World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore made me fall in love with leveling all over again

What's the endgame like? If you're anything like me, that's the first question you ask when considering a new MMORPG. You want to know that the experience of gearing up at max level is worth your time, if the raids are sufficiently rad-looking and challenging, if the dungeons have cool mechanics that hook you and keep running again and again (and again and again). 

Most of the time, the leveling process isn't something I think about. As long as it's not completely boring or arduous, I'll rush my way directly through the ranks to get to the good stuff. In short: in most MMORPGs, the campaign is fairly perfunctory for endgame-focused players like me. It's simply there to teach me the mechanics, introduce me to the world, and ensure I know where to go to level up my skills or exchange whatever arcane currency I've earned. You know, the basics.

But recently, a buddy and I have been checking out the newly released World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore servers. And suddenly, I've fallen in love with the simple act of leveling.

Level playing field

And so my buddy Andy and I decided to roll a pair of dwarves, with him playing a Paladin and me on a Hunter. We hopped into the server, found ourselves in the dwarven starting zone of Coldridge Valley, and set out into the world. From the outset the vibes were different. Normally, I'd grab all the quests I could and immediately take off into the wilderness, ready for danger and, if I'm being honest, ready to die. 

Instead, Andy and I spent a serious amount of time discussing strategy. Who would pull aggro, what abilities to use when, what quests to do first. We talked about what paths to take and which areas within the zone to avoid in case we pulled too many Troggs. There was this amazing tension there that I've never experienced while leveling a new character. I wasn't merely watching my experience bar go up, I was trying to survive. 

And it grounded me in the amazing spaces of World of Warcraft. I was more aware of every feature in this space. I saw the nearby ridge that an aggressive bear could be hiding behind. I kept an eye on the water nearby in case an unseen alligator was lurking. Andy and I had an escape plan for each and every dungeon we entered, just in case a patrolling wendigo came around the corner and caught us fighting one of its compatriots.

Don't get me wrong, WoW Classic is still the grind you remember. It still takes weeks and weeks to get a character to max level. That can still feel like a slog – MMORPGs have come a long way in smoothing out the leveling process since 2004, when WoW was first released – and, if anything, Hardcore makes that process even slower because of how careful you have to be. But rather than suffer for that 2004-era mundanity, Hardcore revels in it. It's unapologetic in asking its players to take it slow. It demands you appreciate and reckon with the world around you, if not outright fear it. 

And you know what? The world of World of Warcraft is stunning. It's a pretty remarkable achievement that, almost 20 years after its original release, I can continue to appreciate its design. You know that feeling you've been chasing since you first got into games? The one where you entered a game's world for the first time and felt the sheer scale of their worlds? It was a magical feeling, right? WoW Classic Hardcore drags that feeling right back out of you. Rather than allowing its players to speed through the various questlines, it forces you to sit, examine things around you, and really marvel at World of Warcraft. 

I've spent dozens of hours adventuring with my buddy in Hardcore Azeroth, and I haven't even thought about raiding. Not once. And that's really, really nice. Which brings us back to the beginning: what's the end game like? At this point I don't care, because there's still so much for me to see and do, one step at a time.

Here are 10 of the best MMORPGs to play in 2023