World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, Shadowlands, has recently arrived, and players are excited to trek through Azeroth’s afterlife. Shadowlands differs from previous expansions in several ways. There’s a massive overhaul of the leveling system. Levels have been squished from 120 to 60. And there’s less focus on endless grinding at max level, which made having an alt very difficult. Lastly, it’s the first expansion in a long time where all players are forced through the same content linearly. Do you know what that means? Bottlenecks.
Behind The Pack or Ahead of The Pack?
Shadowlands has been live for quite a while now, so if you planned to get ahead of the pack to avoid competing for resources, then you’re already too late. But there’s good news. If you’re starting your 50-60 leveling journey now, you’ll likely be slightly behind the pack. This means that you will have enough people to play with, but the zones won’t be so populated that you struggle to progress.
Azeroth Autopilot Shadowlands
Azeroth Auto Pilot is a speed leveling addon designed to take you to max level as efficiently as possible. It also has a bunch of other features, including automatic quest pickups, prompts for accepting group quests, waypoint arrows, cutscene skipping options, and more. If you don’t already have it, download the Azeroth Auto Pilot addon. And even if you do have it, make sure you’ve updated it. The developer is continually updating it to reflect the level progression through the zones in Azeroth.
Hard Progression Limits
Unlike previous expansions, Shadowlands has hard level requirements for each of the zones, and there’s no way to get around this. You need to be level 53 to enter Maldraxxus from Bastion – if you finish Bastion at level 52, then you’ll have to start grinding some mobs or some side quests to get to level 53. The same is true for the next zone, Ardenweald. Ardenweald is only unlocked at level 55. To enter Revendreth, you need to be level 58.
Turn on Warmode in The Maw
The Maw will be one of the first zones you encounter in the new expansion. When you start the questline to enter the afterlife-themed Shadowlands, you will be taken to The Maw before you progress to the first Shadowlands leveling zone, Bastion. A lot of players are skeptical of Warmode, and for a good reason. You get more XP for having Warmode turned on, which can hasten your progression. But if you get caught up in lots of PvP brawls, then you won’t progress as fast anyway. However, this is not the case in The Maw. The Maw is a scenario, so there’s no potential for PvP to happen. This means you can get the benefit of increased XP without the risk of being attacked. It’s a win-win. There’s one thing you need to be aware of, though. While most of The Maw is a safe, PvP free zone, the outer area near the exit portal is fair game for PvP. This isn’t something you have to worry about too much if you’re leveling in a group, but it could be risky if you’re a solo player. Now, let’s get into some tips for each zone.
Bastion
Home of the Kyrian covenant, Bastion is light, airy, and angelic, making it a fitting home to the guardians of the noble dead. It’s also the first of the four covenant realms you will experience in Shadowlands. Here are some quick tips for leveling in Bastion:
- There is a ton of XP in this realm, so stick with it for as long as Azeroth Auto Pilot says too.
- Use speed boosts to navigate the indoor content if you want to speed up your leveling.
Maldraxxus
Home to the Necrolord covenant, this zone is all about death, as you would imagine. Tips:
- Lots of AoE combat, so make sure you’re using your AoE spells. If you’re wearing BFA raid gear, you should walk the early content.
- Use Goblin Gliders to save time getting down from high places.
Ardenweald
Home to the Night Fae, Ardenweald is all about the cycles of life and rebirth. Ardenweald tips:
- Ardenweald is the first zone where the content noticeably steps up in difficulty. If you’ve let your guard down in Bastion and Maldraxxus, then it’s time to start being more vigilant.
- Try not to get lost. The layout and terrain in the zone can be confusing, and you can lose a lot of time by going off-track. Stay focused.
Revendreth
Home to the Venthyr covenant, Revendreth is the fourth and final question zone in Shadowlands. Revendreth is much more linear than Ardenweald, so you shouldn’t have much trouble navigating the quest objectives. Again, mobs do hit harder here, so be cautious if you’re playing solo. Big pulls can cause you to die and lose time. If you’re struggling to progress through levels 50-60, you can buy WoW boosting services online at Eldorado.
