Blizzard announced on March 20 that World of Warcraft players would receive a special XP buff, Winds of Wisdom, until April 20. For returning players the Winds of Wisdom buff will be stackable with bonuses granted from heirloom items.
Whether you are new to the world of Azeroth or a longstanding denizen there is no better time to delve in. If you want to take advantage of this special buff, players should take this time to power level their characters.
Getting Started
Whether you are choosing to start a brand new alt or are taking your first excursion, the first thing you will need to decide is what race and class you will play as. Other than Pandaren players, your choice of fighting for the Horde or the Alliance (the world's two factions) will be determined by your character's race.
While some players are stringently either one or the other, it does not make a difference in terms of how well you will be able to level a character.
To get the best leveling, players should be mindful of choosing a server with a lower population, and consider choosing a less popular race to play as. Alliance players may want to stay away from Human and Night Elf, while Horde players may want to stick with Trolls and Goblins. Utilizing these two methods, players will be able to breeze through the starting zones with little hindrance as there will be fewer players vying for the same quest objects, making for faster leveling.
Choosing PvP or PvE
As World of Warcraft is an MMORPG, in order to accommodate the large amounts of players, there are several servers for players to choose from. Each server is dedicated to either player versus environment (PvE), player versus player (PvP) or roleplaying player versus player (RP-PvP). Both PvP and RP-PvP servers add an extra level of challenge by allowing opposing faction members to attack in an all-out free-for-all. But if you are looking to rapidly level your character, a PvE server may be a better fit. Once you have hit top levels, players can purchase a server transfer if they are looking for a fight later on.
Players who do choose PvE servers can enjoy an element of PvP gameplay by joining Battlegrounds. These mini PvP games pit teams of players against one another, and players can receive large amounts of XP both for competing and after the Battleground had been complete. Regardless of which faction wins, both will receive XP, though the winning faction will receive more.
Rides and Grinds
At level 20, players unlock the ability to learn the riding skill and can purchase their first mount. The Apprentice Riding skill will give players 60 percent increased ground speed on their mount, and players can upgrade this skill to unlock flying mounts with the Expert Riding skill, available at level 60. This can give players up to 310 percent flying speed. The ability to use mounts will greatly increase players' ability to complete quests and earn XP faster than if they were on foot.
Also unlocked at level 20 are professions, which can be useful for grinding levels. Professions are broken down into gathering and crafting and can be paired to allow the player to craft powerful armor, weapons and accessories. Crafting professions (such as Leatherworking and Alchemy) may not offer much help through early levels, as players need to purchase recipes and craft items to gain XP. On the other hand, gathering professions (such as mining and herbalism) offer large amounts of XP for each gathered item, which can help players grind through levels. For players looking to power level, it is good practice to not solely focus on gathering, but rather to collect any herbs or mine any ore found while questing.
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Getting Past Level 60
Many experienced players leveling alt characters find levels 60-80 to be daunting. Leveling begins to slow down during this portion of the game, and many alt characters are abandoned during this time. Seasoned players may enjoy skipping the entire Outland region, first introduced in The Burning Crusade expansion, in favor of Northrend from Wrath of the Lich King. If you are brand new to the game, Outland will offer more lore behind Azeroth and help tie the world together more, but both seasoned and new players can utilize the game's dungeon system to get the most out of Outland without actually having to play it.
The game's dungeon system (unlocked at level 15) is a great way to level up. Players can queue, either with friends or a random group. The first time running through each dungeon will offer the most XP, but they are replayable, and players may find epic loot. To make the most of dungeons, players should pick up any quests available to earn as much XP and items as possible. If you have seen the inside of the same dungeon one too many times, you can always leave at any point, though players will be penalized by not being able to enter another dungeon for 30 minutes.
The Winds of Wisdom XP buff is available for World of Warcraft players from now until April 20, so be sure to take advantage of the bonus XP to power level your character.