Area of effect grinding locations

This page lists outdoor locations with high mob density that are suited for grinding with a combination of AoE damaging and crowd control abilities. Mobs in these locations are mostly hostile (not neutral) and melee (not ranged or casters) so they can be funnelled without breaking line of sight.

In theory, any class with AoE damaging abilities could attempt this tactic; however, in Classic and early expansions it was commonly associated with the mage class due to spells like Blizzard and Frost Nova. Meanwhile, these tactics are less viable for some classes since the introduction of area damage and healing caps. Finally, tools such as the Dungeon Finder reduce the barrier to grinding instances instead of outdoor zones.