What's the first "real" test?

[Pocalypse]

My question was more about the test of the player's ability to manage their team - to be honest, I think doing certain low-level instances at or below the required level is much more challenging than most of the Heroic WOTLK dungeons.

For example, doing a full Wailing Caverns clear with a team of level 19s is much harder than doing Heroic Violet Hold with a team full of decently geared 80's. You don't have all your skills yet, the mobs can significantly outlevel you, etc. Certainly running heroics and eventually raiding is the end goal, but there are definitely some challenging things on the way. Suggesting that content that the vast majority of the playerbase will never see is the first "test" is a little overkill, IMO.

I agree with this. Seeing how low you can be and still complete an instance is fun. I've recently started a new mixed team on a new server, so no heirlooms, and have found I can usually complete an instances when I'm 4 levels below the final boss' level.

Example BRD, I could finish at lvl 52, with the emperor lvl 56. I got all the way to magmus at lvl 50, but he was 56 and kept resisting my taunts . DM East I could do at 54, with the final boss at 58.

[kate]

I agree with this. Seeing how low you can be and still complete an instance is fun. I've recently started a new mixed team on a new server, so no heirlooms, and have found I can usually complete an instances when I'm 4 levels below the final boss' level.

Example BRD, I could finish at lvl 52, with the emperor lvl 56. I got all the way to magmus at lvl 50, but he was 56 and kept resisting my taunts . DM East I could do at 54, with the final boss at 58.

I just this morning did my first "full" (as in, killing every boss, doing every gimmick) clear of BRD - I hit 54 on everyone by the time it was done and the quests were turned in. It took... a long time... not due to wipes as much as just wow, that instance is freaking HUGE!!

I'm kind of looking forward to 58 - then I can hit Outlands instances, and I want to try it with only classic gear. I'm expecting it to be a bloodbath, but it should be fun!

[Fursphere]

Mea culpa maxima - I did a cursory look and didn't see this asked before.

My apologies - this was not directed at you. It was directed at all the mouth breathing retards out there that post the kind of shit I'm referring too.

You're doing just fine.

[kate]

My apologies - this was not directed at you. It was directed at all the mouth breathing retards out there that post the kind of shit I'm referring too.

You're doing just fine.

Oh, cool I felt *ahem* fursecuted!

Speaking of tests, another one:

With my level 54s I just took down a level 60 (not a challenge there) who attacked - it was more the test of reacting quickly to an unexpected assault by someone and having it not turn into a complete wipe as I tried to figure out what was going on. Alliance rogue jumped out of nowhere and nearly killed one of my ret paladins, but between popping divine protection (to keep the one from dying) hammers to stun him, 5x consecration, judgments and 4x crusader strikes we took him out before the first consecration finished.

Generally I suck at PVP, because I don't expect it and never really did much of it for real - so it was nice to be able to handle that. Of course, had it been someone higher level than that we'd all be dead.

[thefunk]

getting to the eye of naxx in strat with my 80 pally before my lvl 46's are introduced to the white man with wings. Always catches me out

[Coltimar]

No excuses. There are barely 100,000 posts in this forum. No excuse for not having read most of them before posting.

[lans83]

My first BRD clear with my Pally team. Then again with my DPriest+3 Hunter team. That one was much more trickier cause my bears couldn't hold the mobs in place. So I took on more mobs I intended to in the beginning. Taught me how to pull mobs better tho, especially the ones that where in tight corridors. Ran Sunken Temple with them at level and that was a pain without knowing exactly what to do (how to get to the last boss).

[Moorea]

I think doing Deadmines (VC) at level is a good first test of your team

[Mooni]

I like the question, because it's different and unique and special to everyone for different reasons.
HToC was it for me. One saturday morning, my best friend invited me and when I asked if I could bring an alt she said "Ummm... I don't think it's the kind of place you can box"
I remember going in, determined, coming out 5 hours later to do dailies because I couldn't afford the repair bill anymore, and 4 hours after that I said in guild chat, "People who say it can't be done will go out and prove themselves right.", just as the paladin stood alone over the Black Knight's body.
Nowadays, things like Garfrost etc, while they make me rage, are nothing compared to what I went through in ToC.

[Gormand]

Cutting Teeth
Is always the first test