There’s no greater feeling in a fresh WoW Classic Hardcore run than getting your first rare item.
These items—typically called “blue items” or “blues” due to the color of their icon frames—are stronger than uncommon (green) items, and are typically used in your leveling loadout for a long while. When you get a rare item, you know you’re going to be holding onto it, merely due to the amount of strength and raw stats that they provide.
Whether it’s a high-end weapon or an elusive piece of armor, you’re going to want to stock up on as many blue items as you can. They’re going to make your character much stronger, and they’re ultimately going to make leveling easier.
The more blue items you earn, the more stats you have, and in turn, the less likely you are to lose your Harecore character to an unwarranted death.
The only trouble is that rare items are—as the name would obviously imply—rare. Getting an item with a blue border should feel like unwrapping a birthday gift; you don’t get to do it that often, and when you do, you should feel a sense of gratitude and relief. Still, there are a couple of surefire ways to get your hands on blue items early on in the leveling process and make that grateful sensation wash over you more often than not.
We elected to keep bind-on-equip items off of this list due to their extremely rare nature. While items like Bloodspiller, Holy Shroud, and Bloodpike are obvious candidates for this list, we elected to only mention dungeon drops and quest rewards as those are going to be the ones that you can get your hands on more easily. If you do get a BoE item, good for you, but be sure to hold onto it and treasure it as it’s worth its weight in gold.
Most of the time, the best, rarest, and most prestigious blue items are going to be completely random world drops that you need to get really lucky with in terms of drop rate. These five early-game blue items, though, are ones that you can get entirely from running dungeons or questing.
Honorable mention: Venomstrike
A boss drop from Lord Serpentis in the Wailing Caverns, Venomstrike is a very fast bow that also has a chance to proc Venom Shot, which deals extra nature damage on a successful auto-attack. This is one of the best early-game weapons in WoW Classic, and if you’re a Horde Hunter questing through the Barrens, you should consider taking some time out of your day to run the Wailing Caverns for a chance to earn this thing.
Cruel Barb
The Cruel Barb is an item that drops off of Edwin VanCleef in the Deadmines—get used to his name, you’re going to be seeing it a lot on this list as he tends to have some really good loot attached to him. This one-handed sword is a particularly strong item. Its 15.54 DPS is really good on its own, but once you add the +12 Attack Power stat that it includes, the Cruel Barb becomes one of the most desirable early-game weapons in Classic. Although you likely won’t make it into the Deadmines until at least level 19, the Cruel Barb will likely stick with you all the way through your 20s.
Related: How to train and level weapon skills in WoW Classic Hardcore
Crescent Staff
The Crescent Staff is a quest reward from “Leaders of the Fang,” a Horde-only quest that requires you to clear out all of the bosses inside the Wailing Caverns dungeon. The staff gives +7 bonuses to Stamina, Intellect, and Spirit, making it particularly desirable for casters (and Hunters). It’s arguable that this is one of the best staves in the game, especially considering you can get it around level 20 and use it well until your mid-30s.
Tunic of Westfall
A quest reward from defeating Edwin VanCleef (there he is again) and completing the Defias Brotherhood chain in Westfall, the Tunic of Westfall might be one of the first blue items you get while leveling, especially if you strike out with bad luck while running the Deadmines. The leather chest piece gives +11 Agility and +5 Stamina, making it perfect for Rogues, Druids, and Hunters.
Related: Are dungeons worth it in WoW Classic Hardcore?
Meteor Shard
Rogues will want to go out of their way for the Meteor Shard, a dagger that has a chance to launch a fireball at a target whenever you strike them with an attack. The dagger gives such a noticeable boost to your overall DPS and can definitely be a factor when trying to out-damage stronger mobs in the open world. It drops from Archmage Arugal, the final boss of Shadowfang Keep.
Seal of Wrynn
This item’s roots are in the Deadmines, as the quest chain to receive the Seal of Wrynn begins with the “Unsent Letter,” another drop off of Edwin VanCleef. After running some dungeons (including the Stockade), the back end of the chain will take place almost entirely in Stormwind City. Although it’s a dangerous endeavor to take on the Seal of Wrynn quest chain, the item itself is well worth it. The ring gives +3 Strength, +3 Agility, +4 Stamina, +4 Intellect, and +3 Spirit, making it the most versatile blue item in the game. It’s likely that this ring will stay in your build until at least level 45.
