Light Leveling

Spent yesterday evening laying pipe for a french drain and filling in the ditch thereof... and then, for a followup, helped move a six and a half ton entertainment center.

Well, it felt like six and a half tons. Especially after dealing with the ditch...

In any case, by the time the kids were in bed and I was able to log in for some play time, I really didn't feel up to running a random dungeon. Aeven is only a few levels past the minimum for Razorfen Kraul, anyways, which is an annoying instance to begin with, and the only other instance she's eligible for in the LFD tool - and that she hasn't done - is Gnomeregan.

Yeah, I think I'd like to be a bit better prepared (or at least, more awake) before tackling those two.

So I took her to the Redridge Mountains and spent some time polishing off enough quests to pick up another level or so. Which honestly surprised me. Aeven's a little higher level than expected for the zone, but most of the quests were either green or yellow, so should have been appropriate for her, right? Despite that, though, none of the quests really posed much of a challenge, except for Lieutenant Fangore, and that was because he managed to pull an entire pack of gnolls along with him.

Gath'ilzog? No problem - teamed up with a warlock to take him and his pet whelp down. Tharil'zun? Again, no problem - soloed him, in fact. In fact, I find myself taking on enemies that I actively went out of my way to avoid while leveling other characters.

Part of that, I think, can be attributed to my own experience. Yes, this is my first pally, and my first tank, but I've played two other characters all the way to 80 and beyond, so I've got a lot more experience this time around. Another part of it can be attributed to playing a class that's actually intended to be able to stand in one spot and soak up damage. I'll be honest, that's something that's extremely refreshing. Ha! I laugh at your pitiful attacks!

I think a lot of people would look at the situation, though, and say "Meh, look how badly Blizz has nerfed leveling! It's too easy!" I'd be tempted to say that as well, except... I started playing a year and a half ago. So while I missed playing in vanilla WoW, I did get a taste for what leveling was like in BC before Wrath came out.

While I generally prefer playing casters, there was a point early on where I gave different classes a try. As a result, I rolled a Dwarven warrior because I wanted to see both what the Dwarven starting area was like, and what playing a warrior was like.

You know what? I remember that it didn't really appeal to me, for whatever reason - the rage mechanics, the lack of interesting abilities, the stances. Whatever it was, the warrior class just didn't tickle my fancy the way that mage, priest, and now pally have. What I do distinctly remember is saying something much like, "Wow... leveling as a warrior is so easy! I'm creaming these guys that turned me into toast before! Look at me not dying! Ha! I laugh at your pitiful attacks!"

So... leveling too easy? Nah. Not really. It's just the way the game is made, and I, for one, am pretty darn happy that my little Dwarven lady can laugh in the face of her enemies, the way that a real hero should.