Best gold farming spots in WoW Forever at levels 20, 30, 40, and 60

Before you head out, learn a few Forever rules, because they change where you should go and how to act once you're there. General questions about gold, the Auction House, and bans are in our guide on how to earn gold.

• Mobs respawn faster in seven zones. Since October 1 that's been true in Hillsbrad Foothills, Ashenvale, Wetlands, Duskwood, and Thousand Needles, and Stonetalon Mountains and Redridge Mountains got the same change even earlier. Farming there pays a lot better, which is why most of our level 20 and 30 spots are in these zones.
• Loot goes to whoever hits first. That player or their group gets it, and Blizzard has no plans to change this. So on a crowded spot, don't fight over mobs. Invite the people around you to a group, and everyone gets loot.
• Layers help. If the game offers to move you to another layer in five minutes, take it right away. A new layer often has fresh mobs and untouched ore veins, though sometimes everything there has already been cleared out.
• Mage AoE was nerfed on purpose. Improved Blizzard slows by 40% now instead of 65%, and the Cone of Cold slow got weaker and shorter. Blizzard said outright that this was to counter mass farming. Mobs reach the mage faster now, so pull fewer than you would in Classic.
• Expensive reagents have a price ceiling. On the beta, the Black Market vendor in Powderfuse Port, Riverglades, sold Black Lotus and Arcane Crystal for 50 gold each, and Forever's new materials for 5-50 gold. Prices might change by launch, but for now hardly anyone will pay more for these materials than the vendor charges, so Black Lotus isn't a gold mine in Forever anymore.
• Vendoring crafts doesn't pay anymore. On October 8 and 15, Blizzard cut the price vendors pay for a lot of crafted items. The "craft it and vendor it" trick is dead, so put everything you make to sell on the Auction House.

In Forever, most of your gold comes from materials crafters buy on the Auction House, not from grays. Tailors buy cloth, and the leveling route in our guide goes through about 650 Wool Cloth, 520 Silk Cloth, and 2800 Runecloth. Cloth also goes into trading company crates, which reward Merchant's Favor, so people saving up Favor buy it too. Leatherworkers buy leather, and cooks buy meat, because food gives +5% XP in Forever and everyone eats it.

The table shows what a vendor pays for each material. That price never changes, and nobody will know Auction House prices until launch, so treat the vendor price as your floor and sell on the Auction House.

Rogues get extra income from the lockboxes and junkboxes they pick from pockets. Lockboxes drop from regular mobs too, but a vendor pays next to nothing for an unopened one, from 50 copper to 5 silver, so you're better off opening it. A rogue can pick it themselves, and everyone else can ask a rogue to do it for a tip. It's still unclear whether Forever needs Lockpicking skill to open lockboxes and junkboxes, since the game data and beta reports disagree.

Material	Dropped by	Mob levels	Vendor pays
Linen Cloth	Humanoids	5-20	13c
Wool Cloth	Humanoids	About 16-30	33c
Silk Cloth	Humanoids	About 28-40	1s 50c
Mageweave Cloth	Humanoids	About 38-50	2s 50c
Runecloth	Humanoids	50+	4s
Felcloth	Mostly demons	50+	20s
Heavy Leather	Beasts, via Skinning	30-45	1s 50c
Thick Leather	Beasts, via Skinning	40-55	3s
Rugged Leather	Beasts, via Skinning	50+	5s

At levels 18-25, humanoids still drop linen, but wool is what you're really after. Until 30 it's what tailors buy the most, and every trading company crate takes 20 of it. All five spots below are in zones where Forever sped up respawns.

• Hillsbrad Foothills: Hillsbrad Fields and Durnholde Keep. The fields around (33, 42) are home to Hillsbrad Farmhand, Hillsbrad Farmer, Hillsbrad Footman, and other level 22-26 humans. They're friendly to the Alliance, so only the Horde can kill them. Durnholde Keep, to the east at (77, 44), is open to both factions, with Syndicate Watchman, Syndicate Shadow Mage, and Syndicate Rogue inside at level 20-22. The humans drop linen and wool, and the miners in the mine to the west, at (30, 56), already drop silk. There are ore veins and herbs nearby, and our ore maps and herb maps show exactly where. Mages do well here, since lots of humans stand close together, and rogues can pick the Syndicate's pockets too. Keep in mind that the fields sit between Tarren Mill and Southshore, so running into the other faction is a regular thing here.
• Ashenvale: furbolgs. Level 23-24 Thistlefur furbolgs live around (36, 37), where Thistlefur Avenger and Thistlefur Shaman roam. Farther south, at (53, 62), another tribe has its camp, with Foulweald Warrior and Foulweald Totemic. Furbolgs drop wool, and Bruiseweed and Wild Steelbloom grow all around, which our herb maps show exactly. The spot's open to both factions. Furbolgs come in twos and threes, which makes this spot really comfy for hunters and warlocks, since your pet holds the second mob while you kill the first.
• Wetlands: gnolls, the Dragonmaw, and beasts. Mosshide gnolls stand at (60, 71) and (50, 40), where Mosshide Gnoll, Mosshide Mongrel, and Mosshide Fenrunner roam. In the northwest, at (36, 30), you'll find Mosshide Trapper and Mosshide Brute, level 23-25. In the middle of the zone, at (46, 45), there's an orc camp with higher-level mobs, Dragonmaw Raider at level 26-27. Wetlands is full of beasts to skin. Young Wetlands Crocolisk roams the whole zone, Wetlands Crocolisk lives at (33, 35) and Mottled Raptor at (26, 49), and they all give Medium Leather. Crocolisk meat isn't needed for the Cooking route in our guide, so it won't sell well on the Auction House, and if it doesn't move, vendor it. This spot is mostly for the Alliance. The Horde has no flight point here, though you can walk in.
• Redridge Mountains: Blackrock and the Shadowhides. Alliance only. Level 19-22 orcs like Blackrock Outrunner and Blackrock Renegade roam around (58, 57), just don't mix them up with the elite sentries right next to Stonewatch Keep. To the east, at (74, 45), live level 22-26 gnolls like Shadowhide Gnoll and Shadowhide Slayer. Orcs and gnolls drop linen and wool, rogues can pick their pockets too, and the Alliance trading company camp is right there in Redridge, so you can hand in wool crates without leaving the zone.
• Stonetalon Mountains: Venture Co. goblins and harpies. Level 18-20 Venture Co. goblins work around (68, 52): Venture Co. Logger, Venture Co. Operator, and Venture Co. Deforester, with level 21-22 Windshear Digger nearby. Next up by level are the level 24-27 harpies in the southwest at (32, 66), like Bloodfury Slayer, and they drop wool more often than the goblins. The spot's open to both factions, but for a lot of players it's the first contested zone on the way, so expect run-ins with the other faction.

Around 28, silk starts dropping instead of wool. Tailors need about 520 for their leveling route, and silk also goes into bags you can sell. The beta went up to 30, so players have already seen the zones up to 30, and the spots for 31-35 come from Classic and have been checked against the game data.

• Thousand Needles: Galak centaurs and the Grimtotem. Level 24-26 Galak centaurs like Galak Scout stand around (43.5, 39), and to the northwest, at (35, 29), live level 26-28 centaurs like Galak Mauler. Nearby, at (35, 34), is a level 25-28 Grimtotem camp with mobs like Grimtotem Geomancer. The centaurs and the Grimtotem drop wool and your first silk. For skinning, Pesterhide Hyena and Needles Cougar roam nearby, and on the beta, skinning level 25-34 mobs sometimes gave Pristine Hide, which is worth listing on the Auction House. Mobs respawn faster here, the spot's open to both factions, and any class can farm it.
• Duskwood: Nightbane worgen. Alliance only. Level 26-30 worgen live in the east of the zone: Nightbane Worgen at (61, 42), Nightbane Dark Runner at (64, 61), and Nightbane Vile Fang at (70, 74). They hit hard, so cloth classes should take them one at a time, but on the bright side they respawn faster here. The skeletons by the graveyard in the west, around (20, 38), drop both wool and silk.
• Alterac Mountains: ogres, the Syndicate, and the Dalaran camp. Level 34-36 ogres like Crushridge Ogre stand around (50, 45) and drop silk. Some of them are elite, so only take those on in a group. The Syndicate is holed up in a ruined town at (54, 74), with level 32-34 Syndicate Footpad and Syndicate Thief. They drop silk, and a rogue will find something worth taking from their pockets. By Lordamere Lake, around (19, 75), there's a camp of level 31-35 Dalaran mages, and Forever lowered the level of the summoners among them. The mages drop silk too. They're definitely hostile to the Horde, but we don't know yet if they're hostile to the Alliance now that Dalaran is a friendly city.
• Arathi Highlands: the Syndicate, ogres, and trolls. The level 30-33 Syndicate lives in a manor in the northwest at (32, 28), with mobs like Syndicate Highwayman. Level 32-34 ogres like Boulderfist Ogre stand at (34, 45), and level 32-35 trolls like Witherbark Witch Doctor at (66, 70). They all drop silk, and you can mine iron and gold and pick herbs in Arathi too. The Alliance's closest base is Refuge Pointe, and the Horde's is Hammerfall.
• Northern Stranglethorn Vale: Kurzen, the Bloodscalps, and big cats. Kurzen's men, level 32-35, live in the camp at (46, 9), like Kurzen Jungle Fighter, and level 34-35 Bloodscalp trolls stand at (25, 11), like Bloodscalp Scout. Both drop silk. Between the camps you'll find level 30-33 beasts to skin: Young Stranglethorn Tiger, Stranglethorn Tiger, and Panther. It's a good spot for a hunter or a druid with Skinning, but it's the hottest PvP zone at these levels.

The main goal here is obvious: save up 100 gold for Apprentice Riding by 40. Mageweave starts dropping instead of silk, and leather and meat are best taken from beasts and spiders.

• Tanaris: the Wastewanders and Southsea pirates. East of Gadgetzan, around (62, 33), roam level 40-45 Wastewanders like Wastewander Thief and Wastewander Rogue. Level 44-45 pirates like Southsea Pirate hold a cove on the coast at (73, 46). They drop silk and mageweave. For rogues this is the best spot at 40-45. The humanoids are packed tight, their pockets turn up lockboxes, and Gadgetzan is a couple of minutes' walk away. The zone is neutral and open to both factions.
• Southern Stranglethorn Vale: the Bloodsail and the Skullsplitters. Level 39-45 Bloodsail pirates stand near Booty Bay, around (30, 72), like Bloodsail Raider, Bloodsail Swashbuckler, and Bloodsail Sea Dog. Level 39-40 trolls like Skullsplitter Warrior live in the ruins at (46, 37). Pirates and trolls drop silk and mageweave. For skinning, there are level 37-38 Shadowmaw Panther and Stranglethorn Tigress at (42, 32) and Jungle Stalker at (29, 45), and they give Heavy and Thick Leather.
• Feralas: Gordunni ogres, gnolls, and bears. Level 40-41 Gordunni ogres stand north of Camp Mojache at (77, 31), and level 42-45 ogres like Gordunni Brute and Gordunni Warlock are in the south at (60, 64). Level 41-43 gnolls like Woodpaw Trapper live at (72, 50). Ogres and gnolls drop mageweave. For skinning, Feralas has the Ironfur Bear, while the yetis here count as humanoids in Forever's data, so they drop cloth but can't be skinned. The Horde can start from Camp Mojache, and the Alliance has farther to go, since its base is on an island off the coast.
• Dustwallow Marsh: spiders. By the cave in the northwest, around (33, 22), live level 35-39 spiders like Darkmist Spider and Darkmist Silkspinner. They drop White Spider Meat and Thick Spider's Silk, and you should list both on the Auction House. Cooks need the meat, since the Cooking route in our guide uses 94, so while everyone's leveling Cooking, it'll sell. For skinning, there are raptors: Bloodfen Raptor at (49, 18), and Bloodfen Razormaw and Bloodfen Lashtail in the south at (34, 67).
• Badlands: buzzards and rock elementals. Level 35-41 buzzards (Buzzard) fly around (19, 64), and they drop Buzzard Wing. A vendor pays almost two silver per wing, but cooks need 38 for their route, so try the Auction House first. Level 37-40 rock elementals (Lesser Rock Elemental and Rock Elemental) drop Elemental Earth, which tailors buy. The Badlands also have plenty of iron, mithril, and gold veins, and you can see them on our ore maps.

Riverglades, the new level 35-45 zone, sits between Redridge Mountains and Burning Steppes. It has Powderfuse Port with the Black Market and a new fishing trainer, and there's a new dungeon nearby. Nobody knows what the mobs here drop, because hardly anyone went there on the beta. Check out Riverglades in the first days after launch. Until somebody figures the zone out, that's where you'll have the least competition.

At 60, the most money comes from runecloth, rugged leather, essences, and herbs. Keep in mind that raids open on December 9, and people will want more potions, food, and enchants once they do.

• Winterspring: furbolgs and frostsabers. Level 53-58 Winterfall furbolgs live in two places, by the path in the west around (36, 40) and in their village in the east around (67, 38). They drop runecloth, and their beads bind on pickup and are only good for rep. Level 56-60 frostsabers (Frostsaber) live at (52, 15), and you skin rugged leather off them. The yetis here count as humanoids, so they drop cloth but can't be skinned. Icecap grows here too, so for a druid with Herbalism and Skinning this is the best spot, and miners will get good use out of the thorium veins.
• Eastern Plaguelands: Tyr's Hand, the cult, and trolls. The Scarlet Crusade in Tyr's Hand, around (72, 70), drops tons of runecloth, but they're elite, so go in a group. Solo, it's easier to farm the cultists at (52, 38), level 58-60 Dark Adept and Shadowmage, or the trolls in the north at (61, 12), where level 57-59 Mossflayer Shadowhunter and Mossflayer Cannibal stand. The zone's undead drop Essence of Undeath, which you should list on the Auction House too, and herbalists can pick Plaguebloom here, which alchemists buy.
• Silithus: Twilight's Hammer, dust stormers, and scorpids. Level 57-60 cultists like Twilight Avenger are all over the zone, for example at (29, 52), and they drop runecloth. Level 55-57 dust stormers (Dust Stormer) roam around (29, 23) and drop Essence of Air. The scorpids here are Stonelash Scorpid and Stonelash Pincer. In Classic you could skin Heavy Scorpid Scale off them, and leatherworkers need more than four hundred for their route, but we'll only know after launch if that still holds in Forever.
• Un'Goro Crater: devilsaurs, diemetradons, and the Living Blaze. Devilsaurs (Devilsaur) are elite wandering beasts, and they give Devilsaur Leather, which leatherworkers buy. In Classic, hunters usually farmed them solo, but the spot gets really crowded. Diemetradons (Diemetradon and Elder Diemetradon) give rugged leather. And the Living Blaze roams around (50, 49) and drops Essence of Fire, which tailors and enchanters need for fire protection before Onyxia.
• Burning Steppes: Blackrock and ogres. Level 56-57 Blackrock Slayer and Blackrock Warlock stand at (47, 46) and drop runecloth, and in the east, at (80, 45), live level 50-53 ogres like Firegut Ogre, which drop it too. Rogues can open the chests here as well, but remember it's still unclear whether that needs Lockpicking skill.
• Backup option for 48-55: Felwood. Level 49-51 satyrs at (40, 82), like Jadefire Satyr, drop Felcloth. A vendor pays 20 silver for it, but tailors and warlocks are waiting for it on the Auction House, so list it there.

In a dungeon you've got no competition. Nobody else tags your mobs, there are no layers, and after a reset every mob, herb, and vein is back. In Forever, where loot goes to whoever hits first, that's the biggest advantage. Here are the dungeons that mages, rogues, hunters, and other classes farmed solo in Classic, and what Forever changed in them.

• A mage can only pull a whole room after 40. In Forever, Ice Block needs 15 points in the Frost tree and Ice Barrier needs 30, so the classic whole-room pull is off the table before 40. The weaker slows are covered in the "What Forever changed for farming" section.
• Paid XP carries won't work. Dungeon mobs in Forever give about a quarter of the XP they gave in Classic, and if anyone in the group is way higher level than the mobs, nobody gets kill XP. You can still take people through dungeons for gold for quests and items, but boosting organizations are banned, even when they're paid in in-game gold.
• We don't know the instance limit yet. Classic Era lets you into 5 different dungeons an hour, and Blizzard hasn't said what the limit is in Forever.
• Don't count on world epics. Blizzard promised to rework them, and some of the Classic epics, along with some well-known boss drops, aren't in Forever's data yet.

Without professions, any spot with humanoids works, since they drop cloth, grays, and greens. As a pair, your best targets are the elite Alterac ogres at 30 and the Scarlet Crusade in Tyr's Hand at 60. Two players kill elites a lot faster, and in a group the loot goes to both of you, not just whoever hit first.

If you have Herbalism, Mining, Skinning, or Fishing, our maps make picking a spot easier: herbs, ore, beasts, and fishing. And don't vendor Forever's scarce materials like Pyrite, Frilled Lichen, and pristine hides. List them on the Auction House.

• Rare mob items to resell. Items from the Blessing of Kalimdor set and other rare mob sets bind on pickup, so you can't sell them on the Auction House.
• Furbolg beads and Deadwood feathers. These are rep currency for Timbermaw Hold. They bind on pickup, so you can't sell them on the Auction House.
• Black Lotus for big money. Nobody will pay more for it than the Black Market vendor in Powderfuse Port charges, because buyers will just go to the vendor. Same goes for other rare materials with a price ceiling.
• Crafting to vendor. In October Blizzard cut the vendor price of crafted items twice, so list everything you make on the Auction House.
• Bots and programs that repeat keystrokes. They get you banned, same as buying gold for real money. On the beta, more than three and a half thousand buyer and seller accounts got closed.