level70
Latest
Lvl 70 Republican specced legislative candidate LFG
There's usually a wide chasm between video games and the politicians who make decisions that affect the sale and content of said games, so whenever we hear of a civil servant with a ludological streak, it warms our heart. Sure, their trysts with gaming are usually not major aspects in their lives, as a majority of their free time is spent appeasing constituents and kissing babies. However, a Republican candidate for the Connecticut legislature recently outed herself as having an extreme fondness for World of Warcraft, evidenced by her main character: a Level 70 Orc Hunter.Jeanne Stevens, the aforementioned WoW fiend, is a mother of four and a local business owner in addition to being a legislative hopeful, making us wonder where she finds the time for late night excursions into Zul'Aman. We guess it helps that her father, uncle and kids are all suckling WoW's luminescent teat as well. We only hope that Stevens' story inspire other political figures to reveal their own gaming tendencies -- we hear Cheney can five-star "Psychobillly Freakout" on Expert.
Chinese player goes 60-70 in 23 hours
This is just wild. The Burning Crusade expansion only just recently got released in China by The9, the company that runs World of Warcraft there, and a Horde Hunter named "SilverDragon" from the guild GreenBase has leveled from 60 to 70-- in just 23 hours (Warning: that link goes to a site that sells gold, so visit it at your own risk).Think about that for a sec. When it was released here, the fastest leveler we saw took 28 hours, and he had the backing of a whole guild. Unfortunately, we don't have any other info about SilverDragon (gear? technique?), or any other confirmation that it actually happened, save for the "timestamped" screenshots posted on the goldseller's blog above. But if it is true, that is a crazy little chunk of leveling. Think we'll see an even quicker record to level 80?Update: As commenter Andy notes, the top screen seems to show a Warlock. Except that Trolls can't be Warlocks, buddy. But he's right to be suspicious-- this may not be true.Update2: OK, I think we've solved it (and can I just say I love how you can watch a train of thought slowly progress through any internet comment thread?). The shots are actually from different players, because they're targeting the same Hunter. And the reason the Troll looks different in the first shot is because that's the default Troll look-- whoever is targeting him is out of range, and in the second picture, they are not (which is probably why they have the Trueshot aura). Considering that there are also shots of him at 70 in the /who window, I'm going to call this confirmed. Congrats to SilverDragon for hitting 70 so quickly-- now he should probably go back and actually play the game.
The bottom of the top
Hitting 70 is an extremely interesting experience, especially if you've never done it before. You work your way up, through the long 50s and the somewhat shorter (thanks to Outland) 60s, and just as you finish that last bar of 69, the golden flash hits, and ding-- you're 70. For a moment, you cheer-- "I won!" you think. "I'm done!" But then you look at your gear-- dressed in greens and a few blues-- you look at the instances you haven't seen yet, and you look at all the epics out there to collect, and you realize, as spellproof on WoW Ladies so eloquently puts it, that you're at "the bottom of the top."It's not that there isn't more things to do-- there's tons of quests to do after you hit 70, lots and lots of rep to gain, plenty of great PvP, and plenty of instances and raids to run. It's the humbling realization that as much emphasis as both Blizzard and other players place on arriving at 70, it's hardly anywhere near the end of the game. Your level numbers stop rising, but there's still a lot of progression to go.For some players (somewhat like spellpower, as it sounds like she's finding herself in a bit of a hole), it's discouraging realizing that there's so much more to do. I find it encouraging to hit 70-- while your gear isn't that great, you can finally run all the instances you want to run, and even start appearing in raids, even if you don't hit the top of any DPS charts. But no matter how you react, it is definitely a feeling that is unique to reaching "the top" of any MMORPG game. For the first time, you might realize that these games really never do end.
Get an epic mount already!
Malleus from Wildhammer says he's found WoW's Bigfoot. He saw a level 70 on a non-epic mount, and for some reason, thought it was so rare that he just had to have a picture of it.Frankly, a level 70 on a non-epic mount isn't all that rare. My level 66 rogue is still riding around on a slowpoke Undead pony (just because he's an alt I was never willing to spend that much money on), and lots of Paladins and Warlocks just never got the chance or resources to get their epic mount quests done. For a main, it might be a priority to get a fast mount, but for alts, most people are usually pretty apathetic about it.Not that there are any excuses any more. With money flowing the way it is in Outland, 900g is no more than a few days' work. And while a flying epic mount is really the best for gathering professions (nothing more fun than dropping in, grabbing a mine node, and jumping back into the air), an epic ground mount really helps with both grinding and questing-- the faster you get somewhere, the sooner you can start earning XP. Not to mention that for the BGs, it's practically a must. Not having an epic mount after 60 doesn't make you a total freak (Malleus didn't really need to take a picture), but there isn't any really any excuse not to get one either.
Daze of our lives, starring Drysc
Drysc has laid out the science on exactly how Daze works. When we all first entered Outland, it seemed like mobs were Dazing us left and right, but it wasn't really clear why or how it happened. Now, months later, Drysc says they've gone over the Daze code again, and it really is "working as intended."Daze, he says, is based on a character's base defense rating as compared to a mob's base attack skill. The standard Daze rating is 20% (so if you're facing a mob of equal level and your defense rating hasn't been increased, then a hit from behind should daze you 1/5 of the time), and it goes up or down from there from 0 to 40%. Characters below level 30, interestingly enough, have a much reduced chance to be dazed (it's almost impossible for a level 1 character to be dazed by an equal level mob), in order to make the game easier when players first begin playing.The reason Drysc gives for us seeing it more in Outland is a little shaky-- he says there weren't many actual level 60 mobs in Azeroth, and there are now quite a few level 70 (and higher) mobs in Outland, which means a fully leveled character will be dazed more. Finally, the reason, he says, for Daze in the first place is that they don't want to make it "safe" to randomly run through a group of mobs. "A cautious and alert player," he says, "is less likely to be dazed than one who is haphazard and careless."My only problem with that is that I get dazed more not when I'm trying to run away from characters (I understand I'm going to be penalized when I sloppily run through a group of mobs), but when I get jumped while fighting. Should the same penalty apply when a single add jumps me from behind? And while we're at it, shouldn't being mounted lower the chance of getting dazed as well? Having a flying mount has made serious dazing tragedies much less common, but for characters still on ground mounts, shouldn't being mounted protect them a little more than being on foot?
I'd rather be lonely
My little blood elf tankadin has just hit 50, and I've got to admit that I'm having more fun with WoW than I have in a long time. I'm exploring a new class and new roles, looking forward to quest rewards and leveled skills, and not dealing with raid schedules, raid invites, instanced rep grinding and all the other hassles of endgame. My 70 troll rogue sits alone in Shattrath City, probably wondering if I've ditched her for a younger, skinnier toon. And while I'm looking forward to walking my pally through the Dark Portal, part of me dreads getting her to 70. Maybe I'm just not very good at this whole MMO concept, but I wish there were more things to do at max level in solo PVE. Questing is my second favorite part of the game, after professions, and it sucks that after 70 soloable levels, nearly all character progression is in groups. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is an MMO and I do like instances and raids, but I also like being able to log on for half an hour and accomplish something while kind of paying attention instead of having to devote a set amount of time and brainpower to an instance. Especially since on my pally, I can alt-tab and read forums or write between Holy Shields. I'm looking forward to patch 2.1 because there looks like there will be a lot more reputation quests that can be done solo to get nice rewards. Maybe then I'll dust off my old rogue and start working on some new quests -- or at least have something to look forward to on my paladin. Do you like soloing or not? What other options would you like to see for character advancement at 70? Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk.
You get water from a well
... and bread from a mill? Grettel asks an interesting question on the forums: Why don't mages get a water well? That would be a spell like Lightwell or Ritual of Souls that would create an item players can click on to get their own water (or food-- Grettel says a "flour mill" would work), instead of having the mage cast Conjure Water 60 times before every raid.It's not really a bad idea. The obvious benefit is that it would definitely save time, and since other classes have gotten timesaving skills like this, pretty much the only thing anyone waits for in a raid now is for the mages to make all the water they need to give out, and then drink again to regain all that mana. The only real argument against it is that unlike, say, Ritual of Souls, the mage water spell doesn't require any costs or reagents-- just mana. So the devs might counter that Ritual of Souls was meant to make the reagent cost cheaper for warlocks, but mages are supposed to use their mana-- that's how you play the game.I guess you could make a parallel with buffs as well-- if we're not waiting for mages to drink after conjuring their water, we're waiting for priests to drink after rebuffing all the time. The only way to keep that time from being wasted is to give the priests mana-free buffs, and that ain't going to happen, so maybe the devs aren't hot on the water well idea, either.But considering Ritual of Souls was implemented, a food and water well doesn't seem too far off. Maybe there'll be an extra mage quest in the next content patch?
Ding! 70!
My warlock hit level 70 during one of the horrendous trash pulls in the Auchindoun's Shadow Labyrinth. It took about 2 weeks, a little over but for the first four days my server was unplayable. I have a few suggestions for those of you who are trying to get 70 in the minimum amount of time spent. First, get out of Hellfire Peninsula as quickly as possible. There are so many people in that zone that I spent way too much time waiting for spawns. Second, unless you are a mage getting powerleveled with the help of a entire guild, quests are the way to go, not grinding and not instances. Finally, my pattern was Hellfire Peninsula to Zangarmarsh to Nagrand to Terokkar Forest to Blade's Edge to Shadowmoon Valley. I did Nagrand first Terokkar Forest was very heavily in use, and I wanted to stay out of that mess. They're about the same level, so it works out. I haven't even been into the Netherstorm area. Why did I skip Netherstorm? I'm a warlock. Shadowmoon Valley is full of demons. I was completely playing to my strengths. I started The Burning Crusade with about 150 gold on my warlock. I ended with a tad over 1500, not counting green items (sold via my bank alt) but counting all consumables, repairs, flights, and other expenses. Whenever there were quest rewards with no usable options, I picked the 2 handed weapon or the plate armor, those items tended to sell better. Unless you blow all of your cash on tradeskills, you should have basic flying mount cash very quickly.I managed to find groups to finish nearly all of my group quests on an ad hoc basis. On a couple of quests I got help from in-guild. Now that I've finished leveling, my goals are to finish up all my keys, do some instances, and help the rest of the people in my guild level.
Ask WoW Insider: Top PvP classes at level 70?
It's time for this week's edition of Ask WoW Insider, wherein we publish one of your questions for your Warcraft-loving peers to answer. Last week we looked at the best ways to make money in Burning Crusade. This week we turn from fiscal concerns to our concern with pwning faces. Our question comes from reader Noah, who writes: "I know this is a heavily debated question but I was wondering what you guys thought the top PvP classes at 70 will be." We've looked at who you love and who you hate, and now Noah wants to know who'll be ripping you to shreds in the level 70 PvP bracket. Have at it! And don't forget to send us your questions at ask AT wowinsider DOT com.
Breakfast Topic: The rush to 70
Well, the rush to 70 is just reaching its stride. On my server, I did a quick "/who 70," and during prime time I saw about 17 people on (one of them in my guild). Another guildie is at 69, and a few more are at 67, which means a good ten or fifteen will be 70 within the weekend, most likely, and there will only be more after that.And yet frankly, I'm not all that concerned with getting there. Sure, you might say it's a copout (I haven't won the race to 70, so I'm quitting), but even though I played for quite a bit after the expansion first released, my leveling pace has pretty much dropped back down to normal-- not too fast, not real slow. Enough to make the quests fun, but enough to keep it moving on the rewards end. And even though I'd be getting more XP in the other zones, I haven't even left Hellfire Peninsula yet-- partly because I want to see all the great lore and scenery, but partly because, like Mystic Worlds, I'm really in no rush to 70.Because while all the "good" raiding is at 70-- the exclusive 25-man endgame stuff-- that's also when I stop earning XP. And unless I'm headed for a specific item or attunement, it seems to me that playing solo without XP is a waste of time. The game ends at 70, and I'm in no hurry to end it. So what about you-- are you making (or have you already made) the mad dash to 70, or are you stopping to smell the mushrooms in Zangarmarsh?
WoW Moviewatch: World's First Level 70
Whether or not you agree with how he went about it or the sanity behind his desire, there's no disputing that Gullerbone was indeed the first player to get a character to 70. This video shows the method behind his madness, just in case you want to go and farm your way to 70 too. Because I'm never one to shy away from a good discussion, I'll just add my opinion here: As long as Gullerbone enjoyed himself, either in the activity of getting to 70, or in the result itself, then there's no harm here. He's not hurting your game, he's just working the game mechanics to reach an end that he desired. That's the great thing about an MMO such as WoW - there are so many options that you can explore for your $15 a month. Oh, and one more quick comment: Is it just me, or can you really tell the difference between European-made videos and North American-made videos by their choices in music?? Not 100% of the time, but enough to make an educated guess as to the continent of origin. Post your reactions below, and also see what the punters over at our sister site, Joystiq, have to say about it too.
Gullerbone hit 70 before you did
The forums are abuzz this morning with news of a world-first level 70. In just 28 hours, Gullerbone, of the EU Archimonde server took his mage named Gawell from 60 to 70 in the Outlands. Our friends over at World of Raids managed to get an interview with Gullerbone shortly after the event. The beginning of the interview is below, click the read link for more, and then come back and let us know what you think about Gullerbone's dogged determination to get this world first. [WoR]Teza: Can you introduce yourself quickly in a few words? Gullerbone: I am french and 24 years old, a member of Millenium (french guild) since 1-2 months and I was the one playing the mage called Gawell for this exp rush, eventually I will reroll shaman to complete my PvP arena team. [WoR]Teza: Whats your played time from 60 to 70? Which zone were you in when you reached lvl 70? Gullerbone: It took me 28 hours to get from 60 to 70, and dinged 70 at 4:04 am (CET) on Januar 17. I was in Netherstorm (subzone: Mana forge) when i reached lvl 70. [WoR]Teza: What was your preparation? How did you make it in such a short time? Gullerbone: Cau (the 1st european lvl 60) and I planned the exp route step by steps, trying everything to make sure it was the most approriate, the groups organization with the guild Millenium and their members. Each member rotated using a definite order to help me to grind on mobs, mostly with AE, surrounded with several guildmates healers, tanks, pullers etc...
Breakfast topic: How long til you hit 70?
By now many of you who already had level 60s have had a chance to gauge how fast your leveling process might go on the road to 70. So, let's hear it -- what are your predictions for how long it will take you to get to the new level cap? Or, if you've just rolled a new alt or character and plan to take it all the way to 70 -- how long do you expect to spend leveling up? Do you have any personal leveling goals you want to achieve? Having been a member of a relatively hardcore raiding guild (almost every night towards the bitter end, when we disbanded "until the expansion") and knowing all too well how quickly "fun" can turn into "burnout," I plan to take my time leveling both my current 60 and my new blood elf alt (or alts... totally tempted to roll a draenei now, too). After taking a couple of months' worth of break from the game, I'm just happy to be back and enjoying the new content, and am avoiding setting any goals at the moment -- although I totally applaud those of you out there vying to be the first on your server to 70, or first in your guild, or what have you. So let us know -- how long will it take you to get to 70?[Update: for some of you... not long!]
Rested XP will restart for 60s in BC
Neth's dropped the lowdown on rested XP in the expansion. In short, for level 60 characters, it's going to reset, and then restart. In a little longer, she says that you can't earn rested XP at 60 right now in preparation for the expansion. After you install Burning Crusade, your level 60 characters will not have any rested XP at all. But they will start earning rested XP as normal as you go on your way to 70. So if you want to be really crafty, even if you're planning to sit out the expansion insanity, you might drop the expansion on your computer, and then make sure your level 60's are in an inn while you stay logged out for a few days. That way, not only will the servers be back to normal when you get back, but your toons will be ready to go, too.As for lower level characters, I'd imagine that rested XP will work the same whether you have the expansion installed or not-- if they have rested XP saved up before you put the discs in, they'll have it afterwards, too.
Blizzard announces level 70 PvP weapon rewards
In my continuing quest to explore the PvP side of things, I've often been wondering if I should've been saving my honor for level 70 rewards. I had no idea what kinds of things would be coming out of the BG's for my little orc hunter until now. Blizzard has updated a lot of PvP information today. For each individual battleground, you'll notice the elimination of faction requirements (no more friendly, revered, or exalted rquired), and the changes in pricing from gold to honor points and pvp tokens. For general PvP weapon rewards, the list has been expanded upward to level 70, and includes a lot of new weapons. Check out the new information at the links below:
