WoW Forever Just Changed Dungeon XP Again: Why Carry Runs Now Give Zero Experience
Since Blizzard's November 13 hotfix, killing a dungeon enemy in WoW Forever gives zero experience to the entire party if that enemy is trivial (grey) to even one player in the group. In practice, the classic "my level 60 friend runs me through Deadmines" carry no longer gives anyone kill experience. It is the third dungeon experience change in nine days: dungeon kill XP launched at 40% of Classic Era values, rose to 60% on November 8, and now drops to zero whenever an overleveled player is in the group. Normal, level-matched groups are not affected, and dungeon quest rewards were not mentioned in the change.
Date | Change | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
November 4 (launch) | Dungeon kill XP set to 40% of Classic Era values | Everyone running dungeons |
November 8 | Dungeon kill XP raised by 50%, to 60% of Classic Era | Everyone running dungeons |
November 13 | Zero kill XP for the whole party if a mob is trivial to any member | Carries and mixed-level groups |
Unchanged | Dungeon quest rewards, with their Forever bonus | Everyone |
What the November 13 Hotfix Actually Says
Blizzard added the line to its November 13 hotfix list, published late on November 13 Pacific time. Paraphrased, it says: killing an enemy in a dungeon now awards no experience to any party member if the enemy's level is trivial to one or more of them.
Three details matter:
"Trivial" means grey. An enemy is trivial when it is far enough below your level that it shows up grey and gives you no experience in the open world. Blizzard did not publish an exact level gap, and it scales with your level.
One player is enough. It does not matter if four of the five players are the right level. If the enemy is grey to one of them, nobody gets the kill experience.
It is about kills only. The hotfix does not mention quest experience. Dungeon quests still reward their experience when you turn them in.
Why Blizzard Keeps Changing Dungeon XP
WoW Forever launched with a deliberate design choice: dungeons should give most of their experience through quests, not through kills, so that players cannot sit in one dungeon all the way to 60.
That design met loud feedback in the first days after the November 4 launch. Players said dungeons felt "one and done", and tanks and healers had little reason to come back for a second run. Blizzard responded on November 8 with a hotfix that raised dungeon kill experience by 50%. Community manager Kaivax said the goal was to make repeat runs feel better, and on November 10 clarified that kill experience had gone from 40% to 60% of Classic Era values, with no further change planned at the time.
The November 13 change closes the obvious gap that the buff opened: with more experience per kill, carrying low-level characters through dungeons with a level 60 became much more attractive. Blizzard gave no official reason, but the effect is clear. Dungeon experience in Forever is meant for groups playing the dungeon at its level.
Who Loses and Who Wins
You lose out if:
A guildmate or friend at a much higher level runs you through low dungeons. Their kills give you nothing now.
You bring one overleveled player to "speed things up". One grey enemy for them means zero for everyone.
You were planning to farm low dungeons on an alt with a main helping.
You are fine if:
You run dungeons in normal groups of players close to the dungeon's level.
You quest and do dungeons for their quests and loot.
You run dungeons only for gear, reputation or Legacy challenges, not for experience.
Level-matched groups actually come out ahead: kill experience is 50% higher than on launch day, and a slightly mixed group still works as long as nobody is far enough above the content for enemies to turn grey.
How to Level Through Dungeons Now
Group with players near your level. Check that the dungeon is in range for everyone; our list of all WoW Forever dungeons by level shows the brackets.
Collect every dungeon quest before you enter. Dungeon quests still pay roughly twice what they paid in Classic, and they are now the biggest share of dungeon experience.
Run the new dungeons for their quests. City of Dalaran's quests alone are worth about 37,600 experience.
Do not invite your main. If a level 60 helps, ask them to escort you to the entrance, not to tank the dungeon.
Stack your bonuses. The Cozy Sleeping Bag adds up to 3% experience for two hours, and the Well Rested Legacy perk builds rested experience 20% faster.
For a complete route that accounts for all of this, read our fastest way to level in WoW Forever after the XP changes.
What This Means If You Wanted a Carry
A dungeon carry by a high-level character is now only useful for loot, quest completion and attunements, not for kill experience. If your goal is levels, the change points you toward two options:
Quest-led leveling on your own character. Our WoW Forever leveling service is piloted: a booster levels your character by hand on your realm, questing and running dungeons at the right level, so the trivial-enemy rule does not get in the way.
Hours of play on your plan. With WoW Forever hourly driving you book 1 to 30 hours of solo leveling, questing or farming on your character.
If you want the dungeon itself for its gear or quests, WoW Forever dungeon runs cover every dungeon from Ragefire Chasm to Upper Blackrock Spire, including all nine new ones like The Drowned City and Shaper's Terrace. Keep in mind that the run is about the loot and quests: kill experience follows the rule above. You can browse every WoW Forever service on the WoW Forever boosting hub.
Other Dungeon Changes in the Same Week
The Drowned City got easier. Its creatures no longer deal about 30% extra damage, and its trash now respawns after 2 hours instead of 1.
Balnazzar now counts toward the Master Spelunker Legacy challenge.
Stun diminishing returns now apply to creatures.
Blackrock Depths reopens the throne room doors after a wipe, and you can no longer mount inside Stratholme.
The full list is in our WoW Forever patch notes roundup.
FAQ
Do dungeons give XP in WoW Forever? Yes. Level-matched groups get kill experience at 60% of Classic Era values plus dungeon quest rewards. Only enemies that are trivial to someone in the group give zero.
Why am I getting no XP in a WoW Forever dungeon? Most likely one player in your group is high enough that the enemies are grey to them. Since November 13, that removes kill experience for the whole party.
Do dungeon quests still give XP after the hotfix? The hotfix only mentions kill experience. Dungeon quests still reward experience when you turn them in.
Can a level 60 still carry me through dungeons in WoW Forever? They can clear it for you, but kills give you no experience. A carry is only worth it for loot, quests or attunements.
How much XP do dungeon mobs give in WoW Forever? About 60% of what they gave in Classic Era, after the November 8 hotfix raised it from 40%.
Will Blizzard change dungeon XP again? On November 10 no further change had been announced, then the trivial-enemy rule arrived on November 13. Expect more tuning as Forever settles.
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