The World of Warcraft: Forever beta now lets players reach level 30, up from 20. Blizzard added the higher cap in its Oct. 1 build, along with a new five-player dungeon, Excavation Site: Wetlands, listed for levels 26–31. Razorfen Downs is available from level 25 and Uldaman from level 30. Blizzard’s beta development notes confirm these changes are live.
The build also changes how much experience dungeon quests give. Blizzard has cut the extra XP on those quests by 50% beyond their normal quest values. The normal quest portion remains, so the total reward falls by less than half. The developers say the adjustment follows feedback about leveling speed. They have recalibrated some quest rewards, too.
The change follows the team’s earlier discussion of leveling and blue gear. Blizzard previously said its internal average time from levels 1 to 20 was close to Classic Era’s, while players argued that dungeon quests felt especially rewarding. Those figures stop at level 20. Blizzard has not published a new average for reaching level 30 or estimated the full journey to level 60 at launch.
Players testing the new level range will find other changes. Most PvP gear and upgrade-token Honor prices rose by about 50%, while the Honor cap increased from 15,000 to 25,000. Blizzard also added barbershops in Darnassus and Thunder Bluff and increased respawn rates for some quest targets. The full development notes cover extensive class tuning.
This is still a beta build, and Blizzard lists unresolved issues. Enemies can parry or block attacks from behind when players stand too close, for example. The level cap and added dungeons are available now; the final balance of leveling rewards may still change.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, WoW Forever Beta Development Notes — Updated October 1.
Image: Official World of Warcraft: Forever gameplay trailer art. © Blizzard Entertainment. This promotional image does not depict the October 1 beta build. Watch the official trailer.