Gathering profession
WoW Forever Mining Guide
Mining pulls ore, stone and gems from veins and smelts them into bars. It supplies both Blacksmithing and Engineering, so it is the most flexible gathering choice.
WoW Forever facts and Classic reference are kept apart below; every line links to its source.
All 18 Mining recipes, reagents and skill-up colours →
Mining 1-300 leveling guide: route by skill and zone →
What we know for WoW Forever
- Unconfirmed A new starting-zone quest rewards a choice of profession manuals for Mining, Skinning or Herbalism. Icy Veins
- Unconfirmed The live client lists three Mining camp features: the Lodestone (90 melee attack power for everyone sitting nearby, not stacking with Blessing of Might), the Rock Garden and the Molten Foundry. Daybreak Forever datamine
- Unconfirmed Two new smelts are in the client: Smelt Azerothium at 275 skill and Smelt Heavy Thorium at 300. Heavy Thorium Bars are a reagent in many new level 60 Blacksmithing and Engineering recipes. Daybreak Forever datamine
Still open: Blizzard has not confirmed the Mining perks, and the client does not say where Pitchblende and Heavy Thorium Ore are found.
Shared by all professions: 600+ new recipes and three campsite objects each. See the professions overview.
Mining perks shown for WoW Forever
Transcribed by a community calculator from in-game tooltip screenshots; the names are not in the client tables we read, and Blizzard has not confirmed them. nikftw
Made of MetalUnconfirmedAll your hard work spent mining has made you exceptionally tough, increasing your total health by 5%.
A Lode of OreUnconfirmedGather additional ore from mineral nodes.
Malicious MiningUnconfirmedMining nodes may yield rare or combat-oriented materials.
Legacy Tree perks for Mining
- Bountiful Harvest UnconfirmedRank 1: You are 20% more likely to discover Scarce materials from Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning.
Mining in Classic: reference
UnconfirmedClassic 1.12 reference — may change in WoW Forever.
Skill brackets and trainer requirements
| Stage | Skill range | Character level | Skill to train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 1–75 | 5 | — |
| Journeyman | 75–150 | 10 | 50 |
| Expert | 150–225 | 20 | 125 |
| Artisan | 225–300 | 35 | 200 |
Mining trainers raise your cap to 150, 225 and 300 once you reach 50, 125 and 200 skill, with character levels 10, 20 and 35 required. Warcraft Wiki
Key milestones
- Thorium veins need at least 200 Mining. Warcraft Wiki
- Arcane Crystals come from Thorium veins, most often Rich Thorium Veins at around 13%. Warcraft Wiki
- Smelt Dark Iron is taught by the ghost Gloom'rel in Blackrock Depths after a tribute of gold, truesilver bars and star rubies. Warcraft Wiki
Leveling outline
- Smelt as you go; smelting gives skill-ups too.
- Do not let the skill cap waste nodes: train as soon as you hit 50, 125 or 200.
- Farm zones where your current ore still shows orange or yellow on the minimap.
Best pairing
Blacksmithing or Engineering. Mining feeds both Blacksmithing and Engineering, and doubles as a gold profession on its own.
Who benefits from Mining
- Blacksmiths and Engineers: Bars are their main reagent.
- Any class that wants gold: Ore sells steadily because two crafting professions depend on it.
In our WoW Forever class picks: Warrior (leveling) · Warrior (level 60) · Paladin (leveling) · Hunter (level 60) · Rogue (leveling) · Mage (leveling)
Gold-making notes
- Arcane Crystals are the rare half of an Arcanite Bar, so a lucky Thorium node can be worth more than the rest of the ore combined. Warcraft Wiki · Warcraft Wiki
Other profession guides
Alchemy · Blacksmithing · Enchanting · Engineering · Herbalism · Leatherworking · Skinning · Tailoring · Cooking · Fishing · First Aid · All WoW Forever professions · Professions Legacy Tree