I find leveling alts to be one of the main sources of enjoyment in this game. I have an 80 mage that has ran instances and raids for end game and I just don’t care for it much at all. So, I stick to my various alts.

To follow the example above, here’s my list of things learned:

1. Never wait beyond level 10 to start your professions. Even if you don’t know what you want, at least grab something and use it. If you change later on down the road, then so be it. Don’t be afraid to change, but putting it off until later is full of fail. I have switched professions (all maxed at 450) on my 80 4 times, and it doesn’t bother me at all.

1b. Get used to leveling your fishing skill. Keep it in line with your other professions and just work on 25 points or so at once. Get it up a bit, then stop and return to questing. If you’re one to eat at your desk, that’s an excellent time to fish. Enjoy your own meal, and keep a hand busy while you’re doing it with something productive.

2. Engineering is for twinks or people with lots of gold to throw away. Blacksmithing is strictly for those who love to farm mining nodes for 16 hours a day. Avoid both of them, imo. Unless you’re a twink, then Engineering is a must.

3. Always push your limits and challenge yourself constantly.

4. The game starts to die in Outlands. It does freshen itself back up in Nagrand though. The game completely dies in Northrend. Story there is great, rewards are awesome, and levels of boredom reach an all time epic high. Northrend sucks, no exceptions.

5. If you’ve already got a high level toon, don’t be afraid to spend gold on good gear for alts even if you know you’re only going to wear it for 1-2 levels. My main on my new server is an enchanter, and I throw enchants on all of my alts’ gear whenever they get an upgrade. Of course my level 10 rogue needs to dual wield Fiery Swords.

6. All professions are fun to level. Engineering is actually one of the most fun to level since so many of the items are fun or interesting. It takes a freakton of mats of course, but who cares as long as it’s fun. Mining is probably the most boring if you ask me, even after recent patches.

7. Leveling alts is always fun, especially when you try to beat your previous alt’s performance. Mage soloed that at 25? Lets see if the Paladin can do it at 18 then.

8. And no, the Baron’s mount will never drop. Ever. For any reason. Give it up. 213 runs and counting….

I love leveling them when I am not raiding, raiding is pretty much the only thing I use my main for any more, it is sad, but my attention span has not allowed me to finish questing in StormPeaks and Icecrown.

Things I have learned…
1. Don’t wait until 80 to level your profs (takes much more money to do it that way).

2. Don’t attempt to level engineering, one toon is enough.

3. Squishys are calle squishy for a reason (I have learned this one OVER AND OVER AND OVER etc…)

4. The game begins in Outlands.

5. It much easier to pick and choose gear for toons when you know you will be replacing it in just a couple levels at most. It is also nice to know if you stack int on a lock and not stam in the early levels, you can still balance it out without spending money, you may just have to wait a little (at one point my lock had 14-1500mana and 900 HP)(I have since fixed that .

6. Profs are actually fun to level as long as they are not engineering.

7. It is nice leveling alts when you are in a raiding guild. I level when not raiding, if I am not raiding none of my buddies are. If they are not raiding…Free run throughs!!!

8. And one from not playing my alts…The Baron’s Mount will never drop.