I never really got into heirlooms and care packages. In the early days of heirlooms, I was a devoted monogamist: one main, no real alts to speak of. If I'd run out of things to do (and I didn't -- but if I had), I'd simply have logged out to read a good book. I had no real reason to buy heirlooms, so I spent my points and seals elsewhere. Once I got around to playing other characters and other realms, leveling content had become so streamlined that I found I dinged faster than I could cover the content I wanted to enjoy at level. I eschewed heirlooms because I preferred not to sail past the levels so quickly.

Today, about all I do for a new character is pack up some bags (either determinedly handcrafted myself with great care if I'm feeling stubborn, or blindly snagged off the auction house if I'm chasing some particular character goal) and send over anywhere between 10 and 50 gold. Sometimes I'll buy some starter pieces at the very beginning -- just whatever greens are on the auction house at the time -- to boost me past those early, awkward phases when I don't yet have the abilities and spells to get the job done. After that, though, I find that like heirlooms, stronger gear tends to trivialize the process that I'm seeking to savor.

But racing up to 90 with a new raiding character or grinding out a new tradesman is a whole different matter. Those characters flourish with support from their older siblings. What's your formula for success? Do you have a standard care package you assemble for new characters?

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