Disclaimer: This is not a doom and gloom thread, much less a thread promoting FF, I am just asking for your honest opinion here.
Last few days I have read a few times 8.2 will be released once FFXIV releases its next expansion, it is mostly speculation but the release date actually makes sense, blizzard is trying to retain as many players as possible because FF has turned into a worthy opponent, and wow is not in its best state. My question is, is a big wow patch good enough to compete against a whole expansion?
So far 8.2 will have:
Summary
Heart of Azeroth Essence system
Two outdoor zones - Nazjatar and Mechagon
New Raid - Azshara’s Eternal Palace, and Megadungeon - Operation: Mechagon
Unlock flying via Pathfinder Part 2 in all zones including new ones
Mount Equipment Slots
Continuing the War Campaign
Gnome and Tauren Heritage Armor
Stratholme Battle Pet dungeon
Dozens of pets, mounts, toys, new transmog, and other collectables
New and upgraded items for all professions
Minimal class changes
List from wowhead, I added the class changes part.
Shadowbringers will bring:
Summary
Nine dungeons at launch, with more to come in future patches
Two new classes: Dancer and Gunbreaker
Two new races: Viera and Hrothgar
Level cap increased to 80
Trust System (something like the bodyguard system we used to have).
New Game+ for main scenario quests (allows you to replay old content)
World Visit System
Several zones
Various class changes
Seeing what is coming, do you consider wow is going to be able to hold the players thinking about trying a new game or attract the players that left the game for FFXVI?
I’m excited for 8.2 but some aspects of this game can’t be saved without a whole new expansion.
I think the PvP this expansion for instance can not be saved. It’s just nail in the coffin
Mythic+ can be saved, Raids are still good. World content in the new zones might stay relevant.
The war campaign is super boring and new pets, toys, transmogs don’t hold too much of my interest.
Expansions should have more stuff in it than a patch. But the problem is the underlining assumption that people would choose one over the other - or either of them for that matter. It is possible for people to play and like more than 1 game at a time. Some people play WoW, FFXIV AND ESO or 2 of the 3. If people like WoW they’ll continue to play it no matter what FF puts out. If they’ve lost interest in WoW they may try FF or another game.
Whether people who’ve left WoW come back for 8.2 depends on why they quit playing. If it was class design, no they won’t be coming back because devs have said repeatedly major overhauls are an expansion thing, not a patch, and they have no plans to do any major class changes in 8.2.
I tried to stay as neutral as possible, if one looks overwhelmingly better than the other it is not my fault.
This is one of the things that surprised me the most about 8.2, they are trying to cover all bases BUT class design, one of the most debated topics of this expansion.
They are at least are updating the azerite system, some essences have interesting effects but in the end the system doesn’t feel as impactful as blizzard said it was going to be.
It’s either speculation or a leak. But if it is true, it means that Blizzard is using “business strategy” in order to “compete against other games” for “new customers” in something called “the retail MMO market”.
I’ve always suspected that. Look at flying, pruning, etc.
I know many players are horrified by the thought. Many players believe that “WoW” is a private club and Blizzard’s only purpose is (or should be) “to please Veteran players, who have been playing WoW for years”.
At least that is the impression I’ve gotten from the last 43,000 posts that I’ve read. Nobody imagines that “new players” and “the market” matter.
Mmmm, I would have to strongly disagree with this. I mean the individual patches may be smaller, but there is a content patch every 2 months. There is as much (or more) content in the same time frame as WoW.
On topic: I was hoping 8.2 would have been released already so I could get in some playtime before ShB launches, but unfortunately that’s not going to be the case. 8.2 is not going to be able to compete… which is nothing bad towards WoW since it is a patch vs an expansion. I will still play 8.2… it will just have to be a few months after it releases.
Moves like this are common in the game industry, sometimes it is reversed with other games releasing a content patch around the same time as a WoW expansion. Is isn’t supposed to be a move of desperation as in “We have to put out SOMETHING” but as a “Hey players, you are already here, so stick around and check out this new content instead of what the neighbors are cooking!”
I know you didn’t ask me, but I thought I’d chime in. For me it wasn’t very good because it didn’t feel like anything special. Pretty much like a more bare-bones WoW with less interesting endgame, both PvE and PvP, and also less interesting visuals. The classes feel more diverse than they do in WoW though, so it has that going for it.
@OP I think it’s hard to say. They’ll appeal to different groups, I think, and I think each one will have some success.
If they pulled out all the stops at the beginning, had PVP Vendors, and put the Maccaw Parrot Mount, as well as these sweet Transmogs on the Dubloon Vendor, there’d be no contest. Focused more on the naval aspect of KulTiras and Zuldazar, HOW DO YOU SCREW UP A CITY OF PIRATES IN TIRASGARDE SOUND BLIZZARD?! No Rep for the Freehold Crews? After Suramar… I’m dissappointed.
Two hours running around a city talking to people when I tried it. Not really doing anything and no way to leave the city to do other things. At least that I could find.
Then again, I never found the Final Fantasy series on the PS very interesting. Artwork was great but the story was just so slow. Guess it just isn’t the game for me.
