Do you find leveling 'fun' still?

[Castile]

Here's abit of a shower thought - is leveling fun for you? Or is it just a grindy means to an end?

I've been reading a few reddit posts on how ppl try to circumvent the lvling process because they find it either tedious or outdated or just downright boring. To add to this I decided I wanted the Kul Tiran heritage gear so I started to lvl one from 20 - my mage Janeway. She's doped up on BOA's, specced Arcane to wiz through dungeons and kill mobs and I generally like her as a toon but am I having fun? Mmm Not really. I mean I'm pretty casual now but I've had some time to play and am amazed how I'm burning through the levels after a few hours a night - so it's not like lvling is super slow - but is it something I look forward to doing on again my void elf? Defiantly not.

Now I realise ofcourse Classic is going to hit me and many others in the face like a truck after this wiz of levels but it seems to me like a more rewarding experience atleast when levels and gear actually mean something other then another rung on the ladder to 120 (or 60 in that case). I also remember certain expacs like Mists of Pandaria which must of had a fun lvling experience as I made a toon of every class and lvled them gleefully. Even Legion I lvled certain classes for their mounts without too much issue or complaints but this expac...I look at my 110s and think ergh I just can't

I think this is particularly relevant as Blizzard seem to be about to do another squish but levels this time and not just stats it seems (according to some survey stuff I've seen) and so they must feel 120 is way too many levels especially for new and returning players.

So what do you all think? Do you really enjoy leveling still? Is it something you love and look forward to do or is it just a way to get to 120 and the "fun stuff" at end game? Thoughts feelings rants go!

[Vephriel]

I do still have fun leveling new characters. I'm such an altoholic, it's just a big part of the game that I enjoy.

Sometimes I'll do a 'stop and smell the roses' route where I read all the quest text, pick some of my favourite zones, and immerse myself in the experience. Other times, if I just want to blitz through it, I'll turn on Azeroth Auto Pilot and powerlevel, but I find that playstyle can be fun in and of itself as well. It just depends what mood I'm in.

I definitely do feel that the leveling experience as a whole needs a revamp, I don't like how many zones are permanently stuck in Cata era and leave weird obsolete story threads hanging around.

I'm actually very intrigued by the idea of a level squish - I think we need one badly at this point, and they're just numbers to me so I don't feel like I'd "lose" anything by squishing down to a lower level. It would be more interesting to have more frequent rewards when you level instead of having them spaced out so far.

I dunno, I've been playing WoW since 2006, my sub has not lapsed in that time, and I have well over 30 characters now. There's always things to do, and I always have something to work toward, and every now and then I get that itch to create a new character and start an adventure on them again even though I've done it countless times.

[Castile]

I definitely do feel that the leveling experience as a whole needs a revamp, I don't like how many zones are permanently stuck in Cata era and leave weird obsolete story threads hanging around.

This point was brought up in a video I watched and the idea this youtuber had was to have "portals" to previous expansions so they were self contained stories and worlds that you could enter at any point and experience rather then go from one disjointed expansion to another. Or you could keep leveling all the way in classic azeroth etc. I think that's a good way to address the obsolete stuff that you still come across now days. But the whole thing does need a revamp.

I do appreciate this time round being able to pick between BC and Wrath zones at 60 cause if I had to do hellfire again I'd literately have to spoon my eyes out

[Makoes]

I actually really enjoy leveling up characters. The leveling up experience is actually one of my most favorite parts of the whole game. I usually pick different zones to go level up in from whatever my previous leveling toon went to. That way I get to experience all the different zones in a different way. I also play a lot with my Dad or some friends and we chat in discord as we play. I can honestly say that some of the stuff we get up to is downright insane! We are constantly trying to push the boundaries on our toons...

Such as, can we actually jump off this cliff to that ledge over there or are we going to die when we hit the ground? quick! put the character that can rez on the back of this 2 person mount, I'll pop out of mount form before we hit the ground, they'll get the parachute and can rez anyone that dies!

So...you think we can pull everything here and survive? Lets do it anyways!

RARE!!!!! (*but its through that huge mob of---nvm, this is going to hurt) FULL CHARGE AHEAD!

Did you know, that the cannons in Swamp of Sorrow are bugged? if one person uses it to launch to the quest area, the next person gets launched the same distance...in the OPPOSITE direction? (*seriously, this was me and my dad just last night!!!)

Even solo questing is fun because you go from the mind set of "I've got buddies that can help me kill stuff to...OH SHIT I don't have buddies to help me kill stuff, RUN!!!!!!" kite mobs and slowly pick them off.

Playing different specs or classes that I don't really main or play often can add a new appreciation and/or understanding of other class capabilities.

I am not a min/maxer, and my goal when leveling a toon isn't to "get it done" but to enjoy the current content where ever I am, read the quest descriptions and get an understanding of the "lore" of the place, why my character is actually doing these quests, and actually enjoy the atmosphere of the zones. As my Dad pointed out, the music in the town in Swamp of Sorrows is really nice. we sat there listening to it for a bit between quests.

[Vephriel]

Agree with Makoes wholeheartedly! I'm always trying different specs/classes, and the only character I focus on in an end-game sense is my main, so none of the others are meant to be raiders or anything. It's the journey I find the most fun, and often one of the best things motivating me is a planned transmog outfit that I want to work toward unlocking, so I'm always excited to get to that next threshold of leveling.

[cowmuflage]

I think yes but only because i've done it so many times and there is only so many times you can do something with out it becoming a core.

I don't know how I feel about a level squish myself.

[Castile]

I think yes but only because i've done it so many times and there is only so many times you can do something with out it becoming a core.

See this is where I think I'm at. I've done every class and both factions (I could probably do more horde to shake it up) that yeah been there done that. I find very little 'new' and exciting except using different mogs maybe. I want the heritage gear though so that's basically my only motivation to lvl these toons atm.

I did enjoy my blood elf from 110-120 (he was my free boost) for BFA mainly because he was both Horde and a dude toon (all my other toons are female) but once I thought of the rep grind at 120 after getting my heritage gear etc again that chore feeling lol I really want my wolf/pony chieve mount but the thought of doing again what ive done on two alliance toons already is the issue with me I think. And its not like I don't know that wow's about the grind too...sigh!

[Niabi]

Do I still find leveling fun?
Eh, yes and no.

I still enjoy the experience of leveling through original Vanilla content. It's the driving force that makes me want to roll new alts all the time.
I avoid Outlands content like the plague. Except for Nagrand because Nagrand is awesome!
Parts of Northrend are still very enjoyable to me. I definitely prefer to level here over Outland any day of the week.
Cataclysm content. What's that!? Unless it's Hyjal or Uldum, I don't really bother with any of it.
Pandaria is ok. I definitely love the change of atmosphere from previous expansions. It feels very different from WoW in general, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Draenor and I have a love-hate relationship. The quests can be fun, and the landscapes are incredible, but I'm put off by the whole time-travel/alternate timeline aspect of the whole expansion. Plus, there are only so many times I can build up another garrison before I'm like "Nope, not this sh*t again!" I prefer to skip this place whenever I can and only come back when it is necessary to level up my professions.
Broken Isles is still a lot of fun. I only hate the fact that I'm forced to run dungeons and raids over and over again to complete certain storylines (or level up certain profession skills for that matter). Not all that fun to group up for now with an undergeared alt if you ask me. I'm sure I'll love it more when my alts are able to solo the content without relying on others for survivability.
I've only experienced Battle of Azeroth content through the Zandalar storyline as a horde character. Everything is still new and fresh and I look forward to experiencing Kul Tiras with my alliance characters soon enough. I just wish they'd hurry up and release flying already! Jeez!

[Valnaaros]

To an extent, but only because I level with others, usually. Outside of that, I have leveled so many characters by now that it is just getting boring and repetitive, not to mention largely unrewarding. I wouldn’t mind it taking so long if there were more rewards/incentives along the way - not just cosmetic rewards, but also actual rewards for your class. IMO, the original talent system was lackluster, but at least you got a talent point with every level.

On a different point, I do think that there should be a way for people to level up faster beyond buying a boost. Heirlooms and the xp pot are alright, but the process of leveling still takes a long time. There should be more ways for us to level faster. And if there are those that would rather take their time, then they can just not use those things that speed up leveling, but there should still be an option.

[Wain]

Maybe activities performed by our mains (WQs, missions, whatever) could have some reward options that help level our alts?

[Valnaaros]

That isn’t a bad option, so long as the boosted do gain is significant enough.

[Talihawk]

Yes and no. When I enjoy the rotation and abilities of a class it's great. But when it's a class I'm less gungho about? Not so much.

[Bulletdance]

I do at lower levels, but once I get to about 60 it feels too tedious. Which is a shame because I'd love to have more at max I could run old content with for outfits. That's where a lot of the fun of wow comes from for me. It's an elaborate dress up game with pets lol

[Dialga]

The cynicism that comes from knowing Blizzard has little to no incentive to fundamentally ease the tedium of leveling bites into my enjoyment. Everyone knew full well why they hacked apart RaF, nerfed heirlooms, flat-out removed all but one experience boost pot and started banning people for using those pots to massively advance leveling - all these things affect their ability to sell boosts, whose existence marked the end of the severe XP-needed nerfs in old content. As long as level boosts exist (from now until WoW finally goes offline) I don't think leveling will ever be as quick and painless as it should feel when you already have max level characters.

[Rawr]

No, I used to enjoy leveling alts and having almost every class at max but these last, I want to say 3-4, expansions I've only been able to level 1-3 toons to max (one of those being the lvl boosted from buying the expansion). BfA I got my main capped but that was it.

[Teigan]

I've been leveling a resto druid and shaman and zoning out healing lowbie dungeons. It's a sort of fun

[Niabi]

I do at lower levels, but once I get to about 60 it feels too tedious. Which is a shame because I'd love to have more at max I could run old content with for outfits. That's where a lot of the fun of wow comes from for me. It's an elaborate dress up game with pets lol

This perfectly summarizes how I feel sometimes. I'd love to level up more classes (other than my hunters) but the grind from 60 can be a huge deterrent.

[Castile]

I do at lower levels, but once I get to about 60 it feels too tedious. Which is a shame because I'd love to have more at max I could run old content with for outfits. That's where a lot of the fun of wow comes from for me. It's an elaborate dress up game with pets lol

This perfectly summarizes how I feel sometimes. I'd love to level up more classes (other than my hunters) but the grind from 60 can be a huge deterrent.

I'm feeling this atm - got my Kul Tiran mage (which I quite like) to 69 and ive kinda stalled. 60+ is defiantly the groan part of lvling atm.