If you are a returning player to wow some things you should know

Community General Discussion
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This isn’t the game it used to be.

Please know that I am not saying this to troll or stir the pot, and I am certainly not saying the game is necessarily ‘bad’ as it is now, what I am saying though is that if you are returning and haven’t played since Wrath, perhaps Cata, there are some things you should be aware of.

The culture has changed, the raiding culture isn’t what it once was, and other aspects of the game have also changed. We now live in an era where sure there are some of the top raiding guilds still around, but if you were to look at the game as a whole, you might find the experience a little bit different.

For starters, pugging with strangers is required for a lot of different activities you can do like the heroic warfronts for example, that’s something that while you could bring guildies along it’s typically done with strangers. It’s no longer the tight-knit community it used to be, while you could still everything in the guild, for the average player there is a lot more emphasis on working with people you don’t know.

As a result, if you have the attitude ‘I don’t want to pug’ I need to spell this out right now, that you better make sure you are a player that has really mastered your class and spec, or else you not going to get far beyond normal mode. I know for me I will never be one of the top players, as to me you’re not a real mage if you don’t pick mirror image as a talent, I don’t care if it’s not optimal (Incanter’s Flow is the actual optimal talent for Frost in 8.3 btw). Hopefully in Shadowlands I will be able to have my fun mirror image spell but still be optimal.

It’s just I’ve seen countless people come back to the game thinking that things will be like they were in old expansions, but I would say that each expansion is actually it’s own unique game really in a lot of ways, but I think the important thing is to not raise your expectations too high, now I am not saying to badmouth the game, I think wow is still a great place to make friends from all wakes of life, just in terms of gameplay consider that lots of things have changed.

Though there is always Classic now if you want to go back to the good old days.

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My tip is don’t join a guild, and if anyone talks to you in game, vanish and sprint away before you get banned.

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For your last sentence…have you played classic?

The elitism, meta chasing, parsing culture is flourishing over there.

But I guess at least you don’t have to worry about pugging whole leveling since most of the players just buy mage boosts rather than group up so, a win?

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It’s not that bad just don’t be an outright homophobe and keep your opinions on certain subjects to yourself

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What if I’m neither homophobe nor cancel culture goon squad? What if I’m just a weirdo who isn’t on the extreme end of the political spectrum? A weirdo that believes Murlocs should be a playable race?

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Well this comment didn’t age very well.

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Oh thanks for pointing that out, edited it out of the OP

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Yes please.

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Then you’re doing it wrong and shall be shunned. Remember, everyone has to pick a side & if you aren’t for either side, you’re against every one.

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The gogogo elitism and toxic mentality is just as bad, if not worse over there.

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I know you’re being funny, but it’s crazy how some people actually feel that way.

I consider myself a centrist, but in recent years I’ve come under fire for that stance.

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I would say it depends on your level you left the game ,If from the beginning you’re in for a surprise and welcome back.If from mid level there’s alot of gain in leveling since scaling is applied you may not like it.If from 100 you’ll love it for awhile til you get bored of constant rep.grind.BFA ahhh you may want to not play til sl.

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With the level squish coming in 9.0 and some things being improved upon, the experience will be different for returning players. People will always be people. It’s not impossible to meet new people that are like minded. Join a guild, make new in-game friends, not every one is an automatic jerk to every one.

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I think I’m a centrist as well, but never put thought in to it. I don’t like labeling myself because labels are for food. I’m just me, a person who believes in things from both sides of the spectrum.

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Hmmmmmm. Good point, I’m friend not food.

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Tell that to the trolls on the horde.LOL

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No kidding, those are the same people who think that neutrality/middleground doesn’t exist or that your not honest/genuine if you pick them. Those kinds of people are just 10 rainbows of silly to think middlegrounds don’t exist. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Ain’t no troll ever tried to eat me.

But when I’m on my alliance characters I’ve been sniffed by Worgen before lol

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YOU MONSTER!

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You act like these two are mutually exclusive. The homophobe culture is working hard to cancel any reference to LGBT culture in real life.