mounts-at-level-30
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Why leveling will always be important to WoW
Times they are a changin', and as Patch 3.2 hits the PTR with a new wealth of mechanics aimed at making the journey to 80 that much easier, why not take a moment to look back at how Azeroth has changed? Leveling used to take a long time, and one of the first things a friend told me was that "the game started at 60." While the level cap might have changed, it's something I heartily agree with.Those of you who joined the game around the time of the latest expansion or even before might hear others speaking with misty-eyes of the olden days of Classic WoW when it took an age to get from Darnassus to Stormwind. While WoW might have a much lower learning curve than, say, EVE Online, it does still have one. But WoW is known as a bit of a grind fest and the ever growing level cap, which currently stands at 80 but will no doubt go higher with the next expansion, can be pretty daunting.Especially for a new player.
WoW Rookie: Saddle up your mount at level 30
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.UPDATE: Progress gallops forward and mount requirements have changed ... Visit our updated WoW Rookie mounts post for the latest mount information.Hitting level 30 is a major milestone in today's World of Warcraft: the level at which you get your mount. Up to this point, you've spent plenty of time hoofing it, getting to know the lay of the land. On the back of your trusty steed, you'll be able to zip across increasingly larger zones and quest areas in style. You'll start off on a standard ground mount, such as a Horse, Wolf or Kodo. Later, you can upgrade to faster versions of those creatures and eventually to mounts that can fly (in Burning Crusade and Wrath content).Mounts used to become available at level 40. Now that the game extends to level 80 and early character progression has been sped up, you get to speed up at an earlier level, too.
Behind the Curtain: Too much information
So, just the other day I hit level 30 on my latest World of Warcraft alt – a Dwarf Priest. I hopped on the nearest Gryphon to Ironforge to train up some skills, and noticed that I had unread mail. Skipping gaily towards the nearest mailbox, I was most surprised to find a letter from Ultham Ironhorn, the Dwarven Riding Trainer, letting me know that I was now eligible to purchase a mount from his fine establishment. For those of you unfamiliar, originally in WoW, you had to wait until you'd hit level 40 before you could buy a mount. Patch 2.4.3 changed that, and lowered the level requirement for a standard mount to level 30. I hadn't read anywhere though, that, upon reaching level 30, your character would be told about it. Back in-game, I checked with my guildies to see if they knew anything about the mail. They didn't, none of them having levelled up an alt in some time, so it was news to all of us. We all agreed that Blizzard must have implemented it to point players in the direction of a mount, when they might otherwise have missed out on the early availability. It got me thinking about information and the availability of it in game.
Breakfast Topic: Improving the noobgrind
As The Burning Crusade has progressed, there have been a lot of improvements made to the leveling process for lowbie alts. Revamping low level dungeons, reducing how much experience is needed to level up, nerfing the elites so most quests are able to be solo'd, and anything else I may have forgotten. Now in 2.4.3, as we've mentioned time and time again, you'll be able to get your first ground mount at level 30 instead of level 40.The community is really, really split on this. Some say Blizzard has gone too far, some say they haven't gone far enough. Personally, I'm in that second half... conditionally. You see, I have four level 70 characters, coming up on five. I like to have a variety of top level characters, just so I have some feel of how they play or I can help my friends out if they need it. I can supply a tank, a healer, DPS with CC, DPS without CC, et cetera. Leveling is by no means hard, I don't think I ever put active effort into any of them past my first. It's very easy.However, it is boring after the first time. Boring boring boring. While I adore the old world, it is very linear. There is a little overlap in zones, but the path you take is pretty much the same each time. This is mixed up a little in Outland as the zones overlap better once you're done with early Hellfire Peninsula and Zangarmarsh. You can branch out into the other zones if you'd like, and you're not punished with exceedingly long travel times anymore.I want to skip Azeroth. I love it, but I don't want to grind through it anymore. I don't think that the lowbie leveling process even contributes to learning your class. You don't really know what you're doing until you're closer to the level cap. I would really really like it if you could just start at Outland and work from there.That may be a little extreme, but hey, I'd love it. How about you guys? Do you hate how quick leveling has become? Love it? Should it be faster still? Do you have any better ideas as to how to make leveling alts more fun?
How mounts at level 30 may affect gameplay
I intend to sidestep the question of whether getting mounts at level 30 with upcoming patch 2.4.3 falls on the Dark Side or the Light Side of the Force. For now, I'm going to muse briefly on what impact this change will have on gameplay. Speed of leveling: Obviously leveling will be faster with a mount between levels 30 - 40. I doubt it will be 60% faster, though. Questing: Going through Thousand Needles, Alterac Mountains, Desolace, Arathi Highlands, and Stranglethorn Vale will be much easier. I remember Desolace, in particular, being one long drag after another. Economy: Lower levels will probably do more farming professions in order to raise the necessary gold for training and a mount sooner. This influx should drive down the cost of materials a bit in the short term. Also, given the low amount of silver rewarded at low levels, expect to see even more begging. Guild recruitment: Players who normally would've waited to join a guild before Level 40 (to help with mount costs) will want to join earlier now. On the other hand, guilds may have a tougher time keeping those players through endgame since there will be a longer span between getting the normal mount and getting the epic one at Level 60. After the jump, read about more gameplay impacts.
