Iron Ore was never really a spectacular item that I went around mining. I think it was more of a filler item to get my profession leveled for the better ore I’d be finding later on. Unfortunately, there’s nothing spectacular to say with this one.
I’m not saying it’s useless, though.
FAQ
What are your PC specs?
- You can find them on my PC specs page.
What addons are used for farming Iron Ore in WoW?
- The addon Routes.
- The addon FarmHUD.
- The addons Gathermate2 and WoWGatheringNodes.
Is this an Iron Ore mining route for Classic WoW?
No. I play retail, not Classic World of Warcraft, so these routes might not be the ones for you to go by.
In case they aren’t, you might want to check out wow-professions, as they might have updated Mining routes for Classic. I don’t think I’ll dive into the Classic era, as the hype seemed to have died down pretty quick.
What professions benefit from Mining?
First off, Mining, because you can’t exactly mine without said profession to begin with. Though you can still possibly acquire ore through other means–such as treasures and chests you pick up while fishing. Mining, of course, also allows you to smelt the ore you have into bars–beneficial in other crafting professions.
Other professions:
- Enchanting
- Jewelcrafting
Interestingly enough, Enchanting allows you to enchant your gloves in order to increase your Mining skill. Not very helpful for those who are maxed out in the profession, but should be nice for those still working on it.
As for Jewelcrafting, you can prospect ore in stacks of five (5) and break them down into a variety of gems that can be useful in crafting rings or necklaces, among other things, given the proper profession.
What else can you get from farming Iron Ore?
You have a chance of gathering Aquamarine, Citrine, Jade, and Lesser Moonstone.
Maps, Routes, and Data
Reduced resolution
The routes in this section offer you full view of the maps in question, at a reduced resolution of 1280×720. In order to get the full resolution of 2560×1440, you’ll need to purchase my In-Depth Farming Guide. It offers a variety of routes for each zone, with all the data I’ve accumulated over the years of farming.
- My farmer is a Horde druid, thus giving faster in-and-out flight form.
- Mining skill isn’t high enough? Then you’ll gather Iron Ore Nugget.
- Overall farming time per zone: 30 minutes.
Eastern Kingdoms
This is possibly my favorite continent to choose to mine for Iron Ore in due to the zone choices. The two zones are close to one another, for one, and due to me also being an herbalist, I also like to dip into the Western Plaguelands water for some Stranglethorn. Not only that, but I have a second mining route for Eastern Plaguelands that goes into the upper section for a different ore.
Eastern Plaguelands
At first I was going to make two routes with this zone, but the nodes weren’t respawning fast enough to make it worthwhile. Which means, on top of Iron Ore, you’ll also be getting a decent amount of Mithril Ore as well, in the upper section.
- Iron Ore – 262
This zone has been mined to completion in my In-Depth Farming Guide, meaning you can now see how long it took me to get 1000 Iron Ore and more from this route alone.
Western Plaguelands
I had a lot of competition in this zone, but managed to get a good amount of ore from the run. Be on the lookout for rares you may come across. Also, there is that one alliance bit you’ll be flying over. Just keep your distance up ahead.
- Iron Ore – 334
This zone has been mined to completion in my In-Depth Farming Guide, meaning you can now see how long it took me to get 1000 Iron Ore and more from this route alone.
Kalimdor
The best route for farming Iron Ore is on this continent, and because it (Feralas) hosts a lot of nodes for Iron Ore, it also could net you a lot of the rarer types of ore as well. Besides that zone, there’s another to choose from, which is rather desolate, and while it’s on the lower end of accumulated ore, it’s still a good zone.
Desolace
The ore in this area is a bit more sporadic than in other zones listed, which is why I wasn’t able to obtain as much. But if you’re finding too much competition in the other places, this one is a good backup route.
- Iron Ore – 287
Feralas
Nothing much to say on this route. There wasn’t any competition when I was flying around, and it nets you a nice chunk of this ore as well as a variety of other ore you might be looking for now, or in the near future.
- Iron Ore – 356
Professions
If you’re curious as to how much gold you can possibly gain from the items listed below, you can always check out The Undermine Journal, choose your region, and then your realm. After that, search for the items below and see what they’ve been selling for lately.
Enchanting
Enchant Gloves – Mining
Skill: 145 | Enchant | Learned via Vendor
It’s a good enchant to have on your gloves if you still need to up your Mining skill due to getting little nuggets and other such things.
Requires:
- (1) Soul Dust
- (3) Iron Ore
Mining
Iron Bar (via Iron Bar)
Used by Alchemy, Jewelcrafting, Blacksmithing, Engineering, and Mining.
A resourceful material for all kinds of professions to craft into gear and other nifty things. One of the transmogs you could craft as a BS is this one.
Requires:
- (1) Iron Ore
