#0 - Feb. 11, 2009, 7:48 p.m.
Now in WotLK, we have a 3rd layer, Northrend. They have accelerated leveling again, for levels 60-70, to help get us through the now-obsolete Outland content, but it's still there. The game is still fun and playable, but the additional layer of game makes it just that much more awkward.
Looking ahead, we can expect yet another expansion is in the works, which would add a new, 4th layer to the game world. While new content is always exciting, I find myself dreading the addition of yet another profession skill level (Megagrandmaster?), another even more superlative name for magic dust and chunks of Fire, Earth, etc. and another leveling boost so we can speed to level 78 and leave Northrend behind ASAP. Dalaran will become another Shattrath-style ghost town. New players (and possibly rerolls) will have to wallow upward through the 3 older layers of content before they get to anything current, which might be a good reason not to bother starting a new WoW character in the first place.
Do you see this happening with the next xpac, or do you think something might be done to reduce the increasingly "layered" feel of the game world?
