One question I get on almost every leveling stream is which add-on puts that arrow on my screen. It's Zygor Guides. With World of Warcraft: Forever around the corner, I want to explain why it has been my favorite add-on for so long, what it actually does for me, and why I think it's worth trying even if you have no interest in leveling fast.
The short version
- Zygor shows you where to go, what to do and how to get there, with an arrow and step-by-step instructions right in the game.
- It isn't about speed. It's about efficiency, and about keeping your attention on what you enjoy instead of on finding the next quest.
- It goes far beyond leveling: dungeons, professions, achievements, mounts, secrets and more. In Forever, not all of it will be ready at launch, but Zygor's guides will cover it over time.
- Code LUXTHOS gives you 20% off.
Get 20% off Zygor Guides (opens in a new tab)
It's not about going fast
When people hear "leveling guide", they often picture someone racing to the level cap. That's not why I use Zygor. The whole point, for me, is efficiency without effort: I follow the arrow, read the current step, and I'm on a sensible path through the zone. I never feel lost, and I never stand in the middle of a zone wondering which quest giver I missed.
That's a big part of what makes leveling enjoyable again. In Forever, I plan to level almost every class, and Zygor turns that from a chore into something relaxing. I can keep an eye on chat, follow a conversation, or have something playing on my second screen, and still make steady progress. It takes away the mental load, not the game.
Does it ruin the journey?
I hear this one a lot, especially for a Classic-style game like Forever. My answer: the journey is still there. You still fight your way through every zone, dungeon and group quest, and you still have to collect those hooves the zebras somehow never seem to drop. What Zygor removes is the part where you read a wall of yellow text to work out that the murlocs are somewhere on the northwest bank of the river.
Back in the day, most of us kept a guide or a website open for exactly that. Zygor simply puts that help inside the game, right where you need it. It's not that I don't care about the lore; I just prefer to spend my attention on playing.
What it does for me in game
- The arrow. It points to your next objective: the quest giver, the area to clear, the item to pick up.
- Step-by-step instructions. Each step tells you what to do and how many monsters to kill or items to gather, and the guide moves on as you complete it.
- Less clicking. It can accept and turn in quests for you, and even choose your quest reward, so you spend less time in dialog windows.
- An efficient route. The quests come in a planned order, so you aren't running back and forth across the map.
Much more than a leveling add-on
Zygor is really a completion add-on. Once you're done leveling, the same arrow and instructions guide you through achievements, item farming, mounts, professions and more, with transmog too in Retail. If you like to collect things, that's where it shines. I completed my entire Loremaster achievement by following that arrow, and it's one of the most relaxed achievements I've ever done.
For Forever, Zygor is reworking its 1–60 Classic guides for the new world: the revamped zones and the new ones, the Skyborne starting zone, the new race and class combinations, guides for the new dungeons, profession updates, and talent recommendations in its Talent Advisor. Leveling comes first. Not everything will be ready at launch, but the rest follows in updates until Forever is fully covered: mounts, achievements, secrets and more.
Who it's for
- Players leveling alts. If you plan to level several classes in Forever, like I do, the planned route saves a lot of time and repetition.
- Players who would rather not plan. If you enjoy playing your class but not working out the quest order, Zygor takes care of that part.
- Collectors. Achievements, mounts and secrets take a lot less research when the guide tells you where to go.
- Returning players. If it has been years since you last played a Classic-style game, it gets you back on track without relearning every zone.
If you love discovering every quest on your own, that's completely fine too: Zygor isn't for everyone, and it doesn't have to be. But if getting lost is the part you would skip, it's worth a try.
Why I keep coming back to it
I've been using Zygor for more than 15 years, almost since it first came out, and it's still one of my favorite add-ons of all time. Not because it's flashy, but because of how it makes the game feel: I always know where to go, how to get there and what I'm looking for. That leaves me free to enjoy the parts of World of Warcraft that matter to me: playing my class, hanging out with chat, and trying every class Forever has to offer.
Honestly, once you've leveled with it, I'd be surprised if you went back to alt-tabbing to a website or wandering around a zone looking for that last quest giver.
Get 20% off with code LUXTHOS
If you want to try it, sign up on Zygor Guides through my link (opens in a new tab) and enter code LUXTHOS for 20% off.
Try Zygor Guides (opens in a new tab)
Already using Zygor without the code? Zygor's live support chat, the bubble at the bottom right of their website, can apply LUXTHOS to your existing account, so you get the discount from then on.
Common questions
Is Zygor only for leveling? No. Leveling is where most people start, but it also covers dungeons, professions, achievements, mounts, secrets and more. In Forever, those guides arrive over time after launch.
Does it work in Forever? Yes. I've been using it while leveling every class in the Forever beta, where Zygor is preparing its Forever guides. Zygor's Forever page says the 1–60 guides may only be partly updated at launch and completed in later updates, with the rest of Forever following over time, and that the Forever guides come with a Zygor Elite subscription.
I already know the zones. Do I still need it? Maybe not for your first character. Where it really helps is on your fifth: the route is planned, the steps are clear, and you can level comfortably while you enjoy everything else.
Will I still learn the game? Yes. You still play every fight, every dungeon and every group quest; Zygor just shows you where they are.
If you have questions about Zygor or how I level in Forever, ask me on stream. See you in Azeroth.
Disclosure: I'm an official Zygor Guides affiliate. If you sign up through my link, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.