Breakfast topic: Leveling weapon skill
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Apr 9th 2007 at 8:00AM
All melee classes have felt the joy of finally getting a new, higher DPS weapon. Unfortunately, most melee classes have also felt the pain of equipping that new weapon, running into a fight, and suddenly realizing that your weapon skill is way, way too low for the area. It's time to go back to the lowbie areas and grind it up.
I usually grind weapon skills on my main rogue by going to Ragefire Chasm, Razorfen Kraul, Shadowfang Keep or Wailing Caverns and offering to run through low levels. I figure it gets me a free way to level up my skill while providing them with easy quest completions and loot.
Other strategies I've heard include beating up critters, going to town on an evade bugged mob, getting a warlock friend to repeatedly banish something, dueling a paladin, and, of course, using your new weapon on trash mobs in raids where no one's going to notice that you're slacking.
How do you level your weapon skill? Casters, are you glad you don't have to deal with this?
Filed under: Items, Breakfast Topics, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Aiggan Apr 9th 2007 8:14AM
As a 70 warrior I start on low lvl mobs that I can hit with a skill lvl of 1. I use quick weapons and spam hamstring and rend. Generally you will get 1 point per strike. Then move up to harder mobs. This can get boring so I generally try to help a lower lvl player with a quest or do a SM run or I find a new player to group with that wants to pick up all the grey loot that drops.
jeckelbros Apr 9th 2007 8:15AM
I usually use the WC run for leveling weapon skill.
The dueling/PvP ideas won't work since shortly after launch. Blizz made it so that your weapon skill is maxed in any PvP situation including duels.
khatia Apr 9th 2007 8:27AM
Servant of Allistarj in the blasted lands. As long as you don't attack their orb/urn thing they don't die and you can wail on one of them just as long as your hps last. Obviously this is only a good idea for characters that can handle fighting a lvl 54/55 for long periods of time or that can heal themselves.
Aurendar Apr 9th 2007 8:15AM
The wolves & spiders of Elwynn Forest have more than once felt the sting of a newly acquired blade!
Deafdumbandblind Apr 9th 2007 8:16AM
There's a mob in the Blasted Lands outside of the Burning Crusade portal. Can't remember the name of it but it's something like "Servant of ...". basically they're invulnerable unless you destroy a container nearby. It's 57th level.
If one of my 70s need to level up a weapon I just ste my character to attacking this mob..and come back every few mins to heal. Works better with a hunter or self-healing class as you can set your pet to aggro the mob and keep it healed or simply heal yourself. For non-healer types, you'll have to run away once your health gets low.
Kirby1612 Apr 9th 2007 8:16AM
On my rogue, I just go to a raid and level up my skill, gets up in no time and no one really notices. If I'm on my paladin/shaman, I'll just hit the mob with auto attack and heal myself up on high levels mobs, works easily. Hunters definetly have it the easiest, Rank 1 Wing Clip spam will sure get the job done. Dueling doesn't raise your weapon skill either as far as I know.
Lenny Apr 9th 2007 8:19AM
Funny now that you mention it. Playing my mage I've never had a need to see or work on any of my weapon proficiencies. Wasn't there a time where you could not equip some weapons because they required a certain amount of skill before they could be used? Maybe that still exists but I've never seen it after I stopped playing melee classes.
And I'm very glad I don't have to worry about it anymore :D
Dahlaine Apr 9th 2007 8:23AM
I buy the cheapest piece of garbage I can find off a vendor and then go fight some level 30 mobs in Tanaris. They have enough hitpoints to get a lot of skill before they are dead but don't hit hard enough to make a difference.
Ryan Smith Apr 9th 2007 9:24AM
did this the other day. over by the spiders on west side of terrokar, there are level 60 creatures in spiderwebs, and I just hit them. They don't hit hard, and are slow to hit, so they give a +1 skill for melee weapon on almost every strike.
Natali Apr 9th 2007 8:43AM
I just head straight to Winterspring and grind Timbermaw rep. I've got nearly all my weapon skills up to 320+ thanks to that area.
Ranged weps however, that's pretty hard.
Thijz Apr 9th 2007 8:41AM
I don't think you get weapon skills by dueling... So the only way to grind it on a paladin is having a friend play the opposite faction...
Elbows Apr 9th 2007 8:55AM
As a warrior....
1. Find the fastest, lowest dps weapon of this type in the AH or from a vendor.
2. Buy a bunch of inexpensive +int gear from the AH.
3. Find a mage to AI you (AB is preferable).
4. Find high level bleed immune mob.
5. Spam rend in def stance and run away when you get low on HP.
tripp Apr 9th 2007 12:45PM
Go to shadowmoon valley and beat on the dranei who are protected by the 3 totems. There are 4 of them scattered throughout the zone. They are immune until you kill the 3 totems, just beat on them for an hour or so for a skill of 350. If you go afk just hope you dont get ganked or someone comes by to do they quest to kill them.
John Apr 9th 2007 9:02AM
Casters don't have to what now? I for one have a warlock with 300/300 staff skill. It was important enough for me to want to achieve it.
BaboonNL Apr 9th 2007 9:07AM
My 70 Priest has around 260 staff skill simply from smashing random critters.
Toolio Apr 9th 2007 9:12AM
On my second hunter (now my main) and the Ice Barbed Spear drops from SL. Naturally I need and I'm pretty excited... 'Cept I never used a Polearm on this toon so my skill level was still 1.
Melee'd VC and Deadmines w/ some guild alts and it's already well above 300 for an hour worth of work.
Never bothered w/ fist weps either, but I suppose that's acceptable for a hunter.
Eztonic Apr 9th 2007 9:16AM
I have a lvl 70 lock, and my staff skill is still at 220 or so. I just don't use it. My dagger skill is still at 50 or so i think. I just can't be bothered with all my spells, and my pet does all the melee damage.
BoBoTheChimp Apr 9th 2007 9:18AM
I usually only use my 2h sword so it's always leveled up. I also dual-wield so when my 2h sword skill is maxed out, I just switch to dual wield and level my sword skill up until it's max, then I switch back to 2h.
tiamazzo Apr 9th 2007 9:46AM
@14
Ice Barbed Spear is from AV. Must be thinking of the Sonic Spear from SL.
Cosmina Apr 9th 2007 10:07AM
Servants of Grol every time. As a level 70 Shaman i just stick on my healing gear (high int = faster skill leveling, apparently) + two of the cheapest weapons i could find for dual wielding (eg: 2 level 20 green axes for leveling Axe skill) and bash the Servant of Grol in the Ogre cave just north of the Dark Portal.
I can even read WoWinsider while doing it if i alt-tab back in every minute or so to heal!
I once spent exactly thirty minutes (the duration of Windfury weapon) getting my unarmed (fist) skill from 349-350. I got so much reading done.