01-30-2007, 02:08 PM
Just a counterpoint to the above responses- depending on how long you've been gone, there have been some major changes to the game. Most classes have had major talent revisions, not to mention the fact that there are now 41-point talents for all 3 trees for all classes. PvP is much more fruitful and can get you some extremely good items for not a lot of effort (compared to the old system). Jewelcrafting is a neat profession and allows you to craft some decent rings/trinkets for yourself a lot earlier than you could find them before it came along. Shaman are now available on the Alliance side of things, and Paladins on the Horde. If you enjoyed 5-man dungeons, there are plenty of good ones in the Outlands (assuming you take the time to level that high). If you're worried about gear parity between yourself as a newly-minted level 60 and the old-school Naxx raiders, Outland quests are designed to gear you up VERY quickly. From a rogue perspective, I replaced all my gear except weapons (and would have replaced those if I hadn't gotten the High Warlord swords from 2 weeks of fairly casual PvP) by the time I hit level 62. Granted I had exactly 1 Zul'Gurub run under my belt prior to TBC being released, but if you like the feeling of getting new shinies then Outland is for you.:)
On the flip side, yes, you have to slog your way to level 58 before you get to the new good quest content unless you create a Blood Elf / Draenei. Most of your guildies will probably be in the Outlands and unable/unwilling to help you with lower level quests unless they've rolled one of the new races. Quest format hasn't changed much even in the expansion (kill 10 dinglehoppers, gather 20 widgets) although there are some new types (bombing runs woohoo!) and world PvP objectives.
I guess it all depends on what you like doing when you play games. Exploring? There's a TON of stuff you haven't seen if you haven't even hit 40 (plus exploring/travel gets easier once you grab a mount). Gear progression? Evenly-paced upgrades till you hit Outlands, then you'll be replacing most of your gear in a single level. Lore? There are lots of great questlines throughout the course of the game, and some of the best ones are at higher levels (Tirion Fordring line is excellent!).
A 2-month game card is ~$25 at Amazon.com. A small price to pay for 2 months of entertainment, if you ask me. Er, yeah, plus the $40 for the expansion.:)
Dang that was long.
On the flip side, yes, you have to slog your way to level 58 before you get to the new good quest content unless you create a Blood Elf / Draenei. Most of your guildies will probably be in the Outlands and unable/unwilling to help you with lower level quests unless they've rolled one of the new races. Quest format hasn't changed much even in the expansion (kill 10 dinglehoppers, gather 20 widgets) although there are some new types (bombing runs woohoo!) and world PvP objectives.
I guess it all depends on what you like doing when you play games. Exploring? There's a TON of stuff you haven't seen if you haven't even hit 40 (plus exploring/travel gets easier once you grab a mount). Gear progression? Evenly-paced upgrades till you hit Outlands, then you'll be replacing most of your gear in a single level. Lore? There are lots of great questlines throughout the course of the game, and some of the best ones are at higher levels (Tirion Fordring line is excellent!).
A 2-month game card is ~$25 at Amazon.com. A small price to pay for 2 months of entertainment, if you ask me. Er, yeah, plus the $40 for the expansion.:)
Dang that was long.