So much complaining about various aspects of the game all boil down to the fact that players wish to be more economical and efficient with their time. And people cry on the forums about boosts, and premades, and min/max raiding. Many of the things people don’t like about retail were things they thought were Blizzard’s fault, and that if we could only go back to a game like Classic then everything would be fixed. Hopefully they’ve come to realize that the things they don’t like about the game are the way that other players play it. Not the design of the game.
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The things I don’t like about retail have literally nothing to do with how others play it. I simply don’t enjoy the design of the game. For me, its just not fun.
For me, classic is fun.
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Out of curiosity, what are your largest complaints about retail? I have many and would just like to compare.
Not him obviously, but I really hate the quest flow of retail.
Enter new zone, go to mini hub, do 4-6 quests in a designated area, go to new mini hub, do 4-6 quests in a separate designated area repeat.
I like the Classic approach where instead you have a central hub where there will be a concentration of quests, and then you can find more scattered all over the zone, or the world sometimes.
I also detest most vehicle quests, and “fluff” quests. By fluff quests I mean stuff like this one quest in Suramar where you have to herd kittens back to their parent by walking behind them. Just utterly asinine.
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Firstly, I love the name! (Wheel of Time reference if i’m correct)
Secondly, what’s interesting is that the flow of quests these days in retail WoW plays more like a traditional video game, where the story is more rigid and you have to follow along. It also happens to be MUCH more efficient in terms of time spent questing. Honestly, I enjoy this much more than the inefficiency of having to run across continents in Classic just to find a couple quests appropriate for my level. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but just that it seems like yet again it boils down to efficiency.
As far as vehicle and “fluff” quests, I don’t mind when quests vary from the “kill 10x” or “loot 10x” formulae. Often I find the quests humorous and enjoyable because I’m not just tab targeting and pressing 1234.
Ultimately though, that’s why they have both games available to players. So they can choose their preference. It just seems like the complaints people have about classic boil down to playing the game too efficiently. Just like retail.
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There’s plenty of things I don’t like about retail like the crazy amount of time gated grinding that a new/returning player has to go through to get up to par. It’s arguably the worst it’s been for new/returning players in the history of the game.
but yeah, the “If you aren’t top tier, you’re trash tier” mentality isn’t great either.
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I agree about the gear system in BFA. It’s the worst its EVER been. I don’t think I could say this enough.
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Progression is meaningless in Retail because it resets every 3 months via catch-up mechanics and wpvp is nowhere near classic level quality.
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I would argue that “progression” as you’re using the term isn’t a positive thing in the first place. Blizz releases new content and they want you to enjoy it. Then a couple months later they release newer content that you move on to. If you’re new to the game or rerolling an alt, it’s way tougher to find groups that want to raid content that is a year old. Let alone fend for yourself in a world PvP situation if you’re in questing greens and someone is in full epics.
Ultimately though, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong. It just depends on how much you enjoy grinding for better gear as opposed to playing your character in new raids/content/etc.
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Your point is valid but unlike retail where the item level approach > itemization making questing green trash. In classic itemization > item level or epics.
Proper questing greens can allow you to be competitive through all raid tier except the final tier AQ/Naxx. (Fresh tanks will be rough though)
Of the gear I use for raids 1/4th came from dungeons (my fresh 60 gear) 1/4th is crafted (buy it off the AH) 1/4th came from BGs (solo queue) and the final 1/4th came from ZG the catch-up raid (anyone can pug). All of which is attainable by a new player and not one piece came from MC/BWL and I can compete.
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To an extent, I do think some (not all) do focus a lot on what other people doing. Some (not all) tend to stretch the “MMO” portion of this game. Constantly dragging the concept of WoW (Retail or Classic) being an “MMO”, that some (not all) forget about the “RPG” or even “G” part. It’s nothing but “MMO this”, “MMO that”, “MMO”, “MMO”, “MMO”.
Personally, I’m not here to make Classic overcrowded. I’m here for the original design, of the game. I’m here for Shamans to be exclusive to Horde. Paladins to be exclusive to Alliance. The original World/Dungeon Layouts like WC, ST, Barrens, Thousand Needles, etc. Original Formulas such as the lack of LFD, LFR, Account-Wide, etc.
Just my opinion.
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False
I don’t care about that.
Retail things I hate/will never play again.
- Different difficulties for a raid/dungeon for the same dungeons/raids.
- LFD/LFR tool aka instant port to place.
- ilvl scaling
- Disregard of professions (almost meaningless)
- Disregard to previous content
Example: heroic raid after patch becomes quest lvl gear ilvl - Gear distribution (Everyone gets an epic but it’s not really an epic)
- Every expansion the world is going to end. Fills like a single player story driven far from vanilla style.
- War mode (aka all servers PVE server)
- Armory
- Classes being so similar
- What threat?
- No mana issues
- Soloable world bosses
I can keep going but why?
I don’t hate retail, I just don’t care about what has become. Most likely never play it again.
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Theres things that retail does better than classic and vice versa.
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I’d like to answer this, to use your words:
I’m not a fan of the Character Animations. The over the top casting animations is so cartoony, I can’t take it seriously. Why is it necessary to be so dramatic with the wobbly arms during casting? Also, I cannot stand the UI. First time I saw it, I thought it was my Addons.
Nope, that’s how the UI looks, now. I get so lost in trying to figure out how to migrate through the UI. I don’t like how you have to be a Tailor, now, in order to make Bandages. I’ve always been extremely independent in this game, and I liked being able to make my Bandages through the use of First Aid. I don’t like Level Scaling.
I don’t like the world leveling with me. I like the sense of feeling stronger. Level Scaling completely changed that, for me. And, I would have to say was my breaking my point. Also, I don’t like PL.
I like being able to Vendor whatever pieces others don’t want. The whole Trading System within PL is utterly complicated. Not to mention it just makes the runs impersonal. There’s just something about being given loot by a fellow player than the generated AI/RNG system. Speaking of impersonal, WTH was up with them removing Buffs?
Granted, I think some Buffs made a comeback, but I’m still wondering where Mark of the Wild is, on my Druid. There’s just something about Buffing other Players that puts a smile on my face. Without saying a word, and it’s so simple to do, gives a little bit more of a personal connection with your Community. When they were removed, for some time (I might add), that connection was lost. Then, CRZ.
CRZ takes away from running into the same people. Sure, there’s people out in the world, now. But, they still don’t benefit from sharing your Server. Can’t invite them to your Guild. Can’t truly Trade with them.
What good is crowding up the World, when I can’t truly interact with them? Doesn’t make any sense. Anyway, I’ve ranted long enough. But, those are some things that makes me dislike Retail over Classic. I’d say my only complaint about Classic is the lack of Summoning Stones LOL
I guess that’s why I have a lot of Warlock Friends 
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Once you realize this you come to also realize that the most efficient way to gear is to not play at all. That’s how I honestly feel about retail and that’s a lot of why I don’t play it. There’s just no point because by the time I did catch up I might as well have just waited.
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Most definitely! I, certainly, miss my JC Panther Mounts, from Retail. That I wish I could ride around in Classic but can’t. I do like the Astral Form that replaces the Boomkin Form, for Balance Druids. However, there’s a lot of Retail that I’m willing to sacrifice for Classic. I find a lot more Pros in Classic than I do Retail, personally.
As somebody else said:
I played Retail, solidly for a good 15 years. After so many changes, it’s not the same game that I fell in love with, anymore. Whereas Classic is.
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Sounds to me like the sweet spot was either TBC or Wrath.
My biggest complaint with retail is all of the LFG/LFD/LFR/CRZ/War Mode/Phasing garbage that has effectively destroyed server communities.
To your point, yeah… I do think it’s lame how some people have taken a min max approach to Classic.
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What? Retail? No. It’s a failure as an MMORPG even if it can be fun if you have a guild of friends doing Mythic content.
I’m juggling between these two expansions… TBC had the best overall balance I feel along with Kara, BT, and Sunwell but Wrath had Ulduar.