Replace The Leveling Process Altogether

Community General Discussion
21

The “last 10” doesn’t bother me. 70-80 is simply “not that long”.

The first 70, though, no. Not for alts.

We actually have an OK system right now by getting the XP buff per 80 we have.

That’s a legit concept, it can argued the buff should be higher.

I think it would be nice if the “lower level” game were separate from “leveling”.

Playing in a “Classic” style world has its charms, we just can’t do that in Retail. And by “charms” I simply mean the idea of having non-scaled content. Scaling is what really wrecks it, but at the same time, I completely understands its necessity.

That said, if the lower level game were separated from “leveling”, it would be a much more interesting community. 99% of the folks in low level dungeons and content are leveling. They’re in the “please God, one more hour and I’m DONE!” mode. They, simply put, DO NOT want to be there. They feel “forced” to be there.

Having a separate low level game, without scaling, letting the actual gear matter. Letting enchants and all of that other stuff – matter. Necessary? No. Matter? Yes.

If I farm rep to get a blue weapon, that weapon better make a notable difference than not having it. That can’t really happen with the scaled content.

I think a lot of folks would like this “Classic” feel in Retail. Able to go into Zul’Drak with a crew that, you know, may have issues in there (particularly that third boss, right?).

I don’t know how to pull that off. It wouldn’t even bother me if folks could roll a character, select “start in Wrath” and the toon is “leveled and geared” to start Wrath with a bunch of greens. Skip Vanilla, Skip BC. Welcome to Howling Fjord, the Valkyr are that-a-way. Enjoy getting your toons fanny kicked in Utgarged Keep.

But for current expansion stuff? Meh, roll the toon, drop 'em in Khaz Algar. Forget all the rest, especially or alts. Uninteresting. You know that phrase “The Journey is the reward?” Not here. Not this. Rather, it’s “The Journey is the price.” And that price is too high.

If leveling actually slowed down bots an what not, maybe there’s an argument there. But it doesn’t. Let the bots have fresh 70s in a mouseclick like everyone else.

22

Ah but that’s assuming the player doesn’t know those capabilities yet. If I’ve already leveled a mage, I’m set on #1 and #2. #3 comes down to whether I like the vibe, I’ve deleted multiple 80s in TWW rather than racechange or rename them.

HERALD OF THE TITANS FOR ALL OLD RAIDS.
Man I want that so bad. Doesn’t matter if tuning is a mess, just have a reason to go in there and deal with the mechanics at all.

23

Okay, so I don’t have any issues with leveling except yeah, it does get boring sometimes after the 5th or 10th or 15th time you’ve experienced combat.

But we do need -something- to do between “new character” and “max level” equivalents. Something for people to learn how to play the character with all the skills and rotations. Something for people who want to experience the zones and quests and content in general. Some way to earn gear and gold and rewards.

What if, instead of straight up leveling grinds, there were… Experience Tracks, and you could choose one or multiple ways to pursue whatever it is you like, and the game rewarded you for different milestones? Like, complete x number of quests/storylines in x number of zones to unlock maximum rank. Do x number of dungeons at x difficulties. Achieve various PvP milestones. I guess it might be like filling up the Trading Post bar on a much larger scale.

But then again, that would all require a horrendous amount of work and overhaul of a 20 year old game. I suppose in retrospect, 10 levels every expansion isn’t -that- bad, especially when they offer so many catch-up mechanics. (Timewalking dungeon spam during Turbulent Timeways or the anniversary, with Warband xp bonus, for instance.)

It’s hard to do something which would appeal to everyone, given the different ways in which people experience the game.

24

This is a topic the retail bunch should probably sit out and listen to some new player feedback first, before offering theirs.

25

Its a wulf thread.

Most are ramblings or tinfoil hat posts.

1 Like
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Most modern MMORPGs are like two games; leveling/easy content and end game. Some people play exclusively for one, while some people play exclusively for the other one. Saying you can’t understand why people would complain about leveling is just silly because it’s VERY easy to understand why people that have half a dozen characters maxed out every expansion because they play the game a ton would not want to waste time leveling and would prefer to get to the real content. There’s nothing challenging about leveling in retail. It’s just tedious at a certain point and it doesn’t take a ton of time, but it takes enough that it’s inconvenient for end-game players.

1 Like
28

Idc how you people intend to ruin leveling. I got all the characters I need at max after remix event.

How fast remix leveling was made it super easy so nobody should be complaining about it being too slow. If you didn’t play remix then you missed out sorry. There might be another remix event soon.

This games leveling is still at least 10x faster than ff14 leveling which is atrocious.

29

I’m convinced that he just asks ChatGPT daily to pick a subject involving WoW and write a few paragraphs about it.

Example:

World of Warcraft (WoW) players have long expressed a desire for a more engaging leveling experience. The primary reason is the repetitive nature of questing and grinding through levels, which can feel monotonous, especially for seasoned players who have leveled multiple characters. Many players argue that the journey from level 1 to the current cap lacks the novelty and challenge that once made leveling exciting. They yearn for more dynamic quests, better storytelling, and more interactive environments that evolve as players progress, rather than the current system where many zones and quests feel outdated or irrelevant once new expansions are released.

The community’s call for a more engaging leveling process also stems from a desire for personal investment in their character’s growth. Players want to feel a sense of achievement and progression with each level gained, not just through numerical increases in stats but through meaningful interactions and challenges. Proposals include more varied quest types, such as those that require puzzle-solving, cooperation with other players, or engaging with the game’s lore in a deeper way. Additionally, there’s a push for better integration of leveling with endgame content, where the skills and knowledge gained during the leveling phase could directly impact one’s effectiveness in raids or dungeons, thereby making the leveling experience feel more purposeful and connected to the entire game narrative.

Check me out I’m Wulf-poasting.

4 Likes
30

Nothing, it’s stupid fast as it is, and if you want to avoid all but the last 10 levels the service is available for a price.

31

I can’t xD

I rate it chatgpt out of chatgpt lol.

1 Like
32

Is that where you’ve been?

33

Lol, sure. Never mind the people who’ve experienced the leveling process multiple times over the past twenty years throughout every iteration Blizz has thrown at us, and who are in a position to say what has and hasn’t worked, and who’ve spent time thinking about how it might be better.

2 Likes
34

It would be completely the same as leveling, just leveling something else.

So say all levels disappeared. You create a new character. It has no level, it is just a character. But because it is new, it has like 3 abilities. You then have to go out in the world and quest for gear and gold and along the way you now and then pick up a new ability. When you get it is entirely dependant on how much you play. The more you play, the more often you get a new ability.

The other big question is player power and health. How is this managed? A level 1 now has a very small health and resource pool. What are the breakpoints for increasing that? Does killing a boar slightly increase your health? Does defeating a humanoid spellcaster improve your intellect? There would have to be some way of managing resources.

On the whole I think Blizzard would just prefer it the way it is, because so much of the game is designed around it and removing it would be painfully difficult.

35

I like leveling. It’s a great way to get familiar with a spec. The current expansion leveling could be faster for alts though. My favourite part is chromie time.

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Main story line

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Which is basically one of the methods of leveling.

It’s just what we currently have, but less options.

39

What grind?

You can hit level cap in a day.

40

So, instead of doing multiple things, it’s restricted to one route while ‘leveling’ and removing the campaign skips? Or are we keeping campaign skips and you just have to level once?