This Paladin Heirloom Project has been a lot of fun so far. I am discovering new ways of leveling that is just helping me blow through levels. I started this as a fun project, and that is exactly what is has been so far. I am looking forward to seeing what results this will deliver.
The keys to me pulling through with my objectives for this project is to have as little downtime as possible, and to significantly reduce my travel time, which it looks like I will have no problem doing.
Continuing with my Paladin Heirloom Project, I am going to post levels 31 through 40 here.
- Read the Paladin Heirloom Project Part I for levels 1-10.
- Read the Paladin Heirloom Project Part II for levels 11-20.
- Read the Paladin Heirloom Project Part III for levels 21-30.
Paladin Heirloom Project Part IV
Levels: 31-40
Zones Involved: Duskwood (30-33), Stranglethorn Vale (33-34), Shimmering Flats (34-35), Southshore/Alterac Mountains (35-37), Arathi Highlands (37-39), Swamp of Sorrows (39-40)
Training at Levels: 30, 34, 38, 40
Overall Time Elapsed: 20 hours, 49 minutes, 59 seconds
Gear Purchased: Done by a bank toon every couple levels, random BoE greens of the Bear and of the Tiger. Plate Armor purchased for level 40.
Items to purchase for quests:
- All the Green Hills of Stranglethorn pages.
- 4x Lesser Bloodstone Ore for Favor for Krazek.
Tips
General
- Hand of Reckoning should now be engraved in your rotations for pulling mobs. Remember that this will only deal damage if the mob is not targeting you, so make sure to pull early on as your are closing in. It will also deal damage if the mob is running away in fear. The mana cost is ridiculously low, so it's a must in rotations at this point.
- Rotation should now be: HoR (to pull) > Judgement until dead. Consecrate is usable, but a mana drain, so I avoided using it unless in packs of mobs. Determine what works best for you kill efficiency and time management. Though Consecrate was helping me kill mobs quicker, single targeting with HoR was keeping me constantly on the move, keeping my mana up for nearly 3x longer.
- The key to Duskwood is completing every quest you can. There are 4 main 'bosses' in Duskwood that have quest chains leading up to them. I call these bosses and their quest lines the Duskwood 4. Each of these quest chains yields huge chunks of XP, and are definitely worth doing.
- Mor'Ladim - Pick up this quest chain from the grave just north of the house holding Morbent Fel. NW corner of Duskwood.
- Eliza, Bride of the Enbalmer - Can start the chain at Elaine Carevin in Duskwood.
- Morbent Fel - Can start the chain at Sven Yorgen in the camp at the very NW tip of Duskwood.
- Stalvan Mistmantle - Can start the chain at Clerk Daltry in Duskwood.
- Make sure your hearthstone is set to Darkshire.
- I only stuck to the top half of Stranglethorn Vale here. I knocked out the beginning quests of the Kurzen chain, as well as Hemet Nesignwary Jr.'s first set as well (raptors, tigers, panthers).
- Having purchased the Green Hills of Stranglethorn, I turned those in for instant XP.
- I started the Krazek's Cookery chain in the rebel camp and then rode south to Booty Bay to turn in my Lesser Bloodstone Ore. Another instant quest turn-in.
- Once in Booty Bay, I grabbed the Flight Path, then proceeded to head to the docks where I waited for the boat to Ratchet. From Ratchet, I rode south through the Barrens, into the Thousand Needles, and then to Shimmering Flats.
- When you drop off the elevator down into Thousand needles, immediately about 20 yards to the NW is a dead dwarf holding a book. Loot the book, Henrig Lonebrow's Journal, and turn in the quest on the western edge of Thousand Needles. Grab the flight path there (which is actually on the eastern edge of Feralas), then proceed east to Shimmering Flats.
- I complete every quest in Shimmering Flats that pertains to staying in the immediate zone. I did not pick up any quests there requiring travel. That's a time-sink, and not what we're going for.
- Run south to Tanaris and pick up the Flight Path in Gadgetzan. After all this time, my hearth was still set to Duskwood, so I hearthed back there.
- Every quest here is doable at this level. Quest stacking here will provide optimal efficiency.
- Make sure to pick up the Syndicate Documents found lying on the tables of one of the Syndicate Camps. This starts 2 additional quests.
- Even though the ogres in the Ruins of Alterac were at times 3 levels above me, with my heirloom gear and slew of up-to-date green gear, I blew through them with little issues.
- Complete every quest available here. I did not bother with the Arathi Basin PvP quest.
- Stromgarde is the primary focus of the quests, and provides good XP. All quests within are easily solo-able.
- In northeastern Arathi Highlands, there is a circle of stones with a floating crystal in the middle that starts a quest chain, Shards of Myzrael. I did this quest chain up until I had to kill Fozruk and turn that in. After that, I did not pursue it further, as it required travel that was not in my leveling plan.
- Fozruk paths all over the zone, and can be very hard to find. If it helps, though, his spawn point is located at the Shards of Myzrael.
- When doing the Hints of a New Plague? quest line, the Forsaken Courier will path on the road between the Go'Shek farm and Tarren Mill all the way in Southshore. His spawn point, however, is at the Go'Shek Farm, where the road starts.
- Two quest hubs here, and not that many quests, but enough to carry me to 40.
- Watcher Biggs is found in the SW of the zone, along the road and a bit west of Stonegard.
- An encampment of Exodar in the NW corner of the zone is your other quest hub.
- An escort quest to free Galen Goodward can be obtained when completing the Exodar quests of the zone.
Summary
After dinging 40, I sped to Stormwind to get my Epic Mount. Absolutely wonderful to have this 20 levels earlier!
There were many zones used to gain these 10 levels, but I still made excellent time, coming to level 40 in under 1 day played time! 20 hours, 49 minutes, 50 seconds to level 40! That means I could set my goals to hit 60 in under 2 days played time.
Not much else to say. My rotations and methods of killing and questing didn't vary at these 10 levels, though they did change quite a bit from 41-50, as the talent tree opened up several new options.
(Currently I am at level 64, just a little behind on my posts!)
Next up: levels 41-50.
