Man, I don't get it. No matter how hard I try, I can't get an alt to even 40. Either I start to lose interest in them, or I can't remember where to go next, or somehow I skip a quest and then everything is killing me, or something.
My one friend suggested a levelling guide. Now, I'm kind of iffy about them. It seems more like cheating than WoWhead or Thottbot. Not to mention, these things cost money. Now, I have to scrape money together to pay for my WoW subscription; I can't really afford to pay $30+ on the side just to level another character to 70.
Maybe it's the fact that my first character is restoration and it takes three times as long to get anything done on her, and that I can't afford epic flight form for her yet, so gathering mats takes an eternity, and my slow computer can't handle the huge influx of people on the island, and that my epic purple armor costs so frickin' much to repair...
Some people just seem to have the knack for it. I have a friend who has a hunter and a priest at 70, with a warrior almost there. She's never used a levelling guide, and she did most of it on her own. She's also been playing about half as long as I have. It seems like talent is almost required to get this done!
Maybe I just don't have the levelling gene. With my highest level alt at 38 and remaining there (she's kind of twinked, and I find I don't enjoy her playstyle) I feel like I'm never gonna see the raid past the little green health bars.
Then again, perhaps this summer I'll have more time...but I'll also want to spend that time doing things like working or seeing my at-home friends. Gah! What is a resto druid to do? Maybe the comments will have helpful hints on how to get a character up to 70 while keeping my druid out of the poor house. Hint hint nudge nudge readers.
21 comments:
Everyone has different play styles. I *love* leveling. There's just something exciting about it - so I have lots and lots of alts, at various stages in the leveling process, because I like it so much.
Not everyone is like me :)
That said, if you want to take a look at a leveling guide that *doesn't* cost money, I can send you a link to one (the link doesn't fit in the comment window). I've not really used it since I've been through 1-70 content 3 times completely now, and I have two alts in their 50's, but I do recommend it to people that are looking for a boost or are feeling stuck.
The other thing you might try is just logging your alt on and playing. I know - right now there's a TON of stuff to do at 70 - but that doesn't mean you can't take a night off every now and then and do something different. Make your alt monetarily self-sufficient (twinking occasionally is fun, but remember your budget :D) and just go have some fun with lower level stuff. This is particularly fun if you have a guildie with an alt around the same level that you can group with.
I'd love to help - but my highest alt is 29...
I think that maybe because levelling a resto was just so hard work, the idea of levelling another class (even though, intellectually, I know it will be faster, brings me out in a cold sweat.
Ah, well.
Oh - and because I'm a noob and forgot - there's also nothing wrong with *not* having a ton of alts. If you really want one, that's fine, but everyone has different things they like about the game :)
Quest Helper imo.
find another person that also wants to level an alt and schedule some time together.
Jame's leveling guide:
http://www.wow-pro.com/node/599
Is free :) I used it to get my Draenei priest to 60. I'm not sure if they've updated it since TBC came out (new quests, faster leveling) but it should still work fairly well. I've leveled 6 characters past 60 so I'm really done with the whole "experience it without a guide" thing and just wanted it done as quickly as possible XD
I don't know how non-dps does it. Almost lost it when I leveled my priest. It felt like it was never going to happen. Now a DPS toon...that is the way to go. My hunter leveled without me even trying :)
I have leveled three toons to 70, and most of it without leveling guides. Leveling guides do take some of the fun out of the game, but really, you already have a 70, do you want do beat your head on the desk, all over again? I know, I don't. When I leveled Bre and my priest, I used a great guide (free site) that helped me get an idea of where I should be questing and what quests were available to me. Prior to 2.3, with all the lovely marks on your minimap, how many times didn't you pass by that escort quests, because you didn't know it was there.
Again, a guide is just that, something to give you a hint of where you can quest and where to find things if you aren't sure. If you don't want to use a guide, but still want something that can help, I highly suggest Lighthead and Tom Tom. Both mods are indispensable to me. Lighthead imports comments from wowhead into a sliding side panel on your quest log. Tom Tom does the coords.
This is the leveling guide I used:
http://www.wow-pro.com/leveling_guides/james_alliance_leveling_guide
I would choose a class that is fairly easy to level, but can do a completely different role than your current character (since you don't want to another healer), and as a druid you can already tank with just a gear/spec change.
I would probably go with a DPS/CC such as hunter/mage/rogue, these pure DPS classes are fairly easy to level with hunter being the easiest.
James' Alliance Leveling guide is the way to go. I don't in any way think it's "boring." Honestly, it had me questing in places I never really thought of before. And it's free!
Also, as a Resto druid, I really recommend leveling a highly soloable, high DPS class like Hunter. It's a totally different playstyle, and can keep you going. Trying to slog through leveling a Priest or Warrior can be painful. Also, take 2 gathering professions with your alt, Mining or Herbalism and Skinning. Before you know it you'll be sending money back the OTHER way!
Pummra
I agree with pretty much everyone above. Levelling guides are not necessary and kind of cheating. Guides which point out which areas to hit when, however, seem to be just fine. You can likely find out the same information in guild chat if you wanted to... this is just more efficient!
And, dear GOD!!! You levelled a Restoration Druid? No wonder you get hives. I am about as hardcore a Tree as possible, but even I did essentially all my levelling (pre-BC to 60 and 60-70 once BC came out) in Feral. No wonder you get hives! Definitely go with a dps class.
As mentioned, hunters are easymode (especially BM post-2.3). Rogues probably get hit too much for you to deal with not being able to heal. I levelled a Shadow Priest to 70 and it was lots of fun. Kill things fast and heal when you need to!
A few pointers that may help:
- If you are short on cash, pick up two gathering professions on your alt. Skinning and herb/mining (whatever your druid is not) is good because you can track one thing and skin what you kill.
- Levels 37 to the low 40s has always been the hardest part of the game. Usually pre-40 everyone is gung-ho to get their mount and don't notice it. Afterwards, it is easy to get bored. Fight your way through it... it gets better around 44/45ish.
- 2.3 patch definitely makes things less dull. Questing is very efficient way to get XP and you don't have to grind mobs all the time to level.
As Ayashi said above. Use Jame's guide. It's free and excellent. I did that levelling my latest alt (that makes 5 70's).
I was in the same boat Bell, except I couldn't get them over 30! I finally just buckled down and did it. It is MUCH easier with the quicker leveling they added too!
I resisted the allure of "come do this instance..". It probably also helped that I was getting bored of doing stuff with my Hunter. I had pretty much all the gear I was gonna get other than if we actually progressed (Gruul, etc).
So, one day I just started leveling. I bugged a couple of friends to run me through a few instances (Like Z'F : LOTS of quests for lots of xp in there).
I now have a level 70 Priest (I leveled as shadow, but is now holy) and a level 61 Druid (leveled as feral, but is now boomkin).
I think it is just a question of resisting temptation.. U CAN DO IT!
I've got a bunch of alts, and 2 70's. Both of which are hunters (one ally, one horde). I agree with the others that suggest a hunter as an alt choice, especially since you leveled your main as resto. Hunters are easy to level, fun to play, and you get pets.
I also agree with the 2 gathering professions. I'd go with skinning and mining. Herbalism is nifty and all, but I see better returns from mining at all levels, whereas herbalism takes a while to get going well.
I can't really recommend any guides as I've not used them, but that doesn't mean I don't approve of using them. Go for it, it's not cheating, at least in my book.
I have 5 70s, a 53, a 41, and a couple smaller ones. I've abandoned a mage in his 40s and a couple rogues in their 30s. I know about leveling alts. It's after I hit 70 where I have problems. ;)
First: Level with friends. Basically, the past 3 years I've grouped with the same core of people. Yes, I've done a lot of solo stuff too (with DPS, not the Priest!).
Second: It really helps if you don't have a life. ;)
Leveling alts is something I do a lot of, so I thought I'd finally leave behind my google reader window and leave a comment. A couple of people have mentioned Jame's leveling guides from wow-pro.com, and I think they are great. The alliance guide takes you from 30-70 without too many painful grinding sessions. 40-70 hasn't been updated to include the changes to leveling that 2.3 introduced, but 30-40 has, and it's a pretty fast run. As the rest get updated, I'm sure they will be speedy as well. I've used it for about six characters pre-60 and it makes thing go much easier.
To the commenter who said leveling guides were cheating: what are you doing on the internet??? You might inadvertently read a strategy on one of these blogs! It's just a condensation of knowledge, easily accessible in one one place, that is not secret. And who really cares how someone else chooses to level a character. After my first 60, I didn't want the "experience" of leveling, I wanted another level 60. No cheating, just advice. A leveling service, on the other hand, would be cheating.
Like Ayashi said - Jame's guides on wow-pro are really good. Haven't looked at them in a while though, but it is nice to see they finally updated them to the post 2.3 versions! Good luck!
For me it's from levels 35-50 that are hard to get through - even with the increased xp!
I must admit I have been using different addons to ease leveling. I have one level 70 alt and 2 at 40. Right now I am trying to get my Shaman up to 40.
So what addons do I use
* nQuestLog
* LightHeaded & Tomtom
* DoubleWide (much nicer questlog window)
* QuestHelper
The last puts you very much on autopilot in some areas, but it is immensely helpful and gets me through areas I have quested in too much and am sick of or those I have quested too little and am too lazy to look up all the information.
There are a few things that keep me leveling a character. There are always small goals to reach. Level 40 is an important one because of the mount or the 31 talent. I always know before I get there which spec I will go with by level 40. I instantly buy my mount. I usually get myself some nice new equipment for a few levels early and set other goals like professions or so.
For my Shaman I have (at 35 now) two Wirt's Third Leg waiting. I'll get them enchanted and I just know she will rock Azeroth dual-wielding Crusader enchanted Wirt's Legs. I am very motivated right now to play her.
Another thing that helps me a lot is rested xp. So I like leveling two alts alternately. Helps everyone go faster.
I try to read up on talents and abilities and try to learn to play the class well. It helps with the fun part if you are good at what you do.
So now I gotta get back to work.
Hope this helps
Yashima
Having leveled my feral druid, a warrior, a paladin, and now (almost), a frost mage, I think what makes it interesting is leveling with someone. Since my boyfriend also happens to be a ridiculous WoW nerd, we've done a lot of leveling in pairs--and it's an amazing moneymaker.
The biggest thing to remember is that questing goes very quickly with the XP changes. Gear is almost entirely irrelevant, and doing dungeons is useless unless you've picked up EVERY quest applicable and you can do them all in one run (for the massive XP gains). Also, the more questing you do in the Old World at 60 nets you more money at 70 in Outlands. It might blow, but do Silithus, EPL, and WPL. You'll be 63 by the time you get to Hellfire and you'll have zones like Blade's Edge, Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley full of quests that'll give you 11 gold+ a pop.
I admittedly don't do a ton with my alts save farm a bunch of money, but it's fun learning how to tune new classes.
I also disagree that leveling guides are cheating in any fashion; they definitely help you plan out the most expedient ways to get your quests done, especially if you're not familiar with a particular area (for example, I had never quested in Dustwallow before).
For what its worth? I feel ya. But what gets me isn't the process of leveling. It's the thought of what awaits me at 70. Rep grinds, running that one heroic over and over for that one item, saving up money for your flyer, then saving up money for your epic flyer, maxing out your professions, all that farming, I suppose being on a pvp server doesn't help either, and badges.. need so many badges...
The thought of having to go through all that again usually have all my alts stuck in the 20s and 30s.
@everyone - thanks so much to everyone who has given me advice--I really appreciate it. I hope you're all happy to know I'm working on little Mage (almost level 24!), when I'm not trying to catch up my personal cash flow to repay 50g I had to borrow to repair after a borked Heroic MrT run this morning.
And /emofire, I understand completely about that, but for me, to work for something completely different is exciting. I also know what I'm doing this time around, so I can do it better, rather than stumbling around and falling behind on every single rep grind because I didn't know any better.
Levelling on a PvP server? Is something I enjoy to the extreme, gankers and all :)
I've leveled 7 alts to 70, soon gonna be 8 -- and unfortunately that's it, no more free char slots, since I also have a twink :( Anyhow, a few thoughts.
1) I find it very helpful to set small goals. Leveling 1-70 takes a lot of time and commitment. Leveling 2 more levels to get that mount is, in my experience, far easier. Goals can be anything: new class ability, 21/31/41 talent you really wanna try out, an AH-bought epic waiting to be worn, being able to play Arathi Basin, whatever you enjoy.
2) People wrote this earlier, but it's important: choose a good class for leveling. What constitutes a good class depends on personal taste. Being resto druid myself, I found hunter and warlock most enjoyable both to level up and to play after that last ding.
3) Addons are essential for easy leveling. There are many, but to name a few:
3.1) Cartographer + Cartographer_QuestInfo OR Cartographer_QuestObjectives (you'll need a good quest database for the latter) - to show you where to quest.
3.2) LightHeaded - to show you Wowhead.com comments next to your quest log, a must-have.
3.3) QuestHelper OR TourGuide - to be able to plan questing routes, the former plans automatically, while the latter uses hand-made, static lists of objectives, I find TourGuide more useful, but YMMV.
3.4) RatingBuster AND DrDamage to help you gear up. You'll probably want to read up on the specific class you're leveling or ask an experienced player to help you choose what stats RatingBuster should show.
3.5) nQuestLog (or any other improved questlog you like) - not essential, but very nice to have.
I hope it helps :)
Ok, a few more :)
4) _Never_ grind gear in instances (or in pvp for that matter) before 70, it's a giant waste of time. AH is much faster and you get to actually choose what drops from it.
5) Unless you have a bunch of friends to level up with, don't spec anything other than full-on dps. It might be tempting to spec tank/healer, don't give in to that temptation.
6) Doing quests essentially doubles the XP you get for killing mobs. When you start questing in a new area, take any and all the quests you can find there, _but_ remember that you don't actually have to do them all. Some quests are a royal pain, some will suck for your specific class/build, just skip those.
7) Any and all +speed enchants/items are the leveler's best friend. A standard 60% speed mount becomes almost epic with gloves enchant, Carrot on a Stick, and Mithril Spurs. I suggest you use Outfitter to take care of wearing all that stuff on when mounting.
8) Every 10 levels you can turn in cloth for reputation. The first time you do that you also get a nice bit of xp. It might be a good idea to save up 12 stacks each of wool, silk, mageweave and runecloth (since you can turn it in at each of your faction's major cities). There's also a nice quest chain in Azhara that involves nothing but flying around the main cities and back, try to get a mage help you with those.
Hope you're still awake by now ^^
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