How long to level Archeology?

[Rokh]

So I was thinking about getting the "server first" achieve for archeology. I have the mining one for level 80, and though getting a diff one would be fun and be something diff..

I also am in a raiding guild though, and I would rather not be more than a few days behind the rest of my core since I am my guilds MT.

Is Archeology something you can get up in like 15-20 hours, or is it a crazy long grind?

[rodos]

Are you a dwarf? Their racial improves Archaeology (slightly reduced cast time and also extra fragments which I assume will allow for more frequent skilling-up events).

Also, from the comments on that racial.

...archaeology is a major time sink, i imagne it will be on par with pre-nerf fishing timewise to level.

No idea if that's just a guess or based on beta experience.

[PsiVen]

Archaeology in one sitting is probably something like 16-20 hours, yeah. I intend to go for both Mining and Archaeology, since the former should take about an hour and the latter will be much much longer.

Archaeology provides significant XP and you will be leveling at about 60% the rate of questing/instances. I would expect to be 82 before you finish, which nicely dodges the crowded starting zones.

[Neptuno]

Archaeology in one sitting is probably something like 16-20 hours, yeah. I intend to go for both Mining and Archaeology, since the former should take about an hour and the latter will be much much longer.

Archaeology provides significant XP and you will be leveling at about 60% the rate of questing/instances. I would expect to be 82 before you finish, which nicely dodges the crowded starting zones.

must have missed that change with all my 80s, but i was on a DK mining grey nodes in old world and getting small amounts of XP for mithril. how's the xp for orange nodes?

[Chicken]

Archaeology in one sitting is probably something like 16-20 hours, yeah. I intend to go for both Mining and Archaeology, since the former should take about an hour and the latter will be much much longer.

Archaeology provides significant XP and you will be leveling at about 60% the rate of questing/instances. I would expect to be 82 before you finish, which nicely dodges the crowded starting zones.

must have missed that change with all my 80s, but i was on a DK mining grey nodes in old world and getting small amounts of XP for mithril. how's the xp for orange nodes?

For mining (and herbalism) it appears to just be based on what type of node it is. Based on an alt of mine I was leveling I was getting about 50 experience for a Thorium node, but once that character got into Outland I was getting about 1000 experience for each Fel Iron node I mined. Perhaps there's some 'outleveling' as well, but there was definitely a huge boost in experience gain as I went from Azerothian nodes to Outland nodes.

[Korola]

My 72 warlock was picking Northrend flowers for 5120xp each node. This xp is modified by heirloom gear and rested xp. It is also shared with the group like a mob kill.

[Zalaria]

My 72 warlock was picking Northrend flowers for 5120xp each node. This xp is modified by heirloom gear and rested xp. It is also shared with the group like a mob kill.

The shared XP is not split like a mob kill though*. My wife and I levelled the last quarter from 79-80 by flying around in icecrown and sharing gather xp, and when we equalized it (to ding at the same time, of course) we found that it was the exact same number whether we were grouped or not.

*Mob xp in a group is split based on a formula

[Korola]

My 72 warlock was picking Northrend flowers for 5120xp each node. This xp is modified by heirloom gear and rested xp. It is also shared with the group like a mob kill.

The shared XP is not split like a mob kill though*. My wife and I levelled the last quarter from 79-80 by flying around in icecrown and sharing gather xp, and when we equalized it (to ding at the same time, of course) we found that it was the exact same number whether we were grouped or not.

*Mob xp in a group is split based on a formula

It would be if you were out of range to recieve the xp. It is limited by the same range that mob xp is.

[Neptuno]

so autofollow a gatherer for free xp... anybody know when blizzard will just let me pay $5/level so I can just afk the first week of the xpac?

[Arees]

so autofollow a gatherer for free xp... anybody know when blizzard will just let me pay $5/level so I can just afk the first week of the xpac?

Only if you know a gatherer who will be willing to walk to every node instead of fly.

[Rokh]

Ok, got another question.

Do the nodes spawn close enough together where a mage wouldnt have a huge advantage with teleports?

Im pretty much set on getting this, but I dont want to put 15+ hours into it to be beaten by a mage that can port to nodes if they are really far apart.

[Sabindeus]

Ok, got another question.

Do the nodes spawn close enough together where a mage wouldnt have a huge advantage with teleports?

Im pretty much set on getting this, but I dont want to put 15+ hours into it to be beaten by a mage that can port to nodes if they are really far apart.

If by nodes you mean digsites then yeah a mage will have a decent advantage

[Neptuno]

so will holy pallys with 310 mounts for that matter...

[Shamora]

So herbalism and mining give XP, but does skinning? My gut tells me no, but I figured I'd check before making the assumption.

[Sabindeus]

So herbalism and mining give XP, but does skinning? My gut tells me no, but I figured I'd check before making the assumption.

skinning does not