With World of Warcraft: Shadowlands there will be a “Level Squish”. We reveal what this means and what effects it will have.
Update Info: The article originally dates back to November 2019. However, it was updated on March 10, 2020.
The BlizzCon 2019 is in full swing, and there is a deluge of information about World of Warcraft and the new expansion Shadowlands. One piece of information is particularly interesting, as it has been teased in recent months and will soon be implemented: The maximum level for characters will decrease and all characters will undergo a “Level Squish”. We reveal what this means for the level cap in the Shadowlands.
What is supposed to happen? With the release of WoW: Shadowlands, the maximum level in the game will be lowered. All characters that are currently at level 120, the current maximum, will then revert to level 50. The new maximum level at the end of Shadowlands will be 60, so you will need to climb 10 levels.
“Smaller” characters that are not yet 120 will be proportionally shrunk in level. A twink at level 80 could thus be at level 30 or so after the “Level Squish”.
Why is Blizzard doing this? The developers say that leveling up in World of Warcraft should feel rewarding and relevant again. To ensure that each level-up comes with a meaningful increase, the number of levels is drastically reduced. Or as Blizzard puts it in their press release:
With Shadowlands, a new level system is introduced that is intended to convey a sense of significant progress with each level reached.
Will everything be harder then? The level squish will indeed reduce the levels of characters, but their relative strength against enemies will remain the same, as enemies will also undergo this level squish. So if you are currently breezing through old raids to farm transmog, you will still be able to do that even after the level squish. Blizzard has always been very cautious about never wanting to reduce the actual power of player characters.
This is how the new level system works in Shadowlands
With WoW: Shadowlands, this change naturally also has significant implications for leveling new characters. From now on, anyone starting a new character can either begin in a completely new starting area or remain in their race’s “old” starting area. However, starting from level 10, a crucial question arises: Where do you want to level up?
With Shadowlands, it is possible to play only one single expansion and master your way to level 50. For example, at level 10, you can say that you would like to level only in “Mists of Pandaria”. In that case, you will be sent to Pandaria at level 10, can play through the areas here, and will end up at around level 50 to then head into the Shadowlands.
This is basically possible with every expansion; anyone who wants can choose between the following expansions at level 10 in which to level up:
- Classic (“Vanilla”)
- The Burning Crusade
- Wrath of the Lich King
- Cataclysm
- Mists of Pandaria
- Warlords of Draenor
- Legion
- Battle for Azeroth
The standard path leads through the latest expansion, namely Battle for Azeroth. However, anyone who wishes can also change their mind and hop between the expansions just like before.
What do you think of this change? Is it a good thing? Or does Blizzard rob you of your “power and wisdom” and will you stop playing immediately?
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