This is what the original design envisioned: https://web.archive.org/web/20041223182307/http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/battlegrounds.html
We tried very hard to create a battle experience that felt like Warcraft; we want you to feel like you are part of a larger conflict, with the potential for lots of strategy and tactics beyond a simple mob of players crashing into each other.
Compare that with the weak justification in the OP for 1.12.
“Hard” and “Gross”
If classic is to be a museum, then it should reflect the original intention of its elements, not a watered down lame mockery, only of value to those why want instant gratification and no respect for the thought and intent that went into the original design.
Good find. That design doesn’t really gel with, “Early on in AV, there were too many NPCs and they were too hard to kill. By 1.12, many had been removed and NPC health was brought down to a reasonable level.”
That was kind of the point of original AV. This ongoing battle between two factions, and it was THEIR battle. The players merely contributed.
I almost never post but I decided to make an exception here because I feel so strongly about AV …
I was an original vanilla player, I joined about 4 weeks after Azuregos released. I was also an original noob, I was such a noob I didn’t hit 60 till about patch 1.11 or so and it was glorious. By far the most enjoyable moment in vanilla for me was when my friends persuaded me to go do AV.
They said go kill the end boss once for your ice barbed spear so I did. I helped clear a couple of bunkers from the back and take the last graveyard and then we killed the last boss and we were done. I excitedly gushed on and on to my friends about how cool AV was with all the NPC’s etc and how cool and unique it was doing PVP in a pve war zone.
Then they told me what it used to be like before the content and npc nerfs, about how in the old days you had to earn the ice barbed spear by killing a bad a** troll called Korrak who would stomp all over you … about how the npc’s used to hand your a** to you on a platter if you tried to take them on alone.
When I realised what I’d missed I put my ice barbed spear in the bank and never looked at it again, I hadn’t earned it. I never went back to AV again during Vanilla, I did live in AB for 3 months though … much better honor.
Blizzard please reconsider and give us a version of AV prior to the first content nerf of 1.8, it doesn’t matter which, give us the syndicate and the gnolls and winteraxe hold and especially all the quests … let me step on landmines and earn my spear.
I don’t want to do AV for honor, I can do WSG and AB for that, I want to go there to experience a war … as a previous poster said let’s put the war back in warcraft.
Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text and thanks for the updates and for listening … you guys are awesome.
And who knows, maybe when classic comes out I’ll go back to being that happy little noob … just for a day
This is my story as well. I played since day one and took my time leveling, which I loved. By the time I was high enough for AV it was already patch 1.8. I never got to experience the awesomeness of 1.5 AV that I had heard so much about, and this makes me sad to this day. I do hope they reconsider.
I was really really looking forward to original AV, even a chance to see the earliest version with the wider map and the race to the Orb thingy.
Disappointed
Just want to put in my opinion that I would prefer the earlier version Alterac Valley. I understand patch 1.12 is all that’s available in the code right now. It would be nice if blizzard looked into what it would take to recreate an earlier patch version of AV.
True, I didn’t like waiting hours in queue just to get in an AV, but those long fights are still a great memory.
Still no update. I thought we were supposed to be enjoying an authentic Vanilla experience… I guess not. Honestly without Classic AV, I really don’t feel like there is anything worth playing long-term in Classic. Sure, the raids will be fun, but the OG AV PvP is what made the game amazing. Changing that out for retail’s zergfest AV just takes away the best selling point. GG Blizz, you killed the game before it came out.
This is a very stupid decision. people want the memorable AV that lasted hours and days not some 5 minute BG , if you stick with 1.12 AV it will be a rush just like it is on Retail wow today that is what people want away from going into classic. I think the only thing they should keep from patch 1.12 AV is the cross realm BGS feature. check out This video done by Alexenusual on youtube. he explains it.
I think you guy should do a patch 1.5 or 1.8 with the cross realms BGS from 1.12. That would be the best scenario, We want to see the elementals battle in the middle of AV and have to fight them again. if you do patch 1.12 we wont even see the elementals or even experience an epic fight that lasts hours or days that feels like a REAL WAR between factions.
I been playing wow since mid vanilla, I have not even seen the Elementals since like WOTLK? maybe… and those are the most memorable moments.
BC baby here. Never got to experience the original. I would really like to play the original AV so that I get to see what I missed. Seeing everything that was different in vanilla is one of the biggest reasons for me to play it.
Imagine claiming that anything from the Vanilla timeline is up for debate, then claiming that the longest running iteration of AV during that timeline is literally “retail’s zergfest AV” and isn’t authentic Vanilla.
If it’s harder to zerg then it can be attempted and failed. Making failure a potential loss. PUGs may try and fail and realize they just potentially gave away a win to the opposing faction, this will act as a slap on the wrist.
When people are given a version of the game that is made easier to zerg they will always try to do it. It will no longer be an AV that serves as a continuous war zone instance like it was originally intended to be and was why making it to level 50 was such an honor because you could now finally fight along and against the big boys.
The option of whether players can or cannot zerg is not what the conversation is about. It’s about making it a LOT more difficult to do. 1.12 AV was made into a shell of its former self in preparation for TBC launch, along with other substantial changes that were made to the entire game. 1.12 is a good place to start, but as an open beta and day 1 player I can attest that when we fought in that war in AV it was a PvP paradise, the PvE aspects were brilliant because it represented guards and bosses that were present within the world. Pvp was always about attacking but knowing when and where you had the advantages based on NPC locations.
Anyone that asks for an easier or faster leveling/grinding/reputation gain is not what I would even consider a true Vanilla WoW fan. If you’re that kind of soul that just wants payout or the easier path then there are thousands of players in retail that share your vision. Guess what? Your nearly identical to 1.12 av is there too…
True vanilla players want 1.5. I know that statement will rattle some feathers but if you for one second think that you are helping by pushing this 1.12 narrative in the name of releasing the game early or for your own ease of use then you’re the problem that plagued the forums back in the day. You’ll find plenty of like minded individuals crying about portals being removed in retail. You HAVE a home and a community, true vanilla players are in here trying to forge that home in Azeroth that we lost.
That way the little PvE racers can race and zerg to their heart’s content in 1.12, and the PvPers that really want a long epic battle can have it in 1.7?
Since both existed over the course of classic, it wouldn’t technically be a change.
