The upcoming level squish in World of Warcraft has sparked heated discussions. But what are the pros and cons of the level squish?
A few days ago, there was a relatively big news item about World of Warcraft. A survey revealed that Blizzard is apparently considering reducing the maximum level of World of Warcraft.
Instead of level 120, the heroes would be at a lower level, such as level 80, 70, or 60 – whatever value Blizzard decides to set.
This has led to many discussions, not only on Reddit and in the official forums but also in our comments. We want to list the pros and cons here and address the concerns and wishes of players.
The pros of the level squish in WoW
A level squish could solve many problems in World of Warcraft and make the game potentially more accessible for newcomers.
The entry barrier is lower: When newcomers encounter World of Warcraft these days, it is quite a shock that they need to bring a character to level 120. This is a significant hurdle even compared to other long-standing MMORPGs and seems like an almost insurmountable challenge.
How quickly leveling actually progresses is not conveyed by the number “120” itself.
A three-digit level seems much more intimidating to latecomers and newcomers than a smaller, two-digit number.
More rewards per level: Currently, World of Warcraft is poor at pairing the actual level increase with rewards. Since a large part of the world scales with the level of the characters, the level-up doesn’t feel as significant “just like that” because the enemies also become stronger.
True rewards come from talent points and new abilities. However, these are few and far between. Talents are available only about every 15 levels, and new abilities have varying spans, ranging from 2 to 30 levels. In many cases, a level-up does not provide any noticeable rewards. With fewer levels, rewards could be better distributed, and each level-up could be marked by a small special feature.
Some of our users see it the same way. For example, Belpherus said:
I would be all for it. Right now, 80% of the levels feel empty.
Kendrick Young points out:
But the areas would also need to be adjusted. I think it’s always annoying when you skip many areas because you are already above the level.
The cons of the level squish in WoW
However, there are not only positive aspects that such a level squish would bring. Some players also fear negative impacts that could lead to short- or long-term problems.
Bugs could plague the game for a long time: As with the “stat squish” in the past, a level squish could lead to many errors in old content. It often happened that enemies dealt too much damage, even though you should actually be much more powerful. Some of these bugs still exist today and continue to cause complaints about certain enemy types.
Deprivation of accomplishment: Another point is that for many players, the achieved level holds a special emotional significance. It represents the long journey they may have experienced with their character over up to 15 years. Now being reduced from 120 to a lower level can evoke the feeling of losing something hard-earned, even if the relative strength of the character remains the same.
On Facebook, Frank Hallen notes that the longer time spent at individual levels could also have negative implications:
I don’t quite see the point in it. Whether it takes time to reach level 120 or the same time until possibly level 60. For example, I would find it disheartening to go three days without leveling up.
MeinMMO reader Scaver sees it very emotionally.
The fact is, if the squish happens, I’m out. I’ve been playing since TBC and have worked hard for my 120 levels and am NOT ready to give away even one level.
Because the level indicates the experience, the wisdom that you have gathered and earned.
And someone with level 60 simply doesn’t have a clue about the game compared to level 120! That’s today’s fact!
Conclusion: Is the level squish good or bad?
In summary, it can be said that a level squish could make sense and could make World of Warcraft clearer and feel more rewarding. At the same time, however, there are many potential issues and problems that Blizzard must address so that this does not turn into a disaster and players feel cheated out of their previous achievements.
However, the overwhelming majority of comments are open to such an adjustment if Blizzard implements it well. That is precisely the sticking point which brings the greatest fears: How can Blizzard implement this?
But now it’s over to you! What do you think of a “level squish” in World of Warcraft? Is it good that Blizzard wants to reduce the maximum levels, or do you view it critically?
Ihr wollt mehr zum Spiel? Tolle Specials, heiße News und interessante Infos zu World of Warcraft findet ihr auch auf unserer WoW-Seite auf Facebook.
