WoW The War Within 1-80 leveling guide: Fastest ways and tips
A comprehensive The War Within 1-80 leveling guide designed to help you level up your alts as fast as possible!
Table of Contents
Key takeaways:
- Timewalking dungeons provide massive XP amounts: Running Timewalking dungeons during their event weeks is one of the fastest ways to level.
- Warband bonuses make alt leveling easier: Shared reputation, XP catch-ups, and account-wide progression reduce grind for new characters.
- Holidays offer powerful XP buffs: Events like Darkmoon Faire, Midsummer Fire Festival, and WoW’s Anniversary grant stacking experience bonuses.
- Stacking multiple XP boosts speeds up leveling: Combining Rested XP, War Mode, holiday buffs, and Timewalking XP can drastically cut down leveling time.
Looking to level up fast in The War Within? This guide breaks down the most efficient ways to reach level 80. With the right preparation, XP buffs, and smart pathing, you can cut your leveling time drastically.
This The War Within leveling guide will help you reach the level cap in under eight hours. You can learn all you need about leveling in War Within, be it for your main or your alts. That includes info about best methods for leveling, Warbands, XP requirements, various tips and tricks in the War Within, and much more. Without further ado, let’s get started!
How to gain more XP
Once you reach level 80 for the first time and complete the War Within campaign, the introductory storyline is no longer mandatory. Adventure Mode unlocks for your entire Warband, letting all your alts access every zone and feature right away. They can start in any zone you like and level however you prefer.
Adventure Mode also lets you replay the main campaign for experience in any order you like or skip it entirely and focus on other content like Delves, dungeons, or world quests.
Getting a Warband member to level 80 grants a 5% received experience boost for all other characters, stacking up to 25% as follows:
| Number of characters at level 80 | XP bonus for other characters |
|---|---|
| 1 | +5% XP |
| 2 | +10% XP |
| 3 | +15% XP |
| 4 | +20% XP |
| 5 | +25% XP |
This will speed up getting multiple characters to the cap. If you want to take a closer look at alt characters’ leveling and skips, be sure to check out our The War Within skips and World quests for a faster alt-leveling article.
Warband XP bonus
Warband allows you to plan your experience gains more efficiently. Having Reputations shared between characters lets you do the sidequest on different alts instead of the main. That way, you won’t be wasting all the experience they give while still getting access to Reputation and rewards behind them for your main character.
Warmode
If you’re feeling brave, consider turning on War Mode. This PvP system, introduced in Battle for Azeroth, lets you engage with players from the opposing faction out in the open world.
Using War Mode can grant around 10% to 20% bonus XP if you don’t mind PvP risk. The extra XP you receive is based on how outnumbered your faction is on your server. The fewer allies you have around, the higher the XP boost. It’s a great way to speed up leveling, but you’re flagged for PvP the entire time. So be ready to fight—or flee—if an enemy player shows up.
Event XP buff
Occasionally, World of Warcraft hosts special events that grant a handy 10% XP buff. Often, they’re tied to holidays. For example, the Midsummer Fire Festival offers its Ribbon Dance, while the Darkmoon Faire gives its iconic WHEE! buff. The next Darkmoon Faire (in May 2025) will start on May 3 and continue until May 9. Some of these buffs can even stack with other XP bonuses.
Getting the buffs doesn’t take long, but some of these events can take a while to complete. and can add a nice XP buff to your leveling routine. They’re also a fun break from the grind, so make sure to take advantage of them whenever they’re active.
Preparations
Before you jump into leveling, there are a few things you’ll want to pay special attention to these four things so you can level up more quickly and efficiently in The War Within:
Decide who to level. Some options, like Allied Races and non-Evoker Dracthyrs, begin at level 10. That means you can skip the early levels and get straight to the action.
Equip and upgrade your heirloom gear. Heirloom gear is a great investment if you’re planning to level multiple WoW characters. You can equip it from level 1, and it scales with your level, so you won’t have to worry about constantly replacing your gear. Just make sure to upgrade your heirlooms so they scale all the way up to level 70.
Take advantage of the Warband buff to get more XP. Every character you level to 80 grants a 5% XP buff for all your other characters, stacking up to a total of 25% bonus. This makes it worth prioritizing your level 70 alts first. Get them to 80, build up that buff, and then level your low-level characters quicker with the full bonus.
Use the potion Draught of Ten Lands. The Draught of Ten Lands gives you a 10% XP buff but is only usable up to level 49. However, if you use it right before hitting level 50, the effect persists for one more hour. To buy the Draught of Ten Lands XP potion in WoW:
- Alliance players can visit Provisioner Stoutforge at coordinates [66.88, 25.78] in Boralus.
- Horde players can visit Provisioner Mukra at [51.2, 95.2] in Dazar’alor.
Each Draught of Ten Lands costs five Service Medals, a currency earned through various BfA activities. Stock up on these potions if you can.
The best ways to level from 1 to 80
Before we begin, it’s important to note that there are two main methods for fast leveling in TWW. The first method, which we will cover here, is available at any time.
The second is slightly more efficient but requires an active Timewalking event. Timewalking events occur every third week in World of Warcraft, cycling through Vanilla, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, and back to Vanilla. We will provide the Timewalking schedule later in the article.
Now let’s get back to leveling
The War Within 1-80 leveling
After you’re done with your preparation, you can begin. Here’s a quick overview of what your The War Within leveling journey from 1 to 80 will look like:
| Level range | Recommended leveling route |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | Exile’s Reach |
| 10-20 | Chromie Time: Legion |
| 20-49 | Chromie Time: Cataclysm |
| 50-70 | Chromie Time: Draenor |
| 70-80 | The War Within content / Dungeon spamming |
Level 1-10: Exile’s Reach
If you picked a race that starts on level 10, we highly recommend you do Exile’s Reach. It is an updated beginner zone where you can speedrun your leveling from 1 to 10 in under an hour.
Level 10-20: Chromie Time — Legion
There are a couple of fast and efficient methods you can take to level up from 10 to 20. You can either start spamming dungeons or begin doing Legion quests with the help of Chromie Time leveling. Complete any Legion invasion going on to gain even more XP.
You can find Chromie in Stormwind at coordinates [57, 17] or Orgrimmar at coordinates [40, 80] and select the Legion timeline.
Level 20-49: Chromie Time — Cataclysm
Starting at level 20, you can select to play in Warmode to gain even more XP. We highly recommend that you begin doing a Cataclysm timeline after hitting this milestone. Just go to Chromie again and select the needed timeline. Quests in the Cataclysm timeline are often quick to complete and are located close to each other, so you will soon have level 49.
Note
When you are about to get level 50, remember to consume the last Draught of Ten Lands if you have one.
Level 50-70: Chromie Time — Draenor
From level 50, select the Draenor timeline. No matter which faction you’re playing, begin with the introductory quests. They’re quick, easy, and offer a solid chunk of XP. Once you’ve completed the intro and set up your Garrison, head to Gorgrond. The quests there are fast-paced and efficient for leveling. Stick with Gorgrond until you reach level 70.
Level 70-80: The War Within or dungeon spamming
When you hit level 70, Chromie timelines end, and you will be forced to do War Within content or dungeon spamming. Leveling up from 70 to 80 takes the longest, so choosing the right approach matters.
Dungeon spamming (or dungeon grinding) remains the fastest option overall, especially with a solid group. However, if you’re burned out on running instances, you can try War Within questing. You can start in Hallowfall and work through the new zones.
Be sure to prioritize Delves as you go. These mini-dungeons offer questlines with generous XP rewards and can really speed up your leveling if you stay on top of them.
Leveling up by spamming dungeons
Closest timewalking events:
- Classic Timewalking dungeons week: May 13 to May 19.
- Burning Crusade dungeons week: June 3 to June 9.
- Wraith of the Lich King dungeons week: June 24 to June 30.
Timewalking dungeons are usually the fastest way to gain levels to the cap quickly. Before choosing dungeons as your primary way of leveling, you have some factors to consider:
- The effectiveness of dungeon spamming depends heavily on how quickly you can clear each run. The faster your group finishes a dungeon, the sooner you can queue up for the next one, and the more XP you can get per hour.
- Most of that speed comes down to your group’s DPS. You want players who know their rotation and can consistently pump out solid damage. Unfortunately, if you’re using the Dungeon Finder, the chances of getting a high-performing group are pretty hit or miss.
- Queue times are almost nonexistent for Tanks and Healers, but DPS players may have to wait longer.
That said, dungeons still remain one of the best leveling methods from 10 to 80. Here’s how to make the most out of dungeon leveling:
- Find a dungeon spam group. Many players want to level through dungeons. You only need to find them. Search for these people in Looking for a Group or in your Guild. One thing to notice is that players love to be carried but dislike carrying someone else. Make sure to do your best and strive for the quickest clears.
- Bring a friend or two. Bring a friend or two with you if you prefer to use Dungeon Finder rather than commit to intimidating dungeon spam. Someone you can rely on. Any combination of roles is fine as long as it is not all DPS. That way, you will have a quicker time finding a dungeon.
- Do the daily random dungeon. If you are not a fan of dungeons but still want to get some of that sweet experience, do a daily random dungeon. This way, you can receive an extra experience reward from a typical run, and your interaction with this content will be as minimal as possible.
- Do dungeon quests. Each new dungeon has a quest or two that requires you to complete these dungeons and/or do some extra objectives there. So you should do these quests and complete every new dungeon at least once.
- Keep track of Timewalking events. They rotate every three weeks and offer a major increase to leveling speed when active. Planning your leveling sessions around these events can save you hours of grinding.
We understand that not all players enjoy dungeon-spamming. So, below are some alternative leveling methods to help you reach level 80 in The War Within.
Alternative leveling methods in The War Within
You can approach leveling in The War Within in different ways. Questing, dungeons, and, of course, the newly added Delves. All of these methods also contribute toward the Loremaster achievement and build reputation across your entire Warband. Each path has its own pros and cons, so let’s break them down and help you choose the best approach for your playstyle.
Earthen skyriding leveling method
In The War Within, Earthen Skyriding leveling uses the Earthen race’s unique racial trait, Wide-Eyed Wonder, which grants a 200% bonus to exploration experience. This allows Earthen characters to level efficiently by simply exploring new zones and discovering locations across various expansions. You can make the most of this bonus by flying over undiscovered areas, earning substantial experience without engaging in traditional questing or combat.
To optimize this leveling method, the community developed the addon Dystinct Earthen Skyriding, which offers an optimized flying route, enabling players to maximize their exploration experience gains. This addon provides features such as automatic discovery, tracking, and a route editor, allowing for efficient navigation and customization of exploration paths.
Note
By following these optimized routes, players have reported leveling from 10 to 70 in approximately 2 hours, making it currently the most efficient method for leveling in The War Within.
YouTuber DiabloManDan completed this feat in just under 1 hour and 20 minutes. You can watch his full gameplay in the video above for a detailed look at his strategy. This Earthen skyriding leveling method provides a unique sightseeing experience, but it has some downsides:
- It’s restricted to a single race, the Earthen.
- It doesn’t offer any gear, meaning you will reach level 70 without proper equipment.
Main Story quests
The main story of the War Within expansion presents a campaign made of 12 chapters split between four new zones. Doing these quests grants a large amount of experience to reach the cap and grants access to many new areas of content.
You can always focus on the main story quests, but completing them with your first character leveled and geared up is no longer needed. You can access all the locked content and endgame alts through Adventure Mode.
Side story quests
Aside from the main story quests, each zone has a plethora of side quests. It may be a single task, short storylines, etc. These also provide experience alongside other rewards, such as gear, consumables, Reputation, etc.
The side stories in The War Within are not required to complete the story, but clearing a zone’s side quests may also grant a level or two. With Warband, you will no longer be wasting the experience from this on your main since you can do the quests on alts and still receive shared Reputation and rewards.
Another great way to earn extra XP is through World Events. These dynamic, side quest-style activities pop up as you explore different zones. When you enter a designated area for the first time, a World Event may trigger automatically. The objectives are usually quick and easy, like slaying nearby mobs or collecting items scattered around the area.
Despite their simplicity, they reward a solid chunk of XP and occasionally offer bonus loot or currency. They’re a nice change of pace and a worthwhile detour during your leveling journey, especially if you’re looking to maximize efficiency without too much effort.
Delves
A new challenger appears! Delves are the type of content introduced in the War Within. They are dungeon-like instances with their own progression system and variables that make every walkthrough unique and different. Delves is supposed to be another form of PvE endgame content, similar to Raids and Mythic+.
What matters to us now, however, is that Delves can be used to level up your characters. Despite being designed for end-game, early Tiers are accessible as you open the corresponding Delve.
Another notable feature is that you don’t need help from other players to finish Delves. You can run through Delves solo with only an NPC companion by your side, whose main focus is on healing or providing additional damage.
Note:
On each alt character, you’ll have the chance to earn bonus XP from Delver’s Call quests, which provide a significant experience rewards. These quests are automatically completed when you finish a unique Delve for the first time—perfect for speeding up leveling and reaching level 80.
Delves have more features, such as gear, seasonal rewards, companion upgrades, etc., but that is another topic that you can explore more in our Comprehensive The War Within Delves guide. We consider Delve spam to be one of the fastest ways to level in WoW: The War Within.
Conclusion
This is it for our guide. We hope it helped you with powerleveling your main and alts for the War Within. If you have even faster methods or any questions, let us know in the comments! With that, we wish you luck and a fun adventure. And if you ever need assistance in reaching that level cap, our WoW leveling service is always here to help!
FAQ
Which Holidays give experience buff?
The full list of Holiday XP Buffs includes: Midsummer Festival, Brewfest Festival, and Hallow’s End. However, not every Holiday gives an experience buff, for example, Pilgrim’s Bounty gives only bonus for Reputation.
How to unlock Adventure Mode?
To unlock Adventure Mode in The War Within, you’ll need to complete the main story campaign at least once. That means finishing the storyline in all four zones. Once you’ve wrapped up the full questline, Adventure Mode will become available for your alts, letting you skip the campaign and level however you prefer.
When Darkmoon Faire is available?
Darkmoon Faire is available every first week of each month.
What is Rested XP?
Rested XP (Rested experience) is a bonus experience system in World of Warcraft that allows characters to gain extra experience when defeating enemies. It accumulates while your character is logged out in rested areas (like inns or cities) and grants double XP from mob kills until the rested bonus is depleted.
How to get Rested XP?
To gain Rested XP, simply log out in a rested area such as an inn or major city. You’ll see a “Zzz” icon on your character portrait, indicating you are in a rested state. Over time, your XP bar will turn blue, showing the amount of Rested XP available. The longer you remain logged out in a rested area (up to 10 days), the more Rested XP you accumulate, making it a great way to speed up leveling process when you return!
What WoW leveling zones are the best?
The best leveling zones in WoW depend on your level range, faction, and personal preference. However WoD expansion’s objectives, treasures, and quests make it the fastest leveling zone.
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