When the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion launches next year, it’s going to implement a “level squish,” reducing the max level you can attain from 120 to 60. In a new interview with Kotaku, Blizzard provided a bit more detail about how the level squish will work and why they think the new system will be better for players.
Basically, if you’re a new player, Shadowlands will be introducing a new starter introductory area where you can level up to 10, at which point, you’ll be directed toward Battle for Azeroth where you can level to 50, and finally, you can tackle Shadowlands, where you can level to the new max of 60. If you’re a veteran and already own multiple expansions, you can choose which one you want to level to 50 in. Previously, folks trying to pump a new character up to max level had to wind their way through a number of the game’s sometimes-dated expansions, so this is a major simplification.
But will players actually enjoy this level squish? Blizzard thinks they will, as now every level up will come with some significant reward…
We want to make sure that, when you level, you get something cool. It isn’t just ‘ding’ and a light goes off. You’re gonna have something new to do as a result of it. You’re chasing something. You’re always getting something, whether it’s a content unlock or a buff to an ability. So, between those things, it should be a more satisfying experience reach max level.
Oh, and don’t worry, it doesn’t matter which expansion you choose to level up with – they’ll all provide the same relatively-low level of grind.
It’s not gonna be a grind [regardless of expansion]. Our goal is to have it be a fun experience and about the same time duration no matter which expansion you choose.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands launches sometime in 2020. What do you think about the level squish? Unnecessary or about damn time?
