Alt development
The main focus of the Silken Hunt is character development for alts. Main characters just do whatever comes their way. Alts are more focused having learned from what their mains have already accomplished. This is a compilation of what has been learned.
Power Development
You can level anywhere. There is no best way to level. But since most people want to get to the end game with a maxed out character, leveling quickly is generally the order of the day.
Power leveling is defined differently by different people. There are some amazing techniques out there that can get your character maxed out really quickly. But when you get there, you have nothing to show for your efforts other than the levels themselves.
The philosophy of the Silken Hunt is to level as quickly as possible while developing support mechanisms such as multiple hearthstones, the garrison, and others. None of this is necessary and you may feel you don't need it. If so, there are other guides available which provide a more streamlined experience path.
A note about recommended levels
You must be level 10 before any of the following will be available to you. Once you start, you don't have to do these in the order noted but Warlords of Draenor experience starts to lessen around level 40 while Legion experience remains strong through level 50. Also keep in mind that level 40 is not some hard core switching point between the expansions. You can start your Legion efforts a few levels early and you can continue to work on your garrison after you've reached 40. This includes intermixing both at the same time if you like. It's up to you.
Warlords of Draenor through Level 40
Experience for individual quests from level 10 through 40 is relatively the same regardless of which expansion you choose. The difference is not in the quests themselves but in the path traveled. Warlords of Draenor (WoD) has one of the better paths, generally smoother and quicker than the other expansions. The garrison acts as a focal point throughout providing not only a home but extra opportunities above and beyond what those other expansions offer. This is the way to go for a quick leveling experience. Check out the Garrison development page for a full description.
Legion through level 50
The Legion leveling technique is both very fast and very slow at the same time. It's fast because the experience from doing Legion Assaults is huge. It's slow because the number of activities is limited and once you complete the current assault, you must wait for the next one. Legion Assaults are scheduled every 18.5 hours and last six hours each time. The assault schedule can be found on the WowHead home page by going to the Today in WoW section and clicking on Legion. To get started in Legion, (a) complete the Dalaran quest line in the Hearthstone section below, then (b) complete the quest in the Flight Whistle section further down the page.
On to Shadowlands
Leveling in Shadowlands can be a little slow, especially if you only do World Quests since there are only a limited number each day. However, there are also around a half dozen Bonus Objectives in each of the four main zones which gives you additional things to do. The key to Shadowlands isn't what you do but in what order. Each meta-quest for the four main zones will provide you with a shiny new weapon. You should probably space these out so that your weapons get stronger as you level. For two-handed weapons, you could turn in the first one at level 53, the second at 55, the third at 57, and the fourth at 59 giving you the strongest weapon possible going into level 60. That way your character would get incrementally stronger as you play smoothing out this part of your leveling experience. Bumping up two levels each time is not necessary but don't waste your reward by getting two or more new weapons during the same level. For one-handed weapons, you may want to save both of your last two turn ins for level 59. Remember, just because you complete the quest prior to a specific level doesn't mean you can't wait until you reach the level that serves you best to turn it in.
Also, there's a Bonus Objective in Maldraxxus called Choice of Action which rewards you with a trinket called Vial of Caustic Liquid. This trinket is a significantly powerful DPS trinket. You should pick it up at some point. Saving it until the last part of the leveling experience means having a powerful trinket going into max level but power levels have progressed throughout the expansion so waiting until level 59 is not as significant as it once was. In fact, you will rapidly change out all your equipment upon reaching level 60 simply because even normal drops have gained in power over time. Still, you'll likely find this trinket worth your time and effort.
Travel
Hearthstones
Every player has a hearthstone. You can set your hearth at any inn you go to and your hearth will take you back there when you use it. There are many reasons for choosing your hearth the most common being you will be playing near a specific inn for the foreseeable future. However, in today's game when you may be playing in any number of expansions on any given day, one particular location stands out. If you're a world traveler, you may wish to consider using the main city in the Battle for Azeroth expansion, Boralus for the Alliance or Dazar'alor for the Horde. The reason is simple. Blizzard considers this expansion a core focus so it's portal room has been left intact. For just two quick quests in Stormwind/Orgrimmar and three more in BFA, you will have quick access to the three remaining main cities for your faction. If quick access to your two other main cities is not needed/wanted, then simply set your hearth in Stormwind/Orgrimmar for access to the main portal rooms.
There are two additional hearthstones. They can be extremely helpful and they are very easy to get. The quest boards for both the Alliance and the Horde show the exact same quests starting at level 10. The three quests are Chromie's Call, Broken Shore, and Tanaan Jungle. Choose Broken Shore to get your Dalaran hearth stone and Tanaan Jungle to get your garrison hearthstone.
The first is the Dalaran Hearthstone which you get for completing the opening quest line for the Legion expansion. You can skip almost all of the quest line making this process nearly instantaneous. Simply choose Broken Shore from the quest board then go to the quest turn in point. You will be given the option to skip the remainder of the quest line. If you choose this option, you will be ported to Dalaran where you will receive your Dalaran hearth stone.
The second is the Garrison Hearthstone which you get for building your garrison in the Warlords of Draenor expansion. This takes approximately 10 minutes if you skip the introductory quest line or around 45 minutes if you complete it. For complete details, go to Garrison development.
Riding
- Apprentice Riding - Available at level 10
- Journeyman Riding - Available at level 20
- Expert Riding - Available at level 30
- Artisan Riding - Available ?????
- Master Riding - Available at level 40
Your low level alts can fly on dragons before they can fly regular mounts. Dragon Riding is an inherent skill that does not require training. However, Dragon Riding only works in the Dragon Isles so you'll have to hitch a ride there first.
Low level characters cannot interact with the Dragon Riding Trainers. But don't worry, they can still access the Skills and Unlocks menu by clicking on the dragon icon on the minimap. Your skills are only limited by what your high level characters have already unlocked.
So login to your low level alt, load up your favorite dragon, learn those riding skills, and take off for a wild flight through the Dragon Isles. But when you get one shot by a killer duck, don't blame me.
Flight Points
Scouting maps make the lives of your alts much easier. Each map gives your alts the majority of the flight points for a specific continent of expansion. Most of the maps are usable at level 10 even though your character can't even go to some of those expansions yet.
The Flight Whistle
The flight whistle is a device that allows you to catch a quick ride to the nearest flight master. It doesn't work in all expansions and may not work in all zones for a specific expansion but it works in enough places to be worth the few minutes it takes to pick it up.
To get the flight whistle, do the following:
- Get to level 45(??).
- Go to the Violet Citadel in Dalaran (Legion) and get Uniting the Isles from Archmage Khadgar.
- Turn it right back in to Khadgar.
That's it. Now you have your flight whistle. As a bonus you've also opened up world quests in Legion.