What to do at level 70 in WoW TBC?

Reaching Level 70 in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary is where the current endgame begins. Phase 3 is now live, so a fresh 70 is no longer preparing only for Karazhan, Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep. Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal are open, Netherwing progression is available, Epic Gems are in the game and Arena Season 3 is active.

Short answer: fix your weakest gear slots, unlock the Heroic dungeons you actually need, finish the current Tier 6 attunements, work toward Epic Flying, use older raids as catch-up content and then move into Mount Hyjal and Black Temple. PvP players can instead use Honor and Arena Season 3 as a parallel gearing path.

Updated: September 25, 2026.

Your Level 70 Priorities in Phase 3

A fresh Level 70 should focus on permanent unlocks and high-value weekly content before spending time on optional grinds.

1. Replace your weakest gear. Use Normal and Heroic dungeons, crafted items, reputation rewards, Badges of Justice, PvP catch-up gear and older raids.
2. Unlock the Heroics you need. The five Heroic dungeon keys still require Revered with their associated factions on the first character.
3. Finish Tier 6 access. The Battle for Mount Hyjal and Black Temple are the current progression raids and still have relevant attunement chains.
4. Work toward Artisan Riding. Epic Flying dramatically improves Outland travel and is required for full Netherwing progression.
5. Use every useful raid lockout. Tier 4 and Tier 5 remain valuable catch-up sources while you move toward Tier 6.
6. Choose your reputation grinds deliberately. Heroic keys, raid factions, mounts, recipes and profession rewards all have different stopping points.
7. Keep professions current. Phase 3 adds Epic Gems and makes several profession routes more valuable again.
8. For PvP, move into Arena Season 3. Honor gear and discounted older PvP pieces provide the catch-up foundation.

What Is Live at Level 70 Right Now?

Phase 3 is the current Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary endgame. Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal opened on August 27, while Arena Season 3, Netherwing progression and Epic Gems are now active. Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep remain available and are still useful for gearing new characters and alts.

For the broader catch-up route from a newly dinged character into Tier 6, our TBC Anniversary Fresh 70 Gearing Guide goes deeper into gear sources and upgrade order.

Fund Epic Flying

Epic Flying is still one of the largest Level 70 expenses. Artisan Riding costs 5,000 gold and a standard 280% flying mount costs another 200 gold, so the upgrade itself is 5,200 gold if you already have Expert Riding. A character starting without flying also needs the earlier Expert Riding tier.

• Gathering professions: Mining, Herbalism and Skinning convert time directly into materials that can be sold.
• Crafting: consumables, enchants, gems and other high-demand raid items can produce steady margins when the Auction House supports them.
• Daily quests: Ogri'la, Sha'tari Skyguard and the now-active Netherwing hub provide repeatable Level 70 income.
• Quest cleanup: completing remaining Outland quests at Level 70 converts experience rewards into additional gold.

Artisan Riding also matters because full Netherwing progression requires fast flying. If Netherwing Drakes are one of your goals, the flying cost is part of that progression rather than just a convenience purchase.

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Gear a Fresh Level 70 Efficiently

Do not spend days assembling a perfect Phase 1 pre-raid BiS set before touching raids. Phase 3 gives fresh characters several overlapping catch-up routes, so start by replacing the weakest weapon, trinket, rings, neck and low-level armor pieces.

• Run Normal dungeons when they still provide a useful item or reputation.
• Use Heroics for stronger drops and Badges of Justice.
• Check reputation vendors before farming a low-drop-rate item.
• Use crafted gear when it replaces a major weak slot immediately.
• Run Karazhan, Gruul and Magtheridon as efficient Tier 4 catch-up content.
• Move into SSC and Tempest Keep when the character can contribute comfortably.
• Use current Honor gear where PvP pieces solve a weak slot faster than PvE farming.

The important change in Phase 3 is that older raids are stepping stones, not the final destination. You only need enough gear to become useful in the next tier rather than completing every historical BiS list first.

Heroic Dungeons and Keys

Heroic dungeons remain valuable for Badges, gear, reputation and selected profession materials. On the first character, the five main Heroic keys still require Revered with the associated faction; Anniversary makes the unlock account-wide through its key system, so alts benefit after the account has done the work.

Use the TBC Anniversary Dungeon Route if you still need several keys and want the dungeon runs to advance reputation and gearing at the same time.

Current Raid Attunements

Anniversary raid attunements are account-wide, which makes the first completion especially valuable. With Phase 3 active, earlier raid gates from previous phases are no longer the main barrier; the important access work now centers on the Battle for Mount Hyjal and Black Temple.

• Battle for Mount Hyjal: complete The Vials of Eternity progression involving Lady Vashj and Kael'thas, together with the required Keepers of Time standing.
• Black Temple: follow the Akama storyline through Shadowmoon Valley, The Arcatraz, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and Mount Hyjal until you receive the Medallion of Karabor.

Because several steps cross raid lockouts, check your chain before killing Vashj, Kael'thas or Rage Winterchill. Our TBC Anniversary Attunement Roadmap puts the chains in the correct order, while the Black Temple Attunement Guide covers every Akama-chain step.

Farm the Reputations That Unlock Something You Need

Reputation is still a major part of the Level 70 endgame, but pushing every faction to Exalted is inefficient. Stop at the standing that gives your character a Heroic key, recipe, enchant, item or mount you actually want.

• Honor Hold / Thrallmar: Heroic Hellfire Citadel access plus faction rewards.
• Cenarion Expedition: Heroic Coilfang access and the Cenarion War Hippogryph at Exalted.
• Lower City: Heroic Auchindoun access and useful profession or gear rewards.
• Keepers of Time: Heroic Caverns of Time access and part of the Hyjal progression path.
• The Sha'tar: Heroic Tempest Keep dungeon access.
• Aldor / Scryers: shoulder inscriptions, recipes and faction-specific gear.
• Ogri'la: Level 70 dailies, gear and Apexis-based rewards.
• Sha'tari Skyguard: dailies, Skettis progression and Nether Ray mounts.
• Netherwing: Phase 3 daily progression ending in six Netherwing Drake colors.
• Scale of the Sands: raid reputation earned through Mount Hyjal.
• Ashtongue Deathsworn: Black Temple reputation with profession recipes and class rewards.

Our TBC Anniversary Reputation Guide compares the useful breakpoints so you can avoid unnecessary Exalted grinds.

Professions at Level 70 in Phase 3

Professions become more valuable once the character reaches 70 because crafted gear, raid consumables, enchants and Epic Gems all feed directly into current Tier 6 preparation. Phase 3 has also activated Epic Gems, increasing the importance of Jewelcrafting and gem-related farming.

• Jewelcrafting: cuts gems, crafts rings and necklaces, and is especially relevant now that Epic Gems are live.
• Alchemy: produces flasks, elixirs, potions and transmutes required across the raid economy.
• Blacksmithing: creates powerful weapons and plate or mail items, with several profession-specific progression pieces.
• Enchanting: provides weapon and armor enchants, disenchanting materials and profession-only ring enchants.
• Engineering: offers goggles, explosives, gadgets and crafted flying machines.
• Leatherworking: creates leather and mail gear, armor kits and Drums used throughout organized PvE.
• Tailoring: provides cloth gear, specialty cloth progression and spellthreads for caster and healer gearing.
• Mining, Herbalism and Skinning: supply the crafting economy and remain straightforward ways to convert time into gold.
• Cooking: provides raid food buffs.
• First Aid: remains useful for self-healing in PvP and situations where normal healing is limited.
• Fishing: supplies Cooking and selected valuable materials.

Do not change profession solely because a generic list calls it the most profitable. A profession is valuable when its character-only benefits, known recipes and current realm prices support your build or economy plan.

Badges of Justice and Other Level 70 Currencies

Badges of Justice remain one of the safest deterministic gearing currencies for fresh Level 70 characters. Heroic dungeon bosses are the core repeatable source in the current phase, while the daily Heroic quest adds more badges. Phase 3 did not add the later Isle of Quel'Danas Badge vendor gear, so do not save every Badge for items that are not currently available.

• Badges of Justice: buy targeted epic catch-up pieces from the current Shattrath vendor.
• Apexis Shards and Crystals: used in Ogri'la and related Blade's Edge progression.
• Spirit Shards: earned around Auchindoun when your faction controls the towers.
• Halaa Battle and Research Tokens: tied to Nagrand world PvP and Halaa rewards.
• Honor and Arena Points: fund the PvP gearing route.

Phase 3 also allows Heroic dungeon bosses to contribute to the new Epic Gem economy, giving geared players another reason to keep selected Heroics in their weekly routine.

PvP at Level 70: Arena Season 3

Arena Season 3 is now active, so the original Season 2 advice is outdated. Fresh PvP characters can use Honor gear and discounted older PvP pieces to build enough Resilience before committing to rated Arena progression.

Arena

Rated Arena remains available in 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5. Build a functional Resilience baseline first, then spend Arena Points around the slots that provide the biggest competitive improvement for your composition.

Battlegrounds

Battlegrounds remain the repeatable Honor path and are the easiest way for a fresh Level 70 to start PvP without an established Arena team. As of September, older Season 2 off-pieces such as belts, bracers, boots, rings and necklaces are available at reduced Honor costs, making them useful catch-up purchases.

World PvP

Halaa in Nagrand and the Outland tower objectives still provide Honor, faction advantages and specialized rewards. Treat them as supplementary PvP rather than the fastest universal gearing route.

Dungeons and Raids at Level 70

PvE progression now spans three raid tiers at once. A new character should use Heroics and earlier raids to remove weak slots quickly, then spend most organized raid time on whatever brings the character closer to Tier 6.

Heroic Dungeons

Heroics remain relevant because they combine targeted loot, Badges of Justice, profession materials and the current Epic Gem drop changes. They are especially useful when a fresh character has several weak slots and cannot yet contribute comfortably in Tier 5 or Tier 6.

Tier 4 Catch-Up Raids

• Karazhan: 10-player raid with a large loot table, Tier 4 tokens and several items that remain useful during catch-up.
• Gruul's Lair: short 25-player lockout with Tier 4 tokens and several long-lived physical DPS items.
• Magtheridon's Lair: another short Tier 4 lockout that is easy to combine with a larger weekly raid schedule.

Tier 5 Raids

• Serpentshrine Cavern: six bosses ending with Lady Vashj and several strong Tier 5 gearing targets.
• Tempest Keep: The Eye: four bosses ending with Kael'thas Sunstrider and the other half of the Tier 5 set progression.

Current Tier 6 Raids

The Battle for Mount Hyjal and Black Temple are now the main progression targets. Hyjal has five bosses and a wave-based structure leading to Archimonde; Black Temple contains nine encounters ending with Illidan Stormrage.

• Battle for Mount Hyjal: five bosses, Scale of the Sands reputation and Tier 6 rewards. See the Mount Hyjal Waves Guide if your group is progressing through the 32 pre-boss trash waves.
• Black Temple: nine bosses, Ashtongue Deathsworn reputation, Tier 6 loot and the Warglaives of Azzinoth chase.

A Practical Weekly Route at Level 70

The ideal schedule depends on your gear and goals, but limited weekly progression should come before repeatable grinds.

1. Check whether a raid attunement step can be completed during this reset.
2. Clear your highest useful raid lockouts.
3. Use older raids only where they still contain realistic upgrades.
4. Complete useful Heroics for Badges, target items or Epic Gem chances.
5. Progress Netherwing, Ogri'la or another reputation only when its rewards matter to you.
6. Spend remaining time on professions, gold, Battlegrounds or Arena according to your build.

This order prevents a common mistake: spending hours on repeatable activities and then missing a once-per-week raid objective needed for gearing or attunement.

What Comes After Phase 3?

Zul'Aman, the Isle of Quel'Danas and Sunwell Plateau are not part of the current Phase 3 endgame. Do not build a current Level 70 gearing route around later Badge vendors, Magisters' Terrace or Sunwell gear until Blizzard activates the relevant Anniversary content.

The current priority is Tier 6 progression, Netherwing, Epic Gems and Arena Season 3. Later catch-up systems will change the value of Heroics, Badges and older raids again when those phases arrive.

Conclusion

Level 70 in TBC Classic Anniversary is now about reaching the current Tier 6 endgame efficiently rather than completing every piece of older content in historical order. Heroics, Tier 4 and Tier 5 remain useful because they accelerate gearing, but Black Temple, Mount Hyjal, Netherwing and Arena Season 3 define the current phase.

Prioritize permanent access, weekly raid objectives and major gear weaknesses first. Once those are handled, reputation grinds, professions, gold farming, mounts and PvP can fill the rest of the week without slowing your main progression.