With the pre-patch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, players will go all the way back to level 50, to then level to 60 in the expansion.
This is the level squish people have been talking about for a while now, with an all new leveling system to accompany it.
Blizzard says this about the new system:
“Every Level Is Meaningful: Shadowlands will introduce a new leveling system, meant to provide a meaningful sense of advancement with every level achieved. Current max-level characters will begin Shadowlands at level 50 and work toward the new level cap of 60.”
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will smooth out the leveling experience and better prepare new adventurers for what’s to come. Players will level up to 50 before heading to the Shadowlands (new level cap: 60).
We’ve adjusted the experience curve to make it faster than ever to prepare for the newest challenges, and each level along the way will provide more meaningful increases in progress and power. All expansion zones are getting more flexible, too; they’ll be able* to scale to you and your friends while you level to 50, so it’s easy to try a zone you’ve never played.
*You can still outlevel dungeons and crush them for transmogs or fulfillment.
Check out the Feature trailer if you haven’t yet.