In Battle for Azeroth, the endgame begins with the most content at level 120. After about 13 hours in the new WoW expansion, I have reached the new maximum level. Not much has really changed because of this, but it feels completely different compared to Legion.
After spending nearly 8 hours for the first 5 levels in the new area, the rest went pretty quickly – probably because the wait times were shorter and I wasn’t as tired. This is my impression of the first days at the new maximum level.
I am now level 120 – and nothing is different from leveling
I reached level 120 with my first character in Stormsong Valley during some quest. The achievement popped up – and that was it. No letter, no new quest sneaking into my quest log.
From previous expansions, I was used to being summoned immediately by the leaders of the factions to send the hero off on the next mission – or receiving a letter from someone like Rhonin with some nice gadgets.
But in Battle for Azeroth, I am no longer a hero – I am a nobody, unimportant. The initially bland aftertaste of the eventless level-up, which is simply “one more,” soon dissipated. It’s actually quite nice not everyone constantly wants something from me.
What do I do now?
Due to the lack of commands from Anduin or Magni, I was somewhat at a loss. What to do? I somehow miss the goals. It took a while until I activated the world quests and advanced the war campaign.
After a brief orientation, I found my way again – especially thanks to the war campaign. However, since that is tied to a reputation requirement quite quickly, alternatives need to be found.
Exploring the content
What I looked forward to most while leveling were the dungeons. The design of the new instances is top-notch: a whole pirate city in Freehold, a charming witch’s house in the Dreadwake Estate, and a prison like Alcatraz in Tol Dagor.
The story and presentation of Battle for Azeroth still blow me away at level 120 – and at 120, I finally gain access to the Horde’s instances as an Alliance player.
My next goal was to reach item level 305 – for the heroic dungeons. With world quests, professions, and a few normal dungeons, that was achieved within two days.
Dungeons – Grind without boredom: Even though there are “only” 8 dungeons, the selection is relatively small, they are still, time and again, a lot of fun. Especially at higher difficulties like mythic, they are challenging, and the teamwork with the group is enjoyable.
On top of that, there’s the opportunity to improve with practically anything at the beginning. The gear is still so weak that almost anything upgrades it. It feels good to finally go through dungeons and make progress.
Island Expeditions – the downside: My experience with island expeditions was quite different. The island expeditions promised to be a good source of artifact power in their presentation. And my Heart of Azeroth urgently needs more power.
However, the expeditions provide quite little artifact power – a few hundred units per run and a one-time 2500 per week. Just for level 14 of the chain, I currently need 8000 power, and my gear needs level 26 to be fully upgraded. A bit exhausting.
PvP, better than just running in circles: Since some of the content is hidden behind “timegates” mostly manifested as reputation with the war factions, I have a lot of time to explore the remaining content.
What I personally like most about Battle for Azeroth is the new PvP. The War Mode is one of the best innovations I have seen in my 11 years of WoW. Instead of running in circles in the capital (which was apparently very popular in Legion), I find myself more often in the open world.
In the PvP headquarters, there are even quests that promote open PvP in certain areas. The quest strangely overlaps with the factions, allowing PvP enthusiasts to meet and brawl there.
In doing so, I gain both a feel for PvP (which I will definitely continue during the ranked season) as well as honor and occasionally a bit of gold or resources. The Duelist’s Guild even invites you to do a quick 1-2 duels in the capital before logging off.
What is the endgame like in Battle for Azeroth?
The start of the endgame in Battle for Azeroth felt less spectacular than in Legion. There simply isn’t much happening all at once. However, the feeling that this content will last for a long time is much more present. It remains exciting and interesting.
I find something new to do or want to do every day. When I no longer feel like stocking up on reputation and advancing the campaign, I go through dungeons with a group – or go brawling.
Only the grind seems even worse from my perspective than I feared. Collecting Azerite is currently a very long endeavor, and it is simply frustrating to put on gear that has 3 or 4 traits greyed out and are not achievable in the near future.
Azerite locks four equipment slots behind a lock: neck, head, shoulders, and chest. To be well-equipped in the 4 slots, I need to constantly upgrade exactly one item. This is harder than in Legion – especially since currently there is a lack of a way to efficiently farm Azerite for those who want to invest a lot of time for substantial progress.
Overall, I am optimistic about the future, especially since the requirements for Azerite are to be lowered, and with better gear, the paths to farm Azerite will be easier. Moreover, there is still a campaign waiting to be completed.
Get a sense of it yourself! This is how you quickly go from level 110 to 120 in Battle for Azeroth.
