Leveling in contested areas is often the same as in controlled areas until it is no longer suddenly. If you are playing on a PvP server (most often), in addition to monsters, you should be careful with players from opposing factions.
This is where the local defense chain becomes more than a luxury, but a valuable tool. If you are the victim of an orc thief or something like that, call for help.
This is not a PvP guide, but rather a guide to staying alive in PvP areas, which can sometimes involve throwing in with another player, while still getting effective leveling.
Let's take a look at the zones themselves first.
World of Warcraft Classic: Upgrade in Contested Areas
The hills of Hillsbrad (20-31) and Ashenvale (19-30) are your most contested areas. There is technically no reason to venture since their levels overlap with the higher level controlled areas for each faction, but let's face it. Eventually you will get bored and at least try the zones. Hillsbrad, in particular, is infamous for being a hotbed of fast-paced and brutal PvP activity, with the Alliance and Horde quest areas located on either side of the area.
Ashenvale is dangerous even for high level players, not only for PvP, but also for the dangerous enemies of the high level Elite Green Dragon that appear in certain areas. While in Ashenvale, stop at Blackfathom Deeps (22-32) to remove the itch from the dungeon.
Although Hillsbrad and Ashenvale are semi-optional, Thousand Needles (24-35) is not. Mainly controlled by the Horde, this faction will attach great importance to any new area. Its level level is very useful in filling the gaps in leveling in Barrens. Alliance players will likely want to avoid this one as much as possible, as Horde players will be densely populated most of the time.
Stranglethorn Vale (30-50), Desolace (30-39) and Arathi Highlands (30-40) are your next stops. Stranglethorn is going to take a dip, dive out, come back later, kind of region. If you want to participate in the Gurubashi Arena PvP events or the fishing contest, you will be particularly immersed in the game. This area has a small number of quest givers with a very large number of quests, most of which are neutral aligned. .
Desolace is another area likely to be hotly contested. there are two main quest centers here, one for each faction. It is also the home of Maraudon (30-39), a neutral dungeon, so be on your guard.
Even more than Desolace, Arathi Highlands is a full-fledged PvP hotspot: a quest hub for Alliance and Horde, perfectly set up to be almost as close to each other.
Once you've cleared or bored these areas, the Badlands (36-45) and Tanaris (40-50) should be your next stops. The former is simply a great place for Horde players to quickly complete quests, while the latter contains a dungeon in Zul'Farrak (40-50), always nice to see nearby.
If you complete any of these areas, you will naturally need to go to Searing Gorge (43-56) or Burning Steppes (50-59), depending on your efficiency. Both areas contain an entrance on one side of Blackrock Mountain, with the Searing Gorge side between 43 and 56 degrees and the Burning Steppes side slightly elevated (50 to 59). The old one is also a bit difficult to use, especially for Alliance players, but it has to be done at some point.
Felwood (47-54), Un'Goro Crater (48-55), Western Plaguelands (46-57) and Winterspring (55-60) will likely be your last large group of leveling hotspots, containing all excellent blitz quests for both factions. PvP is likely to make waves in these areas depending on which faction is online the most at the time. Scholomance (43-57) is a good dungeon to take the advantage in the Western Plaguelands.
The Eastern Plaguelands (54-59) are a good hairstylist, letting you travel the rest of the way up to 60 and giving access to Stratholme (54-59) as a multi-level dungeon. This is also where Naxxramas will appear in Phase 6 (and final) of Classic's development, which will also make it the perfect thematic ending to your journey.
Now that you have a rough idea of the route you want to take, it's a good time to take a look at how your playstyle is evolving in the Contested Areas.
First: you might want to do more. At the lower levels, participating in a party slows down your leveling significantly in many cases, but the time taken by death can neutralize the benefit of getting extra experience through destruction by monsters.
Second, have a good idea of what your most effective spells are; what throws the fastest and in what order they should be thrown. If you need to defend yourself, fighting players is harder for crowds; a lot of tactics don't work on someone thinking.
Third, get a feel for your encounters. Who is your best class in combat, and the worst? Knowing that this leads to four:
Fourth, always be aware of your surroundings. Don't get ambushed and always have an escape route. Escape usually takes less time than death.
Keep that in mind, and even if you're not a PvP master, you should be fine.
