New XP changes on beta to lengthen level times.

[Seraphaw]

Well I am looking forward to really experience the new zones and quests and not just rush it and get to 80 fast so I can begin instancefarming for gear -_-. For all we know this is the last expansion we will ever get so lets savour it

[Tonuss]

I would assume that they change the exp curve a lot during beta. First to allow people to level quickly to test content, then to tweak it until it is where they want. I got into tBC beta pretty late (about three months before release) and they changed the exp curve two or three times while I was in beta.

The information about instances sounds very promising. I was thinking that they might try to make 5-mans more complex and challenging, which would make it tougher on multiboxers. But they seem to want to get away from stuff like Shattered Halls with the enormous pulls (each having two or three ranged classes that would AoE or CC random party members). If most of the trash in 5-mans is 2-4 mobs at a time, and if they really are tuning them to be more forgiving, it could make WotLK a real bonanza for multiboxing.

[Shuri]

the first few months of the game with the swarm of people trying to tap monsters first before you do.

This is the exact reason I won't be playing for the first two weeks of expansion. I'm going to activate my key, park my characters in an inn and soak up the rested XP. I should have the run of the place once I'm 3-10 levels behind everyone. I refuse to spawn camp a named only to have some asshat hunter instatag the mob I've been waiting on for 20 minutes from 41 yards away.

[Kyudo]

People keep repeating this, but "it's a beta" it's there for testing.

This increase in XP per level is part of that testing. There is no clear indication as yet as to whether the current values per level are what will exist in the final version. When Beta was first released people were QQing that there were too many quests and it was too quick to level, now the opposite is true. My guess is that the eventual XP per level will end up being somewhere in between the two, a level that allows you to skip around 20% of quests when running solo and still level to 80 after about 9 of the 10 zones, therefore a slightly higher threshold than present, but not much higher. By the sounds of things at the moment you need to complete all quests and a few dungeon runs to keep pace with quest levels and ding 80 at the same time as you finish "normal" quests.

Another commenter in the Beta forums also commented that part of this change might also well be to evaluate the gameplay effects of having a server population that is spread out in levels and its impact on PvP etc. As it stood before everyone was levelling to max level superquick and it wasn't a fair representation of what a real server's progress is like.

[Crucial]

As someone who is currently in the beta and ignoring the fact that this change may or may not be final, as it currently stands the increase in XP required does not make it enjoyable to play. Keep in mind I don't care for questing to begin with but when you're getting no gear upgrades from the quests and the XP bar is barely moving at all, it's just feels like a grind. Personally I would rather see the XP required be low initially with a sharper increase the closer you get to 80.

[Drizzit]

Personally I would rather see the XP required be low initially with a sharper increase the closer you get to 80.

I say screw this and make me instant 80. I done the grind to the cap too many times the 71-80 is going to be another bore. I got my first taste of raiding and I love raiding. :P

[Temor]

My biggest concern is that there are 8 instances from 60-70 but currently only 5 between 70-80. Maybe they will implement more, I'm not sure what's planned... but time is quickly running out if they aren't going to slip the release date.

When is the release date? I've not seen anything in regard to the date so how can it slip? You know something I don't it appears.

[Jaese]

Release is between Oct to Dec.

They have plenty of time.

[Temor]

Release is between Oct to Dec.

They have plenty of time.

Is there any proof of these time frames any where from a Blizzard rep?

[Tonuss]

http://blue.mmo-champion.com/1/90237...oming-out.html

They haven't set a definitive date. I would expect that they'd like to release it in time for the Christmas shopping season, but they probably wanted to do that with the Burning Crusade. Knowing Blizzard, we may be waiting until early 2009.

As for dungeons, are those single dungeons or winged dungeons? In other words, are there only five instances that we will be able to run from 70-80, or will they be like tBC? Hellfire Peninsula was three instances, Coilfang Reservoir was three, etc.