A Poor Two-Handed Axe, item level 10, requires level 6, binds when equipped.
On Short-Handled Battle Axe's most active realm, the lowest Auction House listing has typically been around 2,282 gold51 silver over the last 30 days, ranging from 499 gold2 silver to 2,773 gold45 silver, a wide spread for a 30-day window.
First seen in build 1.15.9.68940 (Classic).
In WoW Forever it is item level 17, requires level 12, sells to vendors for 4s 52c and is named Short-handled Battle Axe. In Classic Era it is item level 17, requires level 12, sells to vendors for 4s 52c and is named Short-handled Battle Axe. In The Burning Crusade it is item level 17, requires level 12 and is named Short-handled Battle Axe. In Wrath of the Lich King it is item level 17, requires level 12 and is named Short-handled Battle Axe. In MoP Classic it is item level 17 and requires level 12.
| Version | Item level | Required level | Quality | Binding | Sells for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail (Midnight) | 10 | 6 | Poor | Binds when equipped | 4s 53c |
| WoW Forever | 17 | 12 | Poor | - | 4s 52c |
| Classic Era | 17 | 12 | Poor | - | 4s 52c |
| The Burning Crusade | 17 | 12 | Poor | - | 4s 53c |
| Wrath of the Lich King | 17 | 12 | Poor | - | 4s 53c |
| MoP Classic | 17 | 12 | Poor | - | 4s 53c |
In the Appearances collection, Short-Handled Battle Axe is listed as World Drop. Appearance ID: 543. No other item uses this appearance, so it is unique to Short-Handled Battle Axe.
Read from the World of Warcraft client build files.
In their in-game specialization descriptions, these specs name axes among their preferred weapons:
The 10 items nearest to Short-Handled Battle Axe (item level 10) in item level among Weapon > Axe, from item level 1 to 19.
| Item | Item Level | Requires Level | Stats | Lowest Listed Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-Handled Battle Axe (this item) | 10 | 6 | 1.1 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
 Copper Battle Axe | 6 | 4 | 1.0 DPS, +1 Strength, +3 Stamina. Crafted with Classic Blacksmithing | Not listed |
| Battle Axe | 16 | 10 | 3.2 DPS. Vendor | Not listed |
 Killmaim | 16 | 10 | 3.3 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
 Bronze Battle Axe | 17 | 10 | 3.5 DPS, +10 Strength. Crafted with Classic Blacksmithing | Not listed |
 Burning War Axe | 19 | 12 | 4.2 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
| Bloodspiller | 19 | 12 | 4.2 DPS | Not listed |
 Devastating Drakonid Waraxe | 1 | 60 | 0.6 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
 Greataxe of the Forest Tribe | 1 | 0.6 DPS. World Drop | Not listed | |
 Twilight Berserker's Cleaver | 1 | 0.6 DPS. World Drop | Not listed | |
 Edge of the Enlightened | 1 | 60 | 0.6 DPS, Agility or Strength or Intellect. World Drop | Not listed |
Burning War Axe has the highest item level here (19).
Next item levels up from Short-Handled Battle Axe among Weapon > Axe: Obsidian Cleaver (item level 22), Hellslayer Battle Axe (item level 22), Darkmoon Executioner (item level 24), Headchopper (item level 24) and Gigantic War Axe (item level 24).
Built from the World of Warcraft client build files and recorded Auction House snapshots.
Short-Handled Battle Axe uses icon file 135423, which 7 other items also use. The 6 closest by item ID:
Crude Battle Axe ID 1512 · Weapon - Two-Handed Axe · item level 6Battle Axe ID 926 · Weapon - Two-Handed Axe · item level 16Broken Deadly Throwing Axe ID 3137 · Miscellaneous · item level 12Massive Iron Axe ID 3855 · Weapon - Two-Handed Axe · item level 21Brave's Axe ID 5777 · Weapon - Two-Handed Axe · item level 2Deadly Throwing Axe ID 25875 · Weapon - Thrown · item level 17Blizzard numbers items as they are created, so the named items next to ID 1812 (1807 to 1817) were usually added in the same batch as Short-Handled Battle Axe: the same quest line, zone, vendor or reward set.
Tough Leather Gloves ID 1807 · Armor - Leather · item level 18
Tough Leather Pants ID 1808 · Armor - Leather · item level 18
Tough Leather Shoulderpads ID 1809 · Armor - Leather · item level 16
Tough Leather Armor ID 1810 · Armor - Leather · item level 17
Blunt Claymore ID 1811 · Weapon - Two-Handed Sword · item level 10
Chipped Quarterstaff ID 1813 · Weapon - Staff · item level 11
Battered Mallet ID 1814 · Weapon - Two-Handed Mace · item level 11
Ornamental Mace ID 1815 · Weapon - One-Handed Mace · item level 10
Unbalanced Axe ID 1816 · Weapon - One-Handed Axe · item level 11
Stock Shortsword ID 1817 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 11The raw ItemSparse values for item 1812 in the current client build.
Read from the World of Warcraft client build files: Item, ItemSparse, Lock, Holidays, AreaTable and CollectableSourceVendor.
Short-Handled Battle Axe is in the Classic Era game data, the era World of Warcraft: Forever is built on. Blizzard describes Forever as vanilla World of Warcraft plussed up: its story sits in year one, characters level to 60 and stay there, and it launches November 4, 2026. Blizzard has not said which vanilla items appear in Forever, so nothing here is a Forever claim; it is the Classic Era record for Short-Handled Battle Axe next to the live retail market on this page.
Read next: World of Warcraft: Forever is Classic+, launching November 4 · Forever's class revamps and new race and class combinations · Classic Era page for Short-Handled Battle Axe
A sighting in the beta client is a fact from our own database; the launch roster is Blizzard’s to finalize. World of Warcraft: Forever launches November 4, 2026. World of Warcraft: Forever is Classic+, launching November 4
First-party render from the game files. Model © Blizzard Entertainment.
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