wow How the Level Squish Will Work with Soloing Old Content

[Starym 3,800]

Eurogamer recently spoke to Shadowlands producer Michael Bybee and lead engineer Patrick Magruder about the level squish coming with the new expansion (and for some reason insisted on calling it a level squash) and we found out some interesting details regarding the way soloing older content will work after it.

Check out our BlizzCon 2019 Content Hub for more interviews and info!

As we already know we will be able to experience any of the expansions while leveling from 10 to 50 with a brand new starting area and the old ones to choose from for 1-10. After the starting experience, at level 10, new players will go directly into Battle for Azeroth, and existing players will be able to choose any expansion (or vanilla) to play through. This outdoor time-walking or Chromie Time (as she'll be your guide through this) is how we get to experience the history of Azeroth and level up within those periods of time.

The new info from the interview shares what happens after you've hit level 50 (or 60, if you also go through Shadowlands), and want to run old raids, dungeons etc. for transmogs, achievements, mounts and everything else:

Quote

Eurogamer: So all of the legacy content - Pandaria and the like - that's being scaled somehow?

Patrick Magruder: It'll be scaled from 10 to 50.

Actually, to be clear, it'll be scaled from 10 to 50 while you're levelling. However, that's where Chromie comes in - Chromie Time. As you're doing it from 10 to 50, it's Chromie time, it's scaled. Once you hit 50, Chromie will show up again and say, 'Hey, it looks like you're done, cool - let's bring you back to the main timeline,' and then you'll be 50 and Pandaria will have been scaled down to around, I'm going to guess, 35-ish in the new scheme.

Michael Bybee: The point there is if you want to run a Pandaria raid because you really like the transmog, you can still do that because those creatures will be lower level than you once you've left Chromie Time and you're no longer levelling up.

They also talked about how leveling will take significantly less time than it does now, some 60-70% less in fact, to get from 1 to 50, with an emphasis on pacing out the leveling process well, with new skills, dungeons and features opening up at the proper tempo - so we keep getting something new and interesting quickly, but also don't get overwhelmed.

The rest of the interview covers a lot of the basic stuff around the squish - the fact that we'll be getting old abilities back, that the talents will be revamped etc, but it's certainly worth a read and you do so by heading over here.

[VictorVakaras 83]

It's shaping up to be a pretty good expac. It might lure me away from Classic, for a bit anyway.

[stomp442 2]

2 hours ago, Starym said:

They also talked about how leveling will take significantly less time than it does now, some 60-70% less in fact

Wow..it's already super fast.

[Tupi 30]

I wonder when we're going to hear about professions. Have I missed a post on how they are going to handle that?

[Calysia 229]

59 minutes ago, stomp442 said:

Wow..it's already super fast.

That percentage decrease is a comparison to getting to level 120...which I wouldn't currently consider super fast.

[darkgreenwax 412]

I'm wondering what impact heirlooms will have on all of this.

 

And from the sounds of the leveling speed, I will probably have to find a new server to create an army of alts on ? rip me

[Alsurag 1]

Heirlooms...I wonder if it will be still possible to earn heritage armor in Shadowlands...

How will that work then?

[Aegrotat 80]

18 minutes ago, Alsurag said:

Heirlooms...I wonder if it will be still possible to earn heritage armor in Shadowlands...

How will that work then?

Why would they not let you earn heritage armour? You'll still be able to earn it, I think I remember it being said that you have to get to 60 though to earn it, not 50.

[Arcling 898]

57 minutes ago, Aegrotat said:

Why would they not let you earn heritage armour? You'll still be able to earn it, I think I remember it being said that you have to get to 60 though to earn it, not 50.

Yes, all allied races and their classes will start at 10, so for heritage armor you will have to level from 10 to 60. Other races will all start at level 1.

[Aegrotat 80]

7 minutes ago, Arcling said:

Yes, all allied races and their classes will start at 10, so for heritage armor you will have to level from 10 to 60. Other races will all start at level 1.

Thanks for the clarification. I knew the starting level just couldn't remember if it was 60 or not for the armour

[Knoxtane 10]

Yay! No more ridiculously high level numbers! 60. Nice & Clean. Just think. Something we have never seen "Arander, Level 60 Death Knight". Doesn't that sound sick?

I'm excited to play actual expansion content that I never got to experience. TBC, Wotlk and Cata. Can't wait to level a few toons to 50 and then see which one I'll take to 60!

 

 

[Havyk 0]

8 hours ago, Knoxtane said:

Something we have never seen "Arander, Level 60 Death Knight". Doesn't that sound sick?

 

 

Death Knights start below level 60 perhaps you meant demon hunters?

[Czibi 0]

What about achievements which requiers significant lvl and/or gear like herald of the titans

[KomodoDragoon 3]

Awesome! Now they just have to make it so you don't have to worry about specific mechanics that practically need more than 1 person to get past, such as the first boss of Blackwing Lair. I could never do that on my own. Unless they did something about those kinds of mechanics already. I've been out of the loop since before 7.2.

Edited November 10, 2019 by KomodoDragoon

[Kamazi 0]

10 hours ago, KomodoDragoon said:

Awesome! Now they just have to make it so you don't have to worry about specific mechanics that practically need more than 1 person to get past, such as the first boss of Blackwing Lair. I could never do that on my own. Unless they did something about those kinds of mechanics already. I've been out of the loop since before 7.2.

I believe they have, havnt done it myself for awhile but if I remember correctly your talking about the boss you mc with the orb...it has no cast time or CD so it only takes like a minuite

[CaperfinWoW 21]

13 hours ago, Czibi said:

What about achievements which requiers significant lvl and/or gear like herald of the titans

Good question, had the same idea.

[Songster 0]

Minor correction - so far as I know, "Vanilla" won't be an option.  "Old world" continents (EK and Kalimdor) are an option, but those zones will be set up as they appeared in Cataclysm. 

In terms of levelling speed, it looks like the intention is for level 10-50 to take roughly the same length of time as any given expansion did to play through for the first time, i.e. 60-70 when TBC was new, 70-80 when WoTLK was new, 80-90 when Cataclysm was new, etc.  You'll experience one expansion's worth of content at its original pace, and level from 10-50 during the process.

One interesting thing to keep an eye on will be any awkwardness around the few plot lines they put in that require jumping between expansions (e.g. turning in Island Reward quests from BfA content).  Another will be how they handle the old world (even the Cataclysm revamped versions), because however you cut it, EK and Kalimdor collectively have much more content than any single expansion.  There's enough there to make at least two parallel paths following different storylines.

[Knoxtane 10]

17 hours ago, Havyk said:

Death Knights start below level 60 perhaps you meant demon hunters?

No, I mean once I hit max level on my DK, He will be level 60. I'm saying max level of 60. Yes, DKs have been able to be 60 before but it didn't mean much...I know I saw a ton of level 70 DKs and 80 DKs when I played