reins of the Azure Water Strider. This mount has the rare ability to walk on water, making it valuable not only during your time in Pandaria but also across other zones and expansions.
To obtain it, players must reach Exalted reputation with The Anglers faction. Achieving this requires a significant commitment to the Fishing profession, as daily quests and fishing activities are the primary methods of gaining reputation.
If you have not already started leveling Fishing, now is the ideal time. Begin working on your skill and reputation early to ensure you unlock this mount as soon as possible in Mists of Pandaria Classic.
Currencies
With the Mists of Pandaria Classic pre-patch just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to make the most of your Valor, Justice, and Honor Points.
Valor and Justice points
Valor Points will be converted to Justice Points in the pre-patch, so it’s smart to plan ahead:
- Spend any leftover Valor Points now—consider grabbing gear that still hold value.
- Cap your Justice Points at 4000 so you’re ready to buy ilvl 450 gear at level 90 or upgrade heirlooms once the patch hits.
Honor points
Honor Points become even more valuable in the pre-patch, as you’ll be able to buy former Conquest gear with them. To get ready:
- Cap your Honor at 4,000 before the patch drops.
- Farm efficiently by running Random Battlegrounds and participating in Wintergrasp for quick and consistent gains.
Equipment and items to acquire
Let’s talk gear. While most current gear will quickly become outdated with the introduction of higher item level equipment in MoP, there are still a few important gear-related points to keep in mind:
Not all items will lose their value instantly, and some may even gain relevance due to niche uses, transmog appeal, or specific stat combinations. It’s worth knowing which pieces to hang on to and which to replace right away.
Purchase Heirloom helms and cloaks
Heirloom helms and cloaks provide a 15% experience bonus and will significantly speed up the leveling process in Mists of Pandaria zones. If you haven’t picked them up yet, now is the time—these items are available through guild vendors and can make a noticeable difference while leveling through MoP zones.
They’re especially useful for leveling a new Monk, which starts at level 1. Stacking heirlooms across multiple slots (helm, cloak, chest, shoulders, legs) can significantly cut down the time it takes to reach max level. Grab them now while they’re easily accessible and give yourself a strong head start.
Obtain Head Enchants before removal
Faction-based head enchants—like the Arcanum of the Flame’s Soul—will be removed in the MoP pre-patch. While these enchants aren’t game-changing, they do provide a small stat increase that can help while leveling or gearing up fresh characters. If you have any alts you plan to play, consider grabbing these now before they’re gone.
They’re also Bind on Equip, meaning you could technically sell them—but demand is expected to be low, so don’t count on them as a gold-making method.
Leveling and character planning
Leveling is more important than ever—and right now, it’s also easier than it’s been in a while. The more characters you have ready at max level, the more flexibility you’ll have with professions, roles in group content, and daily cooldowns once the expansion launches.
Level alternate characters to 85
With heirlooms and pre-patch leveling changes, this is an efficient time to level alts. Benefits include:
- Having multiple profession-capable characters.
- Experimenting with new class/spec combinations.
- Choosing a potential new main for Mists of Pandaria content.
Tip:
To encourage players to level alternate characters, experiment with different class specializations, and engage in other time-intensive activities, Blizzard has reintroduced the Joyous Journeys experience buff. This bonus increases all experience gained by 50%, making it an excellent opportunity to level efficiently before the launch of Mists of Pandaria Classic.
This 50% experience bonus from Joyous Journeys can be further increased to up to 80% by equipping Heirloom gear. Heirloom helms, cloaks, shoulders, and chest pieces each provide additional experience bonuses, making them a powerful tool for fast and efficient leveling during the pre-patch period.
SoD Balnazaar clear
To celebrate the launch of MoP Classic, Blizzard has introduced a unique challenge tied to Season of Discovery.
If you’ve played SoD or are thinking of returning, now’s the time—defeating Balnazzar, the final boss of the Scarlet Enclave raid in Phase 4, will earn you a free level 85 character boost for MoP Classic.
This is a first-of-its-kind reward from Blizzard and a great incentive to jump back into SoD.
Want to know more? Check out our Phase 8 overview and Scarlet Enclave raid guide to get fully prepared.
Economic opportunities
Gold will always remain a key resource in every version of WoW—and MoP Classic is no exception.
To stay ahead during the pre-patch and into the expansion, here are some reliable gold-making tips to keep your wallet full and your gameplay smooth.
Farm gold efficiently
Staying financially ahead means having the freedom to gear up faster, prepare for raids, and take advantage of early expansion opportunities.
Some of the most effective gold farming methods include:
- Running older dungeons – Target legacy content to farm rare transmog pieces that can sell for a high price, especially those with unique appearances.
- Stockpiling high-demand materials and consumables – Herbs, ores, enchanting mats, and flasks will spike in value during the launch window. Gather and hold now, sell when demand peaks.
- Using gathering professions – Herbalism, mining, and skinning remain top-tier for raw gold generation, especially when paired with a crafting alt or a smart auction strategy.
Prepare for the Pet Battle system
The new pet battle system in MoP brings both fun gameplay variety and real economic potential. To get ahead:
- Start collecting and leveling rare pets now to be ready for pet battles right at launch.
- Focus on cageable pets—these can be resold during the early days of the expansion when demand spikes.
And if you’re not personally into pet battles, don’t ignore them entirely. Stocking up on valuable pets now can be a smart gold-making move—collectors and completionists will be eager to buy them, giving you an easy way to pad your gold reserves.
Buy Wands before the pre-patch
In previous expansions, wands were treated as ranged weapons, mainly used by casters in niche situations. However, in MoP, they’re reclassified as main-hand weapons, shifting their role from functional tools to more of a cosmetic or collector’s item for many players.
This opens up a potential niche market: aesthetic or rare-looking wands may become valuable, especially among transmog enthusiasts and collectors. It’s worth picking up a few visually striking or unique wands now to see if they appreciate in value post-launch.
That said, don’t treat this as your main gold-making strategy. While some wands may sell well—especially the most visually appealing ones—it’s more of a speculative investment than a guaranteed payoff.
Additional considerations
Let’s wrap up our MoP prep checklist with a few extra tips and bits of info you might find helpful.
Whether you’re a returning player or a seasoned veteran, these final pointers could give you that extra edge going into MoP Classic.
Sign up for the Mists of Pandaria Classic beta
If Blizzard offers beta access, sign up as early as possible. Early access allows for:
- Testing class changes and leveling speed.
- Mapping out profession routes.
- Familiarizing yourself with new zones and mechanics.
Pre-patch preparation checklist
| Task | Completed |
|---|---|
| Max professions on primary and alt characters | ☐ |
| Spend Valor Points before conversion | ☐ |
| Cap Justice Points at 4000 | ☐ |
| Cap Honor Points at 4000 | ☐ |
| Purchase heirloom helms and cloaks | ☐ |
| Acquire wands before pre-patch changes | ☐ |
| Buy head enchants before removal | ☐ |
| Push PvP ratings for exclusive gear | ☐ |
| Clear Balnazaar in Season of Discovery | ☐ |
| Level alternate characters to level 85 | ☐ |
| Collect and level rare battle pets | ☐ |
| Farm gold through dungeons or trade goods | ☐ |
| Sign up for MoP Classic beta (if available) | ☐ |
Conclusion
We hope you found this guide helpful! We’ll continue to update it with pre-patch activities and new tips as they become available.
If you’re short on gold and want to skip the grind, you can always consider purchasing WoW Classic gold from trusted sources.
Happy grinding—and wishing you a great week ahead!
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