20 Free Levels? In My World of Warcraft?
That's right. Just a few weeks ago, Blizzard pulled a very generous move that will tempt older veterans that left the game, and new players that are still on fence about the wildly popular MMORPG. World of Warcraft now not only allows people to test drive it by downloading a trial, but allows players to get to level 20 before having to pay.
Now World of Warcraft allowed this coupled with a 30 day period to test it out with the 20 level cap. But the difference now is that there is no '30 days'. Until you put in a retail code for a full copy of WoW, you can play until level 20, indefinitely. This means that you can pal around on any server, with the full character slots if you wanted to till level 20.
Level 20 is considered the sweet spot by many player, that place where you knew if you would keep playing or not: both the chosen class and the game itself. Keep in mind, this comes with many restrictions: no mail, no friends list options, no chat options save for party and say, no bank or auction house uses. But a player with such an account isn't here for that. Two types of players would find this kind of play useful:
The Beginner
A lot of new players may have put off trying WoW due to time and expense. Before, trying WoW involved buying a retail copy and running around for 30 days. If you didn't like it you could cancel the sub, you have already invested money in buying the box.
Then Blizzard changed it so you could download it online and skirt the box cost. But some people simply don't have the luxury of devoting daily playtime to what is considered by many players a hefty time investment. Also a new player wouldn't know nor would want to level efficiently, they would want to explore. 30 days will never seem enough to see enough of the world.
This new change will allow new players to discover the world of Azeroth at their own pace. Some may happy reach 20 and be okay with not going further. Other may like it enough to try and go onto retail. But this system allows them to come to that decision without the pressure to pay without getting the most out of their trial.
The Returner
And then there are these guys. The ones that played back when WoW was new and somewhere or another decided to call it quits. The game changed on then while they were gone and the many changes were so much they put it off, giving away (or selling) their accounts and closing that book on their MMO fun.
But this new trial system allows even old vets to take the game at their own pace, taking it slow like the newbies...or seeing a way to gain a level 20 starter character without having to pay.
Ways to cheap these 20 levels.
Powerleveling is possible with such a limited account. In fact having a character with a decent amount of gold, mats and decent gear is very possible despite the limitations. Leveling the character to 20, then stocking up on various at level herbs, metals and other farmed mats can be done.
A shrewd player could shift from free to a played account with a list full of level 20s with all gathering and crafting professions at level set to place items on the auction house. It would be like starting the game proper with actual income and mount putting them right out the gate set for the bigger adventures in Azeroth.