The Big Leveling Grind, Part 1: The Basics
Wrath of the Lich King has been out for about six months now, and I still have no DPS toons at level 80. With two level 80 healer toons, and a smattering of 70ish DPS toons, I just didn’t feel like leveling any of them. So instead, I started leveling a warlock. Revisiting old areas can be fun. But I am definitely not looking forward to doing the Hellfire Peninsula quests yet again!
Here are some fun ways to break up your leveling grind:
Questing vs. Grinding. Some people swear by questing, and some attest that grinding is superior. I tend to do a balance of each. Find an area where you can do a number of quests, and kill all the mobs in the area several times. This way you can get XP and quest rewards from quests, while minimizing your need to travel. This is especially useful at the low levels before you get a mount.
Grouping. Be outgoing and offer those a hand who are questing where you are. You’ll all benefit from faster kills, fewer deaths and less downtime. It’s a great way to make friends, too.
Dungeons. If you can put together a good group, dungeons are a great way to break up the grind while gaining valuable experience playing your class. Depending on your server’s population, it might be difficult to get a group for a low level dungeon, but if you can it’s worth it.
Crafting. Crafting while leveling is a lot easier, and less expensive than power-leveling a crafting profession after you are at max level. Plus it’s a fun and profitable diversion once your XP bar turns purple.
Turn your computer off. This is the best advice of them all!