How quickly are you progressing in Dragonflight?

A topic that always seems to be discussed on the early days of an expansion — but that I’ve been seeing a lot more for Dragonflight in particular — is how quickly players progress. How long does it take for them to reach max level? Do they immediately start running dungeon after dungeon in order to increase their item level? Are they eager to jump into raiding as quickly as possible?

Maybe this is a hot topic right now because this expansion broke the mold that had been used since Legion: The developers themselves have stated that this expansion heralds the “third era” of World of Warcraft. The activities that are available after reaching level 70 aren’t all that similar to the permanent grinds of the last three — we don’t have Artifact Weapons or Azerite Armor or Anima to collect anymore. Many of those design philosophies have been changed, such that there’s a bigger focus on the “core systems” of the game now.

One such core system involves professions. The new, far more complex way that gathering and crafting work now does necessitate constant effort in order for one to make progress — heck, even understanding these new systems seems to require some considerable labor. How far have you progressed in your professions? Are you a dedicated player, learning everything, gathering or crafting like crazy, and chasing your Profession Knowledge points? Or are you more relaxed, still trying to figure out what you even need to do in that department?

Personally speaking, even though this isn’t Mists of Pandaria anymore, I’ve decided to slow down and savor the expansion. It took me about six days to reach max level, and once I got to 70, I decided that I’m in no hurry to gear up. I’m simply doing the World Quests I like, finding events here and there, running a dungeon when I feel like it, slowly working on my professions while making sure to dedicate some time to secondary activities, like collecting Battle Pets, or dragon racing. (Man, dragon racing is mad fun. If I have to decide between running Mythic dungeons like crazy to gear up — like every expansion before this one — or trying to earn gold medals, I’ll probably have more fun chasing the dream of becoming the fastest dragon rider on Azeroth. It’s fresh and new!)

How about you? Are you in for a marathon or a sprint? Did you power-level your way to 70, or did you take it slow? Are you gearing up madly, or are you just earning gear as it comes? Do you have any specific goals you’re chasing after, or are you in “amusement park” mode, doing a little bit of everything as you feel like it?