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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
How many level 70 characters do you have in World of Warcraft?
I have three level 70 characters in World of Warcraft. The latest, my mage, took only 9 days of /played time to get from level 1 to level 70. I wasn't trying to break any records, it was just a combination of Blizzard having sped up leveling to 60, and the mage being an alt, thus not being played all the time, and thus profiting from rest xp all the way. And of course twinking and knowing the game well also helped. I could imagine somebody on his first character taking more time, lets say 400 hours to reach the level cap. And I wonder if that isn't too short.
Now I play more than the average, but from all the data I have from the Daedalus project or PlayOn, it seems that the average WoW player spends 20 hours per week playing the game. So if you need 400 hours or less to reach the level cap, you need 20 weeks or less to get there. It is hard to say whether 20 weeks is too short or too long if you just look at the number in isolation. You need another number to compare it with. How about this one: The average number of weeks between expansions for World of Warcraft is 100. For all we know the second expansion Wrath of the Lich King will come out pretty close to the 4th anniversary of WoW, thus 2 years per expansion. If you play only one character, you'll spend less than 20% of your time leveling, and 80% in the so-called endgame. It you look just at people who were already level 60 when the Burning Crusade came out, the numbers look even worse. Getting from level 60 to 70 took these veterans less than 100 hours (one crazy guy did it in 28 hours non-stop). If considering only one character, we spent less than 10% of our time leveling from 60 to 70, and over 90% in the endgame.
If one likes the leveling game, and wants to spend more than 10% of one's time doing that, the only choice is making alts. This is why I have 3 level 70 characters, and I guess I'm not alone in having more than one. But even that doesn't solve all my problems. I blame WoW being so endgame-heavy for many of my current problems, be it burn-out, or the inability to still find groups for normal dungeons. By now everyone already did the normal dungeons to the point of exhaustion. And daily quests, heroics, raids, and PvP are beginning to get repetitive for most players, although Wrath of the Lich King is still months away. I think that the time to level up should take a bigger percentage of the time between expansions. That could be achieved by Blizzard making good of their promise to release one expansion per year, or by making leveling up less fast.
How many level 70 characters do you have in World of Warcraft? Do you think that leveling up takes too little time compared to the time spent in the endgame, waiting for the next expansion?
- posted by Tobold @ 10:41 AM Permanent Link
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I've only two. My hunter main and my freshly-70 mage. There was SO much to do with the hunter, for so long, that I didn't get the alt-urge for quite a long while. When it finally came, I found almost zero urge to play up my level 60 clothies; instead, I started just about every other melee class and left them all around 55 ... before the 2.3 easy-mode change.
My wife, however, is the absolute picture of "too much free time," at the moment. She's carrying five level 70 characters, epic flying skills, mounts, factions, etc.
The only difficulty remaining in the "leveling game" is a question of willpower.
My wife, however, is the absolute picture of "too much free time," at the moment. She's carrying five level 70 characters, epic flying skills, mounts, factions, etc.
The only difficulty remaining in the "leveling game" is a question of willpower.
# posted by 
: 22/4/08 11:49
: 22/4/08 11:49
I have only one level 70 character, and not due to the lack of trying. I have a level 65 hunter, level 53 mage, level 50 warlock, level 45 priest, level 35 druid and plenty of low-level alts.
For me, the leveling time isn't really a problem. I'm mainly an Explorer, so redoing zones that I've already cleared with one character isn't fun for me. It doesn't matter what level my character is as long as I have new places to explore. Since WotLK will only have new high-level zones, I'll clear them once with my main and let my alts rot. Sure, I'll probably make a deathknight alt to try it out, but I doubt it'll ever reach level 80.
For me, the leveling time isn't really a problem. I'm mainly an Explorer, so redoing zones that I've already cleared with one character isn't fun for me. It doesn't matter what level my character is as long as I have new places to explore. Since WotLK will only have new high-level zones, I'll clear them once with my main and let my alts rot. Sure, I'll probably make a deathknight alt to try it out, but I doubt it'll ever reach level 80.
I only had one 70 level. I tend to get into my character and hate creating alts. I quit playing my 60 before tbc and made a new class later that I took to 70 on a different server.
I would enjoy the time to level taking longer as long as grinding is not needed. I wish each race in a game could level to the max with their own quests that didn't overlap others.
I know that would mean alot more content is needed but the reason I don't do alts is because I hate doing the same quests. Some of that is fixed with the faction systems most MMOGs have which is why my 60 was horde and my 70 alliance.
I don't see any future games fixing it that well which is why I will probably only have 1-2 max lv characters in any of the upcoming games I play, AoC or WAR. And that of course depends on if I enjoy them enough to keep playing to max.
I would enjoy the time to level taking longer as long as grinding is not needed. I wish each race in a game could level to the max with their own quests that didn't overlap others.
I know that would mean alot more content is needed but the reason I don't do alts is because I hate doing the same quests. Some of that is fixed with the faction systems most MMOGs have which is why my 60 was horde and my 70 alliance.
I don't see any future games fixing it that well which is why I will probably only have 1-2 max lv characters in any of the upcoming games I play, AoC or WAR. And that of course depends on if I enjoy them enough to keep playing to max.
# posted by : 22/4/08 12:25
: 22/4/08 12:25
I have three 70s on PvE servers and one 68 on a PvP server. I swore to never start a new alt again, but with 2.4 pretty much played out with my 70 shaman already, starting a new character would be the most viable choice right now. Having a bigger choice of max level characters for me increases the chances to enjoy the game. I know that when Wrath comes up, class balance gets shifted again and we have no idead wich classes will be demanded and wich will be useless again.
When i started BC my paladin was the single best healer class, now their futile again. I know in Wrath we will see the development for many classes, so having a wide range of max level characters, increases your chances to experience the content. When you have one max level and no raid or group needs your class, you're screwed. Class reputation is everything in a game were single player reputation does not exist, cause there is no social environment to gain or lose reputation as an individual player.
When i started BC my paladin was the single best healer class, now their futile again. I know in Wrath we will see the development for many classes, so having a wide range of max level characters, increases your chances to experience the content. When you have one max level and no raid or group needs your class, you're screwed. Class reputation is everything in a game were single player reputation does not exist, cause there is no social environment to gain or lose reputation as an individual player.
# posted by : 22/4/08 12:47
: 22/4/08 12:47
I don't have a single one yet, and it seems that I won't have the pleasure to have one either. I just don't have the will to push the last 7-8 levels in solo, as soloing isn't fun for me. Especially in the Outlands, which is eye-candy more of the same, anyhow.
Copra
Copra
Isn't it 4 level 70 characters you have? What about the alliance priest?
Anyway, 2 L70s here. A rogue and a warlock.
Anyway, 2 L70s here. A rogue and a warlock.
Isn't it 4 level 70 characters you have? What about the alliance priest?
I did play the alliance priest to the level cap, but that was pre-TBC, and I never played him through the Outlands content. He is still level 60. Next highest after that is a level 42 orc shaman.
I did play the alliance priest to the level cap, but that was pre-TBC, and I never played him through the Outlands content. He is still level 60. Next highest after that is a level 42 orc shaman.
3 - two on the shelf (shaman and mage), and one that's raiding (a warrior that just entered BT for the first time on Sunday night). I've also got 2 in the 40's (paladin and druid) on the downhill slope to Outlands.
What I'm finding is that if you really do "endgame" content in terms of raiding, you don't really have time (due to progression) or motivation (due to burnout) to work on the alts. The shaman and mage are languishing at the inn in Shatt... still wearing the crappy rainbow gear they had on when they reached 68 and not collecting any rep with any factions. They only get pulled out when I need some more gold from SSO dailies or when I need their professions for something. The 40 paladin has been practically reduced to a bank alt/AH mule stationed in TB.
I've generally got around 20 hours per week to spend on WoW. 9 of those are taken up by my casual raiding guild (3 hour raids, 3 times a week). The rest of the time is spent preparing for the raids by accruing gold with dailies for repairs and consumables, fishing up crawdads, and other chores like rep runs, helping guildies with quests, etc.
I really couldn't imagine the effort or time it would take to catch the other 2 70's up to my guild's current raid progression.. let alone even get them suited up for Kara. I don't even want to think about what would happen if the 40's hit 70 tomorrow. For all practical purposes, they're useless until the xpac hits and there's a chance to leapfrog current endgame gear.
As for the main, I feel that my guild is kind of in a race against the clock with the xpac. We're right at that lucky crest of the wave where we're benefiting from reductions in rep requirements or removal of attunement reqs, but we're kind of in a "can't miss a night" situation if we're going to meet the goal of getting into the Sunwell before the xpac hits without turning to heavy raiding.
What I'm finding is that if you really do "endgame" content in terms of raiding, you don't really have time (due to progression) or motivation (due to burnout) to work on the alts. The shaman and mage are languishing at the inn in Shatt... still wearing the crappy rainbow gear they had on when they reached 68 and not collecting any rep with any factions. They only get pulled out when I need some more gold from SSO dailies or when I need their professions for something. The 40 paladin has been practically reduced to a bank alt/AH mule stationed in TB.
I've generally got around 20 hours per week to spend on WoW. 9 of those are taken up by my casual raiding guild (3 hour raids, 3 times a week). The rest of the time is spent preparing for the raids by accruing gold with dailies for repairs and consumables, fishing up crawdads, and other chores like rep runs, helping guildies with quests, etc.
I really couldn't imagine the effort or time it would take to catch the other 2 70's up to my guild's current raid progression.. let alone even get them suited up for Kara. I don't even want to think about what would happen if the 40's hit 70 tomorrow. For all practical purposes, they're useless until the xpac hits and there's a chance to leapfrog current endgame gear.
As for the main, I feel that my guild is kind of in a race against the clock with the xpac. We're right at that lucky crest of the wave where we're benefiting from reductions in rep requirements or removal of attunement reqs, but we're kind of in a "can't miss a night" situation if we're going to meet the goal of getting into the Sunwell before the xpac hits without turning to heavy raiding.
I have two Lv 70s, and no other alts.
My Alliance character is my 'main', by which I mean it is this character that I am interested in progressing. She is currently raiding twice a week in a casual raid guild (so still in SSC).
I do the odd heroic on her, and the odd daily, just to keep the money coming in.
She has decent gear, the best gems/enchants possible, and she feels powerful.
My Horde character is my 'alt'. I have just joined a small, very casual guild, that I chose because of the freindly people in it.
The guild is currently running Kara a couple of times a week, but I have not been on any of the runs.
They do not have enough members to do Gruul.
I do as many dailies with this character as possible, usually whilst I'm in LFG, so I can quit dailies quite easily if a spot comes up.
I also do the dailies to earn gold, along with my herb/skinning professions, so that I can buy epic gear from the AH rather than craft anything.
I spent probably 8 months levelling my alt to 70, and I have done as many pre-BC quests as possible (except EPL chain quests for Scholo/Strat), including stuff like the Ancestor coin quest.
There is enough variation between these two characters to keep my interest alive.
My Alliance character is my 'main', by which I mean it is this character that I am interested in progressing. She is currently raiding twice a week in a casual raid guild (so still in SSC).
I do the odd heroic on her, and the odd daily, just to keep the money coming in.
She has decent gear, the best gems/enchants possible, and she feels powerful.
My Horde character is my 'alt'. I have just joined a small, very casual guild, that I chose because of the freindly people in it.
The guild is currently running Kara a couple of times a week, but I have not been on any of the runs.
They do not have enough members to do Gruul.
I do as many dailies with this character as possible, usually whilst I'm in LFG, so I can quit dailies quite easily if a spot comes up.
I also do the dailies to earn gold, along with my herb/skinning professions, so that I can buy epic gear from the AH rather than craft anything.
I spent probably 8 months levelling my alt to 70, and I have done as many pre-BC quests as possible (except EPL chain quests for Scholo/Strat), including stuff like the Ancestor coin quest.
There is enough variation between these two characters to keep my interest alive.
# posted by : 22/4/08 14:08
: 22/4/08 14:08
I have zero level 70 characters and I've been playing for a little over a year. My closest character is a level 67 dwarf paladin with about 16 days of /played time. Of course I probably only play about 10 hours a week too.
One 70 .. Orc Warlock. Still have my old main (undead mage) @66 and three alts (47, 45, and 22 .. Druid, Hunter and Warrior).
One day I will yope /played .my guess it will come back and say "yes you were". lol
One day I will yope /played .my guess it will come back and say "yes you were". lol
# posted by : 22/4/08 14:30
: 22/4/08 14:30
I have three :
LvL 70 Belf Paladin (Main)
LvL 70 Troll Warrior (Used for KZ)
LvL 70 Undead Warlock (Not played)
Then comes :
LvL 63 Dwarf Hunter (Not played)
LvL 45 Nelf Druid (Not played)
LvL 26 Orc Chaman (Upping)
Gehenne
LvL 70 Belf Paladin (Main)
LvL 70 Troll Warrior (Used for KZ)
LvL 70 Undead Warlock (Not played)
Then comes :
LvL 63 Dwarf Hunter (Not played)
LvL 45 Nelf Druid (Not played)
LvL 26 Orc Chaman (Upping)
Gehenne
# posted by : 22/4/08 14:49
: 22/4/08 14:49
I only have 1 level 70, but I have never been keen on re-playing long rpgs. I was the same with Bauldur's Gate and Diablo. I enjoyed leveling the first time, but a different set of skills is not enough to interrest me in starting over again.
In many ways I am still leveling. Just through gear and reputation, rather than character levels.
In many ways I am still leveling. Just through gear and reputation, rather than character levels.
# posted by : 22/4/08 15:13
: 22/4/08 15:13
I never did get any characters to 70 (Most were around 40 when I stopped playing WoW). This was probably due to a combination of me starting and playing characters of every class (To me, trying out and playing all the classes is a big part of the enjoyment of these types of games. Even if I do not start playing all of them, I will get around to it at some point, though there will usually be 1-2 that I get bored of and play less after a bit). I also ran a lot of instances, since that was the more interesting part of the game to play.
Any leveling (or equivalent process) tends to burn me out after a bit, the feeling of "just 1 more week to go until I get that cool skill" (Which usually isn't interesting enough for the time it took), or "Good, I leveled, on to the next 137 kills and 5 quests to go" appear and get much less fun after some time.
Any leveling (or equivalent process) tends to burn me out after a bit, the feeling of "just 1 more week to go until I get that cool skill" (Which usually isn't interesting enough for the time it took), or "Good, I leveled, on to the next 137 kills and 5 quests to go" appear and get much less fun after some time.
I highly doubt that the average player spends 20 hours per week playing. That's 5 4-hour sessions. Certainly there are lots of catassers out there who bring the average up, but 20 seems like an awful lot.
I have 4 level 70s; a hunter and a mage that I levelled to 60 pre-tBC and then levelled to 70, a priest that I rolled at the end of last summer and the newest is a druid that I rolled while waiting for tBC to come out who languished at level 40 until about a month ago. I enjoy levelling, then when I hit the level cap I enjoy the contrast of the rep/gear grind; after a while I get bored of that and start a new alt! I also have a 64 warrior that may never hit 70 as I don't enjoy playing the class that much, I just can't bring myself to delete her!
# posted by : 22/4/08 15:47
: 22/4/08 15:47
I have one. I can't figure out how anyone has time to get more than one except for years of play. I've been playing 10 months and have 5 alts the highest of which is level 26.
With the endgame, I'm spending more and more time gearing up my holy pally, with goals to increase healing, mp5, and spell crit. So my main is definitely seeing the most amount of play time.
I did start this weekend to level my priest getting her from 18 to 21. We've started a new guild and are recruiting a priest for Kara, but that's going nowhere. So I decided that even though it'll take months, I'll level a priest so we don't have this problem in the future.
Sort of defeats the purpose when I currently have the only healer in the guild, but being able to switch to someone who can shackle would be nice. Besides I love healing and will probably level a druid or shaman after this one.
With the endgame, I'm spending more and more time gearing up my holy pally, with goals to increase healing, mp5, and spell crit. So my main is definitely seeing the most amount of play time.
I did start this weekend to level my priest getting her from 18 to 21. We've started a new guild and are recruiting a priest for Kara, but that's going nowhere. So I decided that even though it'll take months, I'll level a priest so we don't have this problem in the future.
Sort of defeats the purpose when I currently have the only healer in the guild, but being able to switch to someone who can shackle would be nice. Besides I love healing and will probably level a druid or shaman after this one.
none. I burnt out last april after several guild melt downs, and attempt to help build a new guild. Gave my account away to my nephew. swearing never to play again. so this february afte trying every other game I came back.
But like copra I'm finding getting to level cap to much of a chore. I hate soloing. I get on if I can't find a group I get off an go do something else. If I don't hit level cap by WOTLK I'm done unless they introduce a /level command. Playing on the back half of the wave is just the pits unless you like PVP.
But like copra I'm finding getting to level cap to much of a chore. I hate soloing. I get on if I can't find a group I get off an go do something else. If I don't hit level cap by WOTLK I'm done unless they introduce a /level command. Playing on the back half of the wave is just the pits unless you like PVP.
I've only got one level 70, a shaman which I haven't played in a while. I've got a 56 lock too, thats the one I'm playing actively now.
I think the 20 hour estimate is a bit high, I know for me it is anyway. I can maybe squeeze in 4 2-3 hour sessions a week, it takes me a long time to level.
-Gooney
I think the 20 hour estimate is a bit high, I know for me it is anyway. I can maybe squeeze in 4 2-3 hour sessions a week, it takes me a long time to level.
-Gooney
I have four 70s, two 54s and an 18. I love learning the different skills for each class.
# posted by : 22/4/08 16:29
: 22/4/08 16:29
I have 3. Paladin, Warrior and Hunter. My paladin was my first character. I shelved him at 60 and changed servers, leveled up a warrior to 70 on the new server.
Eventually transfered the paladin over and got him to 70, then decided to play a hunter for a change of pace and got to 70 in like 7 days played with the use of Brian Kopp's guide.
All retired. Account canceled.
Eventually transfered the paladin over and got him to 70, then decided to play a hunter for a change of pace and got to 70 in like 7 days played with the use of Brian Kopp's guide.
All retired. Account canceled.
If a person truly "likes to level," he or she can create new characters to their heart's content. You can level forever in WoW.
I think, though, that this is a red herring - people don't level (and re-level) for the sake of leveling, they level to explore new content, to experience a wider variety of character skills, and to progress at a faster pace than they would in the endgame.
I'd argue that, if anything, leveling in WoW is too slow. If leveling was dramatically faster, people would be more inclined to play more characters (thus experiencing more varied gameplay) and the "rate of return" (in terms of exploration and character progression per time spent) would be greater. You'd also consume a smaller percentage of available content while leveling, providing for unique experiences leveling multiple characters.
Some players just want to get to the endgame, others just want to experience new gameplay and progression on multiple characters - long leveling times serve neither group.
I think, though, that this is a red herring - people don't level (and re-level) for the sake of leveling, they level to explore new content, to experience a wider variety of character skills, and to progress at a faster pace than they would in the endgame.
I'd argue that, if anything, leveling in WoW is too slow. If leveling was dramatically faster, people would be more inclined to play more characters (thus experiencing more varied gameplay) and the "rate of return" (in terms of exploration and character progression per time spent) would be greater. You'd also consume a smaller percentage of available content while leveling, providing for unique experiences leveling multiple characters.
Some players just want to get to the endgame, others just want to experience new gameplay and progression on multiple characters - long leveling times serve neither group.
I love leveling, and I love alts. I have six level 70s, two of which are paladins (others are priest, druid, shaman, and mage). Half of them just kind of sit and molder, but the priest and paladin raid, and I halfheartedly PvP with the shaman. I don't really like doing dailies, and I don't like doing stuff just to get rep. Even my raiding toons would be lacking most of their heroic keys if they hadn't changed the rep requirements.
Sometimes I regret this approach. My friends tend to focus on one character and make them real powerful, and I can see the advantage. For instance, I know a lot of people already exalted with SSO, but I have to wonder if I'll ever get a toon to that point. However, I like the flexibility of having a lot of top level toons. If a patch or expansion comes out and makes one of my guys more exciting to play, I have the ability to do that.
So overall I like fast leveling, I enjoy learning the ins and outs of all the classes and I feel like I learn them best by actually bringing a toon along as far as I can.
Sometimes I regret this approach. My friends tend to focus on one character and make them real powerful, and I can see the advantage. For instance, I know a lot of people already exalted with SSO, but I have to wonder if I'll ever get a toon to that point. However, I like the flexibility of having a lot of top level toons. If a patch or expansion comes out and makes one of my guys more exciting to play, I have the ability to do that.
So overall I like fast leveling, I enjoy learning the ins and outs of all the classes and I feel like I learn them best by actually bringing a toon along as far as I can.
# posted by : 22/4/08 16:55
: 22/4/08 16:55
Some players just want to get to the endgame, others just want to experience new gameplay and progression on multiple characters - long leveling times serve neither group.
heres the problem. The Devs have themselves by statement and deed invalidated all the old content. So even if you do like to level and group and do the old content most people in this game have been trained to rush to the end so they can play the "real" game. Its a shame really. The "real" game has about a hundreth of the content and fun factor.
but none of the content in this game is really good enough to do it solo indefinitely. Its a game where half of the fun factor or more has always been the other players. And the devs keep pushing solo content as the casual solution.
heres the problem. The Devs have themselves by statement and deed invalidated all the old content. So even if you do like to level and group and do the old content most people in this game have been trained to rush to the end so they can play the "real" game. Its a shame really. The "real" game has about a hundreth of the content and fun factor.
but none of the content in this game is really good enough to do it solo indefinitely. Its a game where half of the fun factor or more has always been the other players. And the devs keep pushing solo content as the casual solution.
I've got (5) 70's + a lvl 67 and 62. My Mage is my main but my Lock is such a close second that I raid with him as well. Only class I've never really been interested is a pally.
I did the whole endgame thing pre-TBC but burned out big time and just had fun with alts and 5-mans. Only in the last few months have I done Kara/Mag's/Gruul and now recently SSC. Fortunately I'm in an established low drama guild with no mandatory attendance that better suits my playstyle. If I want to play an alt I have the choice (as opposed to being forced to raid all the time).
I really enjoy learning a new class. Some are more interesting to me than others (which is why my Rogue has languished at lvl 67 for months, lol) but I would quickly lose interest in the game if I was stuck playing one character all the time.
I did the whole endgame thing pre-TBC but burned out big time and just had fun with alts and 5-mans. Only in the last few months have I done Kara/Mag's/Gruul and now recently SSC. Fortunately I'm in an established low drama guild with no mandatory attendance that better suits my playstyle. If I want to play an alt I have the choice (as opposed to being forced to raid all the time).
I really enjoy learning a new class. Some are more interesting to me than others (which is why my Rogue has languished at lvl 67 for months, lol) but I would quickly lose interest in the game if I was stuck playing one character all the time.
The closest I come to have a level 70 toon is a 67 Druid and a 52 Mage both Alliance. I took a break a little while after TBC came out and just can’t get motivated to get to 70 and am waiting for the Wrath reset. I’ve been duo’ing with a friend and now have a level 33 Warrior I may make my new main depending on how things go with the expansion.
One of the things I like most about leveling again is the speed of leveling after 2.3. I’ve already been through most of the pre-TBC content and every time I step back into I almost immediately remember 80% of the zone, the quests, the mobs, etc. That’s not really that fun for me. So I like the current speed of leveling. What I would like is more content variety. One poster mentioned about having a full 1-60 line of racial quests with no overlap. That would be cool for rolling alts since at least you could can totally different quests in the same zones and it should “feel” different. But since that isn’t the case, making leveling take longer would, I think, just cause more people to quit the game.
People like dinging and they like getting new spells/abilities. I like dinging almost every other play session. I would actually like a 40% per level reduction in the XP needed from 60-70.
One of the things I like most about leveling again is the speed of leveling after 2.3. I’ve already been through most of the pre-TBC content and every time I step back into I almost immediately remember 80% of the zone, the quests, the mobs, etc. That’s not really that fun for me. So I like the current speed of leveling. What I would like is more content variety. One poster mentioned about having a full 1-60 line of racial quests with no overlap. That would be cool for rolling alts since at least you could can totally different quests in the same zones and it should “feel” different. But since that isn’t the case, making leveling take longer would, I think, just cause more people to quit the game.
People like dinging and they like getting new spells/abilities. I like dinging almost every other play session. I would actually like a 40% per level reduction in the XP needed from 60-70.
My wife and I each have a 70.
Instead of doing the end game, I have several alts above 60 (and several below 60) I used to spend time on while she participated in end-game raiding.
Currently neither of us have an active account.
So far this year, I played Sins of a Solar Empire for a couple weeks, and when I find time (twice a month wince) I've been playing game demos downloaded from steampowered.com.
We are also expecting a baby next Month. :)
Instead of doing the end game, I have several alts above 60 (and several below 60) I used to spend time on while she participated in end-game raiding.
Currently neither of us have an active account.
So far this year, I played Sins of a Solar Empire for a couple weeks, and when I find time (twice a month wince) I've been playing game demos downloaded from steampowered.com.
We are also expecting a baby next Month. :)
# posted by : 22/4/08 18:39
: 22/4/08 18:39
One. Pre-BC I had three 60s, and only one of them made it as far as MC.
With the time I spend playing, I could have more than one 70. In fact, I would bet that the total /played time on the multitude of alts I have created post-BC, some of which have been deleted, exceeds the /played time on my single 70.
My 70, the only character I have consistently played since December 2004, reached the level cap at the end of January this year - a full year after BC was released. Three months later, she's pretty much still a new 70. The only Outland instances she's been to are Ramparts (3x), Citadel (1x), those two in Zangarmarsh (1x each), Durnholde (1x) and Shadow Labs (for about 20 minutes).
It's quite possible that she'll only be slightly improved by the time WotLK is released and will have never set foot inside Kara.
In the WoW blogosphere, it would seem I'm in the minority. But I sometimes wonder if the voices in the WoW blogosphere are actually the vocal minority and players such as myself are in fact the majority. They just don't spend their spare time on the forums, blogging, reading blogs, or even researching every detail about their class - virtually silencing themselves.
With the time I spend playing, I could have more than one 70. In fact, I would bet that the total /played time on the multitude of alts I have created post-BC, some of which have been deleted, exceeds the /played time on my single 70.
My 70, the only character I have consistently played since December 2004, reached the level cap at the end of January this year - a full year after BC was released. Three months later, she's pretty much still a new 70. The only Outland instances she's been to are Ramparts (3x), Citadel (1x), those two in Zangarmarsh (1x each), Durnholde (1x) and Shadow Labs (for about 20 minutes).
It's quite possible that she'll only be slightly improved by the time WotLK is released and will have never set foot inside Kara.
In the WoW blogosphere, it would seem I'm in the minority. But I sometimes wonder if the voices in the WoW blogosphere are actually the vocal minority and players such as myself are in fact the majority. They just don't spend their spare time on the forums, blogging, reading blogs, or even researching every detail about their class - virtually silencing themselves.
# posted by : 22/4/08 18:44
: 22/4/08 18:44
I had two level 70s and one level 51 that I was leveling when I got tired of WoW. I don't think the problem is that leveling is too fast, I think the problem is Blizzard's content creation is entirely too slow. 2 years per expansion with a budget as big as they have is absurd. Blizzard needs to reinvest some of their damned bloated profits into the game if they want to maintain their subscribership.
# posted by : 22/4/08 19:20
: 22/4/08 19:20
personally, i wish they would allow you to turn off the excellerated XP gain that was recently introduced. when BC came out, i tried to do all the quests i could find in each area before moving on to the next one. by the time i got to Blade's Edge, there were no visible !'s and i had to poke around for all the quests. somehow i wish there were an option to slow your xp gain.
# posted by : 22/4/08 19:27
: 22/4/08 19:27
None, though I expect my highest (65 hunter) will get there over the next couple of months. I play her in a once-a-week group that primarily does instances. Next highest is a 48 shaman, who is the character I originally rolled up for the group; when the group outleveled her a bit, catching the then-50 hunter, I switched.
I've actually never hit the level cap in any MMO, despite playing for 20-30 hours per week since 1999. EQ's highest was 62; current EQ2 highest is 54
I've actually never hit the level cap in any MMO, despite playing for 20-30 hours per week since 1999. EQ's highest was 62; current EQ2 highest is 54
Four. An Alliance warrior and rogue and a Horde warrior and rogue. The Horde warrior was my very first character and my main in the level 60 end-game. I didn't roll the others until after BC. The Alliance warrior is barely even 70 and is still in quest greens and blues. I had some grand idea about that being my PvP toon but realized that equipping it properly for that purpose would be pretty painful.
I have one, a 70 undead mage on Shadowsong. I started her in Sept of 2006, when WoW was my 'casual' game. At the time, I was a raid leader in EQ2, and playing in WoW was an awesome, light-hearted getaway from that pressure. Eventually, in June of last year, I quit EQ2 and moved over to WoW as my game of choice. Two MMOs, plus grad school and full-time work was too much.
I only seem to ever get one main character to the level cap though. In EQ2 I had a wizard to 70 (before that 60), and played her at the level cap for better part of two years. My highest alt there hit 42, and I am doing the same thing in WoW; my closest alt is a priest at level 32. I really like playing her, healing is fun (my alt in EQ2 was also a healer, I am so NOT a melee person lol). But I find I rarely log in to her because as we know, it is challenging to find groups in Azeroth, plus I am leveling holy (I'm weird about respeccing, I feel like if I don't play a spec leveling up, I will not know it as well). So soloing is hard. And there is still so much to do on my mage in terms of getting her up to speed outside of being 70. Even though I like the priest, and I love leveling (I do have several assorted < 20s that I've started because I wanted to see what a class felt like to play so I would understand its skills better), I tend to keep my focus on on the mage.
Bottom line, despite being 70 for quite some time now and raiding casually, the mage is only exalted with three factions right now, and I have been working on saving for the epic flying skill since December. I'm up to 3400g, which is pretty damn awesome as far as I'm concerned. When I log in, I'm far more interested in helping out a guildie in a low level dungeon, or running a heroic instance that will probably cost me 30g in repairs, than working on faction or dailies. Thus the slow progress! The only thing Azynthas can really claim is decent gear via Kara and PvP, from when I was temporarily insane and ground AV to buy shoulders. I don't do that anymore =P
So basically, I enjoy leveling, but with limited time and several monetary/rep goals for my 70 that I am slowing working towards, I don't see my alt(s) making much forward motion in the near future.
I only seem to ever get one main character to the level cap though. In EQ2 I had a wizard to 70 (before that 60), and played her at the level cap for better part of two years. My highest alt there hit 42, and I am doing the same thing in WoW; my closest alt is a priest at level 32. I really like playing her, healing is fun (my alt in EQ2 was also a healer, I am so NOT a melee person lol). But I find I rarely log in to her because as we know, it is challenging to find groups in Azeroth, plus I am leveling holy (I'm weird about respeccing, I feel like if I don't play a spec leveling up, I will not know it as well). So soloing is hard. And there is still so much to do on my mage in terms of getting her up to speed outside of being 70. Even though I like the priest, and I love leveling (I do have several assorted < 20s that I've started because I wanted to see what a class felt like to play so I would understand its skills better), I tend to keep my focus on on the mage.
Bottom line, despite being 70 for quite some time now and raiding casually, the mage is only exalted with three factions right now, and I have been working on saving for the epic flying skill since December. I'm up to 3400g, which is pretty damn awesome as far as I'm concerned. When I log in, I'm far more interested in helping out a guildie in a low level dungeon, or running a heroic instance that will probably cost me 30g in repairs, than working on faction or dailies. Thus the slow progress! The only thing Azynthas can really claim is decent gear via Kara and PvP, from when I was temporarily insane and ground AV to buy shoulders. I don't do that anymore =P
So basically, I enjoy leveling, but with limited time and several monetary/rep goals for my 70 that I am slowing working towards, I don't see my alt(s) making much forward motion in the near future.
# posted by : 22/4/08 20:04
: 22/4/08 20:04
Only 1: my feral druid in a very casual raiding guild (only starting TK now). But I have 3 60's, and a smattering of other classes across different servers, over my 3+ year playing history.
I spend a lot of time on my bank alts and at the AH. I have about 20k in cash and 10k in mats.
For gear, I no longer rely on PvE progression. Tobold, I know you keep saying that PvP is not useful in PvE. But current S3 gear is about equivalent to Karazhan / T4, and when S4 comes out, that PvP gear will blow away anything pre-T5. So I'm working to save up 5k arena, 75k honor, and 100 of each BG token. That doesn't leave a lot of time to level my alts. Plus, I spend time playing with my wife, and our toons are both 47.
I spend a lot of time on my bank alts and at the AH. I have about 20k in cash and 10k in mats.
For gear, I no longer rely on PvE progression. Tobold, I know you keep saying that PvP is not useful in PvE. But current S3 gear is about equivalent to Karazhan / T4, and when S4 comes out, that PvP gear will blow away anything pre-T5. So I'm working to save up 5k arena, 75k honor, and 100 of each BG token. That doesn't leave a lot of time to level my alts. Plus, I spend time playing with my wife, and our toons are both 47.
I have 3
Level 70 Warrior - PvE
Level 70 Rogue - PvP
Level 70 Mage - PvE
From there I'm working on another mage, different faction he's 53
I also have a lvl 62 Pally
and a lvl 50 priest.
So I been busy. I like grinding a little bit, it's very zen. I raid alot with my warrior and it's just stale lately. Though being a prot tank we are expected to be mules, they ride us hard when we raid, but when everyone is doing there dailies we're hanging out in shat with thumbs up our pants armor.
Level 70 Warrior - PvE
Level 70 Rogue - PvP
Level 70 Mage - PvE
From there I'm working on another mage, different faction he's 53
I also have a lvl 62 Pally
and a lvl 50 priest.
So I been busy. I like grinding a little bit, it's very zen. I raid alot with my warrior and it's just stale lately. Though being a prot tank we are expected to be mules, they ride us hard when we raid, but when everyone is doing there dailies we're hanging out in shat with thumbs up our pants armor.
# posted by : 22/4/08 21:00
: 22/4/08 21:00
I have only one. I had 2 60s at the previous endcap, but never levelled that other 60. (they were also different factions).
I have many alts, but none above 41 yet.
The closer to the cap I get, the more of a grind it is, and there's no way I'm going to grind the same rep over on any other characters. Or go to the same dungeons 10 times to get a drop I need. Or grind BGs. Or do anything over and over like I did on my "main". I can only do that once.
So that's why, I can't seem to get any characters to the cap after the first, since I know what waits for me: basically the retirement of that character.
I have many alts, but none above 41 yet.
The closer to the cap I get, the more of a grind it is, and there's no way I'm going to grind the same rep over on any other characters. Or go to the same dungeons 10 times to get a drop I need. Or grind BGs. Or do anything over and over like I did on my "main". I can only do that once.
So that's why, I can't seem to get any characters to the cap after the first, since I know what waits for me: basically the retirement of that character.
Four 70's: priest, warrior, warlock and rogue. All the other classes are in between 20-50.
One key factor you missed is relevant content patches. 2.3 and 2.4 both released lots of gear upgrades and dailies for 70's, making it more attractive to play my 70's than other characters.
And I disagree entirely with the premise- that there should be more leveling at all. It's an artificial barrier between players. I understand there should be a learning curve, but a lot of 70's I play with aren't all that knowledgeable anyways.
The hardcore will chew through leveling content so fast, they'll only hit the percentage that gets them to the end fastest. Everyone wins when the game expands more horizontally than vertically. (Except hardore elitists)
One key factor you missed is relevant content patches. 2.3 and 2.4 both released lots of gear upgrades and dailies for 70's, making it more attractive to play my 70's than other characters.
And I disagree entirely with the premise- that there should be more leveling at all. It's an artificial barrier between players. I understand there should be a learning curve, but a lot of 70's I play with aren't all that knowledgeable anyways.
The hardcore will chew through leveling content so fast, they'll only hit the percentage that gets them to the end fastest. Everyone wins when the game expands more horizontally than vertically. (Except hardore elitists)
# posted by : 22/4/08 21:49
: 22/4/08 21:49
I played WoW pretty consistently over the course of 11 months. I had a 60 druid to start with and I leveled him to 70 as quick as I could with a guild intent on becoming the number one guild on the server (and we hoped we would get even further than that; I believe we got in the first 100 kills on Al'ar, according to bosskillers, which actually allowed me to write the strategy guide that a the prize and was featured on their website, by the way)
I was heavily involved in the end-game back when it was overtuned and difficult to even to gain access to. That includes completing those three heroics (SH, SL, and Arcatraz, I believe) to gain access to TK, as well as Gruul and Nightbane kills to gain access to SSC.
I have to say, though, that those first five months were some of the most fun I've had in WoW.
That being said, I have two other level 70s (Hunter, leveled 1-70 after BC came out; and a Warrior, leveled 40-70 after BC came out). All this while having a part time job that pays the bills, going to school full time, and taking increasingly frequent two or three week long breaks from WoW.
This was all the span of 11 months.
If we want the game to take longer to level, then Blizzard will need to include a bunch more leveling content that isn't devoid of players (i.e., Sillithis, which never has more than about 5 or 6 players). Personally, I think Blizzard will do perhaps one more expansion after WotLK and then work on their "next generation MMO." They'll take all their lessons learned in WoW and make the next MMO a pretty revolutionary step that other MMO companies simply can't afford to make.
I was heavily involved in the end-game back when it was overtuned and difficult to even to gain access to. That includes completing those three heroics (SH, SL, and Arcatraz, I believe) to gain access to TK, as well as Gruul and Nightbane kills to gain access to SSC.
I have to say, though, that those first five months were some of the most fun I've had in WoW.
That being said, I have two other level 70s (Hunter, leveled 1-70 after BC came out; and a Warrior, leveled 40-70 after BC came out). All this while having a part time job that pays the bills, going to school full time, and taking increasingly frequent two or three week long breaks from WoW.
This was all the span of 11 months.
If we want the game to take longer to level, then Blizzard will need to include a bunch more leveling content that isn't devoid of players (i.e., Sillithis, which never has more than about 5 or 6 players). Personally, I think Blizzard will do perhaps one more expansion after WotLK and then work on their "next generation MMO." They'll take all their lessons learned in WoW and make the next MMO a pretty revolutionary step that other MMO companies simply can't afford to make.
Maybe I shouldn't even admit it.
70 Paladin
70 Hunter (Netherdrake mount)
70 Warlock (Netherdrake mount)
70 Mage
70 Rogue
70 Warrior (epic engineering flyer)
and also
68 Paladin
63 Druid
35 Priest
21 Shaman
My 68 paladin is actually my original character. I started him and then my wife started playing with me 2 months later - I shelved him and started a new one (the 70 one is speced protection, the 68 is retribution).
The 70 paladin is my "main" though I almost never play him since most of my guild retired from WoW (were never more than 8 people). I created the other alts mainly to play when no one else was around or if I just felt like soloing.
I list the epic mounts just to indicate that I do keep playing them after 70, as long as I'm having fun with them. I clearly enjoy the leveling game MORE than the end game though - I don't like to raid (did that in EQ1 and learned to hate raiding) and I don't care for PvP in MMO's (I do like FPS games for PvP action though).
I eventually plan to have one of each class at 70 just for the heck of it. The druid is the last one I really focused on, and I got that one to 63 in about 5 days played - I was staggered by how fast leveling is now.
70 Paladin
70 Hunter (Netherdrake mount)
70 Warlock (Netherdrake mount)
70 Mage
70 Rogue
70 Warrior (epic engineering flyer)
and also
68 Paladin
63 Druid
35 Priest
21 Shaman
My 68 paladin is actually my original character. I started him and then my wife started playing with me 2 months later - I shelved him and started a new one (the 70 one is speced protection, the 68 is retribution).
The 70 paladin is my "main" though I almost never play him since most of my guild retired from WoW (were never more than 8 people). I created the other alts mainly to play when no one else was around or if I just felt like soloing.
I list the epic mounts just to indicate that I do keep playing them after 70, as long as I'm having fun with them. I clearly enjoy the leveling game MORE than the end game though - I don't like to raid (did that in EQ1 and learned to hate raiding) and I don't care for PvP in MMO's (I do like FPS games for PvP action though).
I eventually plan to have one of each class at 70 just for the heck of it. The druid is the last one I really focused on, and I got that one to 63 in about 5 days played - I was staggered by how fast leveling is now.
I have 2; a mage and a priest on the Alliance side. I have 8 alts on my main's server, and have many other alts on multiple servers, low levels. I have a 63 hunter on the horde side. To get out of my rut lately, I started an undead mage on a PvP server to see how different it is compared to PvE. He's at level 18 at the moment.
# posted by : 22/4/08 22:50
: 22/4/08 22:50
nine characters at 70 level, one in each class. I know, it looks crazy, but this is way which I've chose to have fun. I haven't chance to go to raid instances, real life issues, kid, work, wife make it impossible for me. I'm still playing all toons, of course not all at the same time, and it's really interesting to see some things from other points of view. My equipment is not superb, just average or little more than that, I haven't enough time, and to be honest, it's rather hard equip all characters "whole purple" in that scale, but, because I don't have chance to go to raid intances anyway - it really doesn't matter. Still, with good time organization I can earn a lot there and play for pure pleasure (I have all professions leveled to 37x level, 7 epic flying mounts) - everything earn and skilled by myself. It's just matter of time - some people are all their playing time are grinding materials and going to raid instances and I'm sure that it must be interesting, I don't have chance to check that. At the same time I'm going to catch my next crocodile at Stormwind - and I have 9 chances for try. ;)
# posted by : 22/4/08 23:15
: 22/4/08 23:15
Everyone wins when the game expands more horizontally than vertically. (Except hardore elitists)
blizzard should hire you.
blizzard should hire you.
From what I've read on the blog and what my experience was playing, asking whether WoW should have more endgame or leveling kind of stacks the deck, since max level rep grinding, PvP honor and marks in battlegrounds, raiding, etc. seem to be the same process of "playing to make the character more powerful" as leveling was, only with slower power increases, no zone separation between different power characters, and few new zones to explore, which stacks the deck towards leveling.
Three. Hunter, Priest, Rogue. In Hindsight I would have changed the Rogue to Druid but that won't be changed now.
Hunter gets in Raids (casually today), Priest does Instancing / Small Raids (Karazhan), Rogue does battlegrounds and is a timesink.
Hunter gets in Raids (casually today), Priest does Instancing / Small Raids (Karazhan), Rogue does battlegrounds and is a timesink.
Two level-70s; both Horde-side.
A warrior (solo) and a priest (in tandem with my wife's hunter). She has only the one level-70 hunter.
A warrior (solo) and a priest (in tandem with my wife's hunter). She has only the one level-70 hunter.
# posted by : 23/4/08 15:23
: 23/4/08 15:23
Interesting comments here. I always try to rush to the level cap (I currently have 2 70s and a 63), but lately I've realized that since I'm not a raider, nothing I do at the level cap really matters. Outside of finishing professions, making gold, and a few rep grinds, my time is kind of just wasted.
Perhaps time spent leveling more characters would be more useful. At least I would have options when the next 'end game drag' begins. And if Blizz ever gets smart and stops increasing the level cap, I would really have some options available.
Perhaps time spent leveling more characters would be more useful. At least I would have options when the next 'end game drag' begins. And if Blizz ever gets smart and stops increasing the level cap, I would really have some options available.
# posted by : 23/4/08 18:50
: 23/4/08 18:50
One more note - I'd be happy to level more alts if we ever got some new *leveling content*! How hard would it be to throw in a new zone once in a while?
# posted by : 23/4/08 18:53
: 23/4/08 18:53
or just tweak the existing ones like Dustwallow marsh. I'd be happy if they'd tweak one old zone a month and slowly make them all as good as the ones they've upgraded.
One level 70, with a Paladin at 41 that I'm pushing fairly hard. Using Jame's Horde Leveling guide (http://www.wow-pro.com/node/754) and the levels are flying by. I play on rest experience only a little and at just over 2 days /played I am 41. Others have claimed to hit 60 in 3 days /played and I believe it.
This is a free guide, just a website, not some pay-for-it thing. As said early on, leveling is a quest of willpower for anyone with a 70 already. No point in making it difficult for myself, so I follow the guide and absolutely love the fact that I don't have to think about where to go or what to do next.
Blizzard is great at the end-game PvE content if you ask me, and as much as my PvP minded self wants to think otherwise, Blizzard is never going to fix WoW PvP. No sense in Blizzard wasting time on low end dungeons, just build a ton of max level content and keep it up to date (which means converting 70 end game to 80 after WotLK).
This is a free guide, just a website, not some pay-for-it thing. As said early on, leveling is a quest of willpower for anyone with a 70 already. No point in making it difficult for myself, so I follow the guide and absolutely love the fact that I don't have to think about where to go or what to do next.
Blizzard is great at the end-game PvE content if you ask me, and as much as my PvP minded self wants to think otherwise, Blizzard is never going to fix WoW PvP. No sense in Blizzard wasting time on low end dungeons, just build a ton of max level content and keep it up to date (which means converting 70 end game to 80 after WotLK).
The only problem I see with your model heartless is it's a squeeze the turnip till its useless model. Because i doubt you'll get too many new players after WOTLK. Thats a long lonely climb in a game they'll be joining to play with friends or make friends.
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