Mining in WoW Classic is a skill that allows players to gather ore, stone, and gems from mineral deposits found throughout Azeroth. These materials can be smelted into bars, which are essential for professions like Blacksmithing and Engineering. Ores and bars also sell well on the Auction House, making Mining a great way to earn gold.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about WoW Classic Mining, including:
- The best professions and classes to pair with Mining
- How to level Mining from 1 to 300 fast
- Where to find trainers and ore locations
- Important ores for endgame plans and recipes
Mining is a straightforward way to make gold or supply crafting professions. Whether you’re leveling Engineering or just selling ore, it’s a reliable choice in Classic WoW.
WoW Classic Mining Explained
Mining is an essential gathering profession that fuels several crafting professions while providing steady income. Unlike professions that rely on mob drops, miners harvest valuable ores directly from mineral veins scattered across Azeroth. These materials are crucial for Blacksmithing, Engineering, and Jewelcrafting (in later expansions), making miners always in demand.
- Ore & Gems – Gather copper, iron, mithril, and rare thorium, along with valuable gems like aquamarines and star rubies.
- Smelting Profits – Turn raw ore into bars at any forge, increasing their value for sale or crafting.
- No Mob Competition – Nodes spawn in the open world, meaning you don’t need to fight enemies to gather resources.
- High Demand – Blacksmiths and Engineers constantly need metals, ensuring a steady market.
Getting Started:
- Train Mining – Visit any major city’s trainer.
- Grab a Pick – Buy a Mining Pick from a Trade Supplies vendor.
- Track Nodes – Activate Find Minerals to spot veins on your minimap.
Mining is a reliable way to earn gold or support crafting professions. Whether you’re supplying your own Blacksmithing or selling ore for profit, it’s one of the most practical professions in Classic WoW.
Best Professions to Pair with Mining
- The most natural pairing for Mining is Blacksmithing or Engineering, as these professions directly use the metal bars you smelt from gathered ores. This creates a self-sufficient cycle where you mine materials and craft them into useful items without relying on the Auction House.
- For players focused on making gold, pairing Mining with Skinning is an excellent choice. Both are pure gathering professions that don’t compete for tracking (Find Minerals vs. Track Beasts), letting you maximize your farming efficiency. This combo is particularly good for new players needing steady income.
- Some adventurous miners choose Herbalism as their second profession. While this requires constantly switching between Find Minerals and Find Herbs, it can be profitable in zones rich with both resources, like the Burning Steppes or Eastern Plaguelands.
- Unlike Tailoring which benefits from Enchanting, Mining stands well on its own. The ores and bars you collect are always in demand, meaning you can sell everything you gather without needing a crafting profession. This makes Mining one of the most flexible and beginner-friendly professions in Classic WoW.
Best Classes for WoW Classic Mining
Mining is perfect for Warriors, Rogues, and Hunters, as these classes often pair it with Blacksmithing or Engineering to craft their own weapons and gear. Some of the most valuable mining-exclusive materials include:
- Dark Iron Ore (for fire resistance gear);
- Thorium (for high-level crafts);
- Arcane Crystals (for legendary items).
For gold-making, Mining stands strong on its own. Ores and bars always sell well, especially during raid progression when crafters need materials. The profession requires minimal investment – just a mining pick and some running time between nodes.
Summing up, whether you’re supplying your Blacksmithing, fueling Engineering gadgets, or just selling raw materials, Mining remains one of the most reliable and profitable professions in WoW Classic.
The Fastest 1-300 Vanilla Mining
If you want to level Mining fast without wasting time, this method will get you to 300 skill the fastest. It’s especially good if you’re pairing Mining with Blacksmithing or Engineering, since you’ll gather all the materials you need for those professions along the way.
This approach focuses on farming the right ores at each skill level to maximize skill-ups. Always mine every vein you see—even lower-level ones—until they turn gray (stop giving skill-ups). For extra efficiency, smelt your ores into bars when possible, as smelting gives additional skill points early on.
- 1-65: Farm Copper in starter zones (Elwynn Forest, Durotar, Dun Morogh)
- 65-125: Switch to Tin and Silver in mid-level zones (Loch Modan, The Barrens)
- 125-175: Target Iron and Gold in higher areas (Arathi Highlands, Stranglethorn Vale)
- 175-300: Focus on Mithril, Truesilver, and Thorium in end-game zones (Burning Steppes, Winterspring)
By following this route, you’ll level Mining quickly while stockpiling valuable ores for crafting or selling. If paired with Blacksmithing/Engineering, you’ll have all the materials needed to level those professions too. Mining stays useful at max level, letting you farm rare ores like Thorium and Dark Iron for big profits.
Mining Trainers (1-300 Skill)
Alliance Trainers:
- Geofram Bouldertoe – Ironforge, The Great Forge /way 50.4, 26
- Gelman Stonehand – Stormwind City, Dwarven District /way 51, 17.2
- Yarr Hammerstone – Dun Morogh, Steelgrill’s Depot /way 50, 50.2
- Dank Drizzlecut – Dun Morogh, Gol’Bolar Quarry /way 69.2, 55.4
- Brock Stoneseeker – Loch Modan, Thelsamar /way 37.2, 46.8
- Kurdram Stonehammer – Darkshore, Auberdine /way 38.2, 41
- Matt Johnson – Duskwood, Darkshire /way 74, 49.6
Horde Trainers:
- Makaru – Orgrimmar, Valley of Honor /way 73, 26.4
- Brek Stonehoof – Thunder Bluff, Central Bluff /way 34.6, 57.6
- Brom Killian – Undercity, War Quarter /way 56, 37
- Krunn – Durotar, Razor Hill /way 51.8, 40.8
- Johan Focht – Silverpine Forest, The Sepulcher /way 43.4, 40.6
Neutral Trainers:
- Pikkle – Tanaris, Gadgetzan /way 51, 28
WoW Classic Best Routes for Mining
1-65 (Copper Ore)
- Alliance:
- Elwynn Forest (Northshire Valley, Fargodeep Mine)
- Dun Morogh (Gol’Bolar Quarry, Iceflow Lake)
- Loch Modan (Thelsamar, Stonesplinter Valley)
- Horde:
- Durotar (Razor Hill, Skull Rock)
- Tirisfal Glades (Agamand Mills, Brightwater Lake)
- The Barrens (Razorfen Downs, The Dry Hills)
Tip: Mines and caves often have dense spawns.
65-125 (Tin & Silver Ore)
- Hillsbrad Foothills (Southshore, Tarren Mill)
- Redridge Mountains (Lake Everstill, Stonewatch Keep)
- Wetlands (Dun Modr, Whelgar’s Excavation)
- The Barrens (The Forgotten Pools, Lushwater Oasis)
Tip: Silver Veins are rare but give good skill-ups.
- Arathi Highlands (Circle of East Binding, Faldir’s Cove)
- Badlands (Dustbowl, The Maker’s Terrace)
- Stranglethorn Vale (Nesingwary’s Expedition, Mistvale Valley)
- Desolace (Kodo Graveyard, Shadowprey Village)
Tip: Gold Veins are rare but valuable.
175-245 (Mithril & Truesilver Ore)
- Searing Gorge (The Cauldron, Firewatch Ridge)
- Badlands (Valley of Fangs, Angor Fortress)
- The Hinterlands (Shaol’watha, Jintha’Alor)
- Tanaris (Lost Rigger Cove, The Gaping Chasm)
Tip: Truesilver is rare but sells well.
245-300 (Thorium Ore)
- Burning Steppes (Blackrock Mountain, Dreadmaul Rock)
- Eastern Plaguelands (Tyr’s Hand, Blackwood Lake)
- Un’Goro Crater (Fire Plume Ridge, The Slithering Scar)
- Winterspring (Everlook, Frostwhisper Gorge)
Tip: Rich Thorium Veins can drop Arcane Crystals (needed for Arcanite Bars).
Dark Iron Ore (Blackrock Depths)
- Required for: Fire Resistance gear, Sulfuron Hammer
- Best Route:
- Blackrock Depths (The Black Forge area)
- Burning Steppes (Around Blackrock Mountain)
Note: Requires Mining 230+ and access to BRD.
Best Gold-Making Ore in WoW Classic
| Ore Type | Mining Req | Why Valuable? | Best Farming Zones | Bonus Notes |
| Thorium Ore | 245+ | Source of Arcane Crystals (for Arcanite Bars & Thunderfury) | Burning Steppes, Winterspring, EPL | Rich Thorium Veins drop Blue Sapphires/Huge Emeralds |
| Dark Iron Ore | 230+ | Crafting Fire Resistance gear (Molten Core) & Sulfuron Hammer | Blackrock Depths (Black Forge), Burning Steppes | Requires BRD access – limited spawns |
| Mithril Ore | 175+ | High demand for Engineering (guns/scopes) & Blacksmithing | Searing Gorge, Badlands, Tanaris | Often paired with Truesilver spawns |
| Truesilver Ore | 230+ | Rare, used in high-end crafts (Truesilver Champion) | Hinterlands, Un’Goro Crater | Low drop rate – sells at premium |
| Gold Ore | 155+ | Used in Jewelcrafting (TBC prep) & Blacksmithing recipes | Stranglethorn Vale, Arathi Highlands | More valuable pre-TBC launch |
WoW Classic Mining Smelting Overview
Smelting converts raw ores into bars at forges, requiring matching Mining skill levels.
- Basic smelting (Copper/Tin) starts at level 1, progressing to endgame recipes like Thorium (250).
- Bronze Bars combine Copper +Tin Bars, while Steel Bars need
- Iron+Coal.
- Dark Iron smelting (230) requires BRD access and a special quest using Star Rubies/Gold/Truesilver.
- Elementium smelting needs Priest mind control in BWL and rare materials including Arcanite Bars.
Smelting gives skill-ups until 185 Mining, making it useful for early leveling. Bars often sell better than ore, but check AH as Silver Ore sometimes outperforms bars. Always keep a Mining Pick and use capital city forges for efficient processing.
| Smelting Recipe | Min Skill | Creates | Reagents Required | Special Requirements |
| Smelt Copper | 1 | Copper Bar x1 | Copper Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Tin | 65 | Tin Bar x1 | Tin Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Bronze | 65 | Bronze Bar x2 | Copper Bar x1 + Tin Bar x1 | – |
| Smelt Silver | 75 | Silver Bar x1 | Silver Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Iron | 125 | Iron Bar x1 | Iron Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Gold | 155 | Gold Bar x1 | Gold Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Steel | 165 | Steel Bar x1 | Iron Bar x1 + Coal x1 | – |
| Smelt Mithril | 175 | Mithril Bar x1 | Mithril Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Truesilver | 230 | Truesilver Bar x1 | Truesilver Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Dark Iron | 230 | Dark Iron Bar x1 | Dark Iron Ore x8 | Black Forge in BRD |
| Smelt Thorium | 250 | Thorium Bar x1 | Thorium Ore x1 | – |
| Smelt Elementium | – | Elementium Bar x1 | Elementium Ore x1 + Arcanite Bar x10 + Fiery Core x1 + Elemental Flux x3 | Priest Mind Control in BWL |
