Leveling an outdated concept and bad for content

[Kryos]

Since even Blizzard now accepted that "leveling phase is annoying, let's give a free level 90 and make it even quicker" let's go one step further. Games like Everquest Next will do it, but for the expansion after WoD Blizzard could also do the same. Remove Levels. I already hear you scream: "Whaat? How can people learn to play their character?" "But I like doing quests and progressing from one area to another". Calm down - both still can be done.

If you start a new character in that new system it will be like starting a Deathknight today. You will get your skills one after another doing certain quests. So you still visit areas and travel the land.

BUT after you have all your skills all the old areas will not be abandoned and useless. Since there are no levels they can do dailys and exploring and Timeless Island like content EVERYWHERE. You love ice and snow, only play in Winterspring or Northrend. You hate snow and love the tropics? Go to Stranglethorn or Un'Goro. You prefer Pandaria, stay there...

The whole world and not just the maxium level zones will be your playground. It offers so much more for both, players and developers. You can place hidden treasures, add random events all over the place and so on. You still progress with your gear, you still get stronger with your gear but you would not craft useless gear only good for a small level frame. Raremobs will not drop loot only good for 2-3 levels.

Think about it, I think this is the way to go in the future. Sorry for my bad english (not my native language).

[Jtbrig7390]

Since even Blizzard now accepted that "leveling phase is annoying, let's give a free level 90 and make it even quicker" let's go one step further. Games like Everquest Next will do it, but for the expansion after WoD Blizzard could also do the same. Remove Levels. I already hear you scream: "Whaat? How can people learn to play their character?" "But I like doing quests and progressing from one area to another". Calm down - both still can be done.

If you start a new character in that new system it will be like starting a Deathknight today. You will get your skills one after another doing certain quests. So you still visit areas and travel the land.

BUT after you have all your skills all the old areas will not be abandoned and useless. Since there are no levels they can do dailys and exploring and Timeless Island like content EVERYWHERE. You love ice and snow, only play in Winterspring or Northrend. You hate snow and love the tropics? Go to Stranglethorn or Un'Goro. You prefer Pandaria, stay there...

The whole world and not just the maxium level zones will be your playground. It offers so much more for both, players and developers. You can place hidden treasures, add random events all over the place and so on. You still progress with your gear, you still get stronger with your gear but you would not craft useless gear only good for a small level frame. Raremobs will not drop loot only good for 2-3 levels.

Think about it, I think this is the way to go in the future. Sorry for my bad english (not my native language).

I agree 100%. MMO's do need to find a new style of leveling that isn't 1-90 ect...

I can't wait to check out how everquest next dose it but I personally feel its to late for WOW. If Blizzard was to say that level 100 is the max but there would be new content and new xpac's still getting released. Many people would not want to buy said xpac's for 40$ each since all it will feel like is a content patch.

[Daedius]

Meh, I like leveling... I like levels - I'm a fan of D&D from ages old, sue me.

[Miralynn]

Meh, I like leveling... I like levels - I'm a fan of D&D from ages old, sue me.

Ditto. Leveling up is part of what makes a RPG a RPG. Take that away and it doesn't feel like a RPG anymore.

[Warak]

I like EvE system, there are no 1-90

[Reyzzz]

Think about it, I think this is the way to go in the future.

Yeah, if and when they make another game. Changing the fundamentals in any subject is bad.

[Darsithis]

This isn't a bad idea and kinda harkens to Skyrim and other games where your abilities level you up so no area is really off limits or out-leveled.

[Deleted]

I am not totally agains't your idea, because I think the leveling system needs a bit of a rework, especially with the amount of levels we have now. But I don't want it gone completely.

Some sort of level squish to go with the item squish perhaps? But then again, we have big zones full of quests designed to last until a player is ready to move on to the next.

I can't say how this would work without giving it more thought but it could be an idea.

[greysaber]

I like EvE system, there are no 1-90

hooray! skillqueue online!

j/k i love EVE, but you realistically can't do anything fun until you have a couple months worth of SP under your belt, minimum.

i like leveling, i like levels. if people don't like leveling up they should just play something else.

[Kryos]

Ditto. Leveling up is part of what makes a RPG a RPG. Take that away and it doesn't feel like a RPG anymore.

How long do you play WoW - how many % of that gameplay was done leveling? Think about that...
RPGs are about progressing a character - in WoW it's done with itemlevels, characterlevels are only a very small part of the progression in WoW, more like an intro to the main game.

[Miralynn]

I like EvE system, there are no 1-90

Oh, you mean Spreadsheet Master Online? =P

If there ever comes a day when WoW works anything like EVE, that's the day I uninstall for the last time. I had more fun staring at help ticket spreadsheets at work than "playing" EVE.

- - - Updated - - -

How long do you play WoW - how many % of that gameplay was done leveling? Think about that...

I'm an altoholic. Most of my playtime is spent leveling alts and questing.

[Itisamuh]

I don't want leveling to go away entirely, I just want it to be something you only have to do once. Alts shouldn't have to go through it all again.

[Mosotti]

Leveling is not outdated, it's just the YOU don'k like it. What should really happen is to be able to CHOOSE you play style, like

- long leveling
- medium leveling
- short leveling
- are you fucking kidding me with this "leveling" shit? I'm ready for mythic!!!!!1111

Currently we are in "short leveling" up until MoP, then it's medium leveling., there's no annoying leveling if you can have a level 90 in under 2 played days...

[lunchbox2042]

So you want the game to be a MMO sandbox? Part of being an RPG is the leveling process. Just because you don't enjoy a particular part of a genre doesn't mean that it's outdated. It sounds like you're looking for more of a sandbox game like GTA, Crackdown or Saint's Row as opposed to an RPG.

[Deleted]

Certainly not as bad an idea as I was expecting when I saw the thread title.

Problem is that any MMO has to have progression in some form, in the same way any video game has to have progression. The reason player levels have been the standard for RPGs for so long is because its a resonably robust abstraction of a person growing in strength and gaining experience in the real world.

Peopl who want to do away with levels and make itemLevel the dominate defining characteristic are missing the point that is just a slightly different form of the level system. Also, its a far less realistic abstraction than character levels when you think about it.

[Deleted]

Leveling is not outdated, it's just the YOU don'k like it. What should really happen is to be able to CHOOSE you play style, like

- long leveling
- medium leveling
- short leveling
- are you fucking kidding me with this "leveling" shit? I'm ready for mythic!!!!!1111

Currently we are in "short leveling" up until MoP, then it's medium leveling., there's no annoying leveling if you can have a level 90 in under 2 played days...

I remember when we were in the "long leveling" part. Ugh,vanilla/bc leveling was straight up painful. It didn't even feel satisfying to hit max level.

[inboundpaper]

I wouldn't mind doing away with leveling, but it would be too massive of a change for WoW. It also creates a problem with character advancement.

[Deleted]

This isn't a bad idea and kinda harkens to Skyrim and other games where your abilities level you up so no area is really off limits or out-leveled.

I wouldn't use Skyrim/Oblivion's horrible levelling system where you can kill a dragon at level 1 and have bandits wearing Glass Armour as a good alternative to non-scaled levelling.

Also scaled levelling wouldn't work in an MMO anyway.

[Deleted]

100 % NOT AGREE with op opinion!!

for me the level progress is a big part of an mmorpg and the only part (these days) i really enjoy in wow! i was a hardcore raider 6 of 7 days raid a week with diffrent chars, sometimes 2 raids a night. burt now i got other things to do in my life and i found my peace in leaveling alts.

in fact i think leveling is way to fast if you use heirlooms... AND it is way to easy! i love it when a new alt gets new cc oportunities and i use them to kill mobs while i am questing. i love running through the old zones which i have seen so often! everytime i get to outland my heart warms up and i am exited to level through the incredible continent northend filled with so may incredible+nerdy memorys.

when i level my alts for 3-4 hours a week a am relaxed and have more fun then any other game could give to me. in fact wow is the only game i am able to play... i dont care a lot about computergames ( iam 30 years old)... but wow is diffrent for me.

do whatever you want... raid hard /ultramodes, go lfr, farm crazy archiemements, go pvp to gladiator, kill the rbg groups one after another, solo old contend, play the ah until you could swim in gold BUT please do not tough my leveling :-(


if you want a new 90 char you need to spend the 3 days!

[-Superman-]

Agreed. Any alternative is likely a good one, especially if it has no affect on someone else who can simply continue doing it the original way.