Classic has the unique advantage of being a single, cohesive game, though I’d go as far to say that the golden era of WoW (Classic, tBC and Wrath) are far different then what came after it. While I question the need for tBC or Wrath I really question the need for cata when that’s what started the downward spiral of the game (statistically at least).
Probably so people can proper understand how and why it declined?
I think it might be easier to just take why the earlier expansions were successful if they want to improve the current WoW. They’ve attracted a lot of non-mmorpg players over the years, and their statements on feedback lead me to believe that with the current team they don’t understand what made the old WoW just a game changer for the industry and genre. My biggest hopes is that classic reminds them about WoW the RPG rather then WoW the lobby based instance esport.
I would be hesitant to sign on for expansions yes. If they announced TBC servers it would just be the start of what the game is now, every time there’s a content update everything prior to that becomes largely insignificant. Raid gear gets replaced by greens picked up off the ground. If you weren’t satisfied by where your character was in classic content, it really doesn’t matter because you just have to move on to hellfire peninsula. And I know some people have advocated for things like a copy option, where the vanilla servers stay static and you can copy your guy over to tbc servers, but that’s going to split the player population some, to the detriment of both.
I have seen the argument that if they do nothing, classic will naturally dwindle and be a ghost town in a few years. And that’s probably true. But maybe by then blizzard, or someone else, will be ready to do a genuinely new MMORPG.
The more and more I read on the classic forum and on GD, the more it seems that that might be what a good portion of the player base actually wants: a totally new game. Here we see people arguing for new content in classic for the unfinished zones, or going back and doing things the devs wanted to but never could. Or progressing into TBC and/or wrath to experience the peak time period again. Over on GD they argue about new races and new classes and making professions relevant and fixing loot progression at end game and revamping leveling and level cap. All of this adds up to definitely not the next patch for BFA and really not what they’ve said they’re trying to do with Classic.
I guess I think it’s okay to let classic just be classic, and enjoy it, and start looking for the next big thing, instead of trying to force classic to become the big thing again.
If they don’t come up with something then Classic servers will just have players quit naturally as they run out of things they find engaging, as you said. The copies to the new servers wouldn’t be a detriment to TBC at all though, the only thing would be that you would likely end up with pools of classic servers copying characters to a single (per pool) TBC server, but there’s no perfect way to do it.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the opportunity to relive TBC, and seeing as how the MMORPG genre is fading, I have serious doubt a new one will be produced that can live up to WoW at it’s height, much less surpass it.
It’s probably what most players want, but for it to happen, It would likely need to be Blizzard doing it and they would need to essentially end WoW to be able to devote the resources to creating it. I just don’t see them making that decision.
Really looking forward to bfa classic ![:+1:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/+1.png?v=6" ":+1:")
If classic is a success, my hope is that someone gets smart and realizes retails current woes are directly related to some of the developers running it into the ground.
I would hope the charade would stop about how the sub loss is “normal attrition” and house cleaning would ensue so I can come back to retail.
It would be if any portion of the players decide to stay in classic and not move on. If 70% copy and play TBC as their main, but 30% choose to make classic their end game that split is going to hurt both groups. (Absolutely random numbers with nothing to suggest they’re significant or reflective
of anything in any way).
How are you defining “hurt”? Would the servers be better off if nobody could transfer and that 70% had to reroll?
Take me to Wrath. I’ll go no further.
I’m saying it reduces the populations. Fewer people in either game if both are an option.
I am willing to go only to Cata. Don’t care enough for MOP.
Why would you want Wrath? It’s terrible. May as well go play retail at that point.
Because I want to fight the Lich King properly.
And Blizz made the mistake making the Wrath Timewalking Raid Ulduar instead of ICC.
Ok but if the only alternative is to not have TBC at all…
…then the people who want to keep playing keep playing classic. All I was saying was that the premise of the OP assumes everyone who wants classic is going to want to roll into TBC, and I disagree.
I really loath this idea.
If classic is successful they should make a new MMO with the core features of Classic that makes it successful. Not just rehash old content because they lack any creativity and risk.
I kinda want to agree with this. As much as I love Azeroth, the existing storylines, major characters have all been milked dry. The progression has outlived the original design requiring squish after squish, with a level squish coming next?
No thanks. Here is my proposal:
WoW2: A New Beginning
A cataclysmic event occurs that the sum of all Azeroth’s greatest heroes cannot stop. The last expansion of WoW 1 is called Survival and the first half focuses on trying to stop it… and we lose many well known characters.
The second half we spend preparing for escape, fighting to be among those that get away. This is done through a new portal called “The Portal of Hope”.
The last few weeks of the expansion is about completing it in time, and sending a scouting party through. We get a taste of the new world on the other side… experience the new inhabitants, new terrain, and new dangers.
In the final minutes of the game, you are attacked by a fierce group of enemies, obviously part of some unknown faction. And you barely make it back to the portal to return to Azeroth with your life.
When you do, you find Azeroth in turmoil. The last remaining heroes are lined up defending the portal from NPCs that would take your place escaping through the portal. You inform your faction leader of what is on the other side.
You are given a two pathed quest… stay and defend the portal, or go through the portal to defend the Azerothian exiles from what’s on the other side of the portal.
If you choose to stay and defend the portal, you battle for a short while until the planet bursts apart and your screen fades to black.
If you choose to go through the portal, you fight to save the exiles from the onslaught of the new world’s inhabitants. You manage to defend them until they get to a safe, defensible area… but when all seems safe… a spear is thrust through your chest by a leader that will become the first “bad guy” of the new world. He spits upon your dying, broken body and says:
“I heard them call you hero… well “hero”, welcome to “new world name here”. It saddens me your stay couldn’t be longer…”
You reply: "I’m no hero… I’m just a “race, class” and you will either will make way for my people, or forever hear our battle cries ring in your ears… “For… the… “faction”!” You breathe your last breath.
“Hmmmph.” The leader says mockingly… “We shall see about that…”
Fade to black, and end credits.
The beginning of WoW 2 is a cinematic that tells of the struggle to gain a foothold in the new world and of the lives lost, including those of most of Azeroth’s remaining hero characters and you are given a choice, resurrect a WoW1 character, or start a new character. If you choose resurrect, another in-game cinematic walks through your body being prayed over… and you are brought back as a new, level 1 character with your name, faction, race, class intact… but nothing else.
The world is entirely new. This time the level cap is 50, with following expansions increasing 10 levels at a time.
No definitely needs to stop at WoTLK. I’d also be in favor of Blizz taking this server’s development in a different direction after that, or even making modifications to BC/WoTLK. We don’t want this to become Retail WoW and if it takes off, maybe Blizz will be willing to put more development time into making this a different game. Didn’t they do that with Runescape fairly successfully?
Only Classic/BC. The game was too different past that. Wrath is just Retail-lite.