If you're new or recently returned to Globe of Warcraft, you've probably heard mention of heirlooms. This stellar leveling gear binds to your account rather than your characters -- then you can mail it to your alts -- and levels every bit y'all do, getting better equally your graphic symbol advances through the game. And best of all, heirloom gear often grants yous an feel bonus for equipping it -- typically five% or ten% bonus experience for each piece of armor. What that means is faster leveling with no need to worry about hunting downwards the best gear along the way.

Because heirlooms are targeted squarely at level xc characters leveling alts, you might non have put much thought into them -- simply we're hither to tell you that you don't demand to wait until level 90 to pick upwards some heirloom gear for your grapheme. If you know where and how to get it, you can catch a few pieces as y'all advance -- and with the sizable benefits they offer, yous'll probably be glad you did.

But whether you're a new character leveling upward or a long-fourth dimension level ninety thinking about a new alt, nosotros'll walk you through what'south available and where to detect it.

What kind of heirlooms can I get?
Though you can't fill every gear slot with a slice of heirloom gear, you tin can get pretty close. Y'all'll discover shoulders, chests, legs, and helms in cloth, leather, mail, and plate with stats that are advisable for almost every class and spec. We say near considering there'due south only one heirloom piece of spell plate for holy paladins -- sorry, wannabe holydins! Merely beyond paladins, you'll observe heirloom armor for tanks, DPS, and casters of all classes. You'll also notice weapons, cloaks, trinkets, and a single band.

Here'south what you need to know about heirloom gear before you buy:

  • The stats on heirloom items scale depending on the level of the grapheme equipping them.
  • For classes that wear different armor types at different levels -- for example, hunters can habiliment postal service at 40, but from level 1 to 39 wore leather -- heirlooms of the appropriate type volition scale down to the right armor class so they tin exist equipped. This means you shouldn't purchase your hunter leather heirlooms, even if they're under level 40.
  • Most heirlooms -- all just weapons and trinkets -- offering an experience bonus that stacks, so the more heirlooms you equip, the faster you'll proceeds experience.
  • All heirlooms accept a cap by which they volition not scale -- level 80 or 85. Most level 80 heirlooms can be upgraded to level 85 heirlooms for a cost.
  • All heirlooms can exist equipped starting at level ane -- even shoulders, helms, and trinkets, which y'all won't otherwise find in the game until later.
  • Heirlooms don't have a immovability stat, which means they never need repairing -- something that'southward certainly skillful for your banking concern balance.

If yous get your heirlooms at low levels, y'all'll become the virtually use out of them -- but heirlooms picked up at level forty, l, lx, or even 70 tin can brand a big divergence in your leveling game if you have the resources to get them. Then only how do you get heirlooms?

How to become your easily on some heirlooms
What makes heirloom items so difficult to track down is that they come from a number of unlike places -- and if you don't know where to look for them, you might not discover them. At that place are six different ways to get your heirloom gear:

  • Buy them with golden from guild vendors. Shoulders, legs, and cloaks are available this mode, if your order is of the advisable level and has the right achievements. These are level 85 heirlooms.
  • Buy them with Justice Points, which are obtained by doing lower level (Burning Cause, Wrath, Cataclysm) dungeons and raids. Shoulders, chests, weapons, and trinkets are available in this mode from a number of vendors. These are level 80 heirlooms that can exist upgraded to level 85.
  • Buy them with Darkmoon Prize Tickets, which yous get by doing quests at the Darkmoon Faire. You tin get the aforementioned shoulders, chests, weapons, and trinkets from the Darkmoon Faire that y'all can with Justice Points. These are level 80 heirlooms that tin be upgraded to level 85.
  • Buy them with Champion's Seals, which you can get by participating in the Argent Tournament in Northrend. You can go the same shoulders, chests, weapons, and trinkets that you can from the Darkmoon Faire or Justice Points. These are level 80 heirlooms that tin be upgraded to level 85.
  • Buy them with Accolade Points. Shoulders, weapons, and trinkets with PvP stats can be bought in this way. These are level 80 heirlooms that can be upgraded to level 85.
  • Win first or second place in the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. This will give yous the option to selection upwardly the Dread Pirate Ring, the only heirloom band currently in the game. This is a level lxxx heirloom, with no upgrade pick.

The reason not every newbie is running around with a full ready of heirlooms is, of course, the cost -- the amount of cash or points you'll have to shell out for any of these items isn't lilliputian, especially since Justice Points and Champion's Seals are primarily gotten through higher level -- though not max level -- dungeons and raids. Only at that place is some low-hanging fruit on the heirloom tree:

  • If you fish, the Dread Pirate Ring merely requires you to take hold of 40 fish... faster than anyone else on your realm. Still, information technology's doable for fishing aficionados.
  • If you're in a guild of level 10 or college, heirloom cloaks are bachelor for 1200 aureate. This may seem like a lot, but it'due south not terribly hard to come across as you lot level, even without any fancy gold-making tricks.
  • If yous're into PvP, shoulders, trinkets, and 1-handed weapons can be had for 2175 honour, with two-handed weapons for 3500 honor.
  • Darkmoon Faire heirlooms are challenging because the Faire -- and its dailies -- are only in boondocks for a week at a time. Nonetheless, y'all should be able to choice up a piece of gear every two months only from doing the dailies. This is a long time-bridge, sure, but for players who don't zoom through the levels, picking up a heirloom or two this way might not be a bad idea.
  • By the time y'all can hands farm Justice Points and Champion'due south Seals, we wouldn't actually recommend ownership new heirlooms for yourself -- just if y'all're a returning player starting a new character, it'southward worth checking out any characters you one time played to see if they have any to spare.

Need more details on what or where to buy? The best resource we've establish is Xabidar'due south Heirloom Listing on Wowhead -- it lays out the costs and points you to the vendors to purchase them from.

Getting heirlooms where they're needed
The big reason why it'south a expert idea for returning players to bank check old characters for the cash or resources to buy heirlooms is that these bind on account items can be mailed cantankerous-server and cross-faction. Then even if yous're starting anew with a new character, new server, and new faction, you lot can make use of some of the resources you in one case had to give your new character a head kickoff.

To postal service heirlooms, merely open your mailbox and address a letter to charactername-servername. Exist sure yous're only mailing bind on account items, though -- any other attachments, from gear to gold, volition prevent the post from sending. Like sending mail to any grapheme on your account, the detail will bear witness up in your mailbox instantly.

Not enough power?
This gear is pretty high-end for the boilerplate leveler, but if y'all're looking for more, you can enchant your heirlooms, too. Even high-level enchants tin can be used on these level ane heirlooms -- though they'll be scaled down appropriately -- and then long as they don't cause an item to become soulbound when used.

Now: good luck and happy leveling!

Just because you're a newbie doesn't mean you can't bring your A-game to World of Warcraft! Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to everything you demand to go started equally a new thespian, from the seven things every newbie ought to know to how to go started as a healer or equally a tank.