Originally Posted by
DemoBytom
In Wrath, I dinged my first lock as affliction, spammin drain life (that used to give you nightfall procs) + incinerate (when affli still had it). I rarely ever refreshed dots "because it does shit dmg anyway" and it's better to spam more cast-bar spells. I ran with imp (when you should have felhunter) and thought I know how to play.. That was after about 3 months of leveling to max level. I've never done an instance before max level, never really done much with others, maybe few group quests if there was anyone. I wasn't in a guild till max, I almost didn't use AH etc..
A week or 2 later I respecced destruction, spec I never played and had to learn it to go to my first raid.
Then I changed to demonology, another spec I never played and stayed like that for 1.5 expansion.. So ye - leveling process hardly taught me how to warlock...
Later, in Cataclysm I leveled a DK. Leveled as blood. When I hit lv 85 I respecced frost and learned how to play it. Again - leveling process did nothing to teach me how to play the spec I later played a lot.
Since then every class I level is just by grinding instances (Except levels +-50-58, bit of Northrend, bit of Cata). That's how I leveled my monk, 1-90 as Brewmaster spamming keg smash + breath of fire.. Sometimes a bit of Spinning Crane Kick.. Didn't care about selfbuffs I should keep etc.
At max level - again I had to go Windwalker, spec I never tried before, and again - I had to learn it from scratch at max level.. Later the same with Mistweaver..
In the end - my lock got everything up to and including Lich King during Wrath, my paladin healed up to and including Lich King. Then all the 4.0 instances, my DK everything up to and including Madness in Cata as main tank, now I'm main tanking on my monk and got Garrosh on farm..
So to sum up - the whole leveling process taught me only a little how the game works, though most of it I learned at max level. Same with specs and roles - I learned it all just doing those at max level.
Tanking my way up was a little help, and showed me basics, but then I hit my first HC dungeon and had to relearn everything, because It suddenly required some CD usage, watching up who's got aggro etc..
I learned healing at max level only..
So I really, really doubt that leveling process is that much needed to learn your class :? For me, at least, it taught me nothing valuable, just ate a big chunk of time.. And I really doubt that instant lv 90 will have any major impact on the quality of players you meet in LFD/LFR.. And guild Flex/normal etc are an environment when players learn/teach anyway..