WoW Classic Hardcore: How to safely powerlevel through Azeroth

WoW Classic Hardcore is coming and powerleveling is a possibility. The servers will launch on August 24, 2023, and with them, a brand-new challenge will arrive for players. Instead of an outside app to track progress, Blizzard Entertainment will add the mode as an option for anyone to use when they play on the Classic servers. It promises to be challenging, and you shouldn’t rush through it.

However, powerleveling can be dangerous in WoW Classic Hardcore. If you die once, that’s it. There are tried-and-true methods of taking part in this level grind, but it can be deadly. Here are some steps you can take to hit the level cap swiftly.

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What is powerleveling in WoW Classic Hardcore?

It's important to take your time and not rush to fight bigger enemies. Smaller packs of green enemies are better (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Powerleveling in WoW Classic Hardcore means grinding through tons of levels in one sitting. It’s easier on the retail servers since you can take advantage of quality-of-life changes and grind through dungeons with the greatest ease. There are also occasional exp buff events.

Some people find the perfect quest path, and others opt to slaughter tons of monsters in the world, finding that easier than quest objectives. Thanks to the advent of mods and addons, you can make quest text immediate and can also track them faster. Quest tracking in vanilla WoW was not good, after all.

Powerleveling, in essence, completely skips the story and focuses on one thing: Experience Points. You want to get them as fast as possible.

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Advice on powerleveling in WoW Classic Hardcore

If I have to pick between mob grinding and questing, I’m going to pick a good leveling zone 10 out of 10 times. There are areas that are really suited for this, which I recently wrote about. Pick zones that have tons of quests clustered together for maximum impact.

Gear is incredibly important in Classic, too. If you have a powerful quest reward/rare weapon, you can easily fight smaller groups of green-conditioned enemies. You should never rush to fight the Yellow/Red conned enemies. Yellow enemies may be fine, but Reds are likely going to crush you.

Areas like Hillsbrad Foothills, Silverpine Forest, and The Crossroads are wonderful places to farm. Always keep a lookout for powerful enemies that patrol these zones, though - that could easily spell your doom.

Then there’s the concept of dungeons. In WoW Classic Hardcore, you can only do each dungeon once daily. You have to be careful even there - permadeath still happens in dungeons. If you’re playing with friends or a guild, this can be safer and more reliable.

It’s also a great way to get powerful gear. On top of that, you have dungeon quests, which are fantastic exp. I recommend Dungeons, but only if you’re careful. The daily cap means you can’t grind them, but you can go through once for gear and quests. I would avoid dungeons other than that.

Occasionally, you'll find powerful items too, primarily from quest rewards. Keep an eye on some of these, even if they're in dangerous zones.

However, with the right class, Mages, in particular, you can do AOE farming. It’s a more advanced skill, though, and if you aren’t careful, this will cost you your run and require you to start over. You need expert-level knowledge of your class - how to kite, slow down enemies, and what spells you need to use and when. However, it is possible.

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WoW Classic Hardcore launches on August 24, 2023, and is the next evolution from the add-on that ran the fan-made version of the challenging game mode. It features a wide assortment of updates and changes to make the game more approachable - but still difficult. Whether you powerlevel or take your time, it's a satisfying way to play the game.