On your way to level 80 WoW: WotLK Classic you have explored the Howling Fjord, defeated the trolls in Zul’Drak, and scaled the Storm Peaks. If you are now strolling through the magical Dalaran and wondering what to do next, here are some tips to optimally prepare for the endgame.
Once you reach the maximum level, many opportunities open up for you in WoW Classic: WotLK. Especially for newcomers or returning players, this can seem quite overwhelming at first. Explore heroic dungeons, level professions, or perhaps farm gold?
Veterans should also keep a few things in mind if they want to start the endgame optimally. MeinMMO has put together a handful of tips to help you quickly prepare for Naxxramas or the arena.
Check out the epic trailer for Wrath of the Lich King here:
Earn gold, reputation, and emblems with quests
Once you reach the maximum level, your first priority should be to complete your remaining quests. Don’t worry, no one expects you to get everything done at once. Whenever you have time and inclination, you can work through a few quests. This is particularly lucrative in WotLK, as you receive extra rewards for completing quests.
Gold – If you complete a quest at the maximum level, the experience points you would have earned during the leveling phase are converted into gold. Depending on how many quests you have left, you can earn a lot of gold this way. The rule is: the higher the level of the quests, the more gold you get as a reward. In higher-level areas like Icecrown or the Storm Peaks, you earn more than in the Borean Tundra. For example, if you finish all quests in Icecrown only at level 80, you can easily gather 2000 – 2500 gold.
Emblems – Another important innovation with WotLK is that you can receive emblems of heroism for completing certain quests. These function as a currency with which you can purchase powerful epic gear or heirlooms – very similar to the Justice Points from The Burning Crusade.
Daily Quests – Another feature that you may already know from The Burning Crusade or modern WoW are the daily quests. In Wrath of the Lich King, there are plenty of these again. At the beginning, you should focus only on the most important ones to quickly gain a revered reputation with certain factions.
Get additional reputation with tabards
As in every expansion, WotLK offers powerful reputation rewards. Here, focus mainly on the unique enchants that you can obtain from the “Respectful” reputation level. While there are also epic rewards, you will quickly replace them.
Quests – The foundation of any reputation gain is completing quests. Once you reach the maximum level, most factions in the icy north will likely be friendly towards you. Depending on which areas you visited while leveling, there may still be factions that you need to unlock. The “Knights of the Ebon Blade”, for instance, will only become available when you have quested in Icecrown.
Tabards – The 4 largest factions, the Kirin Tor, the Argent Crusade, the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and the Wyrmrest Accord, offer you the option to buy a tabard for 1 gold from the respective armor vendor once you have reached friendly reputation. When you equip one of these items, you gain higher reputation in normal dungeons and reputation for the respective faction in heroic dungeons. Therefore, you should generally always have a faction tabard equipped.
Daily Quests – You should focus on those factions that do not offer a tabard for sale. The foremost among them are the Sons of Hodir, who reside in the Storm Peaks. At “Respectful” and “Revered” reputation levels, you can acquire strong shoulder enchants here. The special feature: The enchants are bound to your account, meaning you only need to farm reputation with one character. Once you are “Revered”, you can send the enchants to all your other characters. This even works across server boundaries!
In general, healers should prioritize the Wyrmrest Accord, as they offer the corresponding head enchant. Melee characters and hunters will find their enchant with the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Tanks find their enchant with the Argent Crusade and all spellcasters with the Kirin Tor.
Heroic dungeons – don’t forget daily quests
Dungeons – Unlike in The Burning Crusade, you no longer need keys to enter heroic dungeons. The only exception is the Violet Hold. You will receive the necessary key after completing a small quest chain that starts with Rhonin, the leader of the Kirin Tor. In a pinch, however, a group member can also open the door if they have already completed the quest and possess the key. Rogues also have the ability to pick the lock.
So grab 4 friends, go with your guild, or use the new group finder tool. You can tackle the dungeons that offer you the most upgrades or complete as many dungeons as possible. The more heroic dungeons you do, the more emblems you earn as a reward. Therefore, the so-called “world tours”, where all available dungeons are completed in succession, are very popular.
We also recommend completing the daily dungeon quests. This way, you receive additional emblems and reputation tokens of your choice.
PvP & arena – how to easily gain honor
If you are looking for quick upgrades, then a bit of PvP might be worth your while. The rewards include necklaces, rings, trinkets, bracelets, and capes. All these items only require honor points. Arena points and ratings are not necessary. Fortunately, the “Honor Grind” is far less exhausting than in The Burning Crusade, as you now earn considerably more honor than battleground rewards on average.
Daily PvP Quest – Daily bonus honor and arena points are available if you successfully complete a specific, daily changing battleground. You can take the quest in Stormwind, for example.
Random battleground – You can sign up for battlegrounds from anywhere via the PvP tab. There you will also find the option to complete a random battleground. The reward here is additional honor points and 25 arena points.
Wintergrasp – Every 3 hours, you can participate in an epic battle with siege weapons from Dalaran or Wintergrasp. You should definitely take this opportunity, as a reward you can earn lots of honor points. Additionally, there are tokens from Wintergrasp that you can use to buy epic head and foot armor, heirlooms, and gems.
Archavon’s Chamber – This mini-raid is available whenever someone from your faction has won the battle for Wintergrasp. Currently, there is only one boss, but with each content phase, another will be added. The fight is relatively simple and can be done in both 10-player and 25-player modes. As rewards, you can receive either Tier or arena set items of the current season, or from the current raid.
Professions – What is worthwhile and what you should avoid
In Wrath of the Lich King, you can also craft powerful items through your professions or earn lots of gold. For most professions, reaching level 440 is sufficient. The last levels are mostly locked behind expensive recipes. These are not really worth it at the moment, so you can take your time with them.
However, avoid spending a lot of gold on crafted items right from the start. In terms of item level, these are just as high as rewards from heroic dungeons or 10-man raids. While there are some exceptions, they are generally also quite expensive.
Summary
In Wrath of the Lich, many systems work together like a well-oiled machine. You have many options to improve your character. There is something for every type of player, and of course, you should primarily do what you enjoy. With a few small optimizations, you can achieve a lot: Can’t decide between farming reputation and gold? With questing, you can get both!
Is there no group available for the dungeon of your choice or are your friends still offline? Check if Wintergrasp is currently underway. Perhaps the honor is enough to snag that next epic item.
Always wear a faction tabard when visiting dungeons. Complete all quests that you have left open and prioritize those that give you reputation with a useful faction. If available, complete the daily quests to gain reputation points even faster. Keep Wintergrasp in mind and participate in the epic battle to earn a lot of honor points without much effort.
Also, save the expensive items from the auction house and invest the gold in leveling your own professions instead. If you follow some of these tips, you should be well prepared for Naxxramas in no time!
Now we’re curious: Is your reputation with all factions already “Revered”? Have you defeated Naxxramas already? Or do you prefer to take it easy? Do you have any other tips you would like to share with the community? Let us know in the comments!
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