Don't close Shadowstrike AU

To the Esteemed Developers and Executives at Blizzard,

I write to you not just as Moonwing, a Druid of many seasons, but as a voice for the thousands who call the Australian realms their home. Your recent decision to close down these realms cuts deeper than any blade Ragnaros has ever wielded. This decision threatens to sever the community that has flourished here, a community built on the joy of playing together in harmony, with low latency and shared time.

The Australian realms were more than just servers; they were sanctuaries where players could experience Azeroth in sync with their own world. The sun rose and set as it did outside their windows. With this closure, we face the disorienting prospect of server times that no longer align with our own. The rhythms of Azeroth’s day and night cycle will now feel alien, forcing us to adventure in perpetual twilight or dawn, disconnected from the world we’ve come to know.

Additionally, playing on an American server when the bulk of its population sleeps leaves us in desolate zones. The cities that were once bustling at our peak hours will now be eerily quiet. We’ll find ourselves shouting into the void for allies to join us in dungeons or raids, only to be met with silence. Those who wish to see our names in the world, to carve out our own identities, will be forced to compromise, caught between the fear of missing out on that chance and the heartache of a fragmented community.

The situation is further complicated by the current state of the game. Many of us are well-geared, and with fewer new players joining the fray, groups grow scarce. People are disheartened, questioning whether to continue investing in a world where the social fabric seems to be fraying. The influx of new players is already a rarity in this version of the game; this decision risks turning that rarity into an impossibility. It feels as though the spirit of adventure is being choked out, not by the trials of Azeroth but by this looming shadow.

We implore you to reconsider this decision, not just for us but for the longevity of this world we all cherish. The Australian realms represent more than just a segment of your player base; they are communities, friendships, and memories. Without them, many will lose the heart to continue, feeling as though they’ve been cast adrift on an ocean too vast and indifferent.

Let us not forget that at the core of World of Warcraft is community—the true magic that draws us all back, year after year. Please, Blizzard, let us keep our lands and our time. Let us continue to play in a world where the sun rises and sets with us, where we can shout for comrades and hear the call answered.

In hope and moonlit resolve,

Moonwing

Royal Resto Supreme of the Order of the Silver Star,

Moonwing of the Ratchet Rum Company

17 Likes

You aren’t a person to them

You are a dollar sign

Blizzard wants the community you built destroyed in the name of seasonal timegated realms because you having fun with your friends doesn’t make them money.

3 Likes

Agree with moonwing we don’t want the merge and we are happy on shadowstrike.

3 Likes

I’m Moonwing, I exist in the game… I never claimed to be a person

3 Likes

Big bad blue company have shiny new expansion planned year in advance.

Big bad blue company do nothing to support moonwing’s homeland and kill population on purpose by not releasing new content. (Because the expansion)

company has done math and decided moonwing’s personal tribe worth less to them than shiny gold coin.

company kill moonwing homeland for shareholder value🥺

Time is money friend!

1 Like

Moonwing pays Big Blue 15 Aussie Acorns per month to be on this realm in this iteration of the game only.

Big blue company selfish with acorn

Kill moonwing homeland for acorn surplus

Buy large water craft for the chief

2 Likes

This right here is why the server needs to be shut down.

4 Likes

Our destination is an RP realm so not sure what your issues are

1 Like

I’d much prefer to stay within the community I currently am in on Shadowstrike, but I understand why others would want to merge.
I am happy to merge if you allow the party leaders location to dictate the region the instance is seeded to - this is the best of both worlds.
I don’t want to play on 250+ ping; if I did, I would go play the big era server or a private one with more content.

4 Likes

I agree, we don’t want to cast spells 24 hours beforehand so it lands when it’s intended, keep us separate from the yanks, or just merge the 2 Oceania servers…at this point I’ll even be happy if we are a PVE server merger

3 Likes

One thing Blizzard should understand is that the main reason of Population decline is because P3 is disaster. Shadow strike had very good numbers of Population since P1 and P2. and after they banned 10man raid and gave us a terrible, long p3, many players left

4 Likes

They also banned gdkp’s p1 which significantly reduced the player population.

Shadowstrike alone lost over 8000 players in 1 week between p1 and p2 gdkp ban.

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They will lie and say phase 3 was perfect and removing gdkp fixed everything

It’s just not worth it

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It’s true. Phase 3 was very much a low for Shadowstrike. It bounced back incredibly. The problem at the moment is the game design. Having this pop up before the new raid phase is most annoying

2 Likes

Agree with all the oceanic players above we really don’t want this.

1 Like

Bumping for a response from devs.

2 Likes

Waiting on blizzard to respond.

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Dear Blizzard Developers,

Time is slipping away, and with it, the sense of community that the Australian realms have fostered. Your decision to close these realms threatens to dismantle a unique and vibrant community that thrives on local time, shared experiences, and low latency. Losing this connection means more than just higher ping—it means losing our place in Azeroth.

On American servers, we face empty zones during our peak hours, a broken day-night cycle, and the loss of local player interaction. This isn’t just a matter of gameplay convenience; it’s about preserving the essence of what makes World of Warcraft special. Please reconsider this decision. Allow us to keep our realms, our community, and the joy of adventuring in sync with our world.

Time is short, but the impact of this decision will be long-lasting. We need your support now.

Sincerely,
Moonwing
Ratchet Rum Company

2 Likes

RIP SoD, the first few phases were fun but clearly Blizz are utterly incompetent

1 Like