Shadowlands is just hours away from going live in World of Warcraft.
As WoW's seventh expansion, some things have been massively upgraded.
One of the biggest upgrades coming in Shadowlands is the leveling experience.
With this in mind, here's the fastest way to level in Shadowlands and hit 60 in hours.
Main Story
WoW Shadowlands has a brand new questing system that differentiates main story quests from side quests on-sight. This is a brand new checkmark for main story quests, which is bold and outlined by a shield behind it.
When you see the exclamation quest markers you're used to in WoW Shadowlands, that means the quest is a side quest, which means it isn't required to progress the story, but rather just offers XP and quest rewards.
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This will be a fantastic addition for Shadowlands leveling, and saves players ripping through their quest logs to figure out what actually needs doing.
It's important to note, however, that the Shadowlands main story quests alone will not push you to level 60.
Fastest Way to Level in Shadowlands
Every new WoW expansion's launch is somewhat of a race. With so much to do at max level, players push their pace to get ahead of the pack.
These are the best ways to speed up your Shadowlands leveling experience and hit 60 as fast as possible.
Quest Selection
The fastest way to level in Shadowlands is to be selective and strategic with the quests you accept.
Not every WoW quest is created equal, and the real things to pay attention to are XP values, quest difficulty, and location.
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If your side quests line up with your main quests, they're almost always a huge boost to your leveling speed to grab.
Skipping Side Quests Early
If you're looking to get ahead of the pack when leveling in Shadowlands, you'll want to skip most side quests early on for launch day, and instead push forward as fast as possible in the main story.
This will push you past the Shadowlands launch day clutter that WoW players know so well from previous expansions.
Items
To really get those extra minutes shaved off of your Shadowlands leveling time, you'll want to prepare some items for the big day.
One item that is a huge boost for Shadowlands is the Goblin Glider Kit. This is incredibly cheap on the Auction House, and offers players the ability to fly before Shadowlands flying exists.
With the massive architecture in Shadowlands, the Goblin Glider Kit will be a huge timesaver and a mandatory pickup.
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Another tricky timesaving item is a selection of mount equipments. Mount equipment is an underrealized WoW feature added in Battle for Azeroth.
There are many different Mount Equipment items that can give you huge boosts to your leveling speeds.
This includes Light-Step Hoofplates which give your mount an extra 20% movement speed, and Comfortable Rider's Barding which prevents mobs from dismounting you via daze.
War Mode
Another huge boost to your leveling speed is War Mode. This feature enables world PVP for players until it's toggled off in a rested area.
While it's dangerous, just having War Mode enabled grants you an extra 10% experience, which is a massive boost over 10 levels.
Addons
Several WoW addons through the years have been made specifically to speed up the leveling process. With Shadowlands being WoW's seventh expansion, that has gotten optimized massively over the years.
Current addons that will give you a massive boost while leveling include Zygor's Guide (payment required) and AutoTurnIn (free).
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These addons automatically accept and turn in quests as you complete them, and Zygor's Guide goes the extra step to recommend gear upgrades, and offer guidance on which quests to do in order.
Shadowlands Leveling Guide
For players looking to push their pace to the fullest without much consideration on their own, there are plenty of Shadowlands speedrunning guides available.
Be aware that this is a complex option that will require some workk. But studying up before launch is a great way to be one of the first max levels on your server.
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One of the most prolific WoW speed runners, DesMephisto, put his Shadowlands guide into a google spreadsheet. It comes with instructions for every turn.
His leveling time from 50-60 is under 6 hours, and his 1-50 time is just 3 hours and 33 minutes!