Not only that but that’s when they started to add this M+ timed stuff to just encourage more D3 style hamster wheel stuff while simultaneously giving the community ways to be even more arrogant and elitist than ever before.
To be perfect honest I really enjoyed Cata as far as gampelay. It felt streamlined but not so far from what had been done in Wrath and beyond, you still had a lot of abilities that were thematic. I liked the talent tree other than being forced to pick a spec and stick with it (but let’s be honest it’s not like the old talent trees really gave you any choice anyway, not unless you wanted to be laughed at and called an idiot for picking a non-standard spec). People complained that they changed the world when they made questing way better and more logical than the hodgepodge we had in Vanilla-Wrath. 4.3 was lackluster because Dragon Soul was a really bland and boring raid. But overall Cata was great, I also liked MOP despite doing the pruning.
If you want to think of it as such; BFA is an expansion that did things too little and too late while having a problem at its systems level with nothing to take the mind off of.
Imagine if Essences were available since the beginning.
Imagine if Visions came in 8.1.5 when the story shifted more towards the Void to go along with Crucible.
Imagine if Pathfinder Flying was available in 8.0.
Imagine if Arathi/Darkshore were available at 8.0
But issues like these along with the simple slow-pace of the game can be distracted if the stories were good and interesting like Legion. But in terms of BFA, things just feel apart at its seams.
Everyone will have their own opinion on which expax was good and which sucked. Personally I went to sucked in Legion and that continued on with BFA. To many reason to quote each reason. So I will settle for player attitude changed significantly after Panda. The game has far more wanna be elites than it did, and everything is a race to get there. Very few actually relax and enjoy the game anymore.
BFA has plenty of content but it feels hollow/soulless
BFA was the first expac I quit for over a year back in 8.0, when I recognized how hollowed classes after Artifact and introduced to Azerite
The RNG in azerite traits annoyed the crap out of me because they weren’t balanced and if I wanted to pursue certain traits to customize different builds I had to save up enough titan resid but realize I would spend the entire season to get all three by then new season new item level.
Thematically Corruption I like the concept but I hope with the goal I can pursue certain effects to mix them up in different situations. Then I realized RNG crap-show that it is where some players are blessed with rank 3 TD, IS, etc on high item level requires me to do content I don’t enjoy (assaults, dailies, and the like) and complete the meh 5-mask Horrific Vision and pray the RNG gods offered me a piece that was not 3% leech or rank 1 on a 470. Ion statement on “excitement” far from it each time I opened my weekly chest I find myself disappointed 9/10 times. I like having a goal I have control over and I can pursue it than expect me to play this hollowed casino game.
WOD class gameplay I enjoyed and it was my favorite during MoP. Leveling the first time in WOD was good and its why they’re borrowing the first time linear story line leveling then choose your route on alts in SL.
Too much trying to be clever subplots in a two-year expansion that probably left many people confused with the narrative if they haven’t followed it from other mediums (books, comics, etc)
Island Expedition and Warfront did not pan out and I’m started to believe their old game engine has a lot to do with the poor implementation of those systems like Garrison unable to compete with the likes of FF14 garrison like system. If there tech is limited, then its something they should carefully consider when introducing new features.
I missed the days of TBC when the world itself felt dangerous and now world content I sneeze through. The Esport-esque features (Mythic+ and Mythic Raiding) robbed what made dungeons original: Mythic+ there is this gogogo mentality; whereas, I would like a difficult dungeon content like in TBC to be an option, non-timed runs.
I’ve been playing since Mid-TBC, its likely I stuck around for the nostalgia that its time to throw in the towel as the game is designed for a different audience
I came back at 8.3 and have been, more or less, enjoying BFA. Yes there is a lot to catch up on, but as I’m not a hardcore raider, LFR is my end game I don’t feel like I missed much and honestly it’s probably why I enjoy bfa more than most.
I know this might be controversial, but I feel if Blizzard copied the game systems from Classic, TBC, WOTLK, or MOP (minus the warforging) and just gave us new content the game would be just as successful. It seems they keep making a new MMO every 2 years instead of just adding new content to the current one. “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Seriously tho, imagine TBC mechanics in new zones and instances with the rendering and amount of detailed textures modern wow has; it would be amazing!
I think their strategy changed too much since the transition from private to public company under a publisher because the moment you have shareholders at stake is the moment the shift from a type of customer changes to a new type of customer appeasement. I also believe they’re likely relying too much data that plays on people’ psychology in a unhealthy way plus lost touch with their intuition of what makes an MMO. Bellular has uploaded a few videos lately highlights the design philosophy concerns of WoW over the years I share the same sentiment. I believe the game is designed towards being to the general audience with emphasis on eSports highlights given the popularity in the industry than the niche aspect of what makes a MMORPG. I would have like TBC mechanics in new zones and instances but the short-attention-span-quick-hit-dopamine culture altered their design philosophy because its being used in the gaming industry.
I’m all for innovative new features but don’t abandon what brought people to this game with slot machines.
Part of the problem with this is the people playing around you.
People asked for heroic dungeons to be harder in wrath, blizzard obliged with cata heroics, it was not long after that when the complaints came in and the dungeons got nuked. Kara in legion was another example, and mechagone was another example.
Don’t you still get some gear and the weekly if you don’t time an m+ run?
Yes, you still get gear but it doesn’t feel good to know you failed a timed-run to earn that weekly loot. It’s a psychological hit that does not feel satisfying; I rather wipe several times in a TBC like dungeon where depending what you have for comp you are mixing up what you CC, kite, which pack first to pull at a pacing that doesn’t invite (hopefully) someone whose willing to stick it out as a team.
What bothers me about this is its usually the loudest minority who gets their way than the silent majority. If it was the case that it was the majority player then why? Is this problem present in FF14? ESO?
I swear there were more patience with the people I played with in TBC and Wrath than the ones today I can only assume there is a culture-shift I failed to recognize and move on from this game.
On a side note, dungeons are starting to feel more like they’re designed for MDI tournaments than classical dungeons so many of BFA dunnies are claustrophobic spaces with affixes (quaking, sanguine) that makes me wanna pull my teeth in a timed run.
Amen. On another note, I am hopeful with Shadowlands. I feel that the release of Classic showed Blizz and their shareholders that games like Classic WoW are still sought-after. Time will tell, but I’m really hoping we get our game back. Fingers crossed
I never saw the issue with not being able to finish dungeons or tiers due to difficulty. I was never able to step foot into a raid until WOTLK because I was terrible at the game and never got in (and if I did I was kicked after the first pull). But even then, I still loved the game more than I do now. It felt like “there’s stuff out there I haven’t completed? This game is huge!” But it seems society as a whole has shifted to wanting participation trophies I’ve never cleared a mythic raid, but I think it’s fun to watch and when I see someone in full mythic raid gear it just makes me want to grind harder. It motivates me more than anything.
That’s assuming you are target customer because if its the people from yore. I suspect we either go back to classic TBC if it releases or leave the WoW franchise because retail WoW is a modern game yet running archaic game engine. I’m started to believe if retail wow has fortnite graphics then its appeal would work for today’s market; while, separating the nostalgia for the old-schoolers.
Pretty much defines: Raider IO score, achievement, LFR.
lol, I remember doing that when I saw a unique gear set of a player inspired me to try. Now, well you know we have raider IO and almost everything feels homogenize I no longer see that one guy rocking the only rare sword I been eyeing for months because ten guys next to him are now rocking the same weapon!
I’ve never cleared a mythic raid, but I think it’s fun to watch and when I see someone in full mythic raid gear it just makes me want to grind harder. It motivates me more than anything.
