Leveling in Northrend
Originally I posted an article that was driven around solo leveling in Wrath. Since then I’ve changed my strategy completely, and am actually leveling almost full Resto. Wait, what’s that? You want to know if I suddenly developed a bad case of tree rot in the head? No, I assure you it is working out quite well. Here is the scoop:
Preface: I hit level 75 on Sunday, the 16th. I could have leveled faster than I have thus far, but I’m not trying to just power level. My goal is just to hit 77 this week so I can fly again, and obviously I’m going to meet my goal without a problem at this rate.
Step One: Find a questing partner.
Ideally you will want to find a tank. I know this sounds sort of counter-productive, but trust me it will pay off. I especially recommend a Paladin, but any tank will do fine.
Step Two: Specs.
The tank should be specced for tanking, with perhaps a couple of points spared for increased DPS as possible. You should be specced in a way that allows you to heal very well. This can vary slightly, but I recommend this build: Level 80 Final
Step Three: Try to convince your friends you haven’t lost your mind.
My guildmate, also level 75 and a Prot-Spec Paladin, and I have been able to successfuly and easily handle every quest we have encountered. Some things may not die as quickly as they would otherwise, but downing elites that are 2-3 levels higher than us without too much difficulty makes it much, much easier to finish quests. Not to mention we have been able to run every instance we pass without difficulty, since we can always find willing DPS to go and we have the tank/healer combo already.
My damage output really isn’t very good with this spec, I’ll admit. It works, and most mobs die within a 45-75 second window, but I know I could easily squeeze more damage output with a few tweaks to my spec. However, I have found it challenging to heal in the new instances, and without being fully resto-spec’d I’m not certain I could sustain the healing throughput necessary to complete them (or down a couple of the elites we’ve encountered).
The trade-off between damage and healing has always been tough to decide how to handle, and in the end it all really comes down to how you decide to play the game. This method, while not necessarily fastest, allows us to work together and enjoy leveling, and do so in a relatively efficient and expedient manner. One added benefit: the tank/healer relationship definitely grows stronger spending so much time playing together also!
That is very close to the build I was/am aiming for leveling with my prot warrior husband Yakra. We haven’t had anything remotely close to issues with quests, and most people can’t gank us. We find 3 DPS for 5-mans the second we ask for them. And of course the leveling together has been great for our relationship!
I’m glad to see someone else chose to stay true to their roots!
We originally planned to level Ret/Balance, but found out pretty quick that we would have less downtime doing it this way. It takes a little longer on some of the elites, but being able to do it with just us instead of finding a group makes it all worthwhile.
Not to mention we over gear the instances we’ve run, so it is easy to pull DPS in and just AoE almost every encounter. I’m not sure I like it, things just seem too easy, but hopefully that will change at 80.
Currently lvl 77 and have leveled resto the whole way. I had points in healing touch, but am thinking of dropping it since it really isn’t a spell i often use… and when I do need it quickly, there is always NS. Thanks for the post.