Nearly one month ago Blizzard announced a specialWorld of Warcraftevent coinciding with stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AllWorld of Warcraftplayers would receive a 100% experience buff while leveling. The buff was named the Winds of Wisdom and it was mean to provideWorld of Warcraftplayers an opportunity to revisit their alts or start new characters without stressing over the grind. Blizzard has now decided that the Winds of Wisdom event is worth continuing.
The Winds of Wisdom 100% bonus experience event was set to end on April 20 inWorld of Warcraft. Blizzard has now extended the event all the way up to the pre-patch forWorld of Warcraft’s next expansion,Shadowlands. That means thatWorld of Warcraftplayers will receive a free 100% experience buff for the next several months. Considering there’s no end in sight for the COVID-19 quarantine,World of Warcraftplayers stuck at home are certain to be appreciative.
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While there’s no official date announced for the launch of theShadowlandspre-patch and the end of theWinds of Wisdom buff, some speculation can be made. The past twoWorld of Warcraftexpansions,LegionandBattle for Azeroth, both launched in August. Pre-patches tend to last at least a month, but potentially a little longer. That means pre-patch forShadowlandsshould arrive early-to-mid July, giving current players another 3 months of 100% bonus experience.
The reason why Blizzard is setting a deadline for the event at all is due to a major feature change inShadowlands. Starting with the expansion’s pre-patch,World of Warcraftis getting a “level squish.” The current 120 levels inWorld of Warcraftwill be squished to just 50, with another 10 being added inShadowlandsitself for a cap of 60.
Leveling in theShadowlandsexpansionwill be easier and faster than ever. It may even be faster than with the current 100% experience buff, outside of those 10 new levels. Adding a 100% experience buff on top of the level squish would be a bit extreme.
For now, all that matters is thatWorld of Warcraftplayers can continue taking advantage of the 100% experience buff for months yet. Whether players have the full game throughBattle for Azeroth, are still rolling around withLegion, or have just begin with theStarter Edition, everyone gets a 100% experience buff. Players can event stack the buff with other experience modifiers including potions and heirloom gear. There’s no better time to power level some alts.
