A polemic against powerleveling
by Mike Schramm 
Sep 19th 2006 at 8:11PM
Oh boy, rant time again. This one is for cloud_9 who spent a whole VC run with a friend sitting around because a higher level toon came along with them.I hate it when that happens. I hate it when I join up with a group and someone says something like "hay gusy, my 60 friend will take us thru." I quit the group right about that point. I do love playing this game-- I like the strategy of different classes, and I like using the abilities the classes have at different levels to take on dungeons as a team. That's exactly why I hate being run through a dungeon with someone higher than me.
At least a few of you probably think I'm crazy by this point. "It's so much easier for finishing quests," I hear you saying. "Why would you refuse help?" That's exactly why-- because it's easier. I like the challenge of playing the game without help. Even wiping until my gear goes red is much more exciting to me than sitting around and watching a higher level character play for me. Yes, even Uldaman and even Gnomer. Are those places annoying after five failed runs? Yes. But even then, I'd rather go with a good yet low group than tag along with a 60.
Flame away if you want. Laugh at me for making things harder for myself if you must. But don't be surprised when, on my lowbie alt, I politely refuse your offer to powerlevel. I pay for this game to discover things for myself, not to watch someone else play.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Walkthroughs, Instances, Quests
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hubkap Sep 19th 2006 8:54PM
QQ :p
Derelict Sep 19th 2006 9:02PM
I pay for this game to discover things for myself, not to watch someone else play.
Some of us, particularly those with multiple level 60s and hundreds of hours of play time ... are not going to "discover things for ourselves" in an instance we've visited many, many times.
Most of the versatility, good itemization, cool quest chains, and eye-candy content are available only at the higher levels. If I was forced to level each toon at the same rate as I did my first one, I would have left WoW by now.
That said, I usually don't powerlevel using other characters / ask for runs through instances. I usually do it via gold: keeping my characters' itemization as up-to-date and advanced as I can afford. I use DPS analysis tools and addons to maximize my XP/hour and so minimize my time at the lower levels.
D
Ruhtra Sep 19th 2006 9:40PM
I totally agree. When I was on my first character, I didn't mind (because it rarely happened). But I was on my alt, and I was running RFC and the other guys bring along a 37 and a 60, I quit the because there was no challenge.
sorethumbz Sep 19th 2006 9:57PM
I would agree with this when i was a lower level though i did think it was cool to have a 60 come along with me to VC and now that i do have a 60 who has been through i dont mind it since i have been through a couple hundred times, but i have been 60 for awhile and raid quite a bit and i have been in some good guild some who have been in naxx barely and clear BWL in a night and so on. But i recently join a guild near the end of MC and after a month and a half with them we finally got to nef last night, this felt SO much better than those one night clears, i had earned it and i really dont think anything in this game can beat you earning the things you get.
Ghostle Sep 20th 2006 1:17AM
On my warrior alt I would agree, I want the tanking practice I get from lower level instances with other people of my own level.
But, with my lock and hunter, its the same thing, stay far back, shot or curse, thats it, so those times I would rather just speed through an instance I have already done thousands of times and am bored of
Deafdumbandblind Sep 20th 2006 3:55AM
As Ghostle implies, if you have a character class that relies on his attack & defense skills then powerlevelling is not for you.
You will quickly find that if a 60th level PC is helping you that you start to fall behind in these skills and soon you will be doing less and less damage to equal level mobs whilst they will be hitting you for loads more damage.
[Note: thats one thing they don't tell you, when playing feral druid you need to take time out to keep your weapon skill up as you do not skill up in cat/bearform]
On the other hand, if you're a class that has no intention of getting into melee i.e. mage, priest or lock then powerlevel away.
In fact, powerlevelling at ~20th level for cloth wearers is an absolute must as things get tough for them.
Geo Sep 20th 2006 9:30AM
The Good:
I had a level 60 guildie warrior help my lock through Black Fathom Depths. After several random LFG wipes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to get the quests done and over with. It took a little over an hour, got the quests done, and all was well.
The Bad:
Another level 60 guildie (Pally this time) helped my then level 33 warrior and a couple of other folks go through Gnomer. He rushed us through so fast the only quest we finished was techbot and the end boss. My guildie ported out, and the rest of our group had to stay in the instance to finish the rest of the quests - which lead to us wiping out at least once since there was only three of us left.
The bigger problem is too many people have had too many bad PUG or random LFG experiences, that it's just less aggravation to sweet talk a level 60 to run you though something.
Psyclerk Sep 20th 2006 9:36AM
Most powerleveling ends up hurting the recipient in the long run. Sure you can run VC and maybe get a couple of the Defias pieces with a level 60 running you through, but you'll also earn about a third of the xp. It's even more pronounced when you have someone powerlevel you through non-instance quests.
@ #6, cloth wearers have their own ways of surviving. Just as warriors and the like need to learn to use their defenses, cloth wearers need to learn how to mitigate damage and avoid getting smooshed every time a monster gets close. Maybe powerleveling is why I see so many inept level 60 priests, and level 60 warlocks who try to summon party members that are standing right next to them.
In general though, if the game is so boring you have to be rushed through it, perhaps you should play something else. I can understand wanting to get to the high-end stuff ASAP, but if you can't/won't enjoy the journey required to get there, why bother?
theflyingorc Sep 20th 2006 3:21PM
You seem to be under the impression that WoW is a hard game. This is the first mistake.
Joe Sep 20th 2006 11:24AM
"You seem to be under the impression that WoW is a hard game. This is the first mistake."
Uh-oh, the elitests are spilling out of the WoW forums and need to be stroked. ZOMg I pwns u lol noob!1
Seriously, the point is that you can keep the game challenging by playing it the way it's meant to be played. I'm sure you soloed VC at level 15, but most of us needed help and it's a lot more rewarding to finish with a group of fellow-lowbies than to sit back and try to loot the mounds of corpses fast enough to keep up.
The same thing is true in endgame. There are people who want to work their way through MC and BWL with equally geared and experienced people, knowing that the whole point of the game is to be challenged. Then there are those like "theflyingorc" who hit 60 and find their way into a guild that takes them on a one-night BWL clear, while they contribute nothing. Then, boredom, due to having skipped a major portion of game content, forces them to belittle others.
The funny thing is that, from my experience, only the content-skippers are the elitests. They don't even appreciate the efforts of their own guild leaders who actually did work their way up to where they are now.
ShadowLock Sep 20th 2006 12:47PM
I agree with the post. I have a lvl 60 toon and a few lower level toons that I use to help guildies on lower level stuff. Why? So that they learn tactics with their toons. I think it's pretty hard to learn how to be a good healer or tank if a lvl 60 comes in and blows through everything while you sit and watch. The dungeons require coordination and I would rather have guildies that know how to do that rather than someone who made it to 60 really really fast. /bow
theflyingorc Sep 20th 2006 3:39PM
Ha! Excellent!
*sigh* I am not uber, I have done the vast majority of the quests in the game, and all the instances. I think the game is a wonderful diversion, and quite fun, but you do not have to be any good at the game to become quite uber.
The earlier instances are more exercises in patience than anything else, if one assembles a good team. My beef is with the accusatory tone toward those who don't mind being run through. Don't judge other people's playstyle - let them experience the game how they want to.
Nathan Oct 4th 2006 10:07AM
I totally agree with you to a point. The game has the adventure quality to it and running it with others teaches you exactly what not to do next time total learning experience. But when you have run the instance enough times to be able to write a book on it, its sometimes nice to have a much higher lvl take you through the instance again for the equipment you needed but didnt get because of your other party members.
Big Guns Oct 23rd 2006 9:55PM
I generally agree with the OP.
My main is now 53 and when guildies with a 60 offered to run me through WC (for example) I gladly accepted as I didnt know any better. I felt somewhat cheated by the experience. We breezed through the instance. It was boring.
When I got to my 40's I declined groups when a 60 was coming along. I play to be entertained, not bored.
Now it doesn't matter so much. The group does not gain that much of an advantage with a 60 along.
I am not sure what my attitude will be for my next toon. Yes I will have seen a lot of the content already but I will be playing it from a different perspective and so I susepct I will not want help from a uber-toon.
The only exception I suspect would be if I cannot get a group for a particularly rewarding quest chain or instance where the only options are don't do it or do it with uber-help.