This guide will show you the fastest way to level your Classic Mining skill from 1 to 300 in World of Warcraft Classic or Season of Discovery, while being cost-effective.
What’s the best combination? The Mining profession in World of Warcraft pairs well with Blacksmithing. You can use all the ores and bars to create weapons and armor to level up your Blacksmithing profession.
Learn Classic Mining
Learn Classic Mining from any of the NPCs listed below. Ask a guard in any city for directions to the Mining trainer, and a red flag will mark the location on your map.
Horde trainers:
- Makaru in Orgrimmar.
- Brom Killian in Undercity.
- Brek Stonehoof in Thunder Bluff
- Johan Focht in Silverpine Forest.
- Krunn in Durotar.
- Pikkle in Tanaris.
Alliance trainers:
- Geofram Bouldertoe in Ironforge.
- Gelman Stonehand in Stormwind City.
- Kurdram Stonehammer in Darkshore.
- Matt Johnson in Duskwood.
- Yarr Hammerstone in Dun Morogh.
- Pikkle in Tanaris.
Leveling Classic Mining
1 – 65
Each starter zone is abundant with Copper Ores, so you can begin your mining journey in any of them without worry. Whether you start in Elwynn Forest, Tirisfal Glades, or another zone, you’ll find plenty of ores to gather and level up your profession.
However, Night Elf players must wait until they reach Darkshore to start leveling their mining skills, as Teldrassil lacks Copper Ore deposits.
Remember to purchase a Mining Pick from the Mining Supply vendor located near your trainer! You don’t need to equip it, but it must be in your inventory.
High-level players should make it a point to venture into the Venture Co. Mine. Clearing this mine and the small area beyond it (accessible only through the mine) will yield around 8 Copper Veins. This makes it a lucrative spot for farming Copper Ore efficiently.
In contrast, low-level players are advised to skip both caves. The difficulty and potential danger outweigh the benefits for characters that haven’t yet reached higher levels.
Low-level players are generally advised to avoid the caves unless they are accompanied by a group or other players who are questing in the caves. Being in a group enhances safety and allows you to tackle any threats more effectively, making resource gathering more manageable.
The respawn rate of Copper Veins is fast enough that you don’t need to traverse the entire zone. Instead, you can efficiently use two specific routes for mining. If you encounter competition from other players, switch between these two routes to continue mining Copper without delay.
When competition is high, move between the two routes to minimize downtime. This ensures you are always finding Copper Veins and maximizing your ore collection.
Learn Journeyman Mining
Learn Mining Journeyman from your trainer.
Leveling Journeyman Mining
65 – 125
Ores in these zones: Tin Ore, Copper Ore, Silver Ore
At skill level 75, you can learn how to smelt Silver Ore, which will aid you in reaching a skill level of 125. Silver Ore and Silver Bars have approximately the same market value, so it’s beneficial to buy Silver Ore and smelt it into Silver Bars to sell at the auction house for a profit.
Low-level players should avoid the two caves marked with red circles in Hillsbrad Foothills. These caves are populated with higher-level enemies that can pose a significant threat to those who are not yet adequately leveled or equipped.
Low-level players should avoid both caves and instead stick to the east side of Redridge Mountains. This area provides a safer environment for gathering resources and completing quests without the high risk posed by the caves.
The respawn rate of resources should be fast enough that you don’t need to enter the cave marked on the map. However, there are always two Tin Veins inside, making it worthwhile for high-level characters to venture in.
The southern route in the Barrens offers more Tin and Copper, but the northern route can be a viable alternative if there are too many players farming in the southern area. The difference in yield between the two routes is not significant.
Learn Expert Mining
Learn expert Mining as soon as you reach profession level 125.
Leveling Expert Mining
125 – 175
Ores in these zones: Iron Ore, Tin Ore, Gold Ore
At skill level 155, you can learn to smelt Gold Ore. Purchase around 30 Gold Ore and smelt them to reach a mining skill of approximately 175. Similar to Silver Ores, you can buy Gold Ore, smelt them into Gold Bars, and sell the bars at the Auction House for a profit.
There are four caves marked with red circles on the map. Ensure you explore all the way to the end of each cave because not all mining veins are visible from the entrance.
Low-level players should avoid all four caves. Low-level Alliance players should also take a detour and travel south of Hammerfall to avoid high-level mobs.
175 – 245
Don’t forget to visit your Mining trainer and learn Artisan Mining when you reach skill level 225! Remember, you need to have your Mining skill leveled up to at least 200 before you can do this.
Ores in these zones: Mithril Ore, Truesilver Ore
Low-level players might consider skipping the cave marked with a red circle on the map, depending on their gear and class.
Players below level 60 should avoid the four caves marked with red circles on the map.
Learn Artisan Mining
Visit your trainer to learn Artisan Mining once you reach a profession level of 200 or higher, but make sure to do so by level 225 at the latest.
Leveling Artisan Mining
245 – 275
Ores in these zones: Mithril Ore, Truesilver Ore, Thorium Ore
There are 2-3 mineral veins in each of the two caves marked with red circles on the map.
Lower-level players should probably skip the cave to the south. The decision to enter really depends on your level, gear, and class.
There are two caves marked with red circles on the map. Both caves are filled with numerous mobs, so this farming spot is recommended only for level 60 players with good gear or for Druids and Rogues who can use stealth.
Navigating inside the Garrison Armory mine is challenging, so I’ve included a small map for reference. Additionally, Alliance players cannot mine inside the Garrison Armory.
The cave marked with a red circle usually contains two mining nodes. It’s worth exploring this cave as it’s relatively small and has fewer mobs. High-level players can navigate through some areas without attracting aggro.
I recommend skipping the other two caves at Jaednar, especially Shadow Hold, unless you have stealth abilities, which might make it worth entering.
275 – 300
Ores in these zones: Thorium Ore, Mithril Ore
This route is almost the same as the previous Un’Goro route, but now it includes Rich Thorium Veins, offering an even greater yield for your mining efforts.
The mobs in the eastern cave are not that hard to kill, making it worth clearing for most classes. Most classes can enter at least the first part of the western cave without pulling aggro. Depending on your gear, you can attempt to go deeper.
The two caves marked with red circles are filled with level 50 mobs, so lower-level players might want to skip them, depending on their gear and level.
