Shadowlands Leveling Changes and Level Squish Overview

[Lumy]

Shadowlands Leveling Changes and Level Squish
The pre-expansion patch will squish levels and make significant changes to leveling in World of Warcraft.

• Level Squish - Level 120 characters will now be Level 50, with Shadowlands capping at Level 60
• Heirloom Changes and New Set Bonuses - Players will level much faster, so Heirlooms now provide different bonuses
• New Starting Experience - New players will start in a new zone that gives them a better gameplay experience. Alts can skip this zone.
• Timewalking Campaigns - You'll be able to level your alts from 1 - 50 in any previous expansion
• Death Knights and Demon Hunters Changes - Hero classes will no longer start at high levels
• Shadowlands Riding and Flying Changes - The levels that riding and flying are earned at have been changed

Shadowlands Level Squish
A level squish will be applied with the pre-expansion patch. Your level will be reduced, with a Battle for Azeroth cap of Level 50 and an eventual Shadowlands cap of Level 60.

Expansion	Level in BFA	Level in Shadowlands
Vanilla	60	25
The Burning Crusade	70	27
Wrath of the Lich King	80	30
Cataclysm	85	32
Mists of Pandaria	90	35
Warlords of Draenor	100	40
Legion	110	45
Battle for Azeroth	120	50

Level in BFA	Level in Shadowlands	Level in BFA	Level in Shadowlands
1	1	64-67	26
2-4	2	68-71	27
5-7	3	72-75	28
8-9	4	76-79	29
10-11	5	80-81	30
12-13	6	82-83	31
14-15	7	84-85	32
16-17	8	86-87	33
18-19	9	88-89	34
20-22	10	90-91	35
23-25	11	92-93	36
26-28	12	94-95	37
29-30	13	96-97	38
32-34	14	98-99	39
35-36	15	100-101	40
37-38	16	102-103	41
39-40	17	104-105	42
41-42	18	106-107	43
43-44	19	108-109	44
45-47	20	110-111	45
48-50	21	112-113	46
52-53	22	114-115	47
54-56	23	116-117	48
57-59	24	118-119	49
60-63	25	120	50

Heirloom Changes and New Set Bonuses
The new leveling system also brings a few changes to heirlooms. Since players will now level twice as fast as before, the XP bonus has been removed from all heirlooms.

Heirloom armor, necklaces and rings will now form the Regalia of Fabled Adventurers, a heirloom set with unique bonuses.

Regalia of Fabled Adventurers Armor Pieces

• Heirloom Helm
• Heirloom Necklace
• Heirloom Shoulders
• Heirloom Cloak
• Heirloom Chestpiece
• Heirloom Legs
• Heirloom Ring

Regalia of Fabled Adventurers Set Bonuses

• Maximizing Rests (2 Set) - Rested experience consumed is reduced by 30%.
• Battlefield Resourcefulness (3 Set) - Increases your out-of-combat regeneration in the outdoors, normal dungeons and battlegrounds.
• Flash of Brilliance (5 Set) - Gaining a level triggers Burst of Knowledge, dealing Holy damage to nearby enemies and granting you 40% Primary Stat for 2 min. Defeating enemies extends this effect, up to an additional 2 min.
• Maximizing Rests (6 Set) - Rested experience consumed is reduced by 30%.

New Starting Experience
New players to World of Warcraft will start their adventure in Exile's Reach. Veteran players can choose to opt out of this zone and complete the starting experience for their race.

Upon reaching Level 10, players receive the quest Tides of War (Alliance) or Mission Statement (Horde) to start leveling in Battle for Azeroth. Veteran players have an additional option to level through Timewalking Campaigns by talking with Chromie in capital cities.

Chromie Timewalking Campaigns
Chromie Timewalking Campaigns is a new feature that lets players level their characters from 10 to 50 through any zone and expansion from Vanilla to Legion.

This feature is available only to veteran players that have already leveled a character to 50. New players to the game will have to level a character from 10 to 50 through Battle for Azeroth to unlock this feature.

The Cataclysm

The people of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor are fighting to survive after the events of the Cataclysm that occurred after Deathwing's reemergence.

Aid Azeroth's many civilizations in the wake of the aftermath of the Shattering.

Portal to Outland

The Dark Portal to Outland has opened once again, and heroes are needed to answer the call and step bravely onto the shattered world of the orcs.

Conquer this ancient and dying world and stop the Burning Legion from invading Azeroth!

Fall of the Lich King

The frozen wastes of Northrend is where the Lich King, previously known as Arthas Menethil, resides, sending his undead forces to destroy all life on Azeroth.

Answer the Argent Crusade's call to disrupt Arthas's plans, and put his undead scourge on ice!

Wilds of Pandaria

Untouched by war for over 10,000 years, the Horde and Alliance are at war after the disappearance of the White Pawn, but a dark secret lives within the earth. The factions of Azeroth ignored the pandaren's warnings that emotions manifest in dangerous ways in their mystic land.

Pierce the mists and explore the beauty of Pandaria!

The Iron Horde

Garrosh Hellscream has opened the Dark Portal yet again, allowing the Iron Horde to pour forth from Draenor and march against our world.

Establish your garrison and fight alongside the great orcs and draenei of lore!

The Legion Invasion

Powerful Artifact weapons and a foothold to launch strategic strikes in the Broken Isles with your order will be required to stop the Burning Legion's invasion on Azeroth.

Claim your weapon, establish your order hall, and stop the demonic assault on our world!

Death Knights and Demon Hunters Changes
Beside the Level Squish mentioned above, there are several changes coming to Death Knights and Demon Hunters in Shadowlands.

• To unlock Death Knights and Demon Hunters, players have to finish the Exile's Reach starting experience and reach Level 10.
• Death Knights start at Level 8 (instead of Level 58) and have to go through their starting experience in Eastern Plaguelands.
• Allied Race Death Knights start at Level 10 (instead of Level 60) and have to swear fealty to The Lich King in Icecrown Citadel.
• Demon Hunters start at Level 8 (instead of Level 98) and have to go through their starting experience in Mardum.
• Upon completing the starting experience of the hero class, players can continue to level their character in Battle for Azeroth or through a Timewalking Campaign (if unlocked).

Shadowlands Riding and Flying Changes
To accommodate the Leveling Changes and Level Squish mentioned above, Riding and Flying Skills are getting a few quality of life changes in Shadowlands!

• Riding: Apprentice Riding is now learned at Level 10 and Journeyman Riding is now learned at Level 20.
• Flying: Expert Riding is now learned at Level 30 and Master Riding is now learned at Level 40.
• Artisan Riding has been removed, which means players can upgrade from Expert Riding (150% Flying Speed at Level 30) directly to Master Riding (310% Flying Speed at Level 40). Characters that have learned Artisan Riding will continue to have 280% Flying Speed.
• Faction discounts are still present in Shadowlands. For example, characters that reach Level 40 and are Exalted with their appropriate faction will benefit from a 20% discount and will be able to purchase max flying speed (Master Riding) for 4000.
• All characters can now fly in Draenor and Broken Isles, the achievements Draenor Pathfinder and Broken Isles Pathfinder, Part Two are no longer required.

Riding Rank	Riding Type	Mount Speed	Required Level	Cost
Apprentice Riding	Ground	60%	Level 10	1
Journeyman Riding	Ground	100%	Level 20	50
Expert Riding	Flying	150%	Level 30	250
Master Riding	Flying	310%	Level 40	5000

[Baneto]

Okay so what will happen to my 110 and 120 boosts I have un-used?

[Supernoodles]

Okay so what will happen to my 110 and 120 boosts I have un-used?

I'd assume they'll get put to whatever level the chart says above

[Baneto]

I'd assume they'll get put to whatever level the chat says above

I hope they considered things like that!

[Traveler Voltin]

the heirloom set bonuses are still trash.

[Nevcairiel]

Okay so what will happen to my 110 and 120 boosts I have un-used?

They get converted as appropriate, even with a small bonus. A 120 boost is a 50 boost after, naturally, and a 110 boost will convert to a level 48 boost, despite 110 characters only converting to 45.

[GreenJesus]

"Powerful Artifact weapons and a foothold to launch strategic strikes in the Broken Isles with your order will be required to stop the Burning Legion's invasion on Azeroth."

lol.. did someone at Blizzard forget what happened after the BFA pre patch?

[vitor210]

Something that I haven't seen anyone explain: how will the unlock of the allied races heritage armor requirement of leveling from 20 to 100 work now with the level squish? You now need to only level to 40, acording to that chart?

[chiddie]

Mmm. Why will new flying require level 30 (old level 80)? Now you can fly at level 20 (old level 60).

Seems quite the nerf to me? Since you can do 11-50 in the same expansion, why having to ground mount for half the levels?

[Jodmos]

Something that I haven't seen anyone explain: how will the unlock of the allied races heritage armor requirement of leveling from 20 to 100 work now with the level squish? You now need to only level to 40, acording to that chart?

You need to reach level 50 after the patch

[BicycleMafioso]

lol.. did someone at Blizzard forget what happened after the BFA pre patch?

Yeah. I don't know how it looks for the other classes, because Paladin was the only one I brought to try Legion leveling, but you can buy weapons in your order hall with 3.5x as much DPS and 27 itemlevels higher that you can use instantly. So, uhhh. The artifact weapon is currently a trap, haven't acquired any relics yet though. I guess the artifact could, at some point, overtake the Order Hall Quartermaster-weapons.

- - - Updated - - -

Mmm. Why will new flying require level 30 (old level 80)? Now you can fly at level 20 (old level 60).

Seems quite the nerf to me? Since you can do 11-50 in the same expansion, why having to ground mount for half the levels?

New level 30 is level 30. Old level 60 is converted to 25. They are not one and the same. Think of it in the new terms, not in the old ones and it starts making sense. Let it go et c.

[GreenJesus]

Yeah. I don't know how it looks for the other classes, because Paladin was the only one I brought to try Legion leveling, but you can buy weapons in your order hall with 3.5x as much DPS and 27 itemlevels higher that you can use instantly. So, uhhh. The artifact weapon is currently a trap, haven't acquired any relics yet though. I guess the artifact could, at some point, overtake the Order Hall Quartermaster-weapons.

- - - Updated - - -



New level 30 is level 30. Old level 60 is converted to 25. They are not one and the same. Think of it in the new terms, not in the old ones and it starts making sense. Let it go et c.

Weren't relics made into inert grey items? I haven't leveled a character below level 110 after Legion ended so I'm not completely sure.

[trapmaster]

Hold up, Those boa doesn't give priority stats and off stats anymore? Am i reading this right? Just blank stats but just bonus set?

[BicycleMafioso]

Weren't relics made into inert grey items? I haven't leveled a character below level 110 after Legion ended so I'm not completely sure.

I haven't gotten them in the beta yet, but in BFA, the legion content gave relics that provided item level. Their effects, eg artifact talents, were disabled and no longer listed however

- - - Updated - - -

Hold up, Those boa doesn't give priority stats and off stats anymore? Am i reading this right? Just blank stats but just bonus set?

They do give main stats, stamina and secondary stats. The "Heirloom helm" (et c) listed here is a generic item named for the set bonus. The Helm of Valor (et c) still does what it did before.

[trapmaster]

Ok good, i thought we are actually going to wear boa gears NAKED no stats and stuff. Nvm it's all good.

[Unlimited Power]

So what'll happen to level 60 characters that have already learned flying? Will they unlearn the riding skill post 9.0 until they hit level 30?

[Railander]

this level squish is such a stupid idea.
what's wrong with lv 130? i've played many other MMOs where levels go well above 1k.
good job inconveniencing the whole playerbase just to remove a digit in an already meaningless and useless number.

[chiddie]

Yeah. I don't know how it looks for the other classes, because Paladin was the only one I brought to try Legion leveling, but you can buy weapons in your order hall with 3.5x as much DPS and 27 itemlevels higher that you can use instantly. So, uhhh. The artifact weapon is currently a trap, haven't acquired any relics yet though. I guess the artifact could, at some point, overtake the Order Hall Quartermaster-weapons.

- - - Updated - - -



New level 30 is level 30. Old level 60 is converted to 25. They are not one and the same. Think of it in the new terms, not in the old ones and it starts making sense. Let it go et c.

It seems a little weird to start an old expansion (at least until WoD) without being able to fly for other 20 levels.

I have more than enough alts but thinking for example to do the first 20 levels of TBC ground mounted gives me chills. Unless the 10-30 segment takes really a couple of hours max (which I doubt).

[Velerios]

this level squish is such a stupid idea.
what's wrong with lv 130? i've played many other MMOs where levels go well above 1k.
good job inconveniencing the whole playerbase just to remove a digit in an already meaningless and useless number.

Because it is too intimidating to new players: while i personally had nothing against level 130, i can understand why they did it.

Another reason (that is actually a good one) is that now nearly every level does not make you weaker, but you gain new powers for it: the reward that you gain something nearly every level is better than having everything at 80 and from 80-120 you gain 1 talent and nothing else. Now you get a new spell on every spell up to 50

[vitor210]

You need to reach level 50 after the patch

Not that bad really, way easier than reaching 110 today