1-25 Intermediate Pet Leveling Guide

8.30.16 - Legion Update - this guide has not been updated since MoP, and I have not kept up with the pet battle side of things in Warlords of Draenor. That said, this guide will still work, as it doesn't take advantage of Howl Bomb, but at the same time there may be more efficient methods to level pets in Draenor that I am unaware of.

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From comments I've received, this is one of the better power-leveling guides out there for those who have some experience with pet battles.

Before you read on, know that I've written this guide assuming a few things. I assume you have access to two relatively powerful level 25 pets (or nearly level 25 pets; 23 or higher recommended) to carry the one you plan to level. Having a strong damage/healing hybrid as one, like the Celestial Dragon, is a good idea. I assume you've defeated Grand Master Payne in Northrend, giving you access to daily quests to battle these guys. Lastly, I assumed you haven't done any daily battle quests on the day you're running with this guide.

If you don't fit that category above, you might want to check out my beginner guide. If you're uber brave, or have an arsenal of powerful pets, cut your teeth on my veteran guide, which you'll use to reach 25 in 9 fights.

I promise if you follow this guide, you can raise any pet from 1-25 in approximately an hour or so, significantly less time if you have a mage to help you get around. 

TL;DR - fight all of the daily pet tamers in either Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor, then those in Outland, followed by two or three more tamers in Northrend.

If you'd like to see a relatively fast, efficient way explained, I invite you to read on. 

Enjoy.

Guide
Please notify me if you find faults, or if you have any questions or suggestions. I have made several updates since launch thanks to some helpful battlers. Also, if you like this guide, please share it with fellow pet battle enthusiasts.

Contents
Preface: Considerations
Intro
Section Ia - Levelin' Up: Tamers of Kalimdor (Horde)
Section Ib - Levelin' Up: Tamers of Eastern Kingdoms (Alliance)
Section II - The Grind: Tamers of Outland
Section III - Lowbie Ain't So Low: Northrend Battles
Section IV - Thanks

Preface: Considerations

• Mages with portal access to Dalaran are the ideal characters to use when following this guide. It'll significantly reduce travel time. Horde will have slightly less travel requirements than Alliance.

• If you don't have a mage, I recommend setting your hearth to your faction's temple in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. I have the Hasty Hearth guild perk, and I hope you do too.

• Don't forget to equip your Safari Hat for the experience boost. The hat is a reward from having completed the Taming the World achievement. Equipping it will save significant time.

• Mechanical and magic pets will take slightly less time to level than other schools (see why in Section I). For those who'd like to delve into this guide as quickly as possible, I recommend starting with a pet from either family.

• Included are coordinates for all battle pet tamers. Those using this guide may find a coordinate-tracking addon like TomTom useful. For those without an addon I've included map cues as best as I could.

Intro

If you'd like to learn some cool tips to incorporate with this guide, including how to level two pets at once or different ways to utilize the meta daily quests given by Varzok and Audrey Burnhep, I encourage you to check out Section IV - Bonus Tips & Facts first.

Because of their respective family bonuses, both mechanical and magical pets will always survive the first round of the first battle in this guide. If you've chosen to level a pet from either of these families, skip to Section I now. If you're leveling a pet from a different family, you must raise it to level 3 in order to avoid getting killed immediately in the first battle.

Section Ia - Levelin' Up: Tamers of Kalimdor (Horde)

Since you'll be working with two level 25 pets and what I'll affectionately refer to as your lowbie from now on, we won't need to discuss strategies for these tamers. Brute force will suffice. In fact, one level 25 is probably all you'll need to defeat most, if not all tamers in Kalimdor. If you are leveling a non-magic or mechanical pet, look for rats in southeastern Desolace on the way to Feralas. They should bring your pet to level 3 in one fight.

Approximate tamer locations

1. Port to Thunder Bluff. Fly south and slightly west to Traitor Gluk at 60,50 in Feralas. He can be found just south of the "M" in "Dire Maul" when looking at the map. Start with your lowbie and take a single action. Immediately after the action has finished, swap it with one of your level 25s and finish the battle. With just this one fight your lowbie should reach level 7!

2. Fly eastward and slightly south into Thousand Needles to battle Kela Grimtotem at 32,33. She can be found on the small mesa directly north of the "D" in "Darkcloud Pinnacle" when looking at the map. Upon victory, your lowbie should reach level 10.

3. Head east and slightly north into Dustwallow Marsh to battle Grazzle the Great at 54,75. Grazzle can be found on the northern edge of the mound that makes up the entrance to Onyxia's Lair; slightly south of the "B" in "Wyrmbog" when viewing the map.

4. Port to Orgrimmar, then take the portal to Mount Hyjal. Fly west into Felwood to fight Zoltan at 40,57. He can be found slightly northeast of the "R" in "Jadenar." After killing his pets in front of his cult, you should be around level 14.

5. Fly northeast into Moonglade to battle Elena Flutterfly at 46,61. She can be found on the small island in the southwest corner of the lake (the one the road runs across). After this fight, your lowbie should be around level 16.

6. Fly southeast into Winterspring to battle Stone Cold Trixxy at 66,65. She's just east of where the road leading from Mazthoril joins the road running north to south.

Horde mages take note! If you'd like an extra bump of experience before heading to the next section, port to Stonard and fly west to take on the Eastern Kingdoms Grand Master Tamer, Lydia Accoste, found in Deadwind Pass at 40,76. She's near Karazhan, on the southeastern side of that little domed building you can see on the map.

Congrats! Your lowbie is most likely level 18, though you may be lower or higher depending on certain factors. No worries either way. Go ahead and port to Shattrath. We're off to Section II - The Grind: Tamers of Outland!

Section Ib - Levelin' Up: Tamers of Eastern Kingdoms (Alliance)

Apologies in advance, Alliance. I start you out with a pretty long flight, but I feel I'm picking the lesser of two evils. I feel extra sorry for you if you aren't doing this on a mage, though a toon that has access to Old World Flying and calls Ironforge home is almost as good. Sadly, it doesn't get any better than that for you.

Since you'll be working with two level 25 pets and what I'll affectionately refer to as your lowbie from now on, we won't need to discuss strategies for these tamers. Brute force will suffice. In fact, one level 25 is probably all you'll need to defeat most, if not all tamers in Kalimdor. If you are leveling a non-magic or mechanical pet, look for a wild pet or two in the Wetlands when in flight to the Hinterlands. Two battles should be all it takes to raise your pet to level 3.

Less approximate tamer locations

1. Head to The Hinterlands to fight David Kosse at 63,55. On the map you'll find him just west of the little mountain near Shaol'watha. If you can still feel your legs from sitting on your mount for that long, he should be a piece of cake. Start with your lowbie and take a single action. Immediately after the action has finished, swap it with one of your level 25s and finish the battle. You should be level 7 just from that fight.

2. We're headed northeast. Thankfully, it'll be a quick trip into Eastern Plaguelands to battle Deiza Plaguehorn at 67,52. She's hanging on the northwestern edge of the lake near Light's Hope Chapel. Grats on level 10!

3. Port to Ironforge. Bust out a mount you don't mind staring at for a while. Head straight south into the Searing Gorge to battle Kortas Darkhammer at 36,28. That's just north of the first "T" in "Thorium Point" on the map. Your lowbie should be around level 12 after this battle.

4. Head south into the Burning Steppes to fight Durin Darkhammer at 26,48. See the path leading south out of Blackrock Mountain? Find him just east of where that path meets the other road. After victory, your lowbie should be around level 14.

5. Head southeast to Swamp of Sorrows to meet Everessa at 77,42. Porting to IF > Dark Portal Port to Blasted Lands > fly north may save you some time. On the map, she's straight southwest of the "S" in Sorrowmurk, along the water's edge. How 'bout level 16 or so, yeah?

6. Head west into Deadwind Pass for the final battle against Lydia Accoste at 40,76. She's near Karazhan, on the southeastern side of that little domed building you can see on the map.

If you'd like an extra bump in experience before heading to the next section, get to Stormwind and take the portal to Mount Hyjal. From there, fly into Winterspring to battle Stone Cold Trixxy at 66,65. She's just east of where the road leading from Mazthoril joins the road running north to south.

Congrats! Your lowbie is most likely level 18, though you may be lower or higher depending on certain factors. No worries either way. Go ahead and port to Shattrath. We're off to Section II - The Grind: Tamers of Outland!

Section II - The Grind: Tamers of Outland
This section isn't really a grind, it just may seem like one since you won't be gaining levels as quickly as you just were. And because....you may lose a battle or two here. While I have no issues with the most of the tamers using my current setup, on occasion I will lose to Bloodknight Antari, the Grand Master Pet Tamer (#5). For this section, we won't focus on what level you'll end up at after each battle. In the end, it really won't matter.

The 4 is extra difficult to see

1. Your first battle will take place in Shattrath. Find Morulu the Elder at 59, 69. He can be found in the southernmost part of the Lower City in the company of three aquatic pets, two of which have bleeds. Use a flyer if you have one to make the fight go quickly.

2. Fly west into Nagrand. You're headed for Narrok, found at 61, 49. Look for him just northwest of the Ring of Trials at the closest T-intersection.

3. Fly northwest into Zangarmarsh and find Ras'an at 17,51, located lakeside in Sporeggar.

4. Port back to Shattrath. If you can't, either way you're headed for Hellfire Peninsula to battle Nicki Tinytech at 64,50. She stands near where the roads leading out from Thrallmar and Honor Hold meet and uses all mechanical pets. Pets with all elemental abilities will be absolutely devastating in this fight.

5. Port back to Shattrath. This time head southeast towards Shadowmoon Valley where we'll engage Bloodknight Antari, the final and most powerful tamer in Outland. He can be found at 31,41. When viewing the map, he's directly north the "D" in "Illidari Point", just south of that larger pool of green lava. I lose this fight from time to time, so you may need to experiment a bit or switch out for a different pet family. Antari uses pets that take increased damage from dragonkin, aquatic or humanoid damage. Use this to your advantage.

Congratulations for making it this far! At this point, your "lowbie" should be between level 21 and 23. At most, three battles remain before they hit level 25. Hang in there...you're nearly finished!

Section III - Lowbie Not So Low: Tamers of Northrend

This section works differently than the previous three mainly because you shouldn't need to fight all of the tamers in Northrend in order to reach level 25. The most I've had to fight once reaching this leg of the guide was three, and that happened after skipping the Grand Master Tamers in both Kalimdor and Outland.

That being the case, you'll want to pick your battles wisely (no pun intended) once you reach Northrend. Two of these tamers I find to be quite easy, and two I find to be agonizingly difficult at times. I've listed each tamer in what I think is their relative order of difficulty starting with the easiest---your own mileage may vary.

1. Gutretch in Zul'Drak at 13,67. He waits on the westernmost part of the zone on top of the large stone staircase.
Team: beast, beast, critter
Players should: use a mechanical pet, avoid using critters if possible
Comments: Should be able to win with just one mechanical pet and your lowbie.

2. Beegle Blastfuse in Howling Fjord at 29,34. Follow the ridge south out of Apothecary Camp and you'll run into him.
Team: flying, flying, aquatic
Players should: use a magic pet, avoid using beasts if possible
Comments: This fight was extremely easy with the Celestial Dragon on account of the magic damage and healing abilities.

3. Nearly Headless Jacob in Crystalsong Forest at 50,59. Follow the Path of the Titans coming north out of Dragonblight. Jacob is on the southeastern edge of the little "pond."
Team: all undead 
Players should: use a critter or two, or a pet with critter abilities; without one this battle is extremely difficult
Comments: Can't say much more than what's been said above. This fight was a pain until I had critters.

4. Okrut Dragonwaste in Dragonblight at 59,77. He is on the southernmost tip of the Path of the Titans before it falls off into the sea.
Team: undead, undead, dragonkin
Players should: use a critter or two, or a pet with critter abilities
Comments: I haven't had to fight Okrut much because my lowbie usually hits 25 before I have to consider it. I've read he is quite a pain in the butt, but it may depend on what you're battling with.

5. Grand Master Payne is at 77, 20 in Icecrown. Find him on the northeastern part of the Argent Tournament standing in front of a guard tower.
Team: beast, mechanical, elemental
Players should: counter his pets as best as you can
Comments: In order to win this fight I've had to use the right pets. The way I win is to counter his beast with a mechanical and counter his mechanical with an elemental. If I burn them down quickly the remaining pet isn't an issue.

Congrats on level 25!

Section IV - Thanks

When I'm not sure about something in-game, be it a tactic, a location, team comp or elusive, I lean on Wowhead. Putting together this guide was no different. Also, Warcraftpets is hands down the best resource for all-things battle pets.

I must acknowledge several in the community, specifically at WoW Insider who pushed me---whether they realize it or not---to put this thing together. I'm looking at you, Lebowski,  Blissfire, & kind commenters.