The prepatch is a huge mistake

[psychodad]

1. The level squish invalidates all the effort we've put into our characters over the last 16 years. We've seen them grow from 1-60, to 70, 80 and eventually all the way to level 120. Now we'll all be set back to level 50 and then go to level 60 again. We've already done that. Why should we level from 50 to 60 again? I know that characters will be deleveled proportionally to what their level is right now, but at the end of the day, it still doesn't change that we are back to a certain level. One thing here invalidates all the effort we've put into leveling even further and that is

2. The leveling process from 1-50 after the prepatch is incredibly fast. Way too fast. I remember level 60-70 taking very long back in TBC, and 70-80 also taking very long back in Wrath, but some time after the expansions had been out, that leveling process was shortened immensely. I welcomed it at the time as I'm sure many other players have, but looking back I can only say that it is a mistake to keep making leveling faster and faster. We are now at a point where leveling from 1-50, which is 1-120 right now, will take like 6 hours. Is it a good idea to have an MMO where you can reach max level on multiple characters in a day? All this does is further invalidate the time we all have put into each of our characters. It is no different than when they introduce catch up gear in a patch that is as good as heroic raid gear from the previous patch. It makes people go, wait I put in all this effort and these people get it just like that, just because they joined the game at a later date? This is what you are doing when you are shortening the leveling process. You are telling everyone, who played the game before and invested tons of time into developing these characters that they are basically idiots for having wasted all this time. They could've just waited til you shortened the leveling time for characters. It diminishes our accomplishments.

3. Changing level ranges for zones is a mistake. And so is level scaling. I was never quite happy with it when they made Outland and Northrend both scale from 60-80. It destroys the identity these zones have. Outland wasn't for level 80, neither was Northrend for level 60. It feels wrong. In the beginning it was nice cause it was different, but it destroys the natural progression of the expansions. You first go to Outland, then you go to Northrend. That is just the way it is, and changing that changes the world and how we experience it. Now we're at a point where level ranges are completely different with Vanilla going to level 25 only (even less time to do Vanilla zones) and then TBC going to 27...? What kind of nonsense is that. The way they destroyed the natural progression of expansions we're now at a point where you need to do Chromie Time to level, because who is gonna go to Outland for 2 levels, to Northrend for 3 levels, etc.

This is utter nonsense. Level scaling is bad, because of many reasons. It completely destroys progression, when a mob levels up together with me and sometimes, because of scaling, I actually end up having a harder time defeating it than before, because of the way things scaled. This happens all the time. Mobs should have a certain fixed level. You go to Ashenvale, and things are level 20-30, and you peek into Felwood and see a level 50 bear ready to maul you. You level up to close the gap between you and that mob, and eventually, even outlevel him. Sure some of this still exists in some form. Not everything scales from 1-50, but it might as well. Because the identity of everything has already been destroyed.

Some people will say, well, level scaling is good because we outlevel things so fast. But why is that? Let's go back and look at number 2. This is a problem Blizzard has created, because they made leveling so fast. You wouldn't outlevel a zone if the pacing wasn't completely off. And the level squish will only make it worse. Because you'll still reach the next level superfast, there's just gonna be even less levels.

I just can not help but feel like we are about to experience a second Cataclysm. The world forever changed with the Cataclysm prepatch, and I think people will look back and only then realize that maybe they didn't understand what they were in for.

[Throwme]

So much time spent writing this blog, with no positive outcome. This complaint is so late to the party it is embarrassing to read.

[Greyfang]

Ok, I'll ask Ion to stop everything, I think there's still some time.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Very interesting take.


I think I've read this take 100 times before.

[Clozer]

A number changed from 120 to 50 and you feel like everything you did in wow is devalued.

One word that describes your issues pretty much perfectly: Nostalgic.

[Raviolisima]

This is utter nonsense.

You are correct, this post is utter nonsense. Why are you complaining about these changes on the day of the pre-patch? Being nostalgic for leveling times and level numbers is not a good enough argument as to why it's bad. The game evolves and changes every expansion. Level 120 or level 60, it's all the same.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

This is a burner account and a spam thread. Report and move on.

[Mysterymask]

not to mention he made an account SOLELY to make the same bitch that has already been invalidated 100 times in the last week

[KOUNTERPARTS]

This is a burner account and a spam thread. Report and move on.

Astute observations from the OP and yourself.

[NewportsDentarg]

Except it doesn't destroy progression. You have still progressed through all the content. You still have all your achievements. You still have all the gear ( unless destroyed/sold/disenchanted. I do not see a loss of progress. Only the numbers have changed.

As for the new scaling of content. I have no problem with this either. From what information you have relayed you've been playing this game a long time as well. You have no doubt ran numerous alts through the 'old content'. Changing it up a bit is a nice change. Even if it is a faster. I myself am ready for an expansion that lets me binge on making alts.

[Dakhath]

Imagine being this steadfast in your conviction and then being too much of a coward to post on your main account.

[Beatman]

1. The level squish invalidates all the effort we've put into our characters over the last 16 years. We've seen them grow from 1-60, to 70, 80 and eventually all the way to level 120. Now we'll all be set back to level 50 and then go to level 60 again. We've already done that. Why should we level from 50 to 60 again? I know that characters will be deleveled proportionally to what their level is right now, but at the end of the day, it still doesn't change that we are back to a certain level. One thing here invalidates all the effort we've put into leveling even further and that is

2. The leveling process from 1-50 after the prepatch is incredibly fast. Way too fast. I remember level 60-70 taking very long back in TBC, and 70-80 also taking very long back in Wrath, but some time after the expansions had been out, that leveling process was shortened immensely. I welcomed it at the time as I'm sure many other players have, but looking back I can only say that it is a mistake to keep making leveling faster and faster. We are now at a point where leveling from 1-50, which is 1-120 right now, will take like 6 hours. Is it a good idea to have an MMO where you can reach max level on multiple characters in a day? All this does is further invalidate the time we all have put into each of our characters. It is no different than when they introduce catch up gear in a patch that is as good as heroic raid gear from the previous patch. It makes people go, wait I put in all this effort and these people get it just like that, just because they joined the game at a later date? This is what you are doing when you are shortening the leveling process. You are telling everyone, who played the game before and invested tons of time into developing these characters that they are basically idiots for having wasted all this time. They could've just waited til you shortened the leveling time for characters. It diminishes our accomplishments.

3. Changing level ranges for zones is a mistake. And so is level scaling. I was never quite happy with it when they made Outland and Northrend both scale from 60-80. It destroys the identity these zones have. Outland wasn't for level 80, neither was Northrend for level 60. It feels wrong. In the beginning it was nice cause it was different, but it destroys the natural progression of the expansions. You first go to Outland, then you go to Northrend. That is just the way it is, and changing that changes the world and how we experience it. Now we're at a point where level ranges are completely different with Vanilla going to level 25 only (even less time to do Vanilla zones) and then TBC going to 27...? What kind of nonsense is that. The way they destroyed the natural progression of expansions we're now at a point where you need to do Chromie Time to level, because who is gonna go to Outland for 2 levels, to Northrend for 3 levels, etc.

1. wrong

2. wrong

3. wrong

[Powerogue]

1. So did every single xp squish they've ever done, the bonus xp events that preceeded it, and every recent expansion coming with a free level boost specifically to allow people to skip to current content.

2. It was fast before, but spread across so many expansions you didn't get to fully experience any one, leading to "wait, who's the warchief?!" phasing conflict syndrome. This is better by every metric. Want to experience multiple expansions? Level multiple alts or lock your xp.


3. Why does the level you're playing them at "destroy the identity?" The only "natural progression" being invalidated as far as I'm concerned is flying being available from the get-go in those brackets, but I can deal with it. It's old content, people want to go through it easier.

[mauserr]

nobody fuckin cares you burner account whiner
all purely subjective

i disagree with all 3 of them, prepatch is godsend

[Adoxe]

Your post was a huge mistake

[leggomydairy]

You sound like a really good satire of someone pretending to be a no lifer frustrated with this pre patch “invalidating” your play time

10/10 very realistic

[psychodad]

A number changed from 120 to 50 and you feel like everything you did in wow is devalued.

One word that describes your issues pretty much perfectly: Nostalgic.

Then why even gain levels with every expansion? Why even go from 50 to 60 in Shadowlands? Why even have levels? It is just a number.

This is an RPG, it is about character progression. And you people wonder why so many people leave and the game is a shell of its former self.

[melodramocracy]

1. The level squish invalidates all the effort we've put into our characters over the last 16 years.

It doesn't in the slightest, as you've enjoyed the power progression from the last 16 years. A level 10 isn't going to be able to survive in higher level areas. A fresh 60 isn't going to do well in a +10 key. There's your power progression.

2. The leveling process from 1-50 after the prepatch is incredibly fast. Way too fast.

Leveling in this game has always been childishly fast, even in vanilla. What's never made sense is that the vast majority of an expansion's content is experienced by players in a matter of days (or less), and the rest of the remaning months are mostly replay scenarios against a gear roulette table.

3. Changing level ranges for zones is a mistake. And so is level scaling.....but it destroys the natural progression of the expansions.

How many players were even completing a full expansions worth of zones while running alts, or seeing "the whole story" in the process? Practically no one, because you were more often than not ready for the next expac long before you completed all the zones. The fact that I can entirely skip expansions that have crap leveling (MOP, Cata) is a bonus.

Players still have the option to take the long road if they like, and at this stage of the game, I don't see the issue. This has never ever been a purists MMO, and never will be.

This is utter nonsense. Level scaling is bad, because of many reasons. It completely destroys progression, when a mob levels up together with me and sometimes, because of scaling, I actually end up having a harder time defeating it than before, because of the way things scaled.

Why should you not feel any sense of risk when out in the open world? What enjoyment is there in that?

[psychodad]

Except it doesn't destroy progression. You have still progressed through all the content. You still have all your achievements. You still have all the gear ( unless destroyed/sold/disenchanted. I do not see a loss of progress. Only the numbers have changed.

As for the new scaling of content. I have no problem with this either. From what information you have relayed you've been playing this game a long time as well. You have no doubt ran numerous alts through the 'old content'. Changing it up a bit is a nice change. Even if it is a faster. I myself am ready for an expansion that lets me binge on making alts.

What if after every expansion they set you back to the level of the previous expansion and then say, here go do those exact ten levels again. Wouldn't you go "hey why am I leveling in the first place"?

[Sanguinerd]

All 3 points are absolute nonsense.