Alliance: 1-60: Redridge -> Loch Modan and then you’ll need to finish the first few quests in Wetlands for 60. LM is absolutely ridiculous exp and very compact objectives. Turning in all of the explorer’s league stuff you pick up around the zone atm nets you nearly 2 levels on it’s own.
Horde: Barrens -> do the initial quests at mor’shan rampart in ashenvale -> head to Stonetalon once the quests start sending you to Splintertree, complete Stonetalon and you’ll be 60.
60-70, if tank or healer, just Q dungeons in capitol. Each one will give you about 1.75 levels or so, maybe 2 if you have the quests. Repeat until you can buy epic flying.
70-80 epic flying in northrend will be quicker than dungeons overall due to slog dungeons like caverns of time or nexus w/ drakes. Borean tundra offers many quests which are easy to complete next to eachother, take about 5 minutes tops and then you can turn in typically a minimum of three quests.
If you are not tank or healer, head to northry and begin questing whilst you Q for dungeons. Leave your HS bound to capitol, once you hit 70, HS, learn epic flying, then do as above.
80: Jade forest will net you 90 before the zone is complete. Do starter quests -> hozen/jinyu -> dawn’s blossom -> the scribe orchid -> jade mines -> sprites by this point you will be 90 or very close to. Do not skip rare mobs if you see them, they’re worth about 75% of a quest’s exp, including Zandalari Warscouts, but only if you can take them. There is usually a rare Yaungol up in the Orchid, a Warscout patrolling near the sprite quests and east of where the sprite quests are.
90: I don’t have flying so i don’t do the explorer’s thing gathering. Here’s what I do (and it takes me about 2 hours to hit 100)
Complete the initial scenario - it’s very easy and good exp. By the end of the scenario you will be level 92.
If Alliance, get quest to go to WIldwood Wash for Gorgrond and get your butt to Gorgrond asap.
If horde, ride to gorgrond starter quest.
In Gorgrond, do initial quests in proximity of you, but always do bonus objectives if they’re nearby. I’ve more experience with alliance and here’s what I do:
Take to Yrel and Maraad to get Q to find the cave.
Do the bonus ob to the west - upon finish i am level 93.
Do the quests in the cave to find dorf and kill botani, complete the follow ups to establish the base.
Do hydra+eggs bonus ob
Do quests in tangleroot with DID, take mole machine back to base.
do bonus ob in affliction ridge
do bonus ob in ogre camp
do bonus ob in sulphuric pools
do bonus ob killing orcs/goren/gronnling
do bonus ob stomping eggs and killing gronn
By this point i’ll be level 100, and these bonus obs naturally path into each other so it’s a great route for someone without flying and as said you will ding from 90 to 100 in about 2 hours from when you first hit 90. That’s how long it took me when i hit 90 in Pandaria and that includes mucking about in town.
100-110: Always prio legion assaults. If you can’t fly, always pick a central zone like HM as your start point because it will be easier to ride to other zones for invasions and pick up the FPs.
If no invasions otherwise, i go Val’sharah first, easy bonus obs and very little running about. Be about level 106 by the time it is finished after finishing up the quests in order hall as well.
Q for the dungeon of the zone and go to next zone, I pick aszuna because the terrain is easy.
If the dungeon pops do it, as alliance with WM on completing the quest turning in at temple will net you an entire level so bear this in mind, once you hit 109 go to the temple to turn it in. Stop questing whenever the hand in will net you exp to hit 110.
110: I don’t really have smooth strategies here I just quest through the zones, prio any incursions and do my campaign as and when I can and so far my characters have hit 120 by the time they finish the first zone.