The hardest part about going back to World of Warcraft is picking up and old character. As I mentioned in the first Returning to WoW, I had already taken an Undead Warlock to 60 and a Human Warlock to 70. Most people would just jump on their level 70, head to Northrend and start working their way to 80. This isn't an easy task considering the fact that I haven't played for over a year it would be hard to just jump back on the saddle. With the all the changes implemented in the game I made my choice quickly.

I'm dusting off my 60 Undead Warlock, setting up for a character transfer and joining a new guild. I think it would be important to have a fresh start with a new guild, also it can be a pain going back to an old guild. I don't want to explain my reasons for leaving the first time and I just don't want to hear about all the raid/quest I missed out on. There’s no ill will towards my former guild, I just want to get into the game in another way. Plus I have some "real world friends" re-joining the Horde with me, we can help each other get back into the game.

 

My first few hours back in-game probably looked like someone standing up with numb legs. I stumbled around for a few minutes, running around from one end of the Undercity to the other trying to remember how to play. This is when I began to feel like I didn't know anything. If you need a reference, just watch Summer School. Just me running around like a dope crying to my friends "I don't know anything", it was pathetic. Finally after a few minutes I calmed down and realized that the changes I didn't like at first were fixes I wished for when I last played the game. Items stack better; there’s a guild bank, mounts and companions have their own menus and don't fill your inventory. The mount thing didn't matter to me at first since I'm a "lock" and our mounts are spells. While these changes are cool it doesn't hold a candle to the addition of achievements. If your an Xbox 360 or PS3 owner you now that there’s nothing better than achievements.

Most achievements are retroactive and I can't wait to start working on them. They are a perfect set of goals after I reach the level cap, if I can't get to the end game content. It's starting to look like Blizzard really considered the game post level cap instead of just large group based endgame questing/raiding. For some, the end game content wasn't an option. Even though I have hope of getting to endgame content, there's always a chance that things can change.
Before I can head out into the Outlands I have to make some choices that affect everything I do to get to 70 and then to 80. The first and most important choice is my talent points build. Since the last time I played, talents have had a full over hail. This means making the decision on which way to take my Warlock. I searched a few sites to find a talent build that matched the way I played previously. In the past I was a big fan of a built known as SM/Ruin. This built created a play style where I wasn't dependent on my pet and I could do high damage when I needed to. The build isn't as popular now as it was in the past but I wanted to find something close to it. My answer was found on wowhead , this new sm/ruin build suited my needs and was close enough to my previous built. Now there is only one step left in my preparations, interface modifications.

I wasn't a big time mod user in the past but I do find a few modifications necessary. I first picked up a mod to show more bars, a mod to show all bags in one window and after some reluctance I grad a mod called QuestHelper. This is a must have for those looking to level quickly or quest faster. The mod adds a navigation arrow to show you where to complete a quest. It also gives you a step by step map so you can do multiple quests and then drop all of them off at one time. This quest guild will allow you to quest in half the time. Too often in the past I would do one quest, drop it off and do another. This was a time consuming ordeal but it was the way I kept track of my quests. With QuestHelper, I'm able to complete multiple quests and drop them all off to get quicker experience and at the end of questing it's a huge moral boost dropping off a bunch of quests and getting so much XP at one time. QuestHelper may sound like a huge lifesaver but it's nothing without a mod called Cartographer. This map mod works with QuestHelper to display a quest path making questing less of a mystery and more like a precise operation. I'm now ready to go out and quest for the first time in a year.

Going from a PVP server to a PVE server may not sound like a bad idea. At first I had huge amount of pride that I took a Horde to level 60 on a server that had a Horde to Alliance ratio of about 1 to 2 in favor of the Alliance. I spent so much time hiding from the other faction that I became a master of guerrilla questing. I could hideout and attack an NPC or complete a quest without anyone knowing. I made running from Alliance group an art form. Now on a PVE server I don't have to worry about a higher level player just looking to cause grief. It’s a refreshing feeling now being a Horde and not fearing the Alliance.

To start my new questing in the Outlands, I started by dropping all my old quests. I didn't want to look through them and see if they could be finished or used to level. I wanted to level in the Outlands and my old quest weren't going to start me. So I went to the Hellfire Peninsula and started to pick up quests. With QuestHelper I was able to quest so fast that I reached level 61 within my first sitting which was around two hours. The next few levels didn't happen as fast but with the adjustments made to leveling they were more enjoyable then my first time in the Outlands. The leveling in each area now seems to be just right, it's not too short and not too long. The moment I became tired of questing the area, I was at a level to move on. By level 63 I felt it was time to move on to another area. While this may not sound like a huge undertaking, with some minor planning moving to the next Outland area can become beneficial later on. From Hellfire you can go to Terokkar Forrest or to Zangermarsh, both are antiquate at 63. The leveling in Terokkar may be a little easier but I liked the level in Zangermarsh in the past so that is where I setup shop for the next few levels but that's a story for another time.

These first few levels helped get me a little more conformable. I don't think I would have faired as well if I just went right into the 70+ Northrend areas. I was too new to the game again just to run in guns a blazing to a game I had to re-learn. Most players re-joining the World of Warcraft might find the Death Knight extremely helpful. With a starting level of 55 is a perfect match for those returning to the game or trying to get another high level character. I am happy with my decision to re-join at 60 instead of starting a new character or at 70. I think I am becoming a better player for it and I hope the learning process continues. Next week I'll finish my progress in the Outlands.