What is Power Leveling?
by Mario Podeschi, July 24 2010
One of the great draws of RPGs is the concept of leveling, where activities such as quests and remorseless killing are rewarded by making a players avatar more powerful. Such systems are a staple of game design, allowing for play to vary and increase in complexity as a game progresses. So what is power leveling and how does it affect gameplay? Power leveling is an attempt to shoot past this limitation, to gain levels as quickly as possible within the confines of the programming. In MMORPGs, it is usually tolerated, particularly for experienced players who want to use a new class without forcing their gaming companions to start over as well.

Power leveling takes many forms, dependent on a games programming and popularity. In most cases, it requires the assistance of higher-level characters to provide gear, buffs, escorts, and exploits.

Grindingthe systematic execution of monsters for experience pointsis the most basic form of power leveling. It remains a staple of Everquest, where guides explain which monsters to kill at which levels in order to reach the highest levels at the quickest pace. In any game, it is made easier with twinkingthe purchase of more powerful items than are usually available to a character of a certain leveland with higher level escorts who can provide buffs and healing as characters push through monsters.

It did not take long for players to realize that grinding was very, very boring. In its 2006 episode Make Love, Not Warcraft, South Park lampooned the concept of grinding by having its four heroes grind for seven weeks on boars before confronting a notorious player-killer. The plot of the episode made their actions believable, as the player-killer was making it impossible for players to complete quests. Designers introduced the concept of quest XP in an attempt to force players away from grinding by making it more efficient to explore game content fully and thus have more fun while leveling.

For those with the money to spare, professional power levelers offer to level-up characters to certain specifications. Given the time investment required to see end-game content, some gamers find the cost-benefit analysis of professional power leveling to be a no-brainer. An adult gamer who makes $15 an hour, for example, can be quite willing to pay $45 for a high-level character that would otherwise take them twenty hours to earn. In this way, the end-game can be enjoyed without the work of gaining levels.

Some games even cater to power levelers. Dungeons and Dragons Online, for example, provided the DDO store, where players could purchase xp potions that granted a small duration of increased xp gain. The potions were bought using points given out slowly in-game but which could also be bought wholesale. Along with purchasable stat bonuses and premium equipment, DDO made most third-party services obsolete by providing a reliable in-game alternative.

These forms of leveling are usually tolerated in the MMORPG community. Games like World of Warcraft are drastically different at higher levels, where dedicated players can form into large raid groups to explore new, highly challenging content. Those wanting to try a new character class (or to fill a needed niche in a raid guild) find little enjoyment in leveling, thus making power leveling a popular tactic. Hopefully this has provided some insight into what power leveling is in a MMORPG world.