Mine + smelt Copper to 65; sell bars or use for BS.
65-90
Tin: Darkshore/Barrens/Loch Modan
Smelt Bronze (65-90) using Copper + Tin.
90-125
Iron: Wetlands/Arathi/Hillsbrad
Smelt Iron to 125; grab some Coal for Steel later.
125-155
Steel smelting
Smelt Steel (Iron + Coal) to push cheap points.
155-175
Gold: Arathi/Badlands
Mine/Smelt Gold; can also finish on Iron.
175-230
Mithril: Tanaris/Hinterlands/Searing Gorge
Tanaris outer loop or Mithril stand in Searing Gorge.
230-250
Truesilver pockets
Small gains from Truesilver; keep for crafts.
250-300
Thorium: Un'Goro/Winterspring/Silithus
Do Un'Goro outer rim, then Winterspring for rich nodes.
Trainer at 50/125/200/275. Keep a Mining Pick, buy a cheap helm with Mithril Spurs for speed, and use Fiery Enchant on boots (Classic) for extra movement.
TBC Route (300-375)
Skill
Ore/Zone
Notes
300-325
Fel Iron: Hellfire Peninsula
Cliff edges and around Hellfire Citadel.
325-350
Fel Iron/Adamantite: Zangarmarsh
Circle the outer swamp; lower competition.
350-365
Adamantite: Nagrand
Elemental plateau + around Halaa.
365-375
Adamantite/Khorium: Nagrand/Netherstorm/SMV
Swap to Netherstorm floating islands for rich nodes.
Smelt Fel Iron to 325 and Adamantite to 340+ if you want less travel. Keep Primal Earth/Fire from mote clouds if you have Engineering mote extractor.
WotLK Route (375-450)
Skill
Ore/Zone
Notes
375-400
Cobalt: Borean Tundra/Howling Fjord
Coastlines and ridges; smelt to 400 if needed.
400-425
Cobalt/Saronite: Dragonblight/Grizzly Hills
Dense Saronite in Dragonblight cliffs.
425-440
Saronite: Sholazar Basin
Outer rim + Maker's Perch. Extremely dense.
440-450
Titanium/Saronite: Icecrown/Storm Peaks
Focus on rich Saronite and Titanium; requires Cold Weather Flying.
Smelting Saronite to 440 is viable if competition is high. Save Titanium for Titansteel cooldowns (20h) and Jewelcrafting prospecting.
Cata Zones & Ore (450-525)
Skill
Zone/Source
Notes
450-475
Mount Hyjal / Vashj'ir — Obsidium
Obsidium everywhere; Vashj'ir nodes are rich but underwater.
475-500
Deepholm — Elementium
The figure-8 around the zone edge is the classic route.
500-525
Uldum / Twilight Highlands — Elementium + Pyrite
Pyrite is the jackpot node; save or sell for prospecting.
Mining gives XP per node from Cata onward. Pyrite Ore holds long-term value for epic-gem prospecting, and Volatile Earth procs pad every farming session. Toughness (stamina) is the passive perk.
MoP Zones & Ore (525-600)
Skill
Zone/Source
Notes
525-550
Jade Forest / Valley of the Four Winds — Ghost Iron
Ghost Iron spawns in every Pandaria zone.
550-575
Kun-Lai Summit / Townlong Steppes — Ghost Iron + Kyparite
Ghost Iron is the most in-demand ore in MoP — it feeds Blacksmithing, Engineering, and Jewelcrafting prospecting simultaneously. Trillium → Living Steel (via Alchemy) is the top-end money chain.
Prep & Gold Tips
Use Find Minerals tracking at all times; keep it on a macro with your mount.
Smelt for cheap skill-ups when ore is expensive. Check if bars sell higher than raw ore on your realm.
Prospecting (Jewelcrafting) multiplies profits on Adamantite/Saronite. Consider mailing ore to your JC alt.
Farm during off-hours to avoid node sniping. Pair with RestedXP routes to bank XP while gathering.
Level Faster with RestedXP
Follow optimized gathering loops while your RestedXP guide keeps you on efficient quest paths.