The best way to make gold in World of Warcraft: Forever is to take two gathering professions from level 1, loot and sell everything you kill, and list your materials on the Auction House instead of selling them to a vendor. Gathering pays from the first zone, while spending less on the things that eat gold (repeated talent resets, reagents and flights) matters just as much as earning it.
There is no WoW Token in Forever, so gold only comes from playing. Below is every reliable method, which ones work while leveling and at level 60, the WoW Forever changes that rewrite the old Classic advice, and what you will need gold for. Checked against Blizzard’s development notes and Legacy system post on November 7, three days after launch.
What You Need Gold For
It helps to know the bill before you start farming. Blizzard’s November 2 development notes set the total cost of training your class abilities from 1 to 60 at “between 206 and 207 gold for all classes,” with Warlock costs lowered to cover the Grimoires they buy for their demons.
On top of training, the big purchase is riding. Apprentice Riding opens at level 40 and costs about 100 gold at launch, and Blizzard’s deep dive says the up-front mount cost moved into training, so the riding skill comes with your first mount. Journeyman Riding at 60 costs about 1,000 gold. Add talent resets, repairs, food and bags, and most characters spend gold as fast as it comes in until the mid 40s.
The Best Ways to Make Gold While Leveling
1. Take two gathering professions
Herbalism, Mining and Skinning turn every trip into Auction House stock, and they cost almost nothing to level because you train them by gathering. Skinning pairs well with any class that kills beasts, and Mining and Herbalism let you stop at every node on your route. We would pick two of the three while leveling, then switch one to a crafting profession at 60, since only crafting professions pay Legacy Points. Our guide to how professions work covers swapping one out, and our skinning knife guide gets you started.
Blizzard’s November 2 notes say respawn rates are faster in the starting zones and fall gradually as you level, and that the lower-level rates will be lowered again once the launch rush settles. Low-level materials are easiest to gather right now, while most players are still in those zones and need them.
2. Loot everything, and sell it the right way
Gray items go to any vendor. Cloth, leather, ore, herbs and green gear usually earn more on the Auction House, because crafters need them to level and to fill the Waylaid Crates that pay Merchant’s Favor. Our Merchant’s Favor guide explains the crates.
3. Fish, and cook what you catch
Fishing is one of the three secondary professions every character can learn, and fish sell to players who are leveling Cooking. Food matters more in Forever than in the original game: Blizzard’s deep dive says upgraded crafted food can grant a small experience bonus as well as stats, and the Basic Campfire that starts every camp is a Cooking item. Our guides to how to fish, where to get a fishing pole and how to cook cover the setup.
4. Spend less
Saving gold is the fastest gold you will make. Plan your talents before you visit a trainer, because the reset fee climbs if you reset again soon after; our talent reset guide explains how the fee works. Skip trainer ranks of spells you never cast, and buy bags from other players rather than vendors when they are cheaper.
The WoW Forever Changes That Matter for Gold
- Crafted items sell for less to vendors. Blizzard’s mid-October notes say “many items created by professions have had their vendor sell price reduced,” and they set lower vendor prices for Enchanting’s wands and oils. Crafting to sell to a vendor is a weak plan; crafting to sell to players can still work.
- Each ruleset has its own Auction House. Characters on different rulesets cannot trade or share an Auction House, so prices on a PvP ruleset will not match a Normal one. Our guide to grouping across rulesets explains what is shared.
- Merchant’s Favor is not gold. Waylaid Crates pay Merchant’s Favor, which buys recipes. Count it as a separate reward, not income.
- No WoW Token. You cannot buy gold from Blizzard, and buying it from a seller breaks the rules. Our guide to whether you can buy gold explains what happens to buyers.
Legacy Perks That Save or Earn Gold
Each character spends up to 16 Legacy Points at launch. These perks, from Blizzard’s Legacy system overview, help your gold:
| Perk | Tree | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bartering | Professions | “reduces the gold price of items purchased from vendors” |
| Bountiful Harvest | Professions | Finds extra Scarce resources when mining, herbing or skinning |
| Luremaster | Professions | A chance to fish up extra fish |
| Master Chef | Professions | A chance for cooking recipes to make extra results |
| Reagent Economy | Resourcefulness | Class abilities no longer need purchasable reagents |
| Frequent Flier | Adventure | Cheaper and faster flights |
Bartering does not discount class training or repairs. Blizzard’s mid-October notes fixed “an issue where Bartering was discounting training and repairing,” so count it for vendor purchases only. Our guide to getting Legacy Points shows how to unlock the system.
Making Gold at Level 60
At max level, the same methods pay more. High-level herbs, ore and leather sell to raiders, who need consumables before the first raids open on December 9. Crafting starts to pay too: with more than 600 new recipes across the professions, plus camp-feature Blueprints that drop from dungeon bosses, an uncommon recipe can be worth more than any farm. Our best professions for each class helps you pick the crafting side, and the Auctionator addon in our best addons guide makes pricing faster.
Every WoW Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to make gold in WoW Forever? Two gathering professions while leveling, with everything listed on the Auction House rather than sold to a vendor.
Is there a WoW Token in WoW Forever? No. Gold only comes from playing, and buying it from third-party sellers breaks Blizzard’s rules.
Can you make gold with fishing? Yes. Fish sell to players leveling Cooking, and Forever’s crafted food can grant a small experience bonus, so cooks need a steady supply. The Luremaster perk adds extra fish.
How much gold do you need for a mount? About 100 gold at level 40 for Apprentice Riding, which includes your first mount. Plan for class training too, which costs about 207 gold in total from 1 to 60.
Is the Auction House shared between rulesets? No. Each ruleset has its own Auction House, so prices can differ between them.