Is this guide the answer to the leveling problem?
by David Bowers 
Jun 15th 2007 at 4:46PM
Lately, we've had some good discussion about the possible drop in WoW players lately, as well as one important reason for some players' frustration with the game: 1 - 60 leveling boredom.Michael over at MMOG Nation struggled a lot with the same issues many of us have been having, including the leveling bottleneck in "Stranglethorn Hole," but he seems to have found the answer that works for him -- and it isn't new content, new features, or "new" anything from Blizzard! He just follows Jame's Alliance Leveling Guide. (There's a Horde one too)
In his post, Michael writes:
With my laptop open and my game running on my main machine, I don't even have to alt-tab. I just turn my head, reference the guide, and then do what it says to do. By chaining myself to this experience as written down by Jame ... I've found it to be incredibly freeing. Don't get me wrong; I completely [think] the first time through a Massive game [like WoW] should be a period of exploration. But ... I've quested in STV with three different characters now. I've braved the deserts of Tanaris before; having someone tell me where i should be and what I should be doing is actually exactly what I need right now.
I feel stupid saying this, but it's the most fun I've had playing WoW in a long time. I only pick up groups when they're running the same quests I am, and I just generally plow ahead with the well-laid-out instructions. It's like having a tour guide to Azeroth in some ways, and I'm really enjoying playing Tourist.
Is such a guide the answer to all our alt-leveling woes? Have any of you had a similar experience?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
monkeyslayer Jun 15th 2007 4:54PM
I actually think it's exactly the opposite. I've been using Jame's guide to level ever since I started WoW and I find it horribly rigid. Using a guide and having someone tell you what to do lacks freedom IMO, you feel like you're trapped in his instructions.
I actually enjoy being able to go to different areas and pick up there the quests there, it has alot more freedom, and if I'm leveling too slow just do some instances.
Dongyrn Jun 15th 2007 4:55PM
I am a more than happy customer of Jame's. His Horde guide is for the most part dead-on. I like how he breaks things out so if you don't want to do a particular instance you don't have to, but then he'll give you a good spot to grind on to make up for it.
I'm waiting with bated breath for his 61-70 guide...
Scottsh Jun 15th 2007 4:57PM
Jame's guide was a great way to get my alt up to 60, but I agree it would not be the way to handle your first character. The best part of his guide is that you can feel confident you are maximizing your play time - not running a goofy side quest that takes lots of time for little reward. But again, that's only for alts - the first time through can and should be about exploration.
monkeyslayer Jun 15th 2007 4:57PM
Oh and his guide takes you through Hillsbrad and STV anyway (for the horde and alliance alike), and doesn't really take into account the gankfest that these two areas are. So in the end there's not really that big a difference.
Nick Jun 15th 2007 5:04PM
One nice thing about the leveling guide is you often discover new quest hub points you didn't know were there when leveling your main.
I agree with the other posters that while using a leveling guide is great for alts it does take away the experience of leveling for the first time. It turns the open game with lots of possibilities into a linear game model.
solidsnake13 Jun 15th 2007 5:15PM
A guildee of mine made one for the Horde that uses MetaMap, and has circuits all laid out, and after finishing a circuit you turn that one off and then turn the next one on.
It's great and easier than even using a guide on a laptop next to you. You just go to your map and there you go.
It's not just waypoints, either. He included little notes next to each waypoint saying which quest it was for and anything else you needed to know for the quest.
For someone like James, I think that he should incorporate his guide into an easy-to-use, in-game tool that uses something like metamap.
Excaliber Jun 15th 2007 5:24PM
definitly!! Jame's Guide helped me get from 30's- late 40's!!! It was so easy! and you know what? for the quality of the guide he provieds..one would think you have to buy the guide. BUT ITS FREE!!
Baluki Jun 15th 2007 5:25PM
You know, if you people don't like Hillsbrad and Stranglethorn so much because you don't like getting constantly ganked, DON'T PLAY ON A PVP SERVER. You'll find that your ganking problem is almost nonexistent on a Normal server.
I've just started following Jame's guide too. I agree that you shouldn't use a guide for your first time through, but if you're like me and have 2 characters in Outland, another fast approaching, and a bunch of alts, WoW Classic is horribly boring and you just want it to be over as fast as possible.
Oh, and someone said they wanted a 61-70 guide. I decided to write you one:
1. Do every single quest you can in a zone until you run out.
2. Once you run out, go to the next zone. Refer to step 1 for additional instructions.
simplehiker Jun 15th 2007 5:26PM
I don't understand. First their is a post about how people HATE the end game grinding, and that BC is not fun just more and more of the same. But then people want to get a guide to show them how to level as fast as possible?? What so they can rush into the boring grind? What is the point of a MMORPG if you are going to follow a set written out plan? What fun is that, might as well pay to get leveled.
I'm all for using helper sites on quest but maybe people would have more fun if they just relaxed a bit, didn't try to rush though everything so they can spend hours griding end game.
www.chillinwithmygnomies.com Jun 15th 2007 5:34PM
I think the people who truly enjoy WOW for years (like myself) understand it's as much a journey as a destination.
I read the levelling guides myself, but they don't take into account things like "how I feel today" or "I don't want to spend time in this scenery today" and so on. They may work, but they've got no soul.
Coherent Jun 15th 2007 5:36PM
Leveling guides are for people who don't know the content well enough to do without them. And if you don't know what the heck you're doing, why are you jaded enough to be using a leveling guide? You should be actually playing the game.
If I actually had to think about where to go or what to do to level up my character, then I would think it would be new enough for me that I would just play through it honestly, and enjoy it.
Sylythn Jun 15th 2007 5:37PM
As sarcastic as Baluki sounds about the 61-70 leveling...it's really some good advice. I came across very few quests that had rewards I couldn't use, and with the selling price of TBC items being so high, it's even worth doing a quest that won't net you an up for the cash. The quests are laid out very nicely and tend to take you from one area to the next smoothly. And there aren't too many hidden quest spots - most things are at noticeably large hubs. By picking up every single quest and doing them all in order, and progressing one zone at a time - I hit 70 before I even set one foot in Nagrand...Hellfire, Zangarmarsh and Terrokar are all you need.
Paul Jun 15th 2007 5:42PM
I don't know, I tried Jame's Alliance leveling guide, and as soon as i came to the 2nd, "ok, grind on this one mob for about a half a level" i dropped it. I guess I was spoiled by Youri's 20-30 leveling guide on the same site at http://www.wow-pro.com/node/899.
Now THAT guy can write a guide. It was so clear, the questing circuits were so brilliantly laid out, and there was no grinding whatsoever. When I leveled from 20-30 on my hunter, and then hit the time for Jame's guide, i was disappointed.
But that is not to say that it probably isn't the fastest way to level up, it probably still is. But I'd like to balance my efficiency with my not wanting to kill myself as a result of grinding on mobs for a half level every other level.
Maybe I'm not giving Jame's guide a chance, because I dropped it at level 34, but that was my experience.
Now I just use the advanced quest search function on wowhead.com to find what area has the most quests in my level range, and then head there. Here's an example of a search for a level 35 alliance character for quests within 2 levels in the eastern kingdoms:
http://www.wowhead.com/?quests=0&filter=ty=0;minle=33;maxle=37;maxrl=35;si=1
Dracula Jones Jun 15th 2007 5:44PM
I use it for my new main. The first time through, I went freeform and made a lot of mistakes (stealthing directly to your quest target is a good way to end up underleveled and forced into a grind to catch up). Jame's Guide is great, and I haven't felt any tedium with it. It's boom-boom-boom from goal to goal. Maximizes your time perfectly.
Of course, I go off the guide from time to time so I don't feel like a robot.
I don't feel like this is a solution, because if you're on your 8th character, you should know the best and fastest routes and routines already, but since these are the people complaining, there's no winning.
bugmaster Jun 15th 2007 5:46PM
the guides awsome used it for my 5 alts alrdy and it just doesnt get dull at all
but as stated above do not use it when ur just starting with a main, cause it does lack freedom which makes the game fun to play for the first time
but again if uve explored everything on ur main already who needs freedom.and its way better then just grind ur way to 70
Kats Jun 15th 2007 5:48PM
I tried Jame's guide but found that the Brian Kopp guide (which is not free tho) met my needs better. I think both are good guides but I had more problems with the Jame's guide is not being able to easily do quests at the levels he was suggesting.
In using any guide you need to use common sense. A guide is simply that -- a guide. It is not a strait-jacket. It helps you to plan out logically how to do the quests to minimize time and lets you know which quests to skip if you are concentrating on solo leveling. I often do those quests that the Kopp guide says to skip since I am easily able to get a group for them -- if it is a quest I like. With my main (now a level 70 druid), I varied from the guide a lot. With my alts it is easier for me to follow the guide and just minimize leveling time.
Jeenome Jun 15th 2007 5:54PM
Honestly I am sick of being told to use the guide. To me it takes the fun out of the game. Yeah I am having my issues getting past STV but to me that's part of the game. Yes, I think grinding can be a chore but if you find the right place the mobs drop things you can sell. I may be bad at instances but I need to run them to get better. I don't want the answer to every question to be "Check out the guide". It may be good for some but to me it takes away from the game.
eMarkM Jun 15th 2007 6:02PM
I'm using Joana's guide to level my Horde alts. So far I love it. I would *never* recommend it for a new player, however. Let them experience the world and quests at a leisurly pace. Let them run all the dungeons with their peer. For me, I want to level ASAP to end game and this thing has helped tremendously. I don't care about low level loot or too many dungeon runs (do lowbies even do these anymore--on an older server like mine all the lowbies are alts and everyone gets "run through" these days by a 70 guildie). I already know all the areas and the majority of quests, so I don't really care to "discover" anything new. I just want to get this alt to end game and the XP just flies with the guide.
For Horde, you spend a heck of a lot of time in STV and all of us on PvP servers know what a gankfest that is. But as the Stranglethorn Hole article stated, there's really no way around this area if you want to quest. But for Horde at least, the guide has you almost entirely skipping Hillsbrad, and that's a relief.
There are parts where he asks you to grind until your level X. This is boring, but there's really very little of it. The worst is 58-60 where he basically would have you go to Winterspring, but instead has you grind in one area of Hellfire because the XP is just too good in Outlands to pass up.
Freehugz Jun 15th 2007 6:18PM
42!!
Freehugz Jun 15th 2007 6:21PM
James is my hero. The guide's a little hard to jump into right in the middle, but if you follow it from the beginning its amazing