Hello forums!
I’ve been sitting on this suggestion for a while now and finally decided it was time to share it for feedback. I’ve been thinking that levelling is one of the most important ways to reel in new players to the game, and although Blizzard has made some nice changes, I think we can go further than that.
This concept is something I’ve named “The Azeroth Campaign”, but for the sake of brevity, I will just refer to it as the MSQ (‘Main Story Quest’).
Why revamp the levelling process?
The current levelling process has some issues:
- Potentially confusing storyline due to expansion stories building on prior lore knowledge.
- Does not expose much to endgame mechanics.
- Need to balance efficiency for veterans with a robust new player experience.
- Locking a new player to a particular expansion story like Dragonflight does not leverage the scale of the world.
The MSQ thus has a few goals in mind to address some of these issues:
- Create a linear overarching narrative with sufficient stakes to feel interesting.
- Create a standalone evergreen narrative not necessarily tied to the main plot of the day.
- Create a gradual sense of scale to let the player’s reputation as a hero develop organically.
- Allow the beauty of the old world to capture new players like it did veterans, while giving it a modern spin.
- Highlight to new players the sheer scale of the world while leaving room to explore other zones later.
- Expose new players to endgame content and mechanics.
How does the MSQ work?
The MSQ will have a structure something like this (more details further down):
- The player will start out in Exile’s Reach and learn their role as a soldier in the Alliance or Horde.
- After learning the basic controls in Exile’s Reach, the player will depart for their faction capital, tour the city and its amenities, and get their first mount.
- The MSQ will now begin, with each faction getting their own unique MSQ. The MSQ is separated into 3 arcs, with each arc taking place in a region of the old world. Each arc is itself separated into 3-4 chapters, with each chapter taking place in one zone.
- Each chapter will end off with a scenario dungeon crafted from a revamped old world dungeon, and the MSQ finale will consist of a short raid style scenario also crafted from a revamped old world dungeon.
The first arc of the MSQ will take place in the zones near the capital city, with the player mainly taking on odd jobs, with the stakes being raised near the end as the player enters a dungeon.
The second arc of the MSQ will follow a more cohesive plot, entering contested territory and dealing with aggressive splinter groups from the opposing faction.
The final arc of the MSQ will send the player to the other continent as they deal with a much larger threat, culminating in a mini-raid.
Here’s a sample of how the levelling route could look like for both Alliance and Horde:
**The Alliance Campaign**
*The Stormwind Arc*
1. Elwynn Forest
2. Westfall
3. Duskwood
4. Epilogue Dungeon: The Deadmines
*The Khaz Modan Arc*
1. Chapter One: Dun Morogh
2. Chapter Two: Loch Modan
3. Chapter Three: The Wetlands
4. Epilogue Dungeon: Grim Batol
*The Kalimdor Arc*
1. Darkshore
2. Ashenvale
3. Felwood
4. Epilogue Raid: Blackfathom Deeps
**The Horde Campaign**
*The Orgrimmar Arc*
1. Durotar
2. Northern Barrens
3. Southern Barrens
4. Epilogue Dungeon: The Razorfen
*The Grimtotem Arc*
1. Mulgore
2. Desolace
3. Feralas
4. Epilogue Dungeon: Dire Maul
*The Eastern Kingdoms Arc*
1. Tirisfal Glades
2. Silverpine Forest
3. Hillsbrad Foothills
4. Epilogue Dungeon: The Scarlet Monastery
Along the way, the player will unlock features such as better mounts and class quests at different milestones. Completing the full MSQ will grant access to skyriding, unlock side story quests in other zones, and unlock special “hardmode” affixes.
New Player Experience vs Veteran Experience
Since the priorities and knowledge of new players and veterans are different, there necessarily has to be differences in how the MSQ works depending on whether it’s a first time experience or not. Therefore, there will some restrictions on the MSQ which only apply to new players, in order to keep the experience cohesive.
New players will:
- Not have access to skyriding at level 10, but will get a ground mount with purchasable upgrades throughout the campaign.
- Not be able to queue for random dungeons.
- Not be able to access quests outside the MSQ but will be able to travel around freely.
Veteran players will:
- Have full access to skyriding at level 10.
- Be able to queue for random dungeons and access Chromie Time.
- Will have full access to side story quests.
Other changes
- The newcomer symbol will be visible to everyone, not just guides.
- Eligible players will be prompted to sign up as a guide via an in-game mail once they meet the criteria.
- Other expansion stories will be condensed into their own MSQ, including relevant raids and dungeons, and accessible via Chromie Time.
- Hero classes like DH, DK and Evoker will have a new starting zone for 1-10 instead of Exile’s Reach, and will do the MSQ as a show of goodwill to their faction.
- Completion of the MSQ the first time will give access to special affixes that a new character can activate to make the experience more challenging. Examples could be lower health, lower damage, no equipping gear above a certain quality, hardcore mode, etc.
And that’s the concept! Would love to hear some feedback and opinions!