[Survey] Level squish IS coming per Blizzard

[Reman]

Looks fake. Furthermore, who cares if arbitrary numbers get smaller anyway?

It's real, got the survey with the same question as well.

Edit for skeptics : https://imgur.com/yUZMBUP

[Dastreus]

If it's true, at least they're getting opinions.

[nekobaka]

Some people are not happy about the idea.
Dont know why, i actually like it.

The originating bases of it I support. What we have now is due to devs intentionally designing around knowing they can do it and that is what I have issue with. It just feels cheap and lazy.

[AxellSlade]

They should dump leveling altogether. It's been worthless for a while now.

[Akka]

It'll be a major feature for sure. I for one am hyped for it - a level squish, item level squish (again) and stat squish (for the third time) to go with the level squish would be great. (and no i dont like wow classic, I just think the #'s have gotten way out of hand multiple times, esp in mop and legion)

They could literally make the cap be 60 in BFA and go to 70 the following xpac and follow a stat curve similar to classic wow - where we're actually doing dps in the hundreds/low thousand at 70 initially. That'd be great.

The problem is that it doesn't fix the core problem - stat inflation - and so you'll be right back at it by the end of the expansion. We've already had two number squish, and in both case it's still again in the hundred of thousands two patches later.

- - - Updated - - -

Fake.

These surveys doesn't come "once in a while". In fact, since I started to play in early TBC they have come a grand total of ZERO time.

That you don't receive them doesn't mean they don't happen.
I had two of them during Vanilla, then nothing for years, then I got one during WoD.

[Toxuvox]

You'd have to do an ilvl squish every xpac though.

Not really. If the level cap is the same for all old expansion content, all that happens is the new expansion resets the paragon, the previous expansion then falls under the old expansion rules, and we continue onward without ever needing to dramatically squish anything that comes later. Obviously the feeling of powering up would need to be established in current content stuff, but that's a different discussion.

[Has lost its way]

For most players the level squish is happening in August it is being reduced to 1-60

[Kathranis]

I've been lobbying this for a while. Cut everything in half from 120 to 60, set the next expansion's level cap to 70, streamline leveling experience, make BC and Wrath optional to create a concise timeline from Cataclysm -> BFA (1-60), create a "main scenario" campaign that carries you through all the major story beats which awards a bunch of exp to make leveling faster with the option to linger in zones and do optional quests if you want.

[Ishayu]

Don't think a squish would be in order.
it would ruin allot of the leveling flows.
+ some ppl just love leveling.

instead the could give ppl a option to start at higher levels.
like demon hunters and the new allied factions.

What id prefer is that the take the never used talents and redo em.

Good. It will ruin the levelling flow. Perfect. Because the levelling flow is so bad it's achieved meme status.

Levelling up needs to be completely re-thought from the ground up.

1) We need for there to be rewards with every level - this requires there be less levels or we get dumb stuff like 111 point talent trees.
2) We need for there to be choices of where to go to without removing the sense of progression - that is we need an end to mob scaling without making the range of a zone so big you can't stop on the main quest and go off on your own path without outlevelling everything
3) We need vast swathes of content to be skippable entirely because it's so old and so dated it doesn't fit into the game anymore.
4) We need an end to official character boosting services
5) We need to reintroduce the notion of getting "stuck into a zone" - that is spending a lot of time in a zone and feeling like the whole thing is cohesive.
6) We need numbers to not go to extremes on both ends. On the low end, we need an end to things like 1 armour pieces and things like that, and on the high end we need to stop getting millions of DPS and tens of millions of health points.

The best way to do literally all of those things is a level squish.

And before anyone says "omg 60 levels with 10 levels per zone means I get less choices because of no scaling anymore"-people come out of the woodworks: The game already has 7 brackets: 1-20, 20-60, 60-80, 80-90, 90-100, 100-110, and 110-120. What difference does it make to exploration freedom if it's now 1-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60? If anything, it gives you more options, not less!

[Yes but actually no]

Whiney Kid, play another game where no patience is required. Easy one.

I just will never understand why ppl find to complain 90% of their time about 90% of a game even if they aren't playin' it anymore themselves just for the sake of sobbering inconsequential bs.

>calls someone a "whiney kid"
>proceeds to whine

[Elias01]

Ion already said in an interview they are looking into the option of a level squish, that pretty much meant it is coming 100% or he wouldn't have mentioned it.

While I agree that a level squish is kind of necessary (leveling from 110 to 120 getting weaker each level and gaining nothing to compensate for that really felt awkward), it just is a short term solution that has to be repeated for every coming xpac. But I also agree that it destroys every remaining RPG that was left in wow, as it was the only constant ever since the release.

It is funny how we get into this position where leveling is pretty much broken and unrewarding. Take itemlvl scaling for example. Itemlvl scaling is there becouse otherwise we would have been oneshoting mobs after 1 tier becouse of powercreep. Big spikes of powercreep forced Blizzard to squish items which created whole bunch of problems. Now reason why they had to squish was becouse numbers get out of whack. Reason why they went ou of whack is becouse Blizzard creates for every tier 15+ diffierent difficukty levels for dungeons and another 4 for raiding so itemlvl increases have to be bigger. Do you know why Blizzard introduct multitple difficutly levels? Becouse they want to have difficutly for every type fo player. Do you know name for creating more options for players? Acessability.

Root of all problems is in that word Acessability. It created problem what created more problems. And as Blizzard is tryting to fix it every single fix creates even more problems. Suddenly Blizzard had to create artificial rules, restrictions so game will not break. Imagine if devs could focus on actualy developing more content than spend majority of time trying to fix game systems. I would suggest Blizzard to just restart game.

[Trumpcat]

I hope there is a level squish and I was about to say this survey sounds fake, but I also got it in email and am filling it now. I wasn't aware that squish IS coming. Funny that they ask that considering they never announced it.

[FuxieDK]

It's real, got the survey with the same question as well.

Edit for skeptics : https://imgur.com/yUZMBUP

That screenshot is so poor resolution that no one can read what it says.

[Grimbold21]

On the opposite end of this issue, they could keep the current levels and expand the talents, something a la Path of Exile, except catered to WoW's scale.

[MiiiMiii]

What exactly would a level squish fix?

I don't see much wrong with it, but it would still take the same amount of hours to level to max level. The only difference would be that the bar moved slower and you would get new abilities more spread out.

Today, on Monk, you have all spells at lvl 80. Not a single new spell 80-120. If they did a level squish you probably would not have as many hours with all the abilities as you do now leveling up.

If they are going to do it, and I don't mind it, it should be together with redesigning classes and talents from the ground up.
A pure level squish improves nothing.

[Geckoo]

A level squish is something the game needs. Is not about how long it takes to get to 120 as much as it is about how rewarding and engaging leveling is. Right now there way too many levels between talents and forcing players through older expansions is a fun killer, specially when it comes to older zones like the ones from TBC or WotLK.

In my opinion each new level should be exciting, and that doesn't mean that you get a new ability or talent every level, although obviously with less levels that will happen with more frequency and that is already a win. But is about making sure that you always have something to look forward when you earn a new level. Maybe you reach level 5 and you get to choose between 3 different buff foods, things like that mixed with talents and abilities.

The other positive change they should think about is stop forcing older expansions. If zones can scale, let them scale up to the first level of the newest expansion. If a player wants to do all their leveling in azeroth, then let them do it, just the same if they decide to do most of their leveling completing every single quest from TBC. Older expansions should be an option aviable at an early level. You reach level 15 (or whatever, but early), you get to choose between a bunch of zones including northern barrens, terokkar forest, kun-lai summit...

And related with the previous point although more unlikely to happen, just as a level squish or a stat squish is something the game eventually needs, so does revamping and updating some leveling zones. I'm not saying that the game needs another cataclysm, but if it happens (and i'm not talking about a dragon fucking up the world) it would also be a good thing since they get to use a bunch of improvements both in quest design and in zone design and updated lore that makes the experience refreshing.

[czarek]

FAKE? As i remember they said lvl squish will never gonna happen

[pacotaco]

FAKE? As i remember they said lvl squish will never gonna happen

Nope. They have said several times that it's something that's always on the table, but they want to do it right (making all levels have meaning again, as in gain abilities or something cool).

Last time they repeated it was this, I think: https://www.twitch.tv/warcraft/clip/...e=7d&sort=time

[wanax]

As long as they don't fuck up the leveling, I don't really care if it happens. I enjoy making new alts and leveling them to max, but it isn't very nice if it sucks due to something like this.

I enjoy leveling too but I hate getting to 60-80. I’d be fine if they made old world scale to 80

[gioderpington]

do people actually check their email and fill these out? seems like an outdated way to survey players

As opposed to what? Mind scanning people?
-
Can confirm through survey I got. It could be the case it was misworded as other parts of the survey were odd as well. Like "how much SHOULD you be enjoying this expansion in the last 30 days" or stuff like that". (It should be "are". The question is really stupid as is!!). They also asked about vanilla; "when is vanilla classic coming out" (pick a season).

At best they worded the survey like that to manipulate results. (That's really bad!!) It could be the case that they are gauging community feedback or how well we think we know them