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How to keep leveling when you're just tired of the same old quests
By now, most of us have leveled alts, and probably a lot of them. And while the leveling game was probably fun the first time and even the second, by the third, fourth, fifth and beyond, you're probably painfully bored of doing the same quests again. And again. And again. Sure, there are all sorts of tricks you can use to speed up your leveling, but what do you do when you just can't stand to quest through the same zone again? That's when you turn to alternative leveling methods. These aren't the fastest or the most efficient ways to get to max level, but they do all have the advantage of not being the same old quest grind. So whether you're leveling a character up for the first time or the hundredth, here are our 6 favorite alternative ways to get the XP you need.
Breakfast Topic: Your favorite leveling spot(s)
Chances are, you've spent a lot of time in World of Warcraft leveling, because for most of us having just a single main character isn't enough. Once you've leveled your main, maybe you want to see what it's like to play a different class or race. Maybe you want to see what the horde experience is like after playing alliance, or maybe you want to check out Kalimdor after leveling in the Eastern Kingdoms. Whatever the reason, most of us have alts for a change of pace -- and some die-hard alt-a-holics even aim to hit max level with every class or faction. All this adds up to an awful lot of leveling... and it probably leaves you with a really good grasp of the game's leveling zones. So today we're asking: what's your favorite leveling spot? Is there a zone or quest hub you just can't miss? A dungeon run you just can't get enough of? Tell us all about it!
Breakfast Topic: The leveling games we play
We've leveled a lot of characters in our day -- and I do mean a lot. So many, in fact, that leveling new ones can be such a snooze that we have to invent new challenges to make it interesting. So we create things like the Ironman Challenge, where death means you have to reroll. Perhaps to spice things up you're considering leveling your next alt purely through PvP, healing, or even daily quests. Tell us, readers, are you playing any leveling games? I am personally considering leveling a new priest purely through healing dungeons for a change of pace... though we'll see how long it lasts before it just starts driving me nuts.
Breakfast Topic: How do you level?
Leveling in World of Warcraft is a rite of passage that we all must go through in order to reach max level where we can play with our friends. Though for alt-a-holics -- and I'm starting to think I may be one of them -- leveling is the whole point of the game. But whether you're leveling for the first time or the hundredth, whether you're speeding through or taking time to enjoy the scenery, chances are you have your own way of going about things. So when you're on the leveling treadmill, what's your choice? For my part, I tend to quest through zones -- especially if they're zones I haven't been through before. But if I'm stuck in zones that I've been through before, perhaps many times before, things get awfully tedious, thus ending my life potential alt-a-holism. But do you quest, dungeon, subsist on dailies and rested XP, or something else entirely? Let us know, so we may commiserate about the leveling treadmill together!
Breakfast Topic: Leveling then and now
Last night my new gnome monk hit level 60 and I can't help but think about how different the leveling experience is since I last played a new character up through the levels. The last time I played a lowbie, you couldn't get mounts until higher levels (and they were darned expensive), flight paths had to be collected, and you had to visit major cities every couple of levels to train class skills. But the most notable change is definitely how fast it is to reach what used to be WoW's end game. Even without a collection of heirlooms, I've hit level 60 in a scant two weeks (or three and a half days /played). All I can think is: didn't this used to be harder? A level 60 character used to mean a significant expenditure of both time and effort, but these days the biggest difficulty seems to be outleveling zones before you've finished quest chains. And though I remember the days of original WoW with fond nostalgia -- there was certainly an epic feel to 40-man raiding and the massive world event to open the gates of Ahn'Qiraj -- I can say with certainty that I'm not interested in turning back the clock. The game may be easier, but it's still a heck of a lot of fun, and with level 90 to reach, the grind to level 60 that we had in old Azeroth would be tedious at best. But since this is a Breakfast Topic, the point is to discuss -- how many of you remember the good (or not so good) old days of WoW? And, if you could, would you go back to relive them?
Seven things every newbie needs to know
While plenty of old hats might say the WoW newbie experience is easy mode now, I'd call it streamlined: rolling a new character or leveling an existing one has never been more straightforward. Gone are the days when you had to pull up Wowhead (or download an addon) to figure out every other quest, the days when you kill dozens of monsters for a single quest drop, the days when you had to run through high level zones to collect flight paths. If you don't remember having to run from across the Wetlands to pick up the Menethil Harbor flight path -- dying more than once along the way -- count yourself lucky, because those corpse runs were decidedly un-fun. However, even in this golden age of newbiedom, there are some aspects of the game that just aren't explained very well. So, whether you're brand new to the game or, like me, returning after an absence, here are a few things every newbie needs to know.
Arcane Brilliance: Mage leveling guide, 21-30
Welcome to another edition of Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that won't give up, will never back down, won't retreat and won't surrender. Arcane Brilliance has the heart of a champion, the eye of the tiger, the soul of a lion, the reflexes of a mongoose, and the gall bladder of an emu. Now, if you'll excuse Arcane Brilliance, it needs to go indulge in an 80's movie training montage to get ready for this column. And yes, in case you were wondering, Stan Bush and Vince Dicola will feature prominently. After a rather extended hiatus from the leveling grind, we here at Arcane Brilliance (and when I say "we," I pretty much mean "me," and when I say "pretty much," I mean "absolutely." I fact, I'm not sure why I even said "we" in the first place. Just forget I said anything. Let's move on, shall we?) are finally ready to continue with our series of overly wordy leveling guides this week. Here's what we've covered thus far (and, yes, I'm aware that I continue to use the first-person plural when referring to myself. I'm a very confused individual.): Part 1: Getting started Part 2: Levels 1-10 Part 3: Levels 11-20 We begin today's installment at the grand old level of 21. Your mage is freshly bemounted (That word doesn't actually exist, but I think it should) and ready to take on the world. Chances are you're preparing to move into your third major zone. From this point on, you have a great deal of freedom in choosing where you want to quest. I'd recommend an add-on like Cartographer, or a website like mapwow (just check the box that says "Show names for zones") to see a map that tells you the appropriate levels of the zones around you, so you can pick a place to make your home for the next 5-10 levels. Once you've selected a destination, mount up and head that way. Stick to the road if you decide to travel through any higher-level zones in-between, and be sure to pick up any flight paths you pass during the trip.
Patch 3.2.2: Heirlooms to grant XP bonus in Battlegrounds
One of the more confusing and misunderstood aspects of the Heirloom XP bonus and leveling system that has been going around lately has been their application in PvP Battlegrounds. Some people say that the 20% combined XP increase from the chest and shoulders applies, some say it doesn't. Lots of smart folks provide answers, but until now there really hasn't been an answer on the part of Blizzard -- who has the final and authoritative say on everything.So let's lay it out real simple for everyone, courtesy of what Zarhym said in a series of posts over the weekend: Heirloom items currently do not provide an XP bonus in Battlegrounds. Heirloom items should provide an XP bonus in Battlegrounds in Patch 3.2.2. This is great news for those of us who like to power level our alts from 71 to 80 in the span of a couple days of playing via Alterac Valley farming. It's now going to go even quicker. That's a good thing, right?The confusion of Heirloom's XP powers while in Battlegrounds is likely a result of the newness of the XP gains you can get in Battlegrounds. Eventually all that confusion will go away, and Zarhym's clear statements this weekend certainly helped with that.2n - 1 go left, 2n go right. I don't see enough DoTs! More DoTs now! Are you ready for the return of Onyxia? With the Brood Mother being revitalized as a 10 and 25 person raid, you'll need to be sure you know everything that's coming at you. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2 will make sure your set for the next patch!
The Queue: Wherein The Queue has as much consistency as Smodcast
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.So welcome back to a full week of The Queue folk, and indeed this week will be a full one for The Queue. As Alex and I have mentioned before, when patches roll around and other big things come up our availability to spend a couple hours writing The Queue and The Daily Quest diminishes significantly. But this week nothing is on the radar, so here we are.Next week though, The Queue and The Daily Quest will only appear Monday and Tuesday; unless something unexpected happens. We have to prepare for BlizzCon and actually spend a few hours away from our computers packing and all that. But this week? We're all Queue'd off and roaring to go.Milesdfreeman asked..."Do we know anything about Patch 3.3 yet? What raids if any will it have? New features?"
