RMT in disguise, perhaps?

The lines are definately getting blurred with each passing month as companies do things to enhance their game(s)and prolong the life of their IP.

Blizzard knows that anything they do, that effectively bolsters the 'social networking' aspect of their games, is a win in the long run for them.

Face it, game design isnt going in the direction that many of the 'old timers' or 'gaming purists' would like for it to go. But the numbers are there to substantiate the reasons the game developers are taking this direction, whether we like it or not.
 

They might as well just take out leveling and come up with another way for people to know when they can move to the next area.
 

"The day where you can pay Blizzard $19.95 to instantly level up your character to the level cap isn't far away." /cry

One thing they don't seem to have considered is the reputation requirements for a fastracked leveled toon, not only does the 'grind' get you used to pressing the right buttons, and practical combat experience, it also means you skip alot of basic rep. While an exalted Stormwind rep vendor doesn't give you a nice receipe to learn, it does give you a heafty price reduction on reagents and the like, and makes it easier to grind for a specific faction mount if you use the starting area you want to aim for.
 

This is a very smart move by blizzard. Along the same axis as the scroll of resurrection. Blizzard know the key to their game's ongoing success is the social aspect. By limiting this to 'new characters' and enforcing the xp gain based to mobs of the same level they force people to group (ie: imposed social interaction) as well as getting an experienced player to assist and teach a lower level player as they rush through content devised initially to teach classes how to play.

The ability to boost levels of your veteran friends, they also allow for people to still spend time on their main to raid or whatever but not become too far behind their newly recruited friend to regroup and assist once more.

For all the arm-waving about negative implications this might have because of gold farmers or how much people have to pay for a 'free' mount... this I believed is designed completely to keep the longevity of the game going. The timing of this release as well gives an indication as to the expected WotLK release date. 90 days to get your friends to a level where veterans can create a DK and start leveling with them through outlands.
 

Don't forget the ultimate content skipping mechanic recently introduced by Blizzard, the Death Knight! Veteran players get to literally skip the first 55 levels of the game and the first 57 levels of the original content. Pattern? What pattern? I don't see any pattern!
 

Triple Xp is removed...
 

What's the point? With triple XP, new players will get to see only a third of a given leveling zone before quests will become grey to them. With triple XP, new players will have only a third of the time to learn how to use their new skills and abilities porperly. Only a third of the time remains for them to advance their professions.

So what Blizzendi does here is creating a whole new generation of max-level noobwads who neither know their way around the game world nor how to play their class well, just to keep their subscription numbers up. If PUGing was bad before, it'll become much, much worse still. Raid groups will gnash their teeth and pull their hair over the quality of new recruits.

But that's OK for Blizzendi, isn't it? It's all about raiding and Arena PvPing, since this is where new content is added most easily, to keep the masses occupied indefinitely. The whole leveling business is just a transitory experience anyway, best to get rid of it a.s.a.p.

I expect that a /level30 command will come soon (in order to get a mount), and, like Tobold, an RMT service to get a toon to 55 (in order to create a DK/upcoming hero class).

Thanks for nothing, Blizz.
 

Is this really too far off from the OP's common suggestion to better reward group efforts? The triple XP bonus is very specifically worded, only effective while you are with your friend (who, incidentally, can also summon you to him! Warlocks everywhere seethe with jealousy).

If you want to talk major speculation, what's to say this couldn't become a regular feature for guilds in general? Say a 2.5 XP bonus as long as you are grouped with another guildmate. Note that the XP bonus for the promotion only extends through 60, at which point you're on your own. Look at this:

Originally Blizz dropped the amount of XP needed to hit 60 by 30%. If you and a friend took full advantage of the 3x bonus, you're looking at less that 25% of the original time to level in order to hit 60. That doesn't even count the increased XP from Old World content.

What does that translate to? 2 days /played to hit 60?

A guild XP bonus might help resolve the worry that, as new content is released, new players start further and further behind the curve. It's a pity that so much of the game 'starts' at the level cap.
 

It's a good idea.
 

Well, now I know what my wife and I will be doing until expansion: leveling alts triplefast!
 

Another reason for me not to bother buying to the Lich King.

Maybe it's petty but things like this take away the level playing field.

Fine give them a silly looking mount...

But giving them an advantage over normal paying customers is simply wrong.

20 Potential free levels to the recruit and friends new toon.

Go Go Bliz ... alienate your player base more and more.
 

On the other hand it tells a lot about Blizzard's vision for the game below the level cap: Best to skip it

yeah this email clinched it for me. I'm done till thiers a /level command that lets me skip straight to end game.

If they want to declare the "real" game is at the end then they need to quit forcing people through the "unreal" part

I can handle one design desicion or the other but this half asses trying to have it both ways is breaking the game.
Canceling today.
 

Can't it be as simple as corporate finances? Which, by the way, I really don't know much about... but wouldn't doing something like this get their profit up for Q3 since the expansion won't come out until Q4, presumably?

Regardless. I got my second account last night, got my flashy new mounts, and for once I'm one of the first to have a "unique" mount (I know, won't last long). I couldn't get the netherdrake because of the grind, and I can't get the super cool rocket because finding a place to buy TGC cards in Canada isn't obvious... and even then, it's a rare loot card.

All in all, I'm happy. The best part of the game for me is starting new toons. I don't get them all past 40ish, but still. And the summoning thing is totally awesome.
 

I think some people here would do well to play through the Northrend quest lines before jumping to conclusions. A *lot* of work has gone into basic solo levelling quests, that goes far beyond "kill 10 boars". Many of the quests are genuinely enjoyable, to be played as a game themselves, and not as a time-wasting mechanic for "getting to 80". So I've no doubt Blizzard are keen to get players through old content as fast as possible, but only so that they can experience the new content.
 

This had me really, really tempted to start another account. But with Warhammer right on the horizon, I have decided to wait. I need to see what's going on over there before leveling alts through the same old boring content I've seen in WoW.
 

This is a crazy, crazy change. The triple experience and level-granting action just blow my mind.

The market (cough) for naked 55 accounts will be a very busy one. This change will help create the supply to meet that huge demand.

Stunning.
 

Tobold said, "In the Wrath of the Lich King beta the xp to level from 60 to 70 are halved."

Hmmm, I have a 63 Rogue and a 62 Mage. Are you saying I shouldn't bother trying to get them to 70 before Wrath comes out, because I could do it in half the time? Sounds good to me.

Perhaps I'll work on leveling my Tauren Warrior Alt to 60, then power level his Engineering so he can get a motorbike at 80.
 

I like the text letter delivered in the mail with the Zhevra mount. Good sense of humour:

FROM: Nesingwary Exotic Mount Supply Co. LLC

Contents of crate:

- One (1) Zhevra
- One (1) Zhevra Saddle
- Four (4) Zhevra Hooves
- Two (2) Spare Zhevra Hooves

- DO NOT OBSTRUCT AIR HOLES -
 

All this "fast leveling" stuff began with the introduction of "rest XP" in July 04, when they bumped the level cap to 50.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/patch-7-07-04.shtml

Perhaps not surprisingly, Blizzard continues to raise the level cap and keeps making it easier to get there. Result: more and more subscribers. Blizzard really is making the game easier to play. On the other hand, WoW continues to be hard to master with ever-increasing numbers of abilities and classes, and skill tests like Arena. So the gap between the newbie and the expert continue to widen, just as you'd expect in a growing population.
 

Heh this promotion is less about getting new "friends" into the game and more about encouraging established players to multi-account.

As evidenced by comments in this thread and elsewhere on the 'net.
 

When I think of all the time I put into levelling my main, these changes make me feel robbed!