On your way to level 85, there’s a lot of things I would highly recommend you do. If you follow this guide, you will not only save a lot of time but by the time you reach level 85, you can pretty much also instantly hit into your first heroic.

Pre-launch Preparations

Before the launch day, I had prepared 25 completed quests so I could hand these in instantly and get to 81 in next to no time. I did this, but honestly, it didn’t end up saving me too much time. The main reason for this was that I had to go back to Mount Hyjal to start farming reputation with the different factions.

Farming Reputation in Mount Hyjal

I chose Mount Hyjal, and there’s a good explanation for this. What I quickly noticed was how easy it was to level in this zone, especially because I could use my epic flying all the time. I could get from 81 to 82 in less than an hour. This would be the exact same if I came here at level 80.

Quest Rewards and Gear Upgrades

As I was completing the different quests, I also got huge upgrades that replaced most of my gear from Wrath of the Lich King. Within one hour, I had already completed so many quests that I made it to honored with the faction Guardians of Hyjal.

Reaching Level 82

At this point, I was also close to level 82, so I decided to continue questing. As I got to revered, I was also close to 82 and a half, which means you will probably also be level 82 yourself. If not, continue to do a couple more quests.

Leaving Mount Hyjal

By the time you reach level 82, it’s important that you leave Mount Hyjal. But before you leave the zone, make sure to head to the Quartermaster. If you got to revered, you can get yourself a head enchant. There are going to be level 83 items you can purchase to equip when you get to that level to increase your own leveling speed. You could also purchase yourself the tabard that you’ll be using when you head into your first heroic or maybe level 85 dungeon.

Starting the Quest Chain for Deepholm

After reaching level 82, you need to leave the zone. Next, you should start the quest chain for Deepholm. Deepholm requires you to be level 82.

Importance of Early Questing

Why is it so important to start questing here as quickly as possible? Well, there are a couple of different reasons for this. First off, higher level zones equal better rewards from the quests, so you will replace your Mount Hyjal gear by going here. On top of this, you’re gaining reputation with two different factions: Therazane and Earthen Ring.

Reputation Gains

If we, for example, went to Vashj’ir instead of Mount Hyjal, you would gain reputation with the Earthen Ring. But by doing this method, you will have reputation with the Earthen Ring, Guardians of Hyjal, and Therazane—three factions instead of two. You could, of course, also have quested in Vashj’ir to gain more reputation with the Earthen Ring, but this would result in you having no reputation with the Guardians of Hyjal.

Questing and Gear Upgrades

Questing here got me to level 83 in a couple of hours. As I mentioned, I gained reputation with Therazane and made it to honored. If I had continued to quest here, I could also have got to revered. For me, the most important part was to be friendly for the tabard, but also honored so I could get the new shoulder enchants that I will use at level 85.

Reaching Revered

For those of you who would like to gain more reputation, you can quest here up to around level 83 and a half, by which point you will also be revered. This will allow you to purchase yourself a level 85 ring, or four different rings. By the time you’ve got yourself to honored with Therazane and reached level 83, it’s time for you to head to the next zone: Uldum.

Profession Leveling

Before I went to Uldum, I also did a bit of profession leveling, as the different things I could craft could also increase my leveling speed and allow me to gain different enchants. As a leatherworker, there are many different things you can craft with professions, which you can use either at max level or while leveling up.

Starting the Uldum Quest Chain

After leveling professions for a bit, it was time for me to start the Uldum quest chain. Not too long into the chain, there will be a quest where you need to decide on a reward. Make sure you pick the item that gives you 1,000 reputation; it’s way better than gaining 200 gold.

Importance of Higher-Level Zones

I’ve mentioned earlier in the guide that it’s important to swap to these higher-level zones as quickly as possible. The rewards will be substantial. For example, item level 320 hit equipment will boost your overall item level, which is crucial to focus on before you reach level 85.

Progress and Preparation

When I was level 84, my reputation with all the different factions was looking pretty good. Even the faction in this zone was now honored. Before I left Uldum, I made sure I purchased the different level 83 items I could use, even those for my off specialization in case I needed them at level 85.

Guild Cloak and Training

Hopefully, you’re in a guild and have the cloak that allows you to teleport to either Stormwind City as an Alliance player or Orgrimmar as a Horde player, because now is the perfect time to use this. Remember to also head to your class trainer to learn new skills, something I forgot to do at levels 81 and 83.

Level 84 Activities

At level 84, there are many different things you can do. First, start the quest chain for Twilight Highlands. It will take some time, but it’s worth it for the decent experience and a rare item at the end.

Dungeon Runs for Experience and Gear

Another thing I did while doing the quest chain was to sign up for two specific dungeons: Halls of Origination and Lost City of the Tol’vir. I signed up for these two specific dungeons because there are quests that give additional experience and guaranteed blue items. Additionally, whenever you kill the different bosses, there’s a chance to get rare equipment. These items will be item level 333, a huge upgrade while leveling up and helpful for getting into your first heroic dungeon.

Grim Batol Dungeon

Not only do you get rare items, at least guaranteed from the quests, but you also get a lot of experience. This was the same with Grim Batol. Immediately after completing one dungeon, I went right into Grim Batol to continue gaining experience and slaying the different bosses for more rare gear.

Gaining Experience and Questing

I gained one bar and the experience from the different quests. It was quite easy to do even though none of us were level 85. So far, I’ve not even gotten myself into Twilight Highlands, and I’m almost five bars into level 84. Now, I needed to continue my quest chain so I could also start questing in Twilight Highlands.

Twilight Highlands Questing

As mentioned earlier, you’re going to get a rare item at the end when you reach Twilight Highlands. This will also be the last zone you’ll be questing in until you reach level 85. Try to complete as many quests as possible and also do the arena quest chain, as this rewards a lot of experience and even a rare weapon at the end.

Group Quest Chain

I found four other people who wanted to do the quest chain as well. It’s important to have a balanced party since the elites will have a lot of health and do a lot of damage. Make sure you have at least one tank, one healer, and three DPS. By completing the quest chain, I got almost one and a half bars of experience. Sadly, I couldn’t use the weapon at the end because it wasn’t for feral, but I got a decent weapon for healing or balance.

Reputation and Quests

Next, continue doing as many quests as possible in the zone to earn reputation with either the Dragonmaw Clan as a Horde player or the Wildhammer Clan as an Alliance player. I also completed a quest chain that rewarded me with a feral weapon, which was quite amazing. Now it was just a matter of getting to level 85.

Reaching Level 85

I reached level 85 on launch day, and what I’ve accomplished is quite amazing. You will be able to achieve this yourself, reaching honored with all factions except Guardians of Hyjal, which is revered. I also made it to honored with the Earthen Ring because some of the quests in Twilight Highlands gave me reputation with this faction.

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