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The 10 Rules of Azeroth

You don't need these to have fun. But each one takes 30 seconds to read and will save you hours. Best read after your first hour of play.

Pre-launch Last checked Oct 26, 2026
First, three survival basics

Things nobody tells you

👜 Buy bags

Your starting bag is tiny. Bags from shopkeepers or other players are cheap, and they're the best early purchase in the game.

🏠 Your Hearthstone

A free teleport back to your home inn, about once an hour. Talk to an innkeeper to make that inn your home.

🦅 Flight paths

Talk to every flight master you pass (look for the bird or bat). Once you've met one, you can fly there from any connected flight master.

The rules

Jump to a rule

1

Quest in batches, not one at a time

Why

Walking is the biggest time-waster in the game. Running to town after every single quest can double how long leveling takes.

Do this

Pick up every quest in town. Do them all in one loop. Return once and turn them all in.

Slow: one at a time ×2 ×2 ×2 Town A B C Fast: one loop Town A B C
More tips for faster questing

Kill enemies you pass on the way, since they give XP too. When a zone's quests turn red or orange (too hard) or gray (too easy), it's time to move to the next zone. Your map (M) shows where every quest objective is.

2

Visit your trainer every 2 levels

Why

New abilities aren't given to you automatically. You buy them from your class trainer. Skipping this is the #1 reason fights start feeling too hard.

Do this

At every even level (2, 4, 6…), head to town and learn everything new. Then drag the new abilities onto your action bar.

From level 10: a talent point every level. Every level from 10 to 60 gives you one talent point. Spend it right away (press N); your class guide shows where each one goes.
Where is my trainer?

Ask any town guard: right-click them and choose your class. A marker will appear on your map. Every major city has trainers for every class, and most towns have a few.

3

Fight one enemy at a time

Why

This isn't an action game where you fight crowds. Three enemies at once will beat most characters your level.

Do this

Pull one enemy at a time. Watch out for enemies standing close together; they often attack as a group.

👹
1 enemy: safeDo this all day
👹👹
2 enemies: carefulOK at full health
👹👹👹
3+ enemies: runUnless you're in a group
How do I run away?

Turn and run back the way you came. Enemies give up chasing after a while. Running toward unexplored areas usually pulls even more enemies. Some classes have escape abilities, which your class guide covers.

4

Recover between fights

Why

Starting a fight at half health is how most deaths happen. Health and mana come back slowly on their own.

Do this

Eat food to restore health and drink water to restore mana. You'll sit down while you do; it takes about 20 seconds.

Your class uses mana? Learn the 5-second rule

Your mana only starts coming back 5 seconds after your last spell that costs mana. So cast your big spells at the start of a fight, then finish the enemy with your wand, weapon, or a free ability. Your mana is already refilling before the fight ends.

Spread out Never 5 seconds without a spell: no mana back until the fight is over Front-loaded Mana refilling 3 spells, then wand 0s 15s 30s · enemy dies ▲ = a spell
Learn First Aid: free healing

First Aid lets you make bandages from the cloth enemies drop. A bandage heals you over a few seconds and costs no mana, so it pairs perfectly with the 5-second rule: bandage up while your mana comes back. It doesn't count as one of your two professions. Find the First Aid trainer in any city.

New in Forever: campfires. Players can build campfires out in the world, and sitting at one gives you helpful bonuses. If you see people sitting around a fire, stop by and join them.
5

Pick two professions early

Why

Professions turn your adventuring into gold and gear. In Forever, profession rewards are spread across the whole journey to 60, not saved for the end.

Do this

Choose 2 main professions by about level 5–10. Find their trainers in any city. Not sure? Use the picker below.

What do you want from professions?

"Just make me gold"
Skinning + Mining or Herbalism
Gather while you quest, sell to other players. Skinning needs no tracking, so it pairs with either.
"Potions and buffs"
Herbalism + Alchemy
Pick the herbs, brew your own healing and mana potions. Any class.
"Gear for my cloth class" (Mage, Priest, Warlock)
Tailoring + Enchanting
Tailoring uses cloth that enemies drop, so no gathering needed.
"Gear for my leather or mail class" (Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Shaman)
Skinning + Leatherworking
Skin the beasts you kill anyway.
"Gear for my plate class" (Warrior, Paladin)
Mining + Blacksmithing
Make your own armor and weapons.
"I like gadgets"
Mining + Engineering
Bombs, scopes, and fun toys. Great for PvP.
Why not Mining + Herbalism together?

To find ore or herbs, you turn on a tracking ability that marks them on your minimap. You can only track one kind at a time, so with both professions you'll only ever see half your nodes. Pairing one of them with Skinning (which needs no tracking) gives you far more to gather.

Free bonus skills: Cooking, First Aid, and Fishing don't count toward your two. Learn them too. Cooking is especially good in Forever, thanks to campfires.
6

Gear: weapon first, then your main stat

Why

While leveling, you'll replace gear constantly. A better weapon is the biggest upgrade you can get; everything else is small.

Do this

Upgrade your weapon whenever you can. For other slots, pick the item with more of your class's main stat (your class guide lists it).

Less waiting, more playing: two other stats cut the time you spend sitting and eating. Stamina gives you more health, so you can do more fights before resting. Spirit makes your health and mana come back faster. If two items look about the same, take the one with these.
What do armor types mean?

There are four armor types: cloth (lightest), leather, mail, and plate (heaviest). Your class can wear its own type and every lighter one, so a class that wears plate can wear anything, and a leather class can also wear cloth. There's no penalty for wearing a lighter type, so a great cloth item beats a bad leather one. Hover over an item and hold Shift to compare it with what you're wearing.

What do item colors mean?

Gray: junk, sell it. White: basic. Green: good. Blue: great. Purple: excellent, usually from raids.

7

Money matters: save for your mount

Why

Your first mount is the best thing you'll ever buy, and it isn't cheap. Many players reach the level for it with empty pockets.

Do this

Sell gray items. Don't buy upgrades from other players early on; quests give you plenty. Start saving gold from level 30.

Lv 1–30

Spend on training, bags, and food. From 30, save everything else.

Lv 40

First mount: about 100 gold for riding training and the mount.

Lv 60

Fast mount: about 1,000 gold. A long-term goal.

Beta prices These come from beta data and may change at launch. Reputation discounts can lower them.

Easy money most new players miss

Don't vendor every white item. Plain white items like cloth, meat, and stone are crafting materials, and other players often pay far more for them at the Auction House than a shopkeeper will.

Make a bank character. Create a second character, park them in a city, and mail them anything you want to keep or sell later. Your bags stay free for questing, and the bank character can run your Auction House sales.

8

Rested XP is free XP

Why

When you log out in an inn or a city, you build up "rested" bonus XP, even while offline. You then earn extra XP from enemies until it runs out.

Do this

Always log out in an inn or a city. Your XP bar turns blue when you have rested XP waiting.

Don't miss: a quest chain that starts at level 14 rewards the Cozy Sleeping Bag, which gives you an XP boost. Alliance players can grab it early. The Horde version is tougher, so many guides suggest waiting until around level 30.
9

Make your own group

Why

Forever doesn't put groups together for you or teleport you to dungeons. Dungeons are some of the best parts of the game, but you find the group and walk there together.

Do this

Use the Looking For Group board to list yourself or browse groups. Or ask in chat: type /1 and a message, for example "LFG Ragefire Chasm, Hunter lvl 14".

Every group needs these three roles

1 Tank
Holds the enemies' attention.
1 Healer
Keeps everyone alive.
3 Damage
Defeats the enemies.
Chat words you'll see

LFG: looking for group. LFM: looking for more (a group needs players). LF1M healer: looking for one more healer. Inv: please invite me. Brb: be right back. Ty: thank you.

Tips for your first dungeon

Before going in, collect all the quests for that dungeon; they give big XP and good gear. Let the tank go first. Attack the enemy the tank is attacking. And it's fine to say "first time here!" Most players are happy to explain.

10

Dying is fine. Take your time.

Why

Everyone dies, a lot. You don't lose XP or items. The only cost is a short walk and a small repair bill. And there's no rush: Forever stays at level 60 for good, so the world will be here whenever you get there.

Do this

Release your spirit, run back to your body as a ghost, and come back to life. Then repair your gear at any blacksmith or armor seller.

You dieYour gear loses a little durability
→
Press "Release Spirit"You appear at a graveyard as a ghost
→
Run to your bodyFollow the arrow on your minimap
→
Press "Resurrect"You're back with half health
What about the Spirit Healer at the graveyard?

The angel at the graveyard can bring you back right there, but it costs extra durability and makes you weak for 10 minutes. Only use it if your body is somewhere you can't safely reach.

That's it. Go play!

  1. Haven't picked a class yet? Browse the class guides.
  2. Haven't set up your keys? Do it now; it takes 3 minutes.