I’ve done the exact same thing as you. My friends have too. Almost all of us are doing zones that are many levels behind us and we still get drops at our levels, repeatedly! So clearly we’re having different results than you are. We did this all pre-80. You did it at 80, maybe there is a difference. It is certainly something to think about. I’ll ask my friends to track what drops they get from what level mobs, as I’ve already hit 80 and they have not. We will see if there is a difference.
Well of course the zerg thing gives more exp, who is debating exp rates in this thread? I have participated in some of the zerg stuff after I hit 80. It is incredibly fast. If and when I want to farm exp/karma, I’ll likely do that some more.
The only reason I brought this up is because this forum is about helping other players and I felt you were conveying the wrong picture about doing content below your level. You said there were no reasons to go back and do lower level content versus higher level content. I disagree. If you enjoy exploration and really want to check out a zone, even if it is below your level, you are not harshly punished for doing so as far as leveling up is concerned. However, the heart vendors do not scale, so that is a disadvantage.
Like I said, I only played in an at level zone when I was level 15 and below. From that point onward, I was playing with friends or simply exploring and just found I never quite got to a zone my level again. It felt weird being down-leveled all the time but it never slowed my leveling down.
It’s an option, that’s all I want to say. A viable option. You can play how you want to play and level just fine.