WoW Classic Mining Guide
I’ve been roaming Azeroth gathering ore for my professions and I’ve learned a lot about Mining. This gathering profession is popular among many players, especially those who have Blacksmithing or Engineering as their secondary profession. Over time I’ve found every node, tested every route and found the most efficient way to go from 1-300 Mining. Below is my personal guide to all that.
Understanding the Basics of Mining
Mining is surveying the terrain for mineral veins and extracting the ores. It also gives you stone, gems and rare finds as byproducts. The skill is super useful with Engineering or Blacksmithing as both professions consume a lot of bars. Throughout my experience I’ve seen the Auction House demand for bars and raw ore can be high which makes this profession gold making.
Mining requires a Mining Pick which must be in your inventory. Once it’s in your bag you can right click any mineral vein that your skill level allows. I’ve found that the most important ability to have on the action bar is Find Minerals which highlights nearby veins on your minimap. This feature helps you with zone routes, reduces wandering and overall progress. Below is the list of main skills and items related to Mining. This helps me keep track of what I need in every zone:
| Skill / Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Mining Pick | Essential tool stored in your inventory to dig ores and stones |
| Find Minerals | Ability that highlights nodes on the minimap |
| Smelting | Converts raw ore into bars, granting skill-ups for certain level ranges |
| Mining Trainer | Trains you to increase your skill cap at 75, 150, 225, and 300 |
These are the basics to every stage of Mining. They help me stay organized and never miss a skill-up. I think remembering these is the first step to being good at Mining.
Choosing Your Starting Zone
Some zones have better early veins than others. For Horde players I have had good luck in Durotar just outside of Orgrimmar. This area has plenty of Copper Veins and you can smelt and sell in the capital city. Alliance miners head to Dun Morogh near Ironforge as Copper is abundant in the snowy hills. Night Elf players usually go to Darkshore after they finish Teldrassil as that is the first spot with mineral veins for them.
Travel time is often a consideration as repeated trips to trainers or Auction Houses can slow down leveling. The convenience factor has always made me pick zones with quick access to major cities. I also keep an eye on my bags as carrying too many stones or low value items means frequent vendor trips. Below is the list of my favorite early Mining locations for both Horde and Alliance:
| Faction | Primary Zone | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| Horde | Durotar | Plentiful Copper, easy smelting in Orgrimmar |
| Alliance | Dun Morogh | Rich Copper deposits, quick trip to Ironforge |
| Alliance | Elwynn Forest | Reasonable Copper spawns, near Stormwind |
| Night Elf | Darkshore | First spot with mineral veins post-Teldrassil |
Spending some time studying these options helps me decide which route to take. Whether it’s crossing continents or just walking around the starting area a solid plan keeps me focused on leveling the Mining skill from the early stages.
Early Levels: Copper to Tin
I start with Copper Veins from skill level 1 to around 65. This involves traveling through the starting zone, circling mountainous or rocky edges and back to town to smelt. Smelting Copper Bars gives decent skill-ups until around skill 70 so it’s a good way to get started with the leveling process.
By skill 65 Tin Veins become available. Tin also gives Silver and a moderate amount of coarse stone. At this point I usually head to Hillsbrad Foothills (for Horde) or go through dungeons like The Deadmines (for Alliance) to gather Tin. I sometimes also enter Wailing Caverns for 2-4 Tin nodes per run which helps with dungeon gear upgrades and Mining progress. Below is the table for early mineral stages:
| Ore | Skill Range | Example Zones / Dungeons | Notable Byproducts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 1–65 | Durotar, Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest | Rough Stone |
| Tin | 65–125 | Hillsbrad Foothills, Wailing Caverns, Deadmines | Silver Ore |
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This stage is the foundation of your Mining journey. I find it helpful to keep track of skill-ups, smelting benefits and the best places to mine Tin without unnecessary traveling.
Iron and Mithril Strategies
Iron becomes mineable at skill 125. I usually linger in zones like Hillsbrad Foothills or Thousand Needles as they have many Iron Veins. Dungeons like Razorfen Kraul have some Iron nodes for those working on gear or quest objectives at the same time. Smelting Iron Bars gives skill-ups if you find enough raw ore which saves some traveling time.
At skill 175 Mithril Veins become available. In my experience Blasted Lands is my favorite for Mithril. I found a big cluster of nodes around the Garrison Armory in the north of Blasted Lands. The region also has Small Thorium Veins which start to appear at skill 230. Whenever I go to Blasted Lands I follow a circular path that includes the perimeter cliffs and check all the nodes along the way.
| Ore | Skill Range | Recommended Zones / Dungeons | Extra Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | 125–175 | Hillsbrad Foothills, Razorfen Kraul, Thousand Needles | Heavy Stone, Gold Ore |
| Mithril | 175–230 | Blasted Lands, Hinterlands, Tanaris | Solid Stone, Truesilver |
Iron and Mithril are hot commodities. They are linked to leveling popular professions like Blacksmithing and Engineering. Smelting them gives additional skill-ups and often demand at the Auction House.
Dark Iron and Thorium Insights
Dark Iron appears at skill 230 and is found in Blackrock Depths, Molten Core and sometimes Lower Blackrock Spire. This material is important for advanced recipes, especially endgame crafting. I usually find Dark Iron nodes during BRD Prison runs. That location usually has 2 or more Dark Iron nodes and repeated dungeon runs add up.
Thorium is available from skill 230 (Small Thorium) onwards, but Rich Thorium nodes are the real jackpot. Rich Thorium is available at skill 275 and above. These veins drop Arcane Crystals 3–4% of the time which are very valuable due to their use in high-tier gear recipes. I have found Winterspring, Silithus and Un’Goro Crater to be the best areas for me. I also found that Dire Maul jump runs guarantee 2 Rich Thorium nodes per circuit.
- Dark Iron appears at skill 230
Notable zones: Blackrock Depths, Molten Core
Very important for advanced recipes - Thorium starts at skill 230 (small) and skill 275 (rich)
Rich Thorium has a chance to drop Arcane Crystals
Top areas: Winterspring, Silithus hives, Un’Goro central/west sections
Exploring these higher-tier zones gives opportunities for big gold-making. The presence of arcane crystals, valuable stones and potential rare gems has always made the last part of the Mining journey exciting.
Making Gold from Mining: Key Notes
Mining provides several ways to make gold. Selling raw ore is easy but smelted bars might bring more profit depending on server economy. Some crafters need stone for bombs or sharpening stones and raise the price of Coarse, Heavy and Solid Stone. I also made extra gold from selling rare gems found in ore deposits. Below is a table of the resources I always found popular on the Auction House:
| Resource | Uses/Buyers | Typical Demand Range |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Bars | Early Blacksmithing and Engineering | Moderate |
| Iron Bars | Mid-level crafting, quest turn-ins | High |
| Mithril Bars | Required for advanced Engineering items | High |
| Arcane Crystals | Arcanite bars, endgame crafting gear | Very High |
| Stones (Coarse, Heavy, Solid) | Grenades, sharpening stones, leveling crafts | Variable |
Keeping an eye on this market has made me gold-rich on multiple characters. Listing these items during peak player hours helps as it usually results in faster sells and sometimes better prices.
Tips on Progress
I have found a few extra tips to speed up the Mining process. Following a dedicated path in a low-competition zone is helpful especially when mining high-value ore like Thorium. I tend to set a path, memorize the node locations and time the respawns to keep a constant cycle.
- Bring plenty of bag space and watch your carry weight for items like stone
- Train each new mining cap at 75, 150, 225, 300
- Keep or sell different ore qualities depending on Auction House fluctuations
- Use dungeons (e.g. Razorfen Kraul, Blackrock Depths) for synergy between leveling, gearing and Mining
The overall journey from 1-300 Mining is rewarding. I have crafted many rare items, made a lot of gold and learned more about Azeroth. By following these notes, you can progress, gather resources and have a stash of metals for yourself or the market.
