Cataclysm is coming, and it will be upon us more quickly than we can
imagine. Most things that we look forward to happen like that. It seems
a distant thing, and then we wake up one morning and the thing we are
looking forward to is upon us, and we have no real notion of where the
time went.



With that in mind I and probably the rest of the World of Warcraft
community have been keeping a close eye on the Cataclysm information,
looking for anything new Blizzard releases, and also becoming familiar
with the major changes that will rock the WoW world we know and love.
The changes are big, and most of them look like they are going to bring
about good changes, that will not only inspire new players to play, but
may entice old players to reactivate their subscriptions. There is
however one thing that is coming with the new expansion that makes me
/sigh in real life.



Leveling.Sure it doesn’t sound like such a terrible thing,
and  some people even enjoy it, but I just can’t
ever seem to get excited about it. Sure I enjoy seeing the new zones
and experiences the often times witty quest text that Blizzard lovingly
puts into the game, but at a certain point I just can’t stand
it anymore. Usually this happens right around the last level, or next
to last level when the grind seems to take forever, and I’m
fairly sure that I will die of old age before I actually reach max
level.



So far all I’ve done is QQ about having to level, and
I’ve given no real reason why I personally dislike it so
much. And really what do I have to complain about, since Blizzard is
only adding 5 levels instead of 10 this time. I am pleased with
Blizzard’s choice to only add 5 additional levels to the
game, but I am still dreading that level grind, and here’s
why:



The night the expansion is released I am one of those people that must
go out hours before midnight, and stand in a line with a bunch of
strangers just to be sure that I have my copy as soon as humanly
possible. I could probably have it mailed to me, and it would be there
the next day but that’s not good enough! Then when I get it
home, I frantically unwrap the box (which is usually a rather trying
experience, me and boxes do not get a long) and insert the CD in my
drive and hold my breath as the load screen appears.



style="float: left; width: 240px; height: 300px;" alt=""
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/80683">Once
the load screen is up I read through
the books that normally come along with the game, and hopefully by the
time I’m done the game is done installing and I proceed to
log in. From there it becomes a sort of obsession for me. Much like my
desire to be the first (or as close as possible) to the front of the
line to purchase the game, I must be one of the first people to reach
max level. I have this inane desire to be one of the first players to
experience the new max level content and that desire drives me to
remain up nights, to deprive myself of sleep, and sometimes even
neglect to shower longer than I would normally allow.  My
friends and family become distant memories of the past, and all that
matters is that I reach my goal.



Now I know what you’re thinking, I don’t need to do
any of this. I don’t have to be the first, and the content
will be there regardless of if I do it in a week or 6 months, but I
want to do it. Maybe it’s my competitive nature bubbling to
the surface, but the need to get to max level and do the content is
something I can hardly suppress.



Even when I manage to reach max level on my main toon the leveling does
not end.  I, like many other players, have several alts that I
enjoy playing, and of course in order for them to experience end game
content they too need to go through the leveling process. This can be a
long and tiring process, depending on how many alts you actually have.
I personally have three, which brings my level total from 5 to 20. I
can tell you after the first time, the leveling process certainly loses
some of it’s luster, and after the second or third you start
to know the quest text by heart and it just becomes more tedious than
fun.

 

 I will give props to Blizzard though, they foresaw this and
learned from past expansions, which is why they are only adding an
additional 5 levels and instead focusing on end game content which you
can see in this direct quote from the World of Warcraft website:



“We decided to focus on providing more end-game and
maximum-level content for players. We learned a lot from Wrath of the
Lich King, and want to ensure players have more content to experience
right away when they reach the new cap of level 85. We’re
also putting a lot of time and effort into reworking the level 1 to
level 60 content. We’ve learned a lot designing the previous
expansions and felt we could apply those lessons to improve the
leveling-up experience. Creating alts has always been a popular pastime
for players, and we wanted to ensure Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms
remain a vital part of the game world.”



After all this complaining I would like to say that there are some
things I do enjoy about leveling. I enjoy the new (and usually most
awesome) areas that Blizzard will introduce for us to do our leveling
in, and the lore that comes along with it. As stated before, I enjoy
reading the quest text (at least the first time around) and really
getting into the story line. I enjoy leveling with my friends, and
laughing as we all fail at new encounters, or get stomped by the huge
monster that is wandering around the low level zone. But without a
doubt, I’m happy when the level grind is over.



Here are a few simple tips to help your leveling grind go a little bit
smoother:

• Level at your own pace -
  Never let anyone push you harder than you actually want to go. The game
  is yours to enjoy.

• Round up your friends -
  Leveling may take a bit longer, but it will be tons more fun if you and
  one or more of your friends take it on together.

• Take breaks - I should
  really take my own advice here, but taking breaks is important. Even if
  you just get up and stretch your legs I promise when you sit back down
  you will feel refreshed.

• Have a plan - You
  don’t need to write it down, but when you first log on decide
  what zone you will start in and where you will go from there.

• Ask for the help of
  strangers - If you are out leveling and need help finding something, or
  need assistance to complete a quest, don’t hesitate to ask
  those in the zone with you. You may come across a few not so nice
  people, but most will answer your questions and lend a hand. This is a
  great way to start new friendships.

• Read each quest fully - I am
  guilty of this, I skip the quest text and wander around aimlessly
  trying to find what I need to complete the quest, only to find out that
  the answer was in the quest text all along and that I am now even
  further away from it than I was in the first place. Save yourself the
  trouble, read the quest text first there are many helpful clues there.

All in all leveling is not such a bad experience, and the good things
usually outweigh the bad, but I still can’t help but think
that maybe I should teach my daughter how to play so she can do it for
me.  Join us on our forums to share what you like and dislike
about leveling, and some of your helpful tips for making the leveling
process smoother.