What You're Getting Into
Mists of Pandaria Classic takes you from level 85 to 90, making it one of the last expansions to use the five-level format. Don't let that fool you though - hitting max level still takes serious time. You'll get fewer "ding" moments, and without flying mounts on your first character, travel time adds up fast.
Good news for your alts: after you hit 90 once, you can buy an account-bound tome in your faction's major city. This lets all your other characters learn Pandaria flying right at level 85, cutting hours off future leveling runs.
Getting Ready Before You Start
Gear Up in Cataclysm
Before you set foot in Pandaria, grab the best gear you can from Cataclysm content. Run some Cata raids through the group finder, tackle the highest dungeons available, and don't skip the catchup gear from the pre-patch. Better gear means faster kills and less downtime.
Clean House
Time for some spring cleaning. Clear out your quest log, organize your bank for stuff you want to keep, and empty those bags. You'll be picking up tons of new items, and bag space gets tight fast.
Stack Some Quests
This one's hit or miss, but if you can fill your quest log with easy turn-ins before heading to Pandaria, you might squeeze out a small XP boost for that first level. Plus, it gives you room to drop quests you don't like later.
Park Your Alts
Log into your other characters and get them to inns or major cities. They'll start building up rested XP while you're busy leveling your main.
How to Level: Your Options
Questing Rules Everything
Questing stays your best bet for efficient leveling. Blizzard built Pandaria around connected storylines that push you through zones in a logical order while maximizing your XP gains.
Three things determine how fast you quest:
- Combat time: How long it takes to kill mobs
- Recovery time: Sitting around waiting for health and mana
- Travel time: Running between objectives
Speed this up by focusing on main story quests (they give the most XP), grouping nearby side quests to knock out 4-5 at once, and using addons like Questie or TomTom to plan better routes.
Reading Quest Colors
Quest difficulty shows up in different colors, and understanding this helps you pick the right content:
Mixing in Dungeons
Dungeons work great as supplements, not replacements for questing. Run each one once to grab the quests, use random queue for bonus XP, and don't stick around if your group keeps wiping.
Dungeon timeline:
- 85-86: Temple of the Jade Serpent, Stormstout Brewery
- 87-88: Shado-Pan Monastery, Mogu'shan Palace
- 88-89: Gate of the Setting Sun, Siege of Niuzao Temple
Group XP Breakdown
Grouping changes how XP works for mob kills but not quest turn-ins:
| Group Size | XP per Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | 100% | Full XP |
| 2 players | 50% each (plus bonus) | Small bonus applies |
| 3 players | 39% each (plus bonus) | Faster completion |
| 4 players | 33% each (plus bonus) | Good for dungeons |
| 5 players | 28% each (plus bonus) | Max group efficiency |
The XP penalty gets offset by faster quest completion. Just avoid raid groups - they break most quests and tank your mob XP.
Zone Breakdown: Where to Go When
Levels 85-86: Jade Forest (The Rough Start)
You'll start Jade Forest by grabbing a quest in Orgrimmar or Stormwind, then taking an airship to Pandaria. Horde players land in the northwest, Alliance in the south.
If you're questing here anyway, stick to these spots:
- Tian Monastery (north): By far the best part of Jade Forest
- Arboretum: Decent hub that doesn't need the main campaign
- Nectarbreeze Orchard: Good for Alliance, long trip for Horde
Skip the main campaign after you meet Lorewalker Cho. For Horde, that means ditching Grookin Hill before the roleplay gets bad. Alliance should bail at Pearl Fin Village.
Treasures:
- Horde: Lucky Pandaren Coin, Ancient Pandaren Teapot, Pandaren Ritual Stone (all near Honeydew Village)
- Alliance: Offering of Remembrance (north of Paw'don Village)
Levels 86-87: Valley of Four Winds and Krasarang Wilds
Now we're talking. Valley of Four Winds is where Pandaria questing gets good, with Krasarang Wilds working as an extension. Many questlines connect both zones.
Valley Priority Spots:
- Pools of Purity: The single best quest hub in all of Pandaria
- Stoneplow and Nesingwary Safari (west): Great efficiency despite the travel
- Halfhill Market: Farm setup quests help with endgame gold
- Paoquan Hollow: Starting point with Chen Stormstout chains
Krasarang Integration:
- Zhu's Watch: Main hub via breadcrumb from Paoquan Hollow
- Thunder Cleft/The Incursion: Faction hubs with solid XP
Skip these areas:
- Silken Fields: Poor efficiency
- Nayeli Lagoon: Too much travel time
- Crane Wing Refuge/Dawnchaser Retreat/Sentinel Base Camp: Spread out, low quest density
Treasures:
- Saurok Stone Tablet: Grab while doing Zhu's Watch
- Boat Building Instructions: Minor detour on the coast
Some treasures need flying mounts, so you can't get them on your first run through.
Levels 87-88: Kun-Lai Summit (Where It Gets Good)
Travel north through Veiled Stair - grab the quest from the Grummle at Thunderfoot Fields flight point.
Veiled Stair Treasures (quick grabs):
- Hammer of Ten Thunders: East section, top of cliff path
- Abandoned Crate of Goods: Upper floor of Tavern in the Mists
Kun-Lai Summit is where Pandaria really shines. Almost every quest hub here pays off.
Quest Flow:
- Binan Village: Start here, don't miss Inkgill Mere side chain
- Eastwind/Westwind Rest: Your faction's main camp
- Yaungol Advance: Head east first
- Temple of the White Tiger: Critical - this unlocks Vale of Eternal Blossoms
- One Keg: Central hub that branches everywhere
- Kota Base Camp: Follow Burlap Trail
- Shado-Pan Fallback & Winter's Blossom: Both Shado-Pan rep hubs
Skip Zouchin Village on your first run - great content but takes forever to reach without flying.
Treasures (lots of them):
- Terracotta Head: Hidden among mogu statues near faction camps
- Sprite's Cloth Chest: Cave during Yaungol questing
- Stolen Sprite Treasure: Cave north of One Keg
- Ancient Mogu Tablet: Path toward Zouchin Village
- Rikktik's Tick Remover: Mountain tomb
- Yaungol Oil Stash: Burlap Trail cave
- Lost Adventurer's Belongings: Mountains west of Kota Base Camp
- Statue of Xuen: Bottom of pond in Zouchin Village
Levels 88-89: Townlong Steppes (The Grind Zone)
Pick up the breadcrumb from Winter's Blossom to get here.
Main Circuit (do this loop):
- Longying Outpost (north)
- Hatred's Vice (west)
- Gao-Ran Battlefront (center)
- Rensai's Watchpost (east)
- Sik'vess (finale)
This gives you Shado-Pan rep and decent XP. Skip Niuzao Temple and Sra'thik Swarmdock - they're not worth the time.
If you're still 88 after the main circuit, hit up some dungeons. You've got Shado-Pan Monastery and Mogu'shan Palace one-time quests to catch up on, plus the new unlocks (Gate of Setting Sun and Siege of Niuzao Temple). Fair warning: Siege of Niuzao has long roleplay sections that slow things down.
Treasures:
- Abandoned Crate of Goods: North, bit of a detour
- Amber-Encased Moth: Southern trenches at Gao-Ran Battlefront
- Hardened Sap of Kri'vess: Spawns in two spots - east is reachable, west needs flying
- Fragment of Dread: Cave near Niuzao Temple (optional)
Levels 89-90: Dread Wastes (The Final Push)
Most flight masters in Townlong, Dread Wastes, or Vale offer a breadcrumb quest that auto-unlocks the Serpent's Spine Wall flight point.
Quest Priority:
- Terrace of Gurthan: Your starting point
- All Klaxxi faction quests: Max rep for endgame benefits
- Sunset Brewgarden: North section connects to main Klaxxi story
Skip Soggy's Gamble - underwater quests with minimal Klaxxi rep.
Don't bother with dungeons from 89-90. Dread Wastes is super efficient, you'll need to finish most of it for endgame anyway, and the available dungeons are generally slow at this point.
Making the Most of Your Time
Rested XP Management
Always log out in inns or rest areas. Rested XP doubles your mob kill experience and builds up at 5% per 8 hours offline (maxes at 150%, or 1.5 levels worth).
Smart Consumable Use
Pop XP potions at the start of quest hubs or before dungeon runs, not while you're flying around. Keep healing potions handy - they're cheap and cut down recovery time.
Darkmoon Faire Bonus
Every two weeks, Darkmoon Faire gives you a 10% XP buff from the carousel ride. You can stack it up to an hour and refresh it unlimited times. Check your in-game calendar to see if it's active.
Grouping Benefits
Team up for quest credit on named mobs to avoid competing with other players. Groups kill faster, though you split mob XP (quest turn-ins stay the same). The bonus XP usually makes up for it.
Profession Tips
Gathering While Leveling
Herbalism and Mining give XP from nodes plus materials to sell. Dense areas like Valley of Four Winds fields or Dread Wastes tunnels work great for this.
Crafting Challenges
Production professions struggle to keep up with your leveling pace. Most players stick to gathering while leveling, then switch to crafting at max level.
Don't Skip First Aid
Every character can learn First Aid. Turn cloth drops into bandages for healing during downtime - works even in combat.
Treasure Hunting and Rare Mobs
Addon Setup
Get HandyNotes to see treasure locations on your map and RareScanner for rare mob tracking.
Treasure Types
Regular treasures respawn quickly and anyone can grab them. Ultra-rare treasures have long respawn timers and you'll compete with other players.
Rare Mob Rewards
Look for star icons on your minimap. Rare mobs drop guaranteed gear plus a small chance at toys, pets, or valuable items. They have multi-hour respawns, so don't expect to find many while leveling.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Launch Day Crowds
Jade Forest's opening quests become unplayable with lots of players competing for mob tags. Consider dungeon spamming during busy periods or play during off-peak hours.
Zone Completion Syndrome
Don't finish every single quest before moving to the next zone. Switch when quest colors turn green and you're getting reduced XP.
Gear Neglect
Check the auction house regularly for weapon upgrades (huge impact for melee) and stat improvements for your class. Don't level for hours with outdated gear.
Addon Recommendations
Must-haves:
Set these up before you start leveling to save time figuring them out later.
Setting Up for Endgame
Reputation Focus
Prioritize quests that give rep with key factions:
- Shado-Pan: Kun-Lai Summit and Townlong Steppes
- Klaxxi: Dread Wastes (nearly everything)
- Golden Lotus: Vale of Eternal Blossoms
Vale Access
The Temple of White Tiger questline in Kun-Lai unlocks Vale of Eternal Blossoms, which houses your faction's main city with all the important endgame NPCs and vendors.
Time Expectations
Plan for a significant time investment despite only gaining five levels. Server population, your gear quality, addon usage, and zone familiarity all affect your completion time. First-timers learning the zones will take longer than experienced players with flying mounts on alts.
Once you've done it once, subsequent characters with flying access and zone knowledge move much faster through the content.