Mining Grinding Zones

[Saxywoo]

I got sick and tired of coming up to a node that I just didn't have enough skill to mine. So I thought that I would find a spot to grind my mining.... Though I'm only a level 36 Paladin (now at the same place I was back in the beta), here's what I found so far...

This is what I'm looking for: Relatively small areas, such as the ones described below, that seem to have a high respawn rate for nodes.

The spider cave where the Incendicite Ore is located - has tin and incendicite nodes. It appears that you can keep increasing your mining skill to about 150 on incendicite, but I'm not sure what it is for tin. If you're more in the lvl 26 range, you would be able to still get experience here, since the mobs are lvl 21-22.

Highperch - Lots of iron ore, some mithril nodes - through when you're level 35, you can get experience from the mobs up here (lvl 28-29), as well as take advantage of the chest that spawns usually in the upper level. There is a Horde quest giver (seems to be an escort quest) up there, so if you're not flagged for PVP, you can just ignore them.

What about at lower levels? Higher levels? Are there any other good grinding zones? I have a feeling that there are places where each type of node is found in relatively high concentrations or with a relatively high spawn rate.

Thanks,
Saxycorp

[Artega]

Durotar. Very high copper density, since most of the zone is mountainous.

The Barrens. Oases usually have decent amounts of tin, and usually some copper as well.

Stonetalon Mountains. Stonetalon Peak usually has some tin, and some iron on occasion.

Alterac Mountain, in the ogre areas. Lots of iron, some mithril, and occasionally some gold or truesilver. Mobs are 35-37, so it's a good place to grind for XP, too.

Anywhere in Badlands. Iron is everywhere. Lots of mithril in the ogre area south of Kargath and in the dragon ravine.

Nethergarde Mine in Blasted Lands. Lots of mithril, and a little truesilver and small thorium. Mobs are in the late forties, are easy to kill, and don't run or call for help. An incredible grinding spot. Mobs are Alliance-friendly.

Un'goro Crater. A little mithril here and there, and lots of thorium of both flavors. Small thorium nodes along the eastern wall and insect areas, rich thorium throughout Terror Run and the volcano area.

Silithus. Small thorium in various places, along with a little mithril. Rich thorium nodes underground in the elite insect areas. Bring a group and mine them, since no one ever does.

Eastern Plaguelands. The ravines near Light's Hope usually spawn rich and small thorium, and you can occasionally find mithril in the western sides.

Burning Steppes. Anywhere west of the ogre volcano has significant amounts of rich thorium, but expect to fight for it; there are usually other miners out there. The ogre volcano itself has a disturbing amount of gold veins, and also carries small thorium and mithril nodes on occasion.

[Darian]

Nethergarde Mine in Blasted Lands.  Lots of mithril, and a little truesilver and small thorium.  Mobs are in the late forties, are easy to kill, and don't run or call for help.  An incredible grinding spot.  Mobs are Alliance-friendly.
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NB: As a paladin, he can't mine Nethergarde.

[Roane]

This is what I'm looking for:  Relatively small areas, such as the ones described below, that seem to have a high respawn rate for nodes.
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If you don't feel it's too much like cheating (some people do), grab the Gatherer mod, which shows you where nodes have been in a zone. They can show on your mini map along with distance, as well as showing on your zone map. (Options determine this.)

It remembers nodes you have found before, so you don't have to search again. However, you can download and merge data files submitted to the mod author by other people, which is what's really handy for your particular situation. You can then get a comprehensive map of where nodes are for zones that you haven't fully explored. This can give you a good idea of where to go hunting. To do that, you need an extra utility and data files. The author's links aren't in the same place they used to be, but a mirror of the utility and data file can be found here.

The author does say that Gatherbook will be up on her Sourceforge site eventually, so you might want to wait for that just to make sure the source is reliable (though I have no reason to believe the mirror source is unreliable). Also, there's some talk that node locations may have changed in the last patch. No verification on that though.

(Edited once for grammar, and once to add the last paragraph.)

[Tal]

NB: As a paladin, he can't mine Nethergarde.
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Is this a retail change? I ask because I was able to mine in their in Beta.

[Raelynn]

Is this a retail change? I ask because I was able to mine in their in Beta.
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I believe it was actually a change a patch or two into retail. They claimed it was supposed to be that way because of the unfair advantage it gave one side to have a friendly mine, especially considering that specific friendly mine could spawn thorium veins.

I remember a pretty big uproar in the forums right before it got changed.

[Kevin]

Charred Vale for Mithril, just run around the outside and dip in towards the hills in the interior. You can loop around the thing on a mount in like 4 minutes and usually will hit 1-3 mithril nodes per loop.

[LavCat]

The Weeping Cave in Western Plaguelands has rich thorium and I've never seen anyone else go near.

[Darian]

Is this a retail change? I ask because I was able to mine in their in Beta.
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Raelynn nailed it. I know the patch also fixed the alliance-controlled mine in Hillsbrad, and was theoretically supposed to fix any similar area.

[Concillian]

Durotar.  Very high copper density, since most of the zone is mountainous.

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Mulgore (Horde) and Loch Modan (alliance) are copper heaven.

both have mountains all around the outside with high densities of copper and are large enough to allow them to respawn by the time you get back around.

Loch modan is nice in that it has Tin/Silver up by the lodge.

Mulgore is particularly awesome because you can walk around the outside and gather up copper, then you get over to Venture Co. mine and there is a forge right there to smelt the ore to help with your bag space.

Also, Darkshore has Copper and Tin all up and down the mountains. You can start at one end and mine your way to the other and end up with TOTALLY full bags.

Unfortunately I've found Iron and higher is nowhere near as easy to mine as copper and tin, but I guess that is as it should be.

[Ruvanal]

The Incendicite Ore is for a quest in Dun Morogh at the mech camp just north of Kharanos. http://www.thottbot.com/wow/?q=344
Note that this cave is the quest site for the indicite ore and a warrior quest that requires drops from the spiders in the area. So if you see a warrior there, they may appreciate the help with the spiders.

I personally did not find the ore deposits at Highperch all that spectacular for the denisty and amount of mob fighting that is required. That location is the target of 2 alliance quests and I think 2 horde quests also. This makes the case that taking out the mobs there just to get to the ore a problem if someone is there and needing to get those chimera for their quest drops.

Most any mine area that has at least a medium density of players in the area will end up having a good respawn rate on the ore nodes in it. This is due to the nodes also being tied to the dynamic respawning based on player density in the area just as the mob respawning is also.

For outside areas to try this in will depend on the ore you really need or the skill level range you need to work thorough. Just try to stick to and follow the mountain or hill ranges that are there. This typically means along the outer areas of many zones, but some have some interior mountains or ridges that are good also.

The Arathi Highlands have a fair amount of iron deposits around the edges and the caves tend to have some mithril in them. The cave to the north east also has the nodes of Lesser Bloodstone for a quest from Booty Bay. This cave is also the target of players trying to complete the quest Shards of Myzrael which are dropped by the Kobalds in the area.

The Badlands have a pretty fair amount of iron throughout the area and several mithril nodes as you getting in the higher level areas to the southwest there. The area with the dragonkin to east also has a fairly good number of mithril spawn nodes there.

As Gnollguy also listed the Charred Vale is a very rich source for mithril. I have mapped over 20 node spawning locations of mithril in that realatively small area. Probably the richest small area for mithril in the game. There are also about half dozen iron nodes in the area also, along with a few copper and tin nodes.

Tanaris has a good number of mithril nodes along the eastern and southern mountain ranges. There is also a linked set of small Thorium nodes near the Caverns of time. For this set of nodes, only one of the 4 spawn locations will generate a node at any one time. But with care, one can slip past the dragons quickly and get to these four locations to get the one spawn for that trip. This is can be an easy way to start getting the skill up on thorium while still leveling up to be able to go into some of the areas with sources of Rich Thorium viens like Un'goro Crater, Azshara, Burning Steppes or the Plaguelands.

[Lissa]

The Weeping Cave in Western Plaguelands has rich thorium and I've never seen anyone else go near.
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Probably because of the slimes that explode into a multidude of smaller slimes. That cave can be nasty for a solo player.

[Rinnhart]

Probably because of the slimes that explode into a multidude of smaller slimes.  That cave can be nasty for a solo player.
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Those slimes are insane. I haven't shielded while fighting a single, non-elite mob since I was grinding in SG elementals four levels my senior.

Repops in there are FAST, mobs are extremely crowded, and those slimes are lethal without AE damage. I love it.

[LavCat]

Those slimes are insane. I haven't shielded while fighting a single, non-elite mob since I was grinding in SG elementals four levels my senior.

Repops in there are FAST, mobs are extremely crowded, and those slimes are lethal without AE damage. I love it.
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I knew there must be some reason it was called the Weeping Cave. I don't think I've ever gotten the thorium without dying at least once.