Breakfast Topic: Leveling to 80

by Elizabeth Harper Sep 5th 2007 at 8:00AM

A new expansion is coming our way, and with it comes an additional ten levels of zones, quests, dungeons, and other content. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Well, maybe... While I'm looking forward to seeing new people and places added to my favorite game, I can't say I'm terribly excited about leveling all of my characters up to 80. In fact, it sounds like a task with the potential to be extremely tedious. But for those of us still wanting to play, there's no option other than leveling up to 80 -- and if you're an alt-a-holic like me, leveling up to 80 again, and again, and again... So today I ask you: with level 80 on the horizon, do you look forward to the leveling experience, or dread it?

Tags: 80, level, level 80, Level80, leveling, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, wow

Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Wrath of the Lich King

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

sephirah Sep 5th 2007 8:11AM

If you're an alt-a-holic and find tedious levelling well... make a new alt, delete it, make a new alt, delete it and so on... No boring levelling for you!

Urofseron Sep 5th 2007 8:13AM

As long as they make it more enjoyable, like they did in BC, then I don't mind that much. 1-60 is what sucks so hard.

What I can't ever see is me leveling anything from 1 - 80. Even with the improved XP rates and gains it will still completely blow.

Mad Cow Sep 5th 2007 8:22AM

I second #2. I levelled my nerfed enchanting mule to 50 after TBC launched, the last 20 levels can go eff themselves.

I have 4 alts apart from my main, all around 40-50. Those last few levels before I can move to BC content are bloody killing me ... it was bad enough going through STV 4 more times than I should have.

4STR4STALeatherBelt Sep 5th 2007 8:30AM

Dreading it. Switched from my Hunter to a Warrior (2nd for me) and 1-70 was NOT amusing.

When the expansion hits you've also got the *great* (I joke) fun of everything being camped by Mages AOEing. Fun? No.

I'll probably delay getting the expansion so all the tools who want to power level can stroke their ecocks while not washing. 2 weeks should be enough. /rolleyes

Dan Sep 5th 2007 9:14AM

1-60 can, indeed, sod off. I really can't be arsed to do that +TBC and WOTLC. Even with increased xp gains an all that, it still licks some serious ass.

Gaelric Sep 5th 2007 8:35AM

The only reason I am not dreading it is because of the amazing job they did with level's 60-70. I finished that in about 2 weeks, and I don't play that often. I was able to crank out a level a day without spending 10 hours playing.
And supposedly they are going to be fixing Azeroth so that leveling to 58 will be a breeze.
In fact I am so looking forward to the expansion that I don't really want to level my alts till it comes out.

Ana Sep 5th 2007 8:38AM

Complete dread (holy priest here). I honestly can't say for sure if I feel like dealing with the leveling grind again - the release of the expansion might be my cue to hang up my WoW hat.

Zorrg Sep 5th 2007 8:48AM

I love playing this game and I really enjoyed leveling in BC. I know leveling in WotLK will probably be equally, or even more enjoyable than BC was. I'm sure the instances on the way from 70 to 80 will all be good stuff as well. It will go by fast as BC leveling did.

Xaphir Sep 5th 2007 8:51AM

I'm looking forward to see what they do with leveling to 58. I'm an alt-a-holic myself and as it is now I still love to level my chars up to 30, but from 30 to 40 is no fun for me it's a big dead point.

I got a level 70, 60 and 54 + a few alts under 40 and if the leveling to 58 doesn't get a lot better I'm probably not going to level them up unless I'm really bored with the other 3 chars. Just the thought about going to from 1 to 80 with slow leveling almost kills me, I really hope they have something good coming up for the xp rates.

Deuce Sep 5th 2007 9:00AM

My thought is this.....

Is anyone considering switching mains? Basically a toon who just dinged 70 will be on equal ground with a raider 70 after a few weeks into WotLK. The game will basically reset for all those at 70.

Mecandes Sep 5th 2007 9:04AM

I don't mind leveling through to 80 if there are good zones and quests -- but what worries me is, how can the game support raising the level cap every time there is an expansion? That will just become ridiculous -- imagine if you are a new player, excited to buy the game and play with your friends... but you log in to find they are all level 120, and adventuring on distant planets. Not only are all your friends level 120, but the vast majority of the server is too. Want to do a level 30 5-man instance? Good luck pulling a group together.

Loxley Sep 5th 2007 9:12AM

I just cancelled my account last night having played my Warrior for a year, reached lvl 70, got a couple of Netherdrake flying mounts, attuned to Kara, 2000G...

I love the game, love playing it, love my guild mates, love instances, love quests, but it does have a tendancy to take over your life (31 real time days for me). I'm looking forward to be able to put time into other projects.

The idea of spending more time levelling to 80 with new content etc is exciting but...not enough to stop me cancelling and selling my account.

spamcatcher Sep 5th 2007 9:20AM

I wasn't really looking forward to it. It's actually part of the series of events that lead me to sell my account and quit playing WoW.

It's a fun game, but I started to notice the treadmill. Get to 70! Get blues! Get attuned! Raid! Get epics! Attune more! Moar epix!!! Blaaargh! Seems like no matter what you do there is always something else to do. I personally got sick of there never being a point of completion.

That and my guild broke up, and applying for a new guild was more effort than applying for a job. Please fill out the form, then contact us on the forums, then in-game, then have a Ventrilo interview, then a month long trial period where you have to maintain 75% raid attendance and be top X in DPS charts...and this was in the non-hardcore guilds for crying out loud.

And then, the expansion hits and you do it all over again. It's like...meh. I usually only played about twice a week but I've got better things to do with my time.

I am still enjoying WoW Insider though. Always a good read when I have a break at work.

tainted Sep 5th 2007 9:28AM

@11

Glad to hear you're fighting it and finding some other things to fill your life. Best of luck.

Skrilla Sep 5th 2007 9:30AM

I'll never level from 1-80. I leveled a BE pally from 1-70 in 3 months and I was pretty hard core, it just took way too much time to get there. I could have leveled another to 70 but I chose to farm for epic flyer/drake and gear up/run kara. I have a couple alts sitting at 20 and might pick one to level before the expasnion but I'm dreading it and definately waiting until they buff exp gains.

Dyermaker Sep 5th 2007 9:30AM

I thought the whole reason people were "alt-a-holics" was they enjoyed all the leveling nonsense? If it sucks, don't do it.

Personally, I enjoyed leveling the first time. Try as I might, I cannot bring myself to do the same thing more than once. I have tried it a few times, but the farthest I ever got was level 10.

First you complain about the leveling. Then you complain about the keying quests. Then you look at the time you invested and realize you have a dozen characters with crap gear and wonder why you're left behind.

If you like it, do it. If you don't like it, don't do it. So if you alt, you must like it... so stop complaining about it. Leveling up is WHY you play alts!

tchernobyl Sep 5th 2007 4:16PM

the improvements on the 1-60 leveling curve will make rerolls and whatnot that much better and faster, hopefully. 60-70 wasn't painful at all, and i'm looking forward to the 70-80 one :)

Dontrike Sep 5th 2007 9:43AM

I am looking forward to the 70-80 grind, experience, time, or w/e you want to call it. The only reason that might be is because I really only play one character and my highest alt is 45 which I don't believe I will touch until the leveling curve.

vallorien Sep 5th 2007 9:54AM

Personally, I welcome the next 10 levels. At the moment I sit on a 70 Warlock and Belf Paladin (Horde) as well as a 70 Mage and Hunter (Alliance) *insert "no life" flames here*. I've enjoyed (nearly) every moment leveling each one to 70 and am currently working on a Horde Hunter who is level 45.

Clearly the 1-58 grind is the worst, but having used Jame's free guides for leveling each toon, it's really been a breeze grinding those levels out. Pre-TBC, grps were commonplace, however now most of Azeroth is a ghostown and running instances has become something I hardly focus on anymore 1-58. World pvp hasn't been active on our server in some time, but since the expansion it's nearly dead. I enjoy seeing newer players whine about STV and think how it used to be when ZG was still being used.

In all, I have no worries. Bring on another 10. All we have is time.

Baluki Sep 5th 2007 9:54AM

I really like the levelling experience. If it's a "grind", then either you're not doing it right, or Blizzard didn't do it right (and so far, that hasn't been a problem). I just hope it takes a bit longer than it took for 60-70. I don't want to see "that one guy" hit 80 for at least a couple days (whereas he somehow managed to hit 70 in one).

I definitely look forward to the XP increase coming for the 1-60 game though. I've finally managed to get most of my alts past the friggin' Barrens, and now some are even getting into Arathi, and soon into the Vale (which I think is a great zone to level up in if you're not on a PvP server).

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