Leveling in Patch 9.0 of World of Warcraft is going to be great. But one small detail could cause a rather abrupt end.
Anyone who enjoys leveling characters can look forward to the upcoming Wednesday in World of Warcraft. With Chromie Time, players can choose an expansion and level freely without having to jump wildly between the add-ons. However, there is a problem, as the adventure could end quite abruptly and leave a feeling of emptiness.
What is Chromie Time? With Chromie Time (also known as “Timewalking campaign”), characters in Patch 9.0 can choose an expansion from World of Warcraft to level in. For example, if one is interested in Wrath of the Lich King, they can select this add-on with Chromie and then level completely in Northrend from level 10 to 50 – the journey starts on the Isle of the Banished.
This gives the feeling of a continuous story, and players do not have to jump between continents every few levels. A good thing that allows more flexibility in leveling.
What is the problem? Once the character reaches level 50, a message pops up on the screen. “The Timewalking journey ends in …” along with a countdown. After a few seconds expire, the character is teleported back to the capital city (Orgrimmar or Stormwind) and the Timewalking ends definitively. This also means the world scaling is over. Enemies that were just at level 50 and thus on par are now back to level 30.
This is particularly annoying when one was in the middle of an exciting quest and perhaps wanted to experience the story finale of an expansion. Here, one is not only abruptly teleported away in the middle of the quest, but also robbed of the chance to experience the finale in an engaging setting. Because who returns later finds the enemies significantly weaker, as they no longer scale.
This is an abrupt and inappropriate ending to what is otherwise a nice leveling experience.
Is there a solution for this? Yes, although not a very elegant one. The plan still involves automatically teleporting players back upon reaching level 50 and the Timewalking campaign ending. However, players are supposed to have the option, as they do now, to turn off XP gain during this campaign. This is a conscious decision that one must make for themselves.
To do this, as before, an NPC in Stormwind or Orgrimmar must be consulted. This can take quite a bit of time when one realizes at level 49 that they would like to continue playing the current area.
A more elegant, long-term solution – such as a prompt right at level 50 without teleporting – would certainly be nicer for players. But maybe that will be addressed in a later patch.
What do you think of this solution? Should there be a better way?
Patch 9.0 also weakens one of the most reliable gold farming methods…
