The below video is a level 1-10 speed run as a Tauren Shaman played during the World of Warcraft: Classic beta. In it, former Heroes of the Storm pro turned Classic WoW speedrunner, Cauthonluck, speeds through levels 1-10 as low-level Tauren Shaman. The video is sped up for obvious reasons, but in real-time it took him 82 minutes to achieve level 10.

Impressive, considering this is being done on a new server environment with no help or extra in-game resources other than what the game first gives you. The route was made by another Hero of the Storm veteran now focusing their gaming ability onto WoW: Classic -- Artemishowl. During the classic beta, Artemishowl won a 1-15 leveling contest, winning herself a cool $100 and bragging rights.

The VoD for that feat in speed gaming can be found here.

With WoW: Classic just a week away, here is a conversation I had with the both of them about why they enjoy speed leveling, some of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to level quickly, and what they expect during the WoW: Classic launch:

Why do the both of you enjoy speed leveling?

Artemishowl: I personally love speed leveling because it's a very intricate process that has many, many ways of getting to the end result. It's fun to challenge yourself and provide resources to others on the process and more

Cauthonluck: I really took an interest in the speedrunning scene in the last few years. This is my first opportunity to take on speed leveling as a player. I have a long history in the Classic WoW scene and It has a serious competition to it with so many other people trying to also compete and get the first level 60 at launch

What is the biggest mistake people make when trying to level quickly?

Artemishowl: I personally think people forget to grind mobs often.

Cauthonluck: Yeah, that and people just get married to the guide they're following, and will try to follow it to the T. For example when people are under-leveled for a guide and try to push for higher-level quests instead of grinding XP up to the level it's supposed to be. You have to think on your feet and adapt to the situation around you. Sometimes it's ok to leave an over-crowded area

How do you think the classic launch on august 27th will be like?

Artemishowl:  I think the launch will be chaotic and a mess. Though, the stress tests seem to feel more and more polished which is nice. I think people will probably get stuck leveling 1-6 the hardest, then the rest should be smooth sailing as the world expands with more opportunity and spread-out quests to tackle.

Cauthonluck:  From my perspective I expect the launch to be a lot smoother than the previous stress tests. My confidence seems more reassured with the recent stress test that things won't be a complete disaster.

The official WoW: classic launch at 3:00 p.m. PDT on August 26.  You can follow Artemishowl on Twitter here and on Twitch.tv here. 

Cauthonluck is also on Twitter and Twitch -- give them both a follow if you love WoW: Classic!