Should the game really start at max level?

[styil]

Note: a discussion about 100-110, not 1-100.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the leveling content has transformed with each expansion and it now takes significantly less time to level to the point where the leveling content has become filler content. The problem here though is that it has taken a disproportionate amount of time to create the content vs. the time to consume the content. If the 100-109 experience was more paced and took longer to accomplish, players will not race through the content and burnout and unsubscribe so quickly.

Should 100-109 be more relevant? Or should that experience be over as soon as possible so players can get to 110 as soon as possible?

[Jonnusthegreat]

It should take 3 months to get max level. Like it did in classic. More meaningful content that doesn't expire the second you get into raids.

[Deleted]

Well, for Legion the leveling up matters. You get 800 gear for the final quest in each zone, and also artifact power.
You also need a certain amount of reputation in each zone unlock part of surumar questing.

What I read OP is concerns about not having enough content, but if you ask me , there are tons of stuff to do in Legion .
I don't think that slowing down the leveling process and making it a grind is a good solution.

[Kyanion]

It should take 3 months to get max level. Like it did in classic. More meaningful content that doesn't expire the second you get into raids.

If you took 3 months to hit max level in Vanilla you were doing it way wrong.

[endersblade]

If you took 3 months to hit max level in Vanilla you were doing it way wrong.

You're right, considering it took most players closer to 4-6.

Someone obviously didn't play in Vanilla.

[Kyanion]

You're right, considering it took most players closer to 4-6.

Someone obviously didn't play in Vanilla.

Considering plenty of us did in less than 3 months because leveling in WoW was simple compared to how long it took in EQ...yeah...I think I played in Vanilla. I don't know what proof you'd want but whatever, believe me or don't.

[Deleted]

Considering plenty of us did in less than 3 months because leveling in WoW was simple compared to how long it took in EQ...yeah...I think I played in Vanilla. I don't know what proof you'd want but whatever, believe me or don't.

It depends if you're talking WAY back, as in at the very start. Back then you had to grind to 60, there weren't that many quests. Even half a year after release it was a lot different.

Topic @ I think the entire gameplay shouldn't be about max level, but rather it should be enjoyable and a great experience to travel towards the end game. There should be meaningful content along the way - I absolutely loved GW2 for this, it was an amazing experience leveling up, doing the quests etc. There was a lot of exploring to do.

[Venziir]

It should take 3 months to get max level. Like it did in classic. More meaningful content that doesn't expire the second you get into raids.

So 5-10 levels should take aslong as 60 levels? Great logic right there....

[Qrio]

You're right, considering it took most players closer to 4-6.

Someone obviously didn't play in Vanilla.

Yes, close to a year even! We're going back to nostalgia land again in which vanilla was a flawless mythical creature.

I'm absolutely sure it didn't take me more than two to three weeks to level to 60 even when I first started the game back in vanilla. Heck, even had an alt mage as well.

[Kyanion]

Yes, close to a year even! We're going back to nostalgia land again in which vanilla was a flawless mythical creature.

I'm absolutely sure it didn't take me more than two to three weeks to level to 60 even when I first started the game back in vanilla. Heck, even had an alt mage as well.

Yeah I don't know where the fuck they are getting these numbers from. Sure some casual/slower players took months to level but there are plenty of casuals not max level in WoD as well.

[Deleted]

It should take 3 months to get max level. Like it did in classic. More meaningful content that doesn't expire the second you get into raids.

So what was this meaningfull content in vanilla you were doing once you hit level 60?
Running/taking a taxi to dungeons?
Quee for BGs in the major cities?
Run around a select route gathering resources?

Outside of these i can hardly remember anything else that wasn't (as you put it) meaningless.

Edit: Don't get me wrong; I had lots of fun backthen, but i lack to see what max. level activities vanilla had, that any of the expansions didn't bring.

[Deleted]

I loved exploring and taking 3-ish weeks to 60 in vanilla, but that was 12 years ago. If I had to do that now I'd go insane, I'm not 16 with endless possibilities of sick days from school anymore. I thought the Legion leveling was excellent the way it is on the beta. Took me 18 hours to get to 110 on my first character and the zones stay relevant afterwards so you've barely scratched the surface while leveling.

[Flashforcash]

Unless you were really hardcore at lvl'ing and played a lot of mmo before, it took a while. I was pretty hardcore (but also bad, since this was my first game). And my first 60 took 14 play days. From lvl'ing 52-60 was purely grind, and each level took like 4-6 hours.

2nd and 3rd I think I did on 11 and 7 play days. So yea most people used 3-6 months to level to 60. People saying otherwise we're really hardcore players that came from EQ/wow beta.

[Summer]

Speaking for myself I don't find leveling fun or compelling content. If I want to do that type of content I'd rather play another, fresh game where I'll have more fun learning new abilities and can have an interesting story with better graphics and all that.

What WoW is to me is the end game and especially raiding. Leveling is just something I have to do in order to be able to raid but it's not something I really enjoy. If I had to level for three months before I could raid it wouldn't be worth it anymore and I'd probably rather just quit that suffer through three months of something I don't like.

[Deleted]

Leveling in WoW means solo questing. And there is not a single MMORPG than actually can draw you inside the world when there are 10000000 legendary heroes like you at the same time, there is no meaning on getting something off-road during a single chapter of leveling like it is normal in many single player RPGs. The depth of solo content is just not even worth playing the game at all or should I say, whatever you thought lacking during playing and finishing a single play RPG is not found in the leveling content of any MMORPG. Some games like star wars and final fantasy tried hard to compensate... but while they did far better than WoW it doesn't make up for what I could have when I play an offline RPG at my pace and style.

That said, I play MMORPGs because instead of AI companions I have real people to interact with. And that is not possible during leveling, because during leveling the game is neither tuned right, nor lasting to not make players imminently unequal after a few minutes. I want to play a multiplayer game on "one level" and then stretching out by accomplishments instead of "automatic-game-pace". Blizzard hence has build a wall between two types of content: Single player content like campaigns - you play for lore, feelings, atmosphere, getting into game and then battle.net / multiplayer content which ignores everything done in campaign and just brings down every player on the same footing in terms of game mechanics and possibilities. They don't even tune / correct campaigns, they barely care about leveling balance or tuning as long as it isn't completely bugged or broken. They clearly focus all their maintaining about max level classes, mechanics, professions, content everything.

They now went ahead with the legendaries from MoP onwards to work some kind of "steady progression" like leveling is into endgame, and you know what it didn't work. All it did was setting a new ground zero - the game didn't start at max level but when you had the full powered legendary item. And with artifacts it's even worse. The wall is just placed out of reach of most casual players who never intended to play on equal terms. It's very ironic how their try to catch up with the casuals in this way is appreciated though - it's completely misunderstood or ignored instead.

[Banquetto]

If you took 3 months to hit max level in Vanilla you were doing it way wrong.

Playing at release, virtually everyone in my guild had something in the order of 12-18 days /played to hit level 60.

Now, obviously, how long it takes in you in calendar time to rack up 12-18 days /played will vary considerably! But most people did indeed take months (since most people weren't playing as a full time job)

[Karrmer]

Playing at release, virtually everyone in my guild had something in the order of 12-18 days /played to hit level 60.

Now, obviously, how long it takes in you in calendar time to rack up 12-18 days /played will vary considerably! But most people did indeed take months (since most people weren't playing as a full time job)

I was one of the slower levelers in my guild and I played at day 1 of launch. I have a screenshot of my character when I hit 60 and I had under 8 days played.

So I don't really know how accurate this 12-18 days played number is but it feels really off.

[Deleted]

If they change it to this id quit again in a hardbeat.
I enjoy leveling the first time (to an extend) because of the story.
I hate leveling in general with a passion.

[Lothrik]

If they change it to this id quit again in a hardbeat.
I enjoy leveling the first time (to an extend) because of the story.
I hate leveling in general with a passion.

I feel exactly the same way. Questing in WoW is far too linear for it to be enjoyable to repeat.

[Deleted]

I feel exactly the same way. Questing in WoW is far too linear for it to be enjoyable to repeat.

The issue is not that its to linear for me.
The issue is that I have been doing it for 11 years, I have 11 level 100's at this stage.

I have been playing the beta and leveling trough that has been a blast, LOVING the story lines and its good fun.
I won't feel the same way on alt number 3.