Killer Low-Level Gold Farming Tip: Blood Elf Bandit Masks

This is a killer technique that is so cool, it almost feels like an exploit. You can make all the gold you need for your level 40 mount in about 4 hours!

• Farming Blood Elf Masks from the Blood Elf Bandits in Azuremyst Isle (requires Burning Crusade Expansion)

As an Alliance character, you can use this farming method from level 10 and up. Horde can also do this from level 35 and up… so long as you are able to travel to Azuremyst.

also see Blood Elf Bandit farming map

Blood Elf Bandit Mask farming might be nerfed by Blizzard in an up-coming patch:

• by reducing the drop rate of the item
• by reducing the re-spawn rate of the mob that drops it
• maybe even by making it a bind on pickup item

So take advantage while you can.

Refer to my Blood Elf Bandit farming map for a detailed walk-through of how to do this farming run the most efficient way possible. Get it down to a routine, and you can easily make 20g per hour farming the Bandit.

This is a classic example of a vanity item that becomes extraordinarily valuable because high-level players want it for style and good looks. Check it out in my guide with screenshots at WarcraftBible.com.

The amazing thing is, this item drops off a level 7 mob, which means low-level characters have an incredible opportunity to make serious cash.

The Blood Elf Bandit’s distinctive Mask is a prized fashion trophy for high-levels and twinks, but it can be worn by anyone level 5 and up When the Burning Crusade expansion first came out, the auction house price of the Blood Elf Bandit Mask jumped to 50g or more on the Horde side, and about 30g – 35g on the Alliance side. Now the price has settled on most servers in the 20g – 30g range, with prices slightly higher in the Horde auction houses.

You can reliably farm one of these in about 60 – 90 minutes, a lot less time if you get lucky. For a toon below level 20, making even 20g in an hour is phenomenal. It’s damn good even at level 40. And you can do it over and over again, if you like. All you have to do is get to Azuremyst Isle, the Draenei level 6-12 starting zone.

For Alliance, getting to Azuremyst is easy. Go to Auberdine in Darkshore (Night Elf territory), and take the boat to Azuremyst. This is a little tricky for lower level Dwarves, Gnomes and Humans, but not a big deal… just run through Loch Modan and Wetlands (where you might die a few times if you’re unlucky) to Menethil Harbor, and catch the boat to Auberdine. You have to make this run sooner or later, anyway, so it isn’t wasted time. Remember to pick up flight points along the way (Menethil and Auberdine).

Of course, if you’re Draenei, you’re already where you need to be Heck, you might even consider starting a Draenei character and leveling to 10+, just to farm Blood Elf Bandit Masks.

Horde can also get to Azuremyst, but you have to sneak (or fight) your way past guards on the docks in Auberdine to get to the boat. This isn’t possible until you make level 35 or so, depending on your class. Worth doing if you still need cash as you approach level 40.

The farming itself is easy enough, it just takes time.

The Blood Elf Bandit is a unique mob, and only one is spawned at any time. He spawns at any one of 10 predictable spots around Azuremyst Isle. He’s a stealthed rogue, which makes finding him a little tricky. However, he doesn’t move around, so if you know the locations, it’s cake. It helps if you have detect invisible capability, ie. you’re a hunter, or you’re using a potion (Elixir of Detect Lesser Invisibility, which requires level 29).

All you have to do is walk a circuit route to these spawn points, and keep watching and listening for the stealthed mob sound (a faint rustling wind) that will tell you he’s near. He will aggro and attack you if you are Alliance, so just make sure to get close to the spawn points. Horde will do better if they spam the command ” /target Blood “ repeatedly near the spawn points. Make a macro to simplify this (good practice making macros, if you’re a beginner!).

See the map and walk-through for exact details of spawn points and how to proceed.

You’re going to find the Blood Elf Bandit every 10 minutes, worst case. You can probably get it down to 6 minutes with practice. Kill him, and loot him. The drop rate for the Blood Elf Bandit Mask is about 10%. He re-spawns very quickly, and sometimes in the very same spot where you just killed him. So wait half a minute or so after you kill him, just in case.

In my experience, this all averages out to about 80 minutes per Mask, regardless of your level (so long as you can kill him, that is!).

A few tips and cautions:

• kill all the Timberstriders (big birds) you see while you are doing this, and loot them for Small Eggs… these go for 6s – 10s (needed for early Cooking skill-ups), and they stack nicely in your bags. You should get at least 10 per hour, for another 1g/hour on top of what you make for the Mask
• check your own server’s auction house for current pricing of the Blood Elf Bandit Mask, before you put in a lot of time farming – the price is going to be different on each server
• if possible, sell the Mask on the Horde side, the price is almost certainly 5g – 10g higher there
• before putting the Mask up for auction, try selling it in the Trade channel in Ironforge (or Orgrimmar)… it is rare and exotic enough to attract immediate attention and a quick sale (and you save the auction house fees)
• this item is *not* bind on equip, which means it can be sold on from character to character… this will tend to lower the selling price naturally over time, as more Masks become available on the market
• if you are higher level and have a pet (hunter, warlock), make sure your pet doesn’t attack first, as it may one-shot the mob, and you won’t be able to loot (you have to do damage to the mob to win looting rights)

For now, at least this is a golden opportunity. Four hours of farming, and you’ve got the cash for your level 30 mount!