Retail WoW is centered around the max level experience and makes most of its money off of existing players. This and the current lightning fast 1-80 leveling speed is amazing for experienced veterans wanting another alt, but it is extremely bad for new players for two reasons:
1.)
The game has become so complicated with all the spells, binds, macros, addons needed for QoL, professions; it’s a tremendous volume of information to learn in a couple of hours and would overwhelm just about any player new to the franchise.
2.)
When you’re moving at breakneck speed as a new player you hit max level with only bits a fragmented and disjoint pieces of just wtf is actually going on. When you’re thrust into TWW you have no idea why you are there, who’s Xal, what’s Dalaran, or why you should care. When you add plot confusion to the layers of (reason 1.) confusion you find yourself hopelessly overwhelmed and lost with nothing to compel you to stick around and figure it out.
I see four possible solutions:
1.)
metered experience gains based on achievement points or time /played or some other relevant metric.
2.)
Perhaps an experience slider where one end takes around a month to go 1-80 and the other end is current system.
3.)
A proprietary AI tutorial that offers hands on tips and advice throughout the leveling process and can be asked questions.
Example “what is going on right now with the story” / “what is my optimal damage rotation” / “where do you recommend I put this new talent point” / “what should I do now?”
4.)
Offer meaningful rewards to veterans players, in the form of titles or pets or cosmetics, for acting as Sherpa for new players.
The game has its faults, but all in all is great for existing players. We wouldn’t still be here decades later if that wasn’t to some degree a fact.
No matter how great for veterans your game is though, without proper accommodations made for fresh blood, the game will eventually peter out. Veterans move on or retire or die.
