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WoW Classic Hardcore is one of the most challenging ways to play Blizzard’s MMO. There are many areas to explore and level up in, and you should be careful where you go. There are plenty of zones that are benign and safe, while others have dangerous patrols and even elite enemies that can show up to ruin your run. I’ll review some relatively safe areas and some you want to avoid.
No area is truly safe, depending on how you play the game. I almost put Silverpine Forest in the dangerous areas because of the Son of Arugal Elite. However, if you simply avoid the part of the forest he patrols, the zone is safe to level in during your WoW Classic Hardcore attempts. Here are some areas to explore and some to avoid.
5 areas that are well-suited for leveling up in WoW Classic Hardcore
5) Felwood (Levels 48-55)
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Felwood will likely be one of your last stops on your 1-60 run in WoW Classic Hardcore. While the PTR build caps at level 30, this is for when the official servers go live. Sure, this area is kind of on the ugly side. It’s filled with beast and demon enemies for players to mash through. The quests aren’t especially difficult, and you won’t find a ton of dangerous foes that can randomly kill you.
You’ll also be coming here if you want to grind through the Timbermaw and Cenarion Circle reputations - if you survive long enough to make those worth doing.
4) Hillsbrad Foothills (Levels 20-30)
Personally, Hillsbrad Foothills is one of my favorite leveling areas in WoW Classic Hardcore. The two faction towns are nice and separated, so you aren’t going to accidentally be ganked by a patrol. You have to go out of your way for it. There are tons of quests here as well, with some fantastic rewards.
While I do think Hillsbrad is better for the Horde, the Alliance also gets a lot out of this area. This area is fine if you want to play WoW Classic Hardcore safely. Just be careful of the caves.
3) Stranglethorn Vale (Levels 30-45)
Before Stranglethorn Vale was separated into two zones, it was one absolutely titanic zone. Skinners and Leatherworkers will adore this area for all the beasts you kill for the quests. It’s another area populated with quests to do and a relatively safe environment to do it in.
The powerful enemies are often by themselves as well. From Booty Bay to the Grom Gol Base Camp, you have so much to do in this zone. You can spend an immense amount of time there, and one of the WoW Classic raids exists here, too - Zul’Gurub. If you’re brave, try it in Hardcore.
2) Loch Modan (Levels 10-18)
Loch Modan is an Alliance-only area but a nice, open, flat area. Like the other areas on this list, it’s got safe places to quest in, and you don’t have to worry about potential griefers on the Horde side. It’s a very long walk to get here from Horde areas, so it’s a pretty pleasant place to go for Hardcore attempts.
Just make sure you don’t cross over into the Badlands. It’s scenic and open, with easy quests to complete and more than enough exp to be had as you go through the early levels on the Alliance side of WoW Classic Hardcore.
1) Winterspring (Levels 55-60)
I get why you might want to go to the Plaguelands to round out your 1-60 adventure in WoW Classic. It’s filled with many undead, and some of the biggest, most interesting dungeons wait in this area. However, it’s filled with patrols, powerful foes, and tedious Elite group quests.
Instead, why not head to Winterspring? It boasts a wide-open wintery area with plenty of quests. Since it’s a neutral area, you don’t have to worry as much about enemy faction patrol groups. It’s a solid place to wrap up your leveling up.
5 areas you should avoid leveling up in during WoW Classic Hardcore runs
5) Western Plaguelands (Levels 50-57)
The main problem with the Western Plaguelands is that enemies are quick to charge you and try to kill you while you’re on the main paths. Alongside the wolves and bears that will run you down, you must deal with a wealth of Scarlet Crusade enemies. It's great on retail but not on Hardcore.
Your WoW Classic Hardcore run can quickly end trying to burn down Crusader tents. They are filled with enemies, and you will likely be overrun by them, if not by the plagued foes. If you aren’t safe, your World of Warcraft run will end before you know what happened.
4) Arathi Highlands (Levels 30-40)
Arathi Highlands is perhaps too big when it comes to WoW zones. It’s vast and empty, with the quest hubs pretty far apart. You have enemy patrols frequently riding up and down the roads. In addition, you have all the quests that require you to group up to fight Elite enemies.
Though you can group in WoW Classic Hardcore, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in those zones and be killed off. It’s one of the worst areas for this type of gameplay.
3) Stonetalon Mountains (Levels 15-25)
Stonetalon Mountains is an okay place to level until you get to the end of your experience. At that point, you start hitting the harpies that will group up and smash you to bits. These are in the “Charred Vale” region of the map, so once your adventures take you here, consider retreating to another area.
The big areas for killing mobs are also spread incredibly far apart. There are so many long, winding paths to walk down it’s just not worth it.
2) Un’goro Crater (Levels 48-55)
Another isolated, huge area from the Classic era of World of Warcraft, the main threat isn’t from other players or patrolling groups of the enemy faction. Nope, it’s all about the massive dinosaurs. There are so many aggressive dinosaurs to worry about who will aggro you and chase you down.
It’s not a fun area to explore, and the enemy packs are quite large. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by dinos here; if you are, you will likely become a permanent ghost
1) Redridge Mountains (Levels 15-25)
The wandering groups of Gnolls can be an Alliance player's worst nightmare. While it’s a gorgeous zone and not a hard region to navigate, it’s quite frustrating. You also have Murlocs that have a deceptively large aggro radius.
It’s not uncommon to find yourself chasing down a Murloc, who suddenly has quite a few friends with him. There are much better low-level areas to use instead. Redridge Mountains is easily one of the most frustrating areas to quest in, and in this gameplay mode, it's also quite dangerous.
You must always be careful when playing WoW Classic Hardcore. Even if you install addons, it promises to be a challenging run. Any region could spell the end of your playthrough if you aren’t careful. The official release date has not been given, but you can try it out on the PTR.
