I’ve seen the pinned ‘returning…’ topic but latest clip there is from 2018. I left the game in 2017, it was boring if I remember right: no open world pvp, random mini-games left and right without any correlation to each other or the world, or making one feel like there’s any progress and was going somewhere, zero-skill-required-one-button-smash-fest for combat, dumbed down talent tree, everything costs a billitrillidillion golds (plus a penny) and such…
High hopes this new extension changed some of this or at least started walking in a better direction, but I’m totally lost in the game. I don’t remember “where I am in the world”, level cap was… halved or something? My main was standing in front of a ‘send minions to a quest’ pole or what…
The last thing I clearly remember was this ‘Garrison’ thing (which started killing the game) but everything else after that is super-blurry… Especially with these “level 120” topics. I was 110 or such when I left, now my chars are 45. Huh? What?!
If anyone could ramp me up or point at an up-to-date ‘returning’ topic / tube clip / whatever, especially if it’s not hours long, or just sum it up in a few bulletpoints “what’s new” (since Garrisons) so I can google stuff, that would be much-much appreciated.
BTW most of my chars are on Twisting Nether (EU, Horde). Is that a good realm? Or does it matter at all in this auto-grouping LFG-ing stuff (if still there)?
Sorry if asking for too much but hey, if you lend a hand, in my eyes, you are a legend
This is a long and brilliant explanation of all the things beginners should know, with timestamps so you can jump to the relevant section:
Except that unfortunately he made it just before Blizzard broke the levelling model that has been in the game since the beginning, so none of that is included.
So there are three things you need to know:
1. Scaling
In late Legion, Blizzard introduced Scaling. Among the Top Five Worst Decisions in WoW Ever, IMO, but they did it. With Scaling, mobs have no definite level, or power, or health. They change their level depending on your level. If you fight Hogger when you’re level 1, you will see him as a level 1 (and you can beat him at level 1 now). If you meet him as a level 22, you will see him as a level 22. He will never appear as above level 30, because he is in a continent that only goes up to level 30, but within that range, he will mimic whatever level you are.
2. Level Squish
With Shadowlands, Blizzard DID cut the levels in half. At the end of BfA, we were all at level 120. At the start of Shadowlands, we were squished to level 50, and have now levelled back to 60.
End-of-Legion character were level 110. They became level 45.
3. Chromie Time
With the Level Squish, expansions were separated and made (sort of) independent of levels.
You used to go from Azeroth to Outland at level 60, then Northrend at level 70, Cata at level 80, Pandaria at 85 and so on.
Now, once you reach level 10, you can talk to Chromie near the Orgrimmar Embassy, and she will magic you into a timeline, which is Choose Your Expansion. When she does that, you can play the expansion you choose at any level up to 50. For example, at level 10, you can ask her to send you to Zandalar to play the BfA expansion, and she will, and when you get to Zandalar, all the enemies will appear level 10 to you.
Within Zandalar, you can level from 10 to 50, and as you do, the mobs will keep changing to be always at the same level as you.
When in a particular Chromie Time expansion, you will be able to queue for the dungeons of that expansion.
If you want to play BfA now, you can go talk to Chromie, ask her to send you there, and get from 46 to 50 that way. IT WON’T TAKE LONG! When they introduced Chromie Time, they put levelling on like multiple speed. Levelling is so much faster than you remember.
When you get to 50, Chromie Time ends - rather brutally - and then it’s time for you to start Shadowlands.
Here is a longer and more general guide:
As for Twisting Nether, it certainly is a very good and busy realm for Horde. The two things I hear against it are a) many people speaking languages other than English and b) a lot of competitive elitist people there. Since I don’t play there myself, I don’t know, but if you are happy with it, you should be fine with it.
Thank you so much for the spot on, detailed answer! I LOVE YOU AND I MEAN IT!
So… It seems they kicked up and destroyed what was left from WoW and now it’s an arcade “do what you want, you’ll always win” mumbo jumbo?
How about street fights? (i.e. meeting opposite faction in the open world). Non-existent as since Garrisons were added? Players are also getting leveled out when they meet, or what?
Either way, I think I’ll stay with WoW Classic then. Leveled up to 9 with my UD Lock yesterday, died at least ten times to not paying enough attention, ninja pulling, being too brave, etc, so being a total noob in general and I LIKE the fact the game punishes one for being an idiot. Life is not any different…
I can’t wait to meet the good old talent tree as well. I loved and adored it so much! Tweaking all the time, minding every single point I’m about to spend as it really, really matters(!)…
It’s so depressing the ‘newest wow’ is not going back to the school everone loved and adored, but more and more an arcade rubbish
Probably the young ones are very loud in forums and reddit, so they serve their “needs”… very old trap… Thinking 8 years old is “the masses” for them being loud…
Anyway!
Thank you again for all the details! BTW what’s your server? Is that a good one? I don’t like elitism, I like people who fair with each other, not greedy, tolerate errors, happy to help others and grow with them together. So real mmo players…
My main server is Magtheridon, and it is not a good one for either factione, by any standard - it is a terrible one, I’m afraid. Blizzard made a terrible decission to get themselves out of a jam some years ago and screwed it up. It is sort of balanced, and in retail WoW, that is death.
