So then, the next WoW expansion lands later this month (and it's looking like a good one, WoW expansions are a bit like Star Trek movies), however you could argue the bigger news is the changes that are already implemented in the game in the pre-expansion major patch.
The TL:DR version is that the levelling process has been MASSIVELY overhauled. There's been a 'level squish' so that the current level cap of 120 has been reduced to 50, and the new expansion will take players from 50 to 60. (60 will be the cap at that point.)
In addition to this, you can now level a character to the level cap in a single expansion, and there's a new starter zone to level from 1 to 10.
So in simple terms:
Levels 1-10 are done in a new custom zone called Exile's Reach, this takes around an hour. It's essentially a tutorial for the game, introduces you to your chosen class, unlocks key abilities, and gives a decent feel for the game. (Even if you're a seasoned player it's an entertaining enough romp, or you can choose to do the old 'traditional' starter zone if you prefer.)
Levels 10-50 are now done in a single expansion. You can go and see Chromie in your capital city and she'll beam you off to Outland/Wrath/Cata etc, or you can remain in Vanilla. Either way the XP rewards have been tuned to ensure you hit the new level cap of 50 in a single expansion. (You can also choose to do the current expansion, Battle For Azeroth, which will also do 10-50.)
Levels 50-60 will be done when Shadowlands is released.
In terms of making the game 'levelling friendly' it's a massive change for the better, and surprising in some regards as Blizzard have rendered the (very expensive) character boost service largely redundant, as it's HUGELY quicker to level a character to the cap.
I rolled a new Level 1 Hunter last week and he's Level 42 already, and I've not even been playing him that much.
What these changes do mean is that the entire game now scales to your current level, in a way this makes the whole game 'Level 1', as you can never be under-level, or overpowered for the content you're currently playing. (It also means that when using the dungeon finder, it will cheerfully throw characters at massively different levels together in the same instance and they all get an appropriate experience.)
There is still a sense of progression though as new abilities, spells, talents etc are unlocked as you level up.
Other changes? The graphics engine has had another upgrade and is surprisingly demanding at the top settings and looks very pretty too. Ray-traced shadows are even in there if you've got an RTX graphics card. (My gaming laptop has an RTX2070 in it as opposed to the GTX1080 in my gaming PC, but having tried the game on both, the ray-traced shadows aren't that dramatic TBH, the definition of light sources for example is very, very limited.)
Anyway, probably as good a time as any to take a look if you never have before, or for a lapsed player to dip their toes back in.
Oh yes and gold is largely redundant now, the game throws so much money at you (and essentials such as bags) that it's not something you need to worry about at all. (Unless you're determined to buy all the most expensive goodies the game has to offer.)
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