WoW - Powerleveling, how is it done?

[znaps]

What methods do players utilize to power level? Is this generally frowned upon, or just a matter of style of play?

I'd like to join the Anandtech guild on Bronzebeard, and due to the fact that I can't simply transfer my level 23 Warrior over there, I'll be creating a new character and getting back up to that level as quickly as possible.

 

[Todd33]

You hit something and then someone out of group kills it. They can also heal you post-combat. It works ok if the mobs are close together and you don't run out. Also, do it in weird locations, it's not nice to kill everything if others are nearby,

 

[mryellow2]

Powerleveling usually involves a higher level character that's capable of getting loads of xp quickly. Back when I used to play I'd powerlevel lower level guildmates with my mage and a druid/priest for heals/shield.

 

[Concillian]

There are only really two ways to "powerlevel" in WoW.

1) Higher level mage in party AoE's the crap out of everything around you. The killing rate outpaces the fact that you only get a small percent of the EXP because your partymate is much higher level.

2) Healer stays out of party and heals you as you fight. Most beneficial to mages so they can AoE with reckless abandon without worry of dying because the healer is higher level and probably has tons of mana for the level monsters you're killing. This works awesome for powerleveling, a high level healer can get a mage up a few levels FAST because the mage can provide plenty of offense and the healer isn't in the party, so doesn't soak up any of the experience. Works okay for rogues and warriors too, but for something like a warlock, it's not so much a big deal, more of a safety net, but doesn't let you level too much faster because you can't AoE (you'll be interrupted too much and a priest not in the party cannot cast PW:S on you)

Aside from that it's just learning the quests and completing them in an efficient manner. If moving to a server with guildmates you know you will be playing with, get them to make you some bags early. Silk is usually cheap, so 10 slotters should be pretty easy for someone to make for you. Just go quest and don't come back until your bags are full. When I level up a new character in Barrens, I will frequently have 5 or 6 quests to turn in at once. One time I even turned in 8 in one trip back. You move along so quickly at that time, you can even skip a set of skills and be okay, like don't get your level 14 skills until you turn 16, as this saves you a bunch of downtime while flying around. Stuff is so easy to kill at that point, your skills aren't crucial to your EXP rate.

Also, a particular class will have something that holds back their leveling rate. For casters it's usually mana. Mana is the limit of your kills per unit time, and for melee classes it's health. If you're traveling back to town and have full health/mana, kills eomthing on the way (hit it, then turn and walk backwards towards the town as you are fighting). For mana classes, be conservative on mana, with knowledge that it is your limitation of your killing rate. Finishing with full health and 25% mana means you have to wait for mana, but if you finish with 60% health and mana, you end up waiting less time overall (mages can mostly disregard that as they can eat and drink for free).

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: Todd33
You hit something and then someone out of group kills it. They can also heal you post-combat. It works ok if the mobs are close together and you don't run out. Also, do it in weird locations, it's not nice to kill everything if others are nearby,

Does that even work? I was taking on an elite mob that was coming down to the wire, then along came a 60 who dealt the final blow, being friendly and all, but he got credit for the kill and looted it.

 

[Concillian]

If you hit it first, and don't die, you should get credit for the kill.

However in WoW if anyone else hits it who is in your party or NOT, the experience will be distributed based on the level difference. In the case of someone not in your party, you will get your 'share' of the EXP and they will get NONE. tapping and letting someone kill the monster is not efficient in WoW. That was a technique used in other games, but it doesn't work well in WoW. EXP rate isn't that different from you simply soloing in an area of appropriate level. Regardless, you may as well have that person in your party, because it doesn't make a difference whether or not they are.

There are two locations I can think where having a melee class kill things for you and do okay on EXP per hour. One in Loch Modan and one in Wetlands. These are locations where there are always a minimum of two creatures at any given time. If you kill one, another will instantly respawn. I used this when I played alliance side to farm wool and linen. Those of you familiar with the quests in Loch modan surely know the location of one of these camps. The one in the Wetlands is more out of the way. A higher level rogue or warrior can take these things on pretty much indefinitely and net a kill per 10 seconds or so.

Most other places though, you will be limited by the number of monsters available.

 

[znaps]

Originally posted by: Concillian
There are only really two ways to "powerlevel" in WoW.

1) Higher level mage in party AoE's the crap out of everything around you. The killing rate outpaces the fact that you only get a small percent of the EXP because your partymate is much higher level.

2) Healer stays out of party and heals you as you fight. Most beneficial to mages so they can AoE with reckless abandon without worry of dying because the healer is higher level and probably has tons of mana for the level monsters you're killing. This works awesome for powerleveling, a high level healer can get a mage up a few levels FAST because the mage can provide plenty of offense and the healer isn't in the party, so doesn't soak up any of the experience. Works okay for rogues and warriors too, but for something like a warlock, it's not so much a big deal, more of a safety net, but doesn't let you level too much faster because you can't AoE (you'll be interrupted too much and a priest not in the party cannot cast PW:S on you)

Aside from that it's just learning the quests and completing them in an efficient manner. If moving to a server with guildmates you know you will be playing with, get them to make you some bags early. Silk is usually cheap, so 10 slotters should be pretty easy for someone to make for you. Just go quest and don't come back until your bags are full. When I level up a new character in Barrens, I will frequently have 5 or 6 quests to turn in at once. One time I even turned in 8 in one trip back. You move along so quickly at that time, you can even skip a set of skills and be okay, like don't get your level 14 skills until you turn 16, as this saves you a bunch of downtime while flying around. Stuff is so easy to kill at that point, your skills aren't crucial to your EXP rate.

Also, a particular class will have something that holds back their leveling rate. For casters it's usually mana. Mana is the limit of your kills per unit time, and for melee classes it's health. If you're traveling back to town and have full health/mana, kills eomthing on the way (hit it, then turn and walk backwards towards the town as you are fighting). For mana classes, be conservative on mana, with knowledge that it is your limitation of your killing rate. Finishing with full health and 25% mana means you have to wait for mana, but if you finish with 60% health and mana, you end up waiting less time overall (mages can mostly disregard that as they can eat and drink for free).

Thanks for the detailed response.

What's AoE? And with my warrior, how exactly does having full health limit my leveling rate?

 

[Elcs]

AoE = Area of Effect.

 

[Concillian]

AoE = Area of Effect damage. Mages powerlevel in this way by rounding up half a dozen monsters, then using AoE spells to beat them all down in 15 seconds. But they can't do this without the help of a healer to keep them alive. Because they can make their own food and water, they can sit down and eat/drink for 20 seconds and be ready to kill another big group of monsters.

As a warrior your EXP rate is limited by:
1) your damage capability
2) your health
3) the distance between monsters

If you have full health and are not engaged with a monster, you are wasting time that could be spent killing a monster, then spend some time traveling while your health regenerates, then engage when health is full, etc... Powerlevling is about efficient use of your time to generate EXP and if you are spending a lot of time at full health running from point A to point B, then you are not being efficient.

It's not how most people like to play the game, but you asked about powerleveling and this is how a powerleveler would think.

 

[znaps]

Great..thanks!

 

[Rookie]

yep, find a highlevel priest and have them follow you for an hour or two...

Alliance side... Deadmines with a shadow priest. Even in the same group you get fast XP. Have them run in and SW everything. You collect loot and watch in amazement

 

[CrackRabbit]

If you head over to http://www.knightsofnef.com and post a message I am pretty sure somone would be glad to help you level

 

[Kraker]

 

[Continuity28]

As if WoW actually needs faster leveling... it's already one of the fastest leveling games.