What's wrong with leveling?
by Natalie Mootz 
Jul 7th 2008 at 8:00PM
This post isn't going to be about how to "fix" leveling or make it faster or easier or anything like that. Instead, I'm writing in defense of the leveling process. I actually enjoy it even though I'm having a hard time thinking of anyone else I know who doesn't just want to get it over with. I enjoy questing and I enjoy the charge I get when I learn a new spell or add a new talent point. When I hit level 70 I was quite disoriented without the XP bar to cheer me along. I can't get my head around the idea that I no longer need to log out at an inn because the resting bonus doesn't apply any more. In fact, I'm such a quest addict that I'm still doing leftover quests all over Outland. Everyone seems to want to get to the endgame as soon as possible. An entire dirty business of buying level 70s has sprung up around the idea that power-leveling is king. But for me, it feels a little bit like the endgame is the End of the Game. There is a shade of "now what?" flying through the back of my mind. No more content to experience, no more places to explore that I haven't already wreaked havoc through. One way to replace XP as a motivation tool is to work on gaining faction chits, I guess, and battleground marks. Sigh. What a grind; it doesn't have the zing that dinging a new level does, or even just seeing the blue bars fill up across my screen. On top of that, there are so many dang factions and rewards and things to collect I need an accountant to help me keep track of what items I should be collecting -- or even what gear, for that matter!
I guess gold is my new XP since those epic flying mounts cost so much. Let's say that I decide to measure my success by my gold balance. I can do enough quests and sell enough stuff at the Auction House to get the 5000G eventually. Then what? I have this super-fast flying mount and no reason to do anything with it.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Quests, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Dan Bradley Jul 7th 2008 8:09PM
It's great to hear that I'm not alone in liking to level. Unfortunately, I think you and I are in the minority. There's a satisfaction to leveling I don't get with accruing faction or gold, and since I can't really commit to the schedule needed for raiding or doing anything other than mostly soloing, the game has definitely lost its luster - only Lich King will get me back, at even then, only for a while.
JMD Jul 7th 2008 8:31PM
I see the "what now" question quite often. When I hit 70 with my first character I did a little battle grounds, a few of the instances and then created a new character to start the process again.
My current character is @ 69 and I'm not sure what I'm going to do @ 70. Probably just level my rogue.
Hansel Jul 8th 2008 12:11AM
I'm in the same boat. I wanted to get to 70 quick, but once I was there I got bored quickly so I started a new ton, now also 70.
So now i'm stuck, I'm not sure what to do. I did eventually gather some pvp items for my first 70 but it's not doing it for me. I want to start a new character but it seems like none of them are working for me. BGs are boring and I lose interest quickly. I hate grinding, and that's all they seem to be, it's worse than leveling. I never feel like I'm gaining anything in end game, I want to gain levels and items along the way, not doing harder and harder things at one level to gain gear that serves no purpose in the long run. It'll take WoTLK to resurrect me completely, until then i'll be on my alts.
Frank Jul 8th 2008 11:03AM
Unless you are getting into raiding, 'endgame' is pretty boring. I've mostly parked my 70s for now and I am working on leveling alts.
At times, leveling alts gets a little dull since we have very little new leveling content, but you can make it more enjoyable by playing with different specs, twinking, competing with a friend to see who can level fastest and so on.
Fables Jul 7th 2008 8:11PM
Leveling was one of the most boring and horrible experiences I have ever had in a video game.
The end game is the real game, that and twinking. Pvp is what makes this game great, not boring quests and lame Pve dungeons where you have to kill the same mobs and bosses over and over to finally get that one item drop after 50 runs.
Matthew Rossi Jul 7th 2008 8:15PM
Some of us view PvP as just a baffling ordeal we endure to better gear our alts, with rude, snide commentary, pointless obscene gestures, and lots and lots of whining.
Others love PvP. So it comes down to taste.
Roxton Jul 7th 2008 10:25PM
Alternatively, I could say PvE is the real game, not some battleground while you either go afk or scream at payers not following your made up strategies. Or scam arena for whalefare epixlolz.
Tigron Jul 7th 2008 8:12PM
I always tried to avoid the rested bonus as much as possible. My philosophy was to take it slow and enjoy the ride. Try to squeeze as many quests into each level as possible. Because the faster you fly towards that brick wall at level 60/70/80/etc., the more it'll hurt when you hit it.
Bromnir Jul 7th 2008 8:51PM
This is very sage advice. Oddly enough, slowing down the levelling process rather than speeding it up seems to make it more fun for me. This may be a product of my having been pushed to level my first toon to 60 by my guild back in the day, but to stop worrying about levelling with maximum efficiency takes a great weight off my shoulders. It's "stop and smell the roses" syndrome - I get to explore the variety of the vast old world on my own time and do things "my way." It's one of the most fun things in this game for me, second only to finding or doing something I've never seen or done before. (which often comes as a byproduct of the former)
That said, I found that exploiting the rested bonus to the maximum in Outland had a great benefit for my first (and only) 70 - all that extra XP meant that in the course of questing across Outland, I hit 70 without touching Netherstorm or Shadowmoon Valley, leaving me two whole zones more of exploration and new discovery before truly running out of content. In fact, I still haven't visited Shadowmoon for longer than to get my flying mount! :) Still running cow escorts and earning Consortium rep in Netherstorm, alongside doing the occasional daily for SSO. (What can I say? I love bombing run quests.)
But that only really holds for Outland, where there isn't a glut of content (however repetitive and familiar) at each level bracket like in Azeroth, and probably only for the first time, when everything is fresh and new. :)
Gryphon Hall Jul 7th 2008 11:57PM
I am so glad that there are other people who think the same way.
I was castigated mercilessly for not wanting to be lvl 70 too soon. I've been told off a few times to skip quests because the lvl 70 game is, supposedly, "the real game". Although I've finally gotten comfy with raiding and pvp-battling, the supposed "real game" feels more like "real work" (not just for me but a lot of guildies)... unless I go back to roleplaying my character through left-over quests and roleplaying a craftsman in a normal PvE realm.
When the expansion hits, I'll stick with what makes me happy: taking it slow, taking it easy, and stopping to smell the roses.
Great article.
dAnixx Jul 8th 2008 4:09AM
Well i understand what you mean, and I respect your opinion, however try to understand that not all players got so many time for leveling like you. Some may want to ding 70 quickly to play with their friends, and some may just dont have too much time to play.
Bromnir Jul 8th 2008 4:18PM
Where, in the three comments preceding yours, do you feel we lacked respect for people who do not agree with us?
Trem Jul 7th 2008 8:19PM
I like the leveling process also. PVP just isn't my cup of tea. Raiding....meh. Sorry don't want to have to schedule a time to play, makes it feel like work.
I now have one toon of every class all on the same server. With so many toons I will have all professions covered once they hit 70. Two are 70 now and the rest range from 20 to 45. Playing so many toons keeps the game fresh because the playstyle is different even when you're going through the same content.
So, yeah, leveling is fun....... or maybe I'm just antisocial.
equiraptor Jul 8th 2008 9:02AM
I, too, have a character of each class. I have at least one character of every class to level 50, I have two 70s, a 67, and a 60. My three "above 60" characters were all at level 60 before Burning Crusade was released. I raided regularly, with my 60 hunter as my main and my 60 druid as my alt. The druid spent time in MC, and the hunter in BWL and AQ40, along with some time in Naxx.
I do not PvP. I've done a bit of it, and it's not my thing. It's not that I'm not competitive - I race my car in real life - It's that I do not like the combination of competition and anonymity that WoW's PvP allows.
You're absolutely right that the playstyle is different from class to class. Some classes are similar, and some have more variety built into the class, but each class has its own traits. For those of us who enjoy leveling, enjoying exploring these differences can make for a very enjoyable, fun game.
WoW is so very successful because it allows so many different desires, playstyles, etc. to be fulfilled, all in the same game. Some of us like raiding - the huge, complex bosses and the big rewards. Some like PvP - the challenge of an unscripted fight with intelligence controlling the other side. And some of us like to find our own little corner of the game and do our own thing. No one set of goals is right or wrong.
Jeff Howe Jul 7th 2008 8:25PM
I hear yea girl. When I hit 70 doing Kara and such was fun the first couple of times, but it gets boring. I've actually gone back and re leveled 3 more guys to 70 in anticipation for Wotlk. But I think they do need to make it a little easier for exp, maybe not now but when the level cap is raised again definently.
fridaymacfay Jul 7th 2008 8:31PM
I think there are probably, literally, millions of people out there that agree. Blizzard see's this too (and they're the only one's with the real numbers to know for sure), I suspect. Hardcore PvP for the PvP crowd in arenas. 25-man raids for the hardcore PvE crowd. More accessible content for everyone else. Which is the huge a majority of their customer base. I wish they'd add a mechanism to allow people to level quick or choose not to in the old world. But enjoying leveling and experiencing the world should be the MAIN attraction of the game. Three /cheers for Natalie. With the most vocal aspect of WoW in the hardcore crowd (and the millions of people that enjoy the content first being mostly silent) that took some guts. :)
-Fri
The Hammer Jul 7th 2008 8:40PM
I'd rather grind money with levelling quests than the same dailies every bloody day.
Namus Jul 8th 2008 4:10AM
You're totally right! I mean, bombing runs are funny, but sinking the same three ships everyday is kinda dull, I was so into the Dailies routine that when the Summerfest ended and the daily from hellfire peninsula was gone I got lost and forgot which one was next, I would go to Shadowmoon and finish the quests from that zone, but I just feel like i'm missing something if I don't complete SSO dailies. Still it's a great way to grind gold and rep, maybe Blizz should add dailies in the old world too so you have a wider selection of places to go and complete your 25 dailies without getting sick of the same old routine.
Bodlar Jul 7th 2008 8:45PM
The end game is where things really come alive for me. I like that it becomes static and you have all the abilities available to your class. Then you can start working on min-maxing. Every gear upgrade may look minor but over all your character continues to get stronger. I also find the leveling process painful and would rather work on making my character as good as possible. Then again I mostly PvP and really enjoy the system blizzard has for it. I don't appreciate all the idiots in the battleground, but I find if you just do what you can and keep the flaming to a minimum it's not a horrible experience. You will always win some and lose some. The end game is why I still play the game. Blizzard has a great end game and has always made sure to have plenty of things to do.
No offense, but most people that I meet that aren't into the end game just aren't that good at it. It's not a bad thing, you just don't have the attitude and/or patience to really stick it out for the tough part of the game. The end game is by far much harder than leveling. It is also much less linear. You don't have a defined bar that you can progress through any more and the responsibility for getting stronger falls to you and how well you manage yourself.
crap Jul 7th 2008 9:24PM
I find that there are, very generally speaking, two kinds of players in WoW.
1) Endgame/PvP players - they are goal-oriented and in a hurry. They are competitive and enjoy 'beating' other players. Most of them attach their egos to their gear, rating, etc. Many of them are rude and self-centered.
2) PvE/Raiders - they like to (role-)play. They might even play well with others. They want gear from bosses so they can do better at supporting their guild progression. They are interested in the storyline, the environment and in helping others.
of course, there are exceptions and problems with every generalization. :)