Poll: how do you feel about level squish

[Deepfreeze]

In favor if it means less time leveling to max. That is boring as hell. Luckily I have all classes at 110-120.

[MisterBigglez]

It really depends on what squishing levels really means. Will we just go back to level 60 but the time it takes to get there is the same? Will zones have different level requirements to match the squish? So Vanilla is 1-30, TBC 30-35, WOTLK 35-40, Cata 40-42, MoP 42-45, WoD 45-50, Legion 50-55 and BFA 55-60

If it meant that you get more rewards as you level, such as more frequent talent choices and spells, that would be fine. I couldn't care less about what level my character is displayed as.

[Kaibhan]

Don't know GW's system, but ESO's system of basically level endlessly (what is the top now 600 something?) but only up to X even matters really is kind of eh... but that could have a lot to do with how boring leveling in ESO is.

Saw a 801 yesterday. But you level you hit the cap you can do all the things, it's just a form of progression. Frankly I find it more interesting than grinding rep for another mount I'll never use.

[Onikaroshi]

Saw a 801 yesterday. But you level you hit the cap you can do all the things, it's just a form of progression. Frankly I find it more interesting than grinding rep for another mount I'll never use.

Like I said, it may just be because I find leveling boring in that game, the quests don't seem to give enough, so the bests ways are running in circles (anchors) or ideally pvp, but I HATE pvp.

[protip]

I wouldn't mind a squish, because I think it's pointless to level without any kind of tangible progression.

I also think it's necessary to reduce the experience requirement to reach max level, because it scares off new players. Every time I've talked to a real life friend who had just tried the game, the answer was the same: if all of the interesting content is at max level, what's the point of leveling? It typically takes new players weeks of irl time to reach max level, and for the entirety of that time they don't even know what endgame is like. Instead:

They don't build social connections - grouping is pointless or even a hindrance
Their first impressions are of the worst graphics that the game has to offer
Practically all of the items other than gear that new players receive are worthless vendor trash
Their UI is almost entirely from 2004
There are no meaningful choices to make until the most recent expansion

The leveling experience just isn't up to modern standards, nor does it suit the experience most gamers are looking for. Allied races help keep leveling content populated, but they don't do anything to integrate new players into established communities. Even for more experienced players, leveling is essentially just a barrier to playing more alts - leveling is an achievement, but not really an enjoyable gameplay experience. I would like to see the leveling experience stop after 20-30 levels, with current content being unlocked through a quest chain along the lines of the War Campaign. I'd like players to do a bit of leveling to unlock all of their skills, mounts, and flying, and then immediately proceed to the content Blizzard is actually balancing the game around.

[Gaexion Ramza Beoulve]

Either or.

What I would like to see is a toggle for world scaling.

For example: I've done zuldazar five times on 4 alts and would like to level a new alt but don't want to deal with "my fadda" for the millionth time. So if I could toggle on adventure mode and go take my level 101 to any zone in the game and experience the story, and get some levels/rewards for it that would be awesome. Then when I want to go farm transmog I could just turn it off and go power through an instance.

[klepp0906]

ooooor instead of adding levels every single solitary xpac, they could do something legit mmorpgs have been doing for years, err decades. add alternate advancement points instead. Or some blizzcasualtastic spin on them. Obviously, gated and capped. Either way, addresses the issue.

Ooooor stop scaling things so fast n hard it makes everything from the xpac prior soloable in greens. i mean do they think 9 year olds are playing the game that purely get off off on omgzoooooobignuuuumbers11111. (rhetorical)

[Alkizon]

tl;dr "Level" concept has lost its relevance for current this game design. Who cares?

Design direction that they currently support doesn't really need levels at all. Another thing is that I don't agree with such design, but I also didn't agree with similar levels wastefulness, which they allowed themselves earlier, because levels are also base of basic (and not only) characteristics for characters that controls whole game process (at least controlled until they began to cut them, perhaps because of lack of understanding somewhere after WotLK) and degree of talents strength (that's why 1 point talents met very rarely back then, you just couldn't immediately receive fully selected passive customization for one of your abilities (and this was the main purpose of talents) and naturally you couldn't get them all so simply for chosen development direction (you would have to sacrifice something to expand your character's "horizon", I'm talking about neighboring tree branches, I don't want to use such "trendy" word as spec, since it has nothing to do with classes' original concept design)). Process was really lengthy and gradual. It was part of design... and look at what you have now. Formally, you are no longer buying access to levels, only to new content (think about it as about phasing depth), especially considering “artifact” (and its alike ones) design, so far they haven't thought up how to justify its “obsolescence” without reference to levels (but they have already taken very confident steps in this direction for example in Uldir, haven’t they? and also these anomalous ilvl jumps).

Offhand, with correct level distribution and if we'll take classic as a basis. Although they themselves admitted that at first they hadn't work out enough quests, and therefore we could pull level frame to point 50. Next? Well, BC = 2/3 levels, WotLK = 5, Cata = 2, MoP = 5, WoD = 2/3, since my game is over here, I’ll have to rely on sensations, so Legion = 5, BfA for example 2.

Another thing is that (and I already said that) levels themselves mean nothing now because of "game starts only at maximum level" and "faster-faster" company/players/game mentalities. And in the end, why do they care about “psychology” of the process, when main role is assigned to design - “technology”: how it will affect world around players and the way they interact with it/each other.

ps. Ie, my answer would rather be "undecided", but it won't reflect full picture of my attitude.

[Stellan]

I think the level squish should happen. It's just too much to be going from 1 to 120. I'd say squish the first 60 to 40 and then 5 levels for each expansion.

[Voltsmasher]

Level squish is fine to me. I have found that if I want to do old quests I will use their exp stopper so that I can take my time. Also they should allow you to quest in whatever expansion you want. I don't like wrath quests or BC quests all that much but loved cata quests and MoP quests sadly these both over lap in a way where I don't get to do very much MoP and I get to do a ton of wrath or BC.

At this point many of us have been through then leveling so much we should be able to cherry pick our favorites and that can go hand in hand with a level squish.

[Shadocat]

Sure, they turned it into a problem and now they want to fix what needs no fixing in the first place.
The numbers are not the problem, that they lost meaning is.
Squishing the numbers will not give the remaining numbers any more meaning.
And converting like 5 levels to 1 will only result in reaching the next level taking five times the time, or as Blizzard implements things, more like six times.

[Voltsmasher]

Either or.

What I would like to see is a toggle for world scaling.

For example: I've done zuldazar five times on 4 alts and would like to level a new alt but don't want to deal with "my fadda" for the millionth time. So if I could toggle on adventure mode and go take my level 101 to any zone in the game and experience the story, and get some levels/rewards for it that would be awesome. Then when I want to go farm transmog I could just turn it off and go power through an instance.

Oh this is a nice idea.

[draynay]

Its the only sensible course now that they've ruined character progression and leveling.

[Aydinx2]

I wonder how many people who don't care about leveling still voted anything other than positive simply because they don't wanna lose their imaginary videogame numbers.
Probably the same people who bitch about the weekly AK increase.

[Kemsa]

Remember Level Squish balance in terms of outdoor enemies/dungeons will not be a problem since Level Scaling its already working "perfectly" (until you reach draenor and dont have herilooms)
Also it could also open a new situation "old raids becoming viable", since MC or AQ are designed for lvl 60-65, a level squish could potentially open the posibility of redoing those raids, maybe not for the purpose of "gearing your character" but to challenge yourself and your raiders to defeat an old enemy in the modern system.
It can help on the character progression and getting attached to that character more, less teampark and more old school rpg.

[Piesor]

It's not the number of levels that disturbs me the most. It's the semi scaling of the world. All areas should scale to lvl110. The minimum level to enter a zone is fine for me.
However after pushing some subrace-alts I never want to set foot again into BC / Wotlk / Cata leveling Content. MoP and WoD are also annoying, but at least you level fast there. Legion is still fine due to Invasions.

[Jibjub]

I'd rather they launch a progression server with a new expansion every year.

Or WoW2.

Yeah. I'd prefer WoW2.

With current WoW. They should do a squish to level 100 and then stop adding new levels in expansions and just add new progression systems (imagine if Artifacts were the only exp/leveling mechanic in Legion). This would open them up to try creating more dynamic content and less linear questing.

[sil3ntearth]

I don't care, it's just a number.

It's not like we actually get stronger with leveling anymore anyway.

This is how I feel as well. With the way the scaling works and the lack of additional talents after 100 I don't see how it would matter. Strangely enough, the only time I can actually FEEL the difference in levels and gear is when I'm farming for transmogs. Otherwise, all the gear does is open the door for more challenging content. I feel like the strength we gain is stripped with the scaling system and the stat squishes anyway.

[Icechaosss]

The fuck are these options?

Jesus Christ.

I am for a level squish, but not so much I'd say "screw leveling".

[Pieterman]

I would give Blizzard full creative freedom with this. Leveling hasn't been in a good place for a long time, and I'd like it to be changed. It's gotten this bad because they wanted to please everyone.

Don't try to please anyone, just make it good. That's what artists do.