Below is a detailed video and walk-through on how to level Mining 1-525 the easiest and quickest even if you don't have any gold to spend. Mining is a great money making profession to have especially for Cataclysm with all the new items that are possible to make with high level bars Blacksmiths and Engineers are using and ore for Jewelcrafting prospectors. Please enjoy this Mining Guide: 1-525 Leveling and if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to post them below in the comments or on our forums.

• WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide: Updated for Patch 4.3 - Cataclysm
• Estimated Leveling Time: 5-6.5 hours
• If you have some gold and just want to power level Mining 1-525 the fastest and easiest with Mining only a few times, then check out my Smelting Guide 1-525 instead.

• Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling Quick Sections

  Mining 1-70 - Apprentice Mining
  Mining 70-125 - Journeyman Mining
  Mining 125-225 - Expert Mining
  Mining 225-275 - Artisan Mining
  Mining 275-350 - Master Mining
  Mining 350-425 - Grand Master Mining
  Mining 425-525 - Illustrious GM Mining






• Required Material:

  None! You're going to Mine everything. If you have the budget though you can check out my Smelting 1-525 Leveling Guide instead that will show you how to power level Mining 1-525 with only Mining 5-10 points once.

• In the above video and guide below, I'm going to show you how to level Mining 1-525 the easiest and fastest way possible through farming. A good profession to level and farm with Mining is Herbalism and some good professions to go with Mining are Blacksmithing, Jewelcrafting, and Engineering. Engineering can help you get extra items when Mining nodes as well.
• Before you get started, you'll want to download the addon, gatherer and its data. Next, get a few Mining bags if you plan to Mine a lot when you hit 525. I bought four but you really should have three and one normal bag since gems will fill up your standard bag quickly. If you don't have the extra gold, just go with your normal bags but make sure they're empty. You'll also want to purchase some cheap grey/green gloves and enchant them with [Enchant Gloves - Advanced Mining] or [Enchant Gloves - Gatherer] which will give you plus five to Mining. I like the Gatherer enchant since it's around 10g. If the enchant is some astronomical amount like on my server, buy the mats for around 10g and get someone to enchant your gloves. Lastly, be repaired, have some food/water, blare some music, and have fun!

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 1-70 - Apprentice Mining

• Now that all the prep is out of the way, learn Apprentice Mining for your primary profession. Ask a guard in any major city to find out where the Mining trainer is. Don't forget to buy a Mining pick from the supply vendor. Also, make sure your tracking is set to 'Find Minerals' and your mini-map is zoomed all the way out.
• Alright, you can finally start Mining. You can level in any starting zone but I'll be showing Durotar. Throughout this guide and the above video you'll have zone choices but the ones I've used in the video are the ones I suggest and found the easiest to use.
• After entering Durotar, you'll just follow the route below.

  

  

• Before I forget though, open your interface options and check 'Auto Loot'. This'll auto loot everything into your bags without clicking. You'll want to follow this route for two laps or until you have around 100 Copper Ore and then head back to the trainer who taught you Mining to begin with. Then, smelt all the Copper Ore in your bags. Next, learn all available skills and Journeyman Miner. Journeyman allows you to go to level 150 and try not being a noob like me and forgetting it. Whoa, Tarou where ya going? Aren't you forgetting to actually train Journeyman. There ya go. Turn that Cowtard around.

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 70-125 - Journeyman Mining

• For this next section, we'll head over to Hillsbrad so hop on the Tirisfal Glades Zep if you're Horde or fly there if you're Alliance. As you can tell, I got the new air mount boots called Airhoofs. Pretty cool right. I can also disappear. Wha, bam! Where I be? Some alternative locations are Duskwood, Northern Stranglethorn, or Ashenvale. I prefer Hillsbrad Foothills whether Horde or Alliance since it is covered with Tin and has a very simple route.

  

  

• Ok, so you've made it to Hillsbrad and basically here just follow the route like I have it laid out on the map. After you mine up around 50-60 Tin Ore you can smelt it and make some Bronze bars for skill ups. From what I've found though it's quicker to continue farming believe it or not.
• Continue on until you reach atleast skill level 125 which should only take two laps or so. Then, head to the closest Mining trainer and learn everything available including Expert Miner which will let you get to 225 Mining. After that, smelt all the Silver Ore you have.

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 125-230 - Expert Mining

• Next, head out to Western Plaguelands (Alternatively - Feralas or the Cape of Stranglethorn) where you'll farm Iron Ore. You may also find Gold Ore which you can mine as well. Oh and I just want to mention that being able to fly and level Mining in the old school zones is a huge boost. If you don't have a flying mount then just level Mining as you level your character.

  

  

• After two laps or so you should hit 175 so, you'll want to head back to the Mining trainer and learn everything available. Then, smelt whatever Gold Ore you have.
• Next, hop on the zep to Orgrimmar for Horde or the boat to Dustwallow Marsh for Alliance and go to Felwood (Alternatively - Burning Steppes or Badlands). This place is filled with Mithril and has a very easy route. Just follow the route below around and you should find all the Mithril you need plus a Truesilver vein here and there within a lap or so.

  

  

• After you hit 225, head to the closest Mining trainer and learn everything plus Artisan Miner. For Horde that'll be Org and Alliance it'll be Darkshore. Next, smelt all the Mithril you have, train again, and smelt any Truesilver Ore into bars. You want to have atleast 230 in Mining with the glove enchant or 235 without before you leave the trainer.

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 230-275 - Artisan Mining

• Next, it's off to Winterspring (Alternatively - Un'Goro or Silithus). One of the most underrated Mining spots in my opinion. It has a very simple route with both Small Thorium Veins and Rich Thorium Veins. You won't be able to tap the Rich ones until 250 with gloves or 255 without but don't worry it'll only take half a lap for you to reach that.

  

  

  

• The west-south corner of Winterspring is especially nice since it usually has 2 to 4 nodes right next to each other. Continue Mining until you loop around to Everlook, the neutral town. Inside there, smelt all your Truesilver and then Thorium Ore. It'll gray out at 290 so continue farming from there until you hit 300. Then, go back to Org for Horde or Darkshore for Alliance and train Master Miner plus anything available.
• While you may not need them, here are some Outland trainers for Mining.

Horde
Krugosh - Thrallmar, Hellfire Peninsula

Alliance
Hurnak Grimmord - Honor Hold, Hellfire Peninsula

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 300-350 - Master Mining

• Grats on 300 and as you fly back to Winterspring, go take a break. Get some cookies or Pizza or both. It's been a little over 2 hours so I think you deserve it.
• After your break, continue mining in Winterspring until you reach 325. Things should start to green out and it may take a few veins to get skill points but it's still faster than going straight to Outlands and farming Fel Iron. It should also only take a lap or so around the zone so it goes really quick. If you are in Silithus hop over to Un'Goro. Maps for both are just above.

  

• If you're in Outlands already, you can use the map below to level by mining in Hellfire Peninsula until you reach skill level 325. You can periodically smelt ore to get some skill ups as well.

  

• At 325, return to the Mining trainer and learn everything available. Next, grab a port to Shattrath from a Mage (or take the portal near the portal trainer in Orgrimmar or Stormwind) and fly over into Nagrand. In Nagrand, follow the route down through the bottom of the zone and only enter caves that have normal Adamantite Ore since you won't be able to mine Rich yet.

  

• Once you loop around to Garand, use the little Forge to smelt some Adamantite Ore and reach Mining 340. Naturally if you already got to 340 you can just continue on the route until you hit 350 which should take max two laps.
• If you have trouble in Nagrand, you can try Blade's Edge, Zangarmarsh, or Isle of Quel'Danas. Maps are below.

  

  

  

• After you hit 350, hearth back to Org or Stormwind and learn Grand Master Miner along with anything else available. If you have any Eternium, smelt that and then use it to make Felsteel. You may only get a few points but it's worth it. At this point, you'll also want to empty your bags. I just send everything off to an alt. Also, make sure to have max three Mining bags for this next part. If you have four Mining bags, you'll run out of space from gems and other items as my noob self found out. Ok, when all your bags are empty and sorted, grab the zep or boat and head over to Borean Tundra in Northrend.
• I've listed the location of a few Mining trainers for Northrend below but you can of course go to a major city like Orgrimmar or Stormwind as well.

Horde
Brunna Ironaxe - Warsong Hold, Borean Tundra
Jonathan Lewis - Vengeance Keep, Howling Fjord

Alliance
Fendrig Redbeard - Valiance Keep, Borean Tundra
Grumbol Stoutpick - Valgarde, Howling Fjord

Neutral
Jedidiah Handers - Dalaran

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 350-425 - Grand Master Mining

• Borean Tundra has a pretty simple route but it may take you 4 or so laps to get the skill points you need.

  

• You can also head to Warsong or Valience Keep after a lap or so and smelt whatever Cobalt Ore you have for some easy skill ups until 375. Be aware, nodes are distanced a bit more than you may be use to especially when there are a few others in the zone farming. I had three 85's leveling Mining or farming ore in Borean so, it slowed me down a bit. Nevertheless it wasn't too bad and I ended up grabbing a rare Achievement while I was there. After you hit 395, with gloves or 400 without, fly up over into Sholazar Basin.
• Sholazar Basin is a nice change from Borean Tundra. You'll start to see decent experience from nodes and they won't be nearly as distanced and the only down side is you'll find Rich Saronite and Titanium nodes that you won't be able to mine. Shouldn't be much of a probelm though since within two laps or so you should easily hit 425 and be onto Mount Hyjal anyway.

  

• After hitting 425 or so, head to the Mining trainer, learn everything available and Illustrious Grand Master Miner. Make sure you wait until 425 even if you have the glove enchant or you won't be able to train Illustrious GM.

WoW Mining Guide 1-525 Leveling | Mining Guide 425-525 - Illustrious Grand Master Mining

• Now that you're all trained up, head over to Mount Hyjal by using the portal in your faction's major city. Mount Hyjal is a pretty awesome place to mine.

  

• Each node is netting 4,620 exp which isn't bad at all. I'm only level 80 so a few downsides are the mobs rock me in my noob gear and I of course have to keep my distance from any 85 or I'll get pwned. I just make sure I'm careful not to get killed although I almost do right here. On top of that, someone thought they were gonna steal my node, I don't think so. That reminds me, always CC the mob, loot the node, and then kill it. That way if you die you get the ore atleast and also noone can steal it from you while you fight. As for the route of Mount Hyjal, it's really simple. Just stick to the line on the map and you'll be good. At around 450 you can hearth to Org or Stormwind and smelt the Obsidium into bars for some skill points. It's a quick portal back but you won't save much time at all so I don't bother with it. Oh and if you're wondering, Mining Earth Elementals can drop Volatile Earth but they won't give skill points or exp from Mining them. As I leveled I noticed I wasn't finding nearly as many nodes as I should so doing a quick /who gave me my reason, there were six or more others likely farming along with about the same Alliance. Even with the high competition, it won't slow you down too much. After reaching 475, you can head to Deepholm or Uldum. Skip the next section to the maps below.
• Since there are a lot of Rich nodes and level 85s farming in Uldum as well as Deepholm, I'll stay in Mount Hyjal but Uldum can be better for most so I suggest going there for the extra gold from Elementium Ore and better leveling route. If you stay in Mount Hyjal like me, the last few points will take a couple nodes but not a big deal really and it goes quick. My guy really sucks and you can see that refected in the hour it takes to kill a silly Dragonkin. Well, atleast I hit level 81. Mining contributed to about half the level. My experience per node has gone up to 5,732. Not too bad.
• At around lap 3 or 4, you should hit 500 so now it's time to head to Uldum. Hearth back to Org or Stormwind and learn everything that's available from the Mining trainer. Next, take the portal to Uldum or fly there if you haven't unlocked it yet. And here is the most important thing ever to succeed in leveling Mining, get rofl stomped by standing in Deathwing's fire. Or in this case, flying in it. In case you're wondering, yes people are flying from all over the zone to stand in the fire, die, and get the Achievement. Awesomeness at its best. Burn.
• Anyway, back to the leveling of Mining. The route I have for Uldum is pretty big but I'm only doing that because of the competition.

  

  Alternatively - Deepholm:
  

• Uldum and Deepholm are packed most of the time. Oh and I don't think I've said this before but it also pays to have a fast computer. You will always get the node before someone and be able to fly off without them noticing until it's too late. Sorry paly, see ya. From time to time you'll find some Pyrite which is the Titanium of Cata, the highest ore but you won't be able to mine it until 520 with the glove enchant or 525 without. No biggy, you'll be there in no time. Sometimes you'll get a node near these elites and if you're 85 it's not really a problem. I'm 81 though so I cyclone the front guy, loot the node, and book it out of there before I get rocked. I do the same with level 85 Alliance. If you're a Shaman, hex won't work sorry. Uldum's route is very simple and has some pretty cool surprises. You can get 4-5 nodes spawning in the same general location. This can happen in a few locations but the most common are the ones I marked on the map. Another thing that can happen while Mining in any zone is phasing problems with nodes. You'll see the node on the map but when you get to it, it disappears. Sucks that you can't get the ore from it but you can get the skill point and experience. You just gotta be quick.
• Ok, so after a little over 5 hours, I finally hit 525 in Mining. Grats to everyone who hit or will hit 525 as well. The last thing you wanna do is list everything you mined up and see how much gold you made. I'll list everything for 12 hours and only smelt bars when the price is worth the time.
• Alright, it's been a little over a day and most stuff sold. Looks like leveling brought in 3,654g + the stuff that didn't sell so maybe 4,000g give or take. That's not too bad since on top of leveling Mining and getting some gold, you're also leveling your character if you're not 85 yet. Mining is also a really awesome gold maker and if you want to see the best gold making routes for each zone, check my Mining Gold Making Series.
• Congratulations WoW Gamer!! You now have Illustrious Grand Master 525 Mining! Check out Mining Gold Making Guide - Mount Hyjal: Best Routes. Also, check out Jewelcrafting 1-525 Leveling Guide or Blacksmithing 1-525 Leveling Guide for a great profession to go with Mining. Finally, you can check out the forums for more tips and tricks as well as ask questions about anything you wish to know.