Dungeons or questing while leveling
Questing is the backbone of leveling in every version of WoW Classic, and dungeons are the best addition when they fit. How much a dungeon adds depends on the expansion, on your role and on whether you have a group ready. The short version per expansion is below.
Classic Era
Questing is the fastest way for solo players. Dungeons in Classic Era take long, groups take time to form, and the entrances are often far away. One run of a dungeon with its quests is worth it, for the experience and for gear that makes the next levels easier. Repeating the same dungeon only pays off with a group that clears it quickly.
TBC Anniversary
Outland dungeons are shorter and give good experience. With a steady group, running them keeps up with questing, and tanks and healers find groups quickly. For solo players, questing with one run of each dungeon on the way is still the most reliable route.
WotLK Classic
Northrend has dense quest hubs, so questing stays the backbone. Dungeons such as The Nexus and Drak’Tharon Keep have many quests in the nearby zones, which makes one run each a good stop. Later phases of WotLK Classic added a Dungeon Finder, which makes finding a group much faster.
Cata Classic and MoP Classic
Zones are linear and quests give a lot of experience. Queue for dungeons while questing, and keep questing until the queue fires: that combines both without waiting. A run with its quests is worth it; repeating runs usually is not.
Roles and play styles
- Tanks and healers find dungeon groups fastest, so dungeons fit them best.
- Damage dealers wait longest for groups, so questing suits them better.
- Players who want gold earn more from quests, which give gold and items to sell.
- Players in a guild or with friends can level well in dungeons, as long as the group stays together.
A mix that works
- Quest as the base of the route.
- Collect the quests of a dungeon before you enter it.
- Run each dungeon once, when its level fits.
- Queue while questing wherever the game allows it.
The leveling routes list the dungeons worth a run for each expansion.
Frequently asked questions
Is repeating the same dungeon faster than questing?
Only with a steady group that clears quickly. Without such a group, finding players and walking to the entrance take so long that questing is faster.
Should healers level as a damage spec?
For solo questing, a damage spec kills faster. Healers who spend a lot of time in dungeons find groups quickly and can stay in their healing spec.
Do dungeon quests count as questing?
They are the best of both: a dungeon run with its quests gives much more experience than the run alone. Collect them before the run.
What about rested experience?
Rested experience doubles the experience from kills, in the open world and in dungeons. It helps both ways of leveling.