This WoW Mining guide will show you the fastest way how to level your Mining profession up from 1 to 525. Updated for WoW patch 4.3.3
Mining serves three professions: Blacksmithing, Engineering and Jewelcrafting, so it's really good combined with any of these. Check out my Engineering guide, Jewelcrafting guide or my Blacksmithing guide if you want to level any of these professions.
I mentioned, I will show a fast way to level Mining, unfortunately it's a gathering profession, and it takes a lot of time to level it up to 525. In this Mining guide I will try to list the best zones where I found the most Mining nodes.
If you are low on gold, I recommend you to try this Gold Making Guide, it can help you to make loads of gold.
If you are still leveling your character or you just started a new alt, I recommend you to use a leveling guide. You can level your character to level 85 in 5 days with this guide.
Mining Guide Sections:
1 - 50 - Copper Ore
50 - 100 - Tin Ore
100 - 150 - Iron Ore
150 - 200 - Mithril Ore
200 - 275 - Thorium Ore
275 - 325 - Fel Iron Ore
325 - 350 - Adamantite Ore
350 - 400 - Cobalt Ore
400 - 425 - Saronite Ore
425 - 475 - Obsidium Ore
475 - 525 - Elementium Ore
WoW Mining Leveling Guide 1 - 525
First, visit any trainer in the main cities of old Azeroth - just ask a guard, and learn Apprentice Mining.
Download the following addon: Gathermate2
This addon shows you every Mining node location on your map. The addon and the databse can be found here.
I recommend you to get the following enchant: [Enchant Gloves - Gatherer]. You can just buy any low level gloves from a vendor and enchant that one with this Enchant, equip the gloves when you level your mining.
Check the Auction House and if there is any [Scroll of Enchant Gloves - Gatherer] available, buy it.
Don't forget to turn on Find Minerals!
1 - 50
You will mine [Copper Ore] in this section.
Check out my other Mining leveling guide if you want to level mining with [Smelting] only. You can level mining a lot faster, but it will also cost you a lot more gold.
Actually, you should always smelt your ores to gain a few free skill-ups, the only exception is if you need the Ores for Jewelcrafting, then you shouldn't smelt them.
50 - 100
Learn Mining Journeyman.
You will mine the following ores: [Tin Ore], [Silver Ore]
Hillsbrad Foothills is just simply the best place to farm Tin. If you are an alliance player you should still go there, but Northern Stranglethorn is a great alternative. You will see a red zone on the map, that zone is filled with Tin, it's everywhere. When you mined all of it, just go outside of the zone where you can see the little yellowish arrows, mine a few Tin and head back to the red zone because it's most likely that the Tin Veins there are already respawned.
100 - 150
You will mine the following ores at this section of this WoW Mining guide:
150 - 200
Learn Mining Expert.
You will mine the following ores: [Mithril Ore], [Truesilver Ore]
Felwood and Burning Steppes are the best places to farm because the mining route is just so simple in these two zones. Badlands is also a really good place, but I found a bit more Mithril in the other zones.
Don't go into Dreadmaul Rock. There is plenty of Mithril at the corner of the map, you will just get dismounted if you go into the cave and it will slow you down.
Alternative Map: Mithril Ore farming
200 - 275
Learn Mining Artisan.
You will mine [Thorium Ore].
Buy Thorium Ores and smelt them until you reach 215 (210 if you have the Mining Enchant on your gloves), the reason for this is that with 215 Mining skill, you will be able to mine Rich Thorium Veins, not just the small ones. You can actually smelt Thorium up to 275 if you want to, as you can see it in my smelting guide. Sell the Thorium Bars at the Auction House if you don't need them.
When you reach 275, you can go to Hellfire Peninsula and mine Fel Iron or you can stay in the zones listed below until you reach 300.
Alternative Maps: Thorium Ore farming
275 - 325
Visit your trainer and learn Mining Master.
You will mine [Fel Iron Ore]. You can mine Fel Iron up to 350 if you want to and you can skip the Nagrand section of the mining guide.
325 - 350
You will mine [Adamantite Ore]. Often you will find Rich Adamantite Deposits, but unfortunately you won't be able to mine them until you reach 350. The red zones are caves and you should go into them because there is a lot of Adamantite in those.
350 - 400
Visit your trainer and learn Mining Grand Master.
You will mine [Cobalt Ore]. I found Howling Fjord to be the best place to farm Cobalt however you can go to Borean Tundra if you want to, there are plenty of Cobalt there too. Visit my Cobalt Ore farming guide if you want to go to Borean Tundra.
Alternative map: Cobalt Ore farming
400 - 425
You will mine [Saronite Ore]. Sholazar Basin is simply the best place to farm Saronite, you will find a few Rich Saronite Deposits, but you won't be able to mine them yet.
Sometimes you can get unlucky and there will be too many Rich Saronite Deposits, you can try Wintergasp if this happens. If the battle is on, you won't be able to use flying mount for a few minutes.
425 - 475
You will mine [Obsidium Ore].There is a lot more Obsidium in Hyjal than in Vashj'ir, but there is also a lot more players. Hyjal beats Vashj'ir if there isn't anyone else farming the zone, else the zones are pretty similar. If you go to Vashj'ir, you will also have to do the starting quests until you get your underwater mount.
475 - 525
You will mine [Elementium Ore].
There will be some Pyrite Deposit, but you won't be able to mine them until you reach 525. Rich Elementium Vein also requires a mining skill of 500, please don't get angry for not being able to mine these yet.
Alternative map: Elementium Ore farming.
I hope you liked this Mining guide, GZ to 525!
