The difficulty difference between classic and retail is enormous. The raid mechanics are faster, more elaborate, and require greater reflexes and mental load.
Could the want/need for classic to return be a cry out for a more social and easy experience that once existed and was no more?
Nope. Classic was divine for raid loggers. And over geared raiders stomping bgs.
The community aspect is the appeal of classic. Remember how many were saying “classic is hardmode lolz” only to quickly become “classic is about the journey”
No. I think it’s because classic doesn’t have extra stuff to do and people have this theory that the community will somehow become different nicer people in classic and not be the same toxic people they are just on a different game.
Classic wasn’t particularly easy as I recall. Defias, Murlocs and wolves would all eat your face and mass aggro on you. Navigation was easier, but that’s about it.
Pretty sure Classic was asked because of nostalgia over a version of WoW with it’s own set of experiences that is long gone. Like, there is no comparing, Vanilla and Retail are two completely different animals that at one point shared a common ancestor.
Yeah, it’s easy to top the meters in that kind of game if you’re a tryhard. Classic is a haven for washed up 30 year old boomers that still wanna go boom.
Not easier. Simpler.
My son played vanilla on unauthorized servers (mainly as a healer but also other roles) before Classic came out because he loved to raid and there he could just get a bunch of folks together and go raid. No hoops, no pre-planning, just basic play.
I like the mircomanaging in Classic, things like having to buy ammo or abilites rather than it being an automated system. I guess some people could call that more “difficult” but I just find it enjoyable.
EDIT: I’m a noob who never played old WoW, just Classic.
You are partly correct. Classic is immensely popular with the nostalgic crowd.
Retail has made progression more accessible than ever and a symptom of that is the “old school” gate keeping guilds have lost all their relevance. Classic is an outlet for them to relive their importance.
You should hang out on the Classic forums. They’ll let you know what the reason is.
It has nothing to do with
I was a druid healer in vanilla. Rejeuv, rejeuv, rejeuv, cancel cast rank 3 healing touch to victory! Now I’m so old and in the way.
No, Classic is entirely about leveling for me. It’s about the world being immersive and feeling alive. At 60, the appeal was obtaining legendary items that are actually legendary as opposed to the garbage legendaries they’ve had in the game since MoP.
The raids are better on retail but I’m not looking for a min-max raid or min-max cookie cutter PvP game. I don’t enjoy classic end game now either since it’s become tainted by the same mentality.
I would level in Classic without addons over any other expansion any day with the only exception being BC possibly because Outland is great leveling and they’ve never gotten me to feel like I was on an alien world quite the same since then. Everything feels very gamey now and quest markers turn adventures into chores.
Minor correction,most of those in their 30s or late 20s are millennials,current gen Zoomers. Boomers are those born around the 1960s so late 50s/early 60s.
The camp craving classic were moreso those who wanted an alleged challenge when it’s moreso grindier. The community is pretty hit or miss there too from previous experiences given some streamers poisoned the collective well. [That and some claiming to want community still turning their noses up at it]
Point is,it isn’t necessarily a generation thing more a perceived nostalgia thing assuming Classic would be the same as that played in 2004 [I played since mid 2006] or similar to the pirated servers when they’re not really all that different save for retail having much needed QoL tools to let players progress without gatekeeping/elitism/sweaty worries [mostly LFR,other features got tainted by the over competitive neckbeards wanting to be the next esports champ.]
It’s not. You can die very easily.
LOTS of toxicity on Classic now. The nostalgia wore off a long time ago.
Uh, no.
Yes. All the old systems are still there, including detailed talent trees, feeding your pet, etc. Some people just prefer the game’s original roots.
That’s in retail?
No, they are not
Classic and retail both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Where classic just completely blows away retail is the leveling and character progression experience and the feeling of being in wide open world. The world is it’s own thing and defines the activities and the stories in it. In retail the story defines a movie set world.
Leveling is dangerous and painful, but much more the traditional and addictive RPG experience where your doing everything you can to scrounge up enough gold for training, spells, recipes, gear and your mounts. You feel excited when you get a grey item that’s an upgrade. You have to make decisions about which skill or gear to buy first because you don’t have enough to do it all.
Retail has much better end game combat and progression. But the rest of it is really starting to suffer from a story first, game play second mentality where the story is getting in the way of engaging game play. So much on rails content where the game is playing you.
I think you have a good point - classic makes the guild social aspects come back.
I think a huge part of it is the unpruned tool kits, the lack of timegating , and that things don’t feel like a theme-park ride.
As much as people say endgame raiding is the natural goal, Classic, like Vanilla, made it possible to feel rewarded playing even if you didn’t raid.
Mind you, that’s my opinion, based on my experience. Having a couple versions of any given raid, plus LFR mode, plus Mythics, made it possible for people to spend 90% of their time raiding. The only time I could work/play with my guildies ended up being running raids over and over.
Raids bore me, so I took a 2.5 expac break.
A shame. I’m personally not a famn of talent tries sometimes cause I get anxious about picking the wrong thing, but I’m slowly getting over it.
I like intricate crafting systems, XIV is a good example of crafting that I like, not saying I don’t like WoWs crafting, but I think it’s a good example of whay I like- being less about choice and more about micromanaging. Survival games are fun for me for that reason!