So I was checking out the official forums, and it seems like the complaint du jour is:  

"I completed my starting zone but I'm not high enough level to go to the next zone."

Here are two threads that talk about this:

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/GW2-feels-too-much-like-a-chore/page/1

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Clarification-on-most-leveling-complaints/page/1#post219865

Now...I just don't get these complaints.  If anyone has played the BWE, they should know that there is PLENTY of content to level you up on hearts alone if you want.  You just need to go to the other races' starting areas.  And that is as easy as taking a portal from your main city.

It seems like these posters basically just want to be completely led by the nose through their zone and their zone alone, and are not willing to even try to go anywhere else.  Instead they would rather complain that there isn't enough stuff to do on the boards.

If you can't tell, this annoys me because I don't want ANET to react to their feedback and increase the leveling speed so that they can go right from Queensdale to Kessex Hills.  What do you all think of this?

People aren't used to this style of progression anymore.  We've been spoon fed and hand held for so many years that to a lot of gamers that's the only way there is.  The good news is that it's not hard to figure out where to go and what to do if EXP is your concern as the game practically has avenues of gaining it at every turn.

Exploration, Hearts, DE's, Personal Story, PVP, mob killin' etc etc.

The problem stems from the fact that DE frequency is undertuned right now, most likely from all the feedback during BWE1 complaining that there were too many events/resetting too fast. I even made a thread about this in the Dynamic Event forum.

If you read carefully, it is easy to tell that people finding themselves underlevelled are levelling exclusively through DE's and Renown Hearts. Those (including myself) that participate in everything from WvW to crafting to exploration do not have any problems levelling. 

Originally posted by Creslin321

If you can't tell, this annoys me because I don't want ANET to react to their feedback and increase the leveling speed so that they can go right from Queensdale to Kessex Hills.  What do you all think of this?

Yeah right like that's gonna happen.  Hello "exp booster pax" in the cash shop!  It's not like Anet is going to undermine their cash shop just to pacify a few players.

Maybe the hearts thing was too much of a compromise? IE, "Well, my hearts is at 100%, I'm done with this area. Why ain't I the right level for the next area, paw?" One accommodation leads to another...if you don't lead them a little, they don't know what to do. If you do lead them, then they consider that bit the entire game and ignore everything else.

Sometimes I wonder why these people even play games. They aren't playing games.

Let's see in BWE 1 I leveled to 21 in BWE 2 I am still lvl 21...

They're probably WoW:Cataclysm players who just steamrolled through azeroth. Honestly... I like the fact that I have to spend time to level my character. Yea I get a little irritated here and there a little bit cause I'm itching to go fight dragon champions and such but that's what an MMO is... It's FUN grind so I'm ok with it :D

Complete all teh hearts. You'll level up in no time

Originally posted by Thorbrand

Let's see in BWE 1 I leveled to 21 in BWE 2 I am still lvl 21...

Then you simply did not play that toon. Sorry, but I was not even trying and I gained levels at a decent pace between WvW, Crafting, personal story, and DEs. To say you could not get 1 level in 3 days is simple absurd and trolling. 

I'm seeing a lot of these in other forums, as well. They make me sad.

I love the XP rate right now. I really miss the games that had slower XP rates (like WoW used to), and in most recent MMO's I actually level way too fast.

I didn't even go to other races starter zones. I just spend a lot of time looking at every nook and crany. And, yes, I will repeat a DE or two, I think a lot of them are cool, and I feel a bit of a devotion to the zone where I have to fix the disturbances, hehe. And I love that I am free to participate or run off and do something else.

They will probably buff the XP rates but I hope they won't... >_< I hope they won't give anyone any extra gold, either.

(And before someone starts a tirade against casual players and how casual players are entitled and want everything, I'm a casual player. If you go on such a tirade, I'm gonna consider that as a personal offense against ME. Not all casual players like sped up gameplay.)

I had this problem in the first BWE. I didn't really do any Hearts. So what I found was I would do one DE then wander around trying to find another. Part of the problem was probably an old habit of going to a level appropriate area. So if I was lvl 17, I would head to an area there were mobs of that level. One DE is never enough to level you up. So I would constantly be moving to higher and higher level territory so I didn't repeat content.

This BWE I did a large number of Hearts to keep my gear current. Didn't run into any problems leveling wise.

Originally posted by atziluth

Originally posted by Thorbrand

Let's see in BWE 1 I leveled to 21 in BWE 2 I am still lvl 21...

Then you simply did not play that toon. Sorry, but I was not even trying and I gained levels at a decent pace between WvW, Crafting, personal story, and DEs. To say you could not get 1 level in 3 days is simple absurd and trolling. 

I could be wrong, but it sounded to me like he leveled from 0 to 21 in BWE2 too, just like he ended up being at level 21 after the BWE1. Meaning that it doesn't look like leveling speed changed drastically from 1 to the next BWE.

At least, that's how I read his post.

Originally posted by x5100

They're probably WoW:Cataclysm players who just steamrolled through azeroth. Honestly... I like the fact that I have to spend time to level my character. Yea I get a little irritated here and there a little bit cause I'm itching to go fight dragon champions and such but that's what an MMO is... It's FUN grind so I'm ok with it :D

yeah,i doubt wow players will last very long in guild wars 2.unlike in wow,theres no phat loots for them to obsess over 

Originally posted by cutthecrap

Originally posted by atziluth

Originally posted by Thorbrand

Let's see in BWE 1 I leveled to 21 in BWE 2 I am still lvl 21...

Then you simply did not play that toon. Sorry, but I was not even trying and I gained levels at a decent pace between WvW, Crafting, personal story, and DEs. To say you could not get 1 level in 3 days is simple absurd and trolling. 

I could be wrong, but it sounded to me like he leveled from 0 to 21 in BWE2 too, just like he ended up being at level 21 after the BWE1. Meaning that it doesn't look like leveling speed changed drastically from 1 to the next BWE.

At least, that's how I read his post.

That's what I read it as as well.

The majority of people are trying to quest grind their way up like you do in WoW then complaining because they have to repeat some events. If they played the game how it is meant to be played, using all forms of experience gain available, it would not be an issue for them. Rather than conform to the leveling style of GW2, they want it to be the leveling style from their last MMO.

My first time playing I did the exact same thing. I tried to level up like I would in a game like WoW but realized it would not work. On my second character leveling was no problem at all becuase I balanced out how I gained xp between all the methods available.

You shouldn't be forced to hop to another races area (or grind) that's just bad design. I did all hearts all story quests found all waypoints and areas of interest in my lvl range in the human starting area (aswell as quite a few in the city) while completing every DE i came across yet when i was about to go through the garrison you defend in the tutorial I found myself 2! levels lower (4) then i should be (6). Something is wrong with the xp gain. (played human slum background)

Originally posted by CrunkJuice2

Originally posted by x5100

They're probably WoW:Cataclysm players who just steamrolled through azeroth. Honestly... I like the fact that I have to spend time to level my character. Yea I get a little irritated here and there a little bit cause I'm itching to go fight dragon champions and such but that's what an MMO is... It's FUN grind so I'm ok with it :D

 yeah,i doubt wow players will last very long in guild wars 2.unlike in wow,theres no phat loots for them to obsess over 

I doubt that every WoW player or even the majority obsess over phat loot, that's kinda of an elitist generalisation (and thus wrong) to make.

Most people simply want a smooth, accessible and fun MMO to play in which they can hang out with their friends and guildies.

Regardless of the MMO people played, but MMO gamers that played WoW longterm will probably be accustomed to a certain level of quality, accessibility and ease of play. So far, GW2 shouldn't have a problem with that, not for people who're looking for something different, nor for people who're looking for a certain ease of play. Not everyone who's looking for something different or for ease of play and accessibility will find GW2 to their liking, ofc, but then again, no game ever is to everyone's liking.

As for the XP gain, I agree, make it easy to get your xp via heart quests and DE's, and people'll expect that'll be enough, it might feel like a stumbling block and unpleasant surprise when suddenly it isn't. Not that big of a problem, but sort of a bump in the road. Will most likely get less of an issue from higher levels onwards since then the areas in which people from different GW2 races level will be more the same ones.

Basically, this weekend I focused on leveling an Engineer from 1 - 18 in PvE and played a ton of structured PvP with a guardian and a thief. I did feel like leveling was slower than last weekend (I changed areas at level 11 or so to avoid fighting mobs a couple levels above me). There are a few reason why this might be true.

1. It could be due to the fact that I was doing the Charr area instead of the Norn.

2. It could be because they lowered the DE rate a bit.

3. It could be because I didn't craft as much as last time (because I had a few of the ones I wanted high enough already).

4. I didn't explore on my character nearly as much (probably because I had already seen a lot of places).

5. I didn't WvW as much or as successfully as last BWE for whatever reason.

Originally posted by dlld

You shouldn't be forced to hop to another races area (or grind) that's just bad design. I did all hearts all story quests found all waypoints and areas of interest in my lvl range in the human starting area (aswell as quite a few in the city) while completing every DE i came across yet when i was about to go through the garrison you defend in the tutorial I found myself 2! levels lower (4) then i should be (6). Something is wrong with the xp gain. (played human slum background)

that is just it, you don't have to hop to another starter area. You can easily level in your starting area if you do all of the things that give xp, instead of just events. The problem is there is a group of people who only want to do each event one time and then move on, in other words, WoW questing. That is not what GW2 is aiming for. Adjust the playstyle to how GW2 is meant to be played and the leveling is fine.

At the moment, GW2 does not do a very good job of explaining itself. Hearts are not the end all, be all of an area. They are simply intended to lure you to a spot and from there, your interactions with the NPCs were supposed to kick off small missions which snowballed into DEs. However, there is absolutely nothing in the game that even hints to this.

Second, yes, if you are underleveled, you will have a bit of an issue exploring as mobs will kick your ass. And there is a very large flaw in "zomg, just go to another races starting area for exp." It's called replayability. Visiting other races starting area for exp, means that playing any of those starting races is going to be an exercise in repetition. There is an equally large flaw in assuming that everyone should be happy with a large amount of their necessary exp coming from crafting.

Third, simply telling people that "leveling is not the point" is neatly counteracted by the personal story have very clear level requirements. You are only level 14 and have finished Queensdale? You probably wouldn't really give it a second thought, if there wasn't that big red (16) next your personal story based in the next zone where everything is slapping you around.

Fourth, repetition is repetition. Do you know what the term is for a game design that encourages doing the same thing over and over? A grind. No one explores to see the same thing. 2 or 3 times, ok, maybe. However, if people are getting bored of an event the fifth time around, it is doing no one any favours to claim that they were "just in the wrong mindset."