By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A European player, “Nymh,” on the Drek’Thar server, was the first to reach the new Level 80 cap in World of Warcraft (previously, the highest level was 70) one day after the official launch of Wrath of the Lich King. According to an interview with the mad grinder, he hit the new max 27 hours after the European servers went online. Nymh is a human affliction/demonology warlock.

Of course, no triumph is complete without some controversy, and some WoW players are saying that someone else was cheated out of the prestige of hitting 80 first. Apparently Athene (already well-known for a series of popular YouTube videos) was banned by a GM just before getting to 80 some 10 hours before Nymh hit the mark. Athene’s crime? Mob tagging. This basically involves having a group killing mobs, but grouping and degrouping at the right times so that a single player gets all the XP. Supposedly Athene was told by one GM that this was legit, and then ultimately banned by another.

Other players seem to disagree about who should be getting the credit for the first 80. A criticism of Nymh’s method is that there was a pet healer assisting through the grind; some point out that that’s just another case of one player in a group getting all of the XP.

Still, whether Athene should or should not have been banned, Nymh is definitely the first actual level 80 in all of Azeroth, evidenced by this screenshot. I wonder if it seems worth it, 27 hours later? At least there’s something else to look forward to: actual new game content!