On May 21, 2024, the Classic expansion of Cataclysm was released for World of Warcraft. Within just three hours, the first hero had already reached the new maximum level of 85. Behind this record lies a remarkable story of vengeance.
Who snatched the leveling record? The streamer LMGD1 managed to level his elemental shaman from level 80 to the new maximum level of 85 in less than three hours. By comparison, paladin player Athene took about six hours to achieve this in the original Cataclysm expansion.
What at first glance looks like a simple Classic record, has much more to offer upon closer inspection. It is about a two-year-old injustice, the overdue vengeance, and Blizzard developers who wanted to slow down LMGD1’s incredible sprint with hotfixes.
Old WoW expansion with modern trailer for Classic new release:
How could LMGD1 level so quickly? During the beta of Cataclysm Classic, the streamer found a spot in the southeastern area of Shadowlands with seven enemies that rewarded considerable experience points for their early demise and respawned immediately.
This is simply perfect if you want to go on an XP hunt without pause. Even better: A PvP event takes place nearby, where you can earn a powerful buff that grants 1,000 spell power and 400 attack power.
LMGD1 also brought some friends along for the launch of Cataclysm Classic. They ensured that the Horde dominated the event around the clock and provided the streamer with essential class buffs. Just the thorns effect from the druids reportedly caused enormous additional damage due to the extra 1,000 spell power.
Lastly, a friendly mage and warlock were dueling during the XP farming. The warlock cast Curse of Elements on the mage, who redirected the effect by casting Arcane Explosion on the affected NPC fighters. Less resistance and more magic damage are the result of this trick.
Blizzard nerfs go in vain
How did Blizzard respond to this strategy? At one point, LMGD1 was able to collect almost 13 million experience points per hour this way. The Blizzard developers noticed this and responded with a hotfix: Suddenly, the enemies on the beach gave no experience points anymore. At that time, the streamer was just about to reach level 84.
After that, the group moved on to the nearby tanks. The advantage there: Once you destroyed the tank, the nearby mechanics also died. XP is awarded for all enemies. The respawn was also sufficiently high here to allow for continuous fighting.
YouTuber Sarthe breaks down LMGD1’s strategy in his new video:
However, the developers were obviously now watching LMGD1’s actions. For after a while, even the new adversaries gave no experience points anymore. So, he moved on to Deepholm, where he could still level up (six million XP per hour), but was no longer being torpedoed by the developers.
What was the injustice from two years ago? During the stream on Twitch, LMGD1 explained that he had actually put in much more effort to be the first player ever to reach level 80 in the level race in WotLK Classic.
However, at that time, the streamer Naowh beat him to it, who managed to reach level 80 first with an exploit that strongly resembled LMGD1’s current strategy. At that time, the Blizzard developers did not intervene to prevent the unlawful exploitation of the game mechanics. Read more about it here: World First! First player reaches level 80 in WotLK Classic – exploits ancient exploit
