It’s okay if you’re still not level 60

I am playing Shadowlands entirely wrong.

I have a level 57 character, a level 54 character, and several characters between 51 and 53 who are just past the Maw and into Bastion. None of them are 60 yet, and frankly, I don’t know when one of them finally will be. I assume all of them will get there eventually. I’m just not super concerned about when that happens.

Playing World of Warcraft over the past sixteen years has taught me that there’s no real reason to rush to max level fast. in Warlords, Legion, and Battle for Azeroth there’s the first tier of raiding, and then another tier past that, and another — and with each major patch new mechanics come in to catch up. If I have a bunch of 60’s in place by the time that happens, I’ll be ready to make use of them. Plus, even if we’re looking at the current endgame, it’ll be here for a few months — me not getting to 60 last week, or this week, won’t really change that.

In the simplest terms, you’re the one playing this game. Play it however you want. Play it fast, slow, take your time, blaze through, whatever you want to do. Because at the end of the day, it’s your account, it’s your sub, and nobody else is going to play the game for you.

Play at your own pace, it’s your subscription

I see a lot of players saying things like I’m worried that I’m not 60 yet or the like, and for you, I have this message — play the game however feels best to you and don’t worry about that. Yes, other people have more Anima than you, and people are already twice your item level. It comes down to whether or not you care about that, ultimately, and for me at least the answer is a resounding no. I’ll get there when I get there, and the game isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to be in Shadowlands until late 2022 most likely. Why stress yourself out now, when we’ve got the whole month of December ahead of us? People aren’t going to get serious about raiding with Christmas on the horizon, even if this year they can’t go anywhere.

And even if they do get serious about it, that doesn’t mean you have to.

There’s nothing wrong with getting to 60 super fast, if that’s what you want to do. But it doesn’t have to be the only way to play the game. I’ve burned to max level so many times in the past, and here we are, and I’m leveling to max level again. It’s a cycle and it doesn’t have to be the same every time you play it. Whatever your reasons are for your pace — you’re trying to level in a pandemic while also managing your kids who are home instead of at school, you’re having a hard time focusing, you have a demanding day job, you just don’t feel like it — they’re perfectly valid. Please don’t feel bad about it. You’ll get there when you get there and the game will be waiting for you when you do.

If anyone asks, you can tell them I said so.