Plan on more than 100 hours of playtime to reach level 60 on your first character in World of Warcraft: Forever. That is our own estimate, because Blizzard has not published an average for the full climb; what it has said is that the first 20 levels average about 20.5 hours, and level 20 is only about 4% of the experience you need.
Below is what Blizzard has said, the math on the experience curve, why the answer is not simply 20.5 hours times three, and a table that turns hours into days on your schedule. Checked November 8, four days after launch, before anyone has enough data for a real average.
What Blizzard Has Said About Leveling Speed
- The first 20 levels. On the first episode of the official WoW Forever podcast, developers said players averaged 20.5 hours from level 1 to 20 in the beta, against 20.4 hours in Classic Era. The beta was capped low at that point, so the official numbers stop there.
- The curve. Principal designer Kris Zierhut told The Sun: “We did not change the experience curve.”
- Dungeons versus questing. On October 8, senior game designer Josh “Aggrend” Greenfield wrote on Blizzard’s forums that “with perfect xp/hr play, the leveling rates in dungeons will be very close, if not equal to the speed you can level with optimal questing play.” Blizzard has since raised kill experience in dungeons by 50% on November 8, “so it feels better to go back in for more runs,” and has not published a new comparison.
- Fight length. Blizzard’s deep dive recap says an ordinary creature takes roughly 10 to 15 seconds to defeat solo.
How the Experience Adds Up
Since the curve did not change, these are the original game’s totals. They show how lopsided the climb is.
| To reach level | Total experience | Share of the whole climb |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 27,600 | 0.7% |
| 20 | 167,200 | 4.1% |
| 25 | 304,000 | 7.4% |
| 30 | 499,000 | 12.2% |
| 40 | 1,154,400 | 28.3% |
| 45 | 1,660,000 | 40.6% |
| 50 | 2,306,100 | 56.5% |
| 55 | 3,108,900 | 76.1% |
| 60 | 4,084,700 | 100% |
The halfway point in experience comes in the high 40s, and the last five levels take almost a quarter of the whole trip. Reaching 40 feels like most of the way there, but it is under 30%.
Why It Is Not 500 Hours
At 20.5 hours for 167,200 experience, the early pace is about 8,150 experience an hour. If that pace never changed, level 60 would take about 500 hours. It does change, because kills and quests pay more as you level.
To finish in 100 hours, you would need to average about 40,850 experience an hour, five times the pace of the first 20 levels. That is doable for someone who knows the routes and rarely stops. For a first character, with time spent on professions, selling, reading quests, and running back after deaths, we expect most people to land above it. So treat 100 hours as a floor for a careful first character, not a promise.
Two things could move this. Blizzard’s November 2 notes raised class damage, raised the health of higher-level creatures to compensate, and “adjusted experience values on various quests,” all after the 20.5-hour figure. Those notes also say Blizzard expects a large tuning pass once it has data from players past level 30.
How Long That Is in Days
This is a planning table, not a forecast. Pick the hours that sound like you.
| Hours a day | 100 hours played | 150 hours played | 200 hours played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 50 days | 75 days | 100 days |
| 3 | 33 days | 50 days | 67 days |
| 5 | 20 days | 30 days | 40 days |
Reaching 60 Before the Raids
Blizzard’s launch post opens Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, and Onyxia’s Lair to level 60 characters on December 9. That is 29 days from November 10. Starting from scratch that day, 100 hours means about 3.5 hours a day, 150 hours about 5, and 200 hours about 7.
You do not have to make it. The raids will still be there, so nobody on a normal schedule should feel behind on December 9. Our level cap guide covers what else opens at 60.
What Changes Your Pace
- Rested experience. Log out in an inn or a capital city and your next session starts with bonus experience. Our XP buffs guide has every boost, including the Camp Tent.
- Your class. A pet that takes the hits means less time eating between fights. Our best solo class guide ranks all nine, and we have a leveling guide for each: Warrior, Mage, Hunter, Druid, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, and Warlock.
- Dungeons. Blizzard has changed dungeon experience three times: dungeon quests lost half their extra experience on October 1, dungeon kills gained about 20% on October 8, and a November 8 hotfix raised kill experience in dungeons by another 50%. Our dungeon level guide shows when each one fits.
- Your route. Staying in zones at your level saves the most time. Our zone level guide lays them out.
- Your first mount. It arrives at level 40, which is about 28% of the experience, and runs 60% faster. Our mount guide has the cost, so start saving early.
- Your second character. An alt can spend your account’s Legacy Points on faster leveling. Our best Legacy talents guide has the build.
Everything else for your trip to 60 is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to reach level 60 in WoW Forever? By our estimate, more than 100 hours of playtime on a first character. Blizzard has not published a full average.
Is WoW Forever faster to level than Classic? At the start, about the same: Blizzard’s numbers put level 1 to 20 at 20.5 hours in the beta and 20.4 hours in Classic Era.
How much experience do you need for level 60? 4,084,700 in total. Blizzard’s principal designer says the experience curve did not change.
Do you need to be 60 by December 9? Only if you want to raid that day. The raids open to level 60 characters then, and stay open after.
What level do you get a mount? Level 40, about 28% of the way through the experience you need.
Are dungeons faster than questing? Blizzard said in October that the best dungeon pace was very close to the best questing pace, then raised kill experience in dungeons by 50% on November 8. It has not published a new comparison, but dungeon runs now pay more per kill than they did at launch, so choose what you enjoy.