The mining profession is one of the most popular and ultimately profitable professions in the game. You will find that many World of Warcraft mining guides focus on this intensively. The World of Warcraft mining guide below will help you focus on leveling up your mining skill as fast as possible. It will also focus on which ores are most profitable in the game.
Skill Levels and Ores Available.
Below is a complete list of ores in the game and the skill level you need to mine each of them:
* Copper Ore – 1
* Tin Ore – 65
* Silver Ore – 75
* Iron Ore – 125
* Gold Ore – 155
* Mithril Ore – 175
* Truesilver Ore – 230
* Dark Iron Ore – 250
* Small Thorium Deposits – 275
* Fel Iron Deposits – 300
* Adamantite Veins – 325
* Rich Adamantite Veins – 350
* Cobalt Nodes – 350
* Khorium Veins – 375
* Rich Cobalt Nodes – 375
* Saronite Nodes – 400
* Rich Saronite Nodes – 425
* Titanium Nodes – 450
World of Warcraft Mining Guide – Leveling Process
The leveling process for Mining will be slightly different depending on your starting race and faction. Here are some basic tips for finding Copper and Tin early in the game, followed by the ores leading throughout Azeroth:
Level 1-65
The first ore in the game is Copper, which you will mine until Level 65. Horde characters should focus on Durotar, Mulgore, and Tirisfal Glades while Alliance characters will have the best luck farming for Copper in Elwynn Forest and Darkshore. Stay near the mountainous regions for the most effective mining locations.
Level 65-125
At Level 65, you will need to switch to Mining Tin because Copper Ore will turn Grey and stop giving you skill ups. This means you should head to Redridge Mountains for Alliance (if you are level 18). You can also find Tin in Westfall and Loch Modan, though it is mixed in with quite a bit of Copper. For Horde characters, the best option is the Barrens. There are a few smaller areas that have Tin, but the Barrens is easiest and quickest.
At level 75, make sure to get your Journeyman Skill and learn to mine silver. Silver is hard to use for leveling because it is a rare ore, but you can find it in zones like Thousand Needles and the Barrens (Horde characters have it a bit better here).
Level 125-175
At Level 125, you will be able to start farming for Iron, which is found in Desolace, The Badlands, and Arathi Highlands. At Level 150, you should train as an Expert and learn how to farm for Gold, another rare ore at level 155. You can find Gold in the zones listed above, alongside your Iron Ore. The best location for Gold and Iron is in the top northeast corner of Arathi Highlands where a Kobold cave will yield solid returns and respawn quickly.
Level 175-250
At Level 175, you should start mining Mithril and then at Level 200, make sure to learn how to farm Truesilver, the third rare ore in Azeroth. The best locations for these two ores are in Searing Gorge, Azshara and Tanaris.
Tanaris is among the best because you can just do a simple loop around the entire zone and the competition is minimal. If you still need to gain XP while you are mining, you may find that the loop in Azshara, on the northern peninsula is far better. Make sure to get your Artisan training completed at Level 225.
You’ve reached the end of Part 1 of our World of Warcraft Mining Guide. For Part 2, where you’ll learn how to advance your skill from 250-450 see: WoW Mining Guide.