Currently on Grobbulus (the only rp/pvp server in classic), there are dieing RP and WPVP communities that literally cannot function with 6-8 layers up at a time. I understand the need for them in Dalaran, but every zone I go to feels empty and the server is full/locked. The game should not feel like this with the amount of people actually playing right now. Many people are on Grobbulus for reasons that include spontaneous world RP and PVP that used to happen when we did not have layers. I have been leveling a shaman and I am lucky to see 1 or 2 people per level in the zones I am questing in.
I come from Emerald Dream in retail, which in TBC and WoTLK was a thriving wpvp/rp hub. Entire guilds went to battle weekly. Even raiding guilds would join in on the rp/wpvp fun that happened constantly.
I know Grobbulus isnt the only server suffering from this but my main point is that layers have removed a vital aspect of the game and I think Blizz needs to really look at removing them entirely or at the very least removing them from zones that don’t need them.
29 Likes
3 people in our raid on Teldrassil missed out in the achievement, because no matter what we tried, we couldn’t get them on our layer.
7 Likes
I agree, though honestly this could have been all prevented had blizz not opened the free transfer floodgates in for non-rp-pvpers.
6 Likes
This would make questing/daily quests in northrend a nightmare as many of them are designed poorly in terms of “Players per area” This would also unleash the bitter realization of just how many bots there really are in any area at a given time.
As for removing layering from certain areas , that would require more “work” than simply switching the mechanic off and on or adjusting the amount, something blizzard seems to have an aversion to in-regards to wrath classic in many aspects.
3 Likes
2 months after classic released in 2019 they removed all layers like they said they would.
That was their chance to make a continuous game world like classic was intended to be.
Then they caved to the whining and it’s been a crap show of permanent layering megaservers ever since.
17 Likes
I fully believe layering is one of the prime causes so many servers ended up dying. There was no downside anymore to moving to a megaserver that could almost infinitely expand. There were a few other reasons, mostly related to TBC’s design philosophy but the alien layering is number one.
13 Likes
Part of why questing in classic was fun is because you run into others who are on the same quest as you and often times become friends. I can say on this character I have not ran into anyone while questing so far who was on the same quest. The only other people I have played with have been in dungeons. This makes leveling far less fun than it could be, not to mention the random world pvp battles that I have not had because the alliance who I might have fought over a questing area is now on a separate layer never to be seen.
When I leveled my mage, I ran into the same horde in every zone because they were often times leveling at the same speed as me. Rivalries developed with the opposing faction, many small scale wpvp battles happened and it brought so much life and novelty to the game.
Personally the entire reason I play this game is for the unique interactions I can have in the world, be it RP or PVP, it is one of the best parts of warcraft classic and layers have effectively killed it.
11 Likes
They should have kept they layers gone when they turned the off the first time. That said, you can’t change what’s been done, and I think the vast majority of players prefer larger servers. They’re probably not going to make the biggest servers unplayable for the majority of people on them.
2 Likes
Yeah we knew this was coming when they announced mega servers and layers before they launched Classic. Then they made it worse with transfers, of course.
2 Likes
I’m not a fan of rp but i get where you’re coming from. I toss my hat in to support your cause. I agree completely. Layering is realky annoying.
1 Like
as a rogue you must appreciate the random world pvp encounters you can have, finding a cloth wearer sitting down drinking right after they kill a quest mob is like the chefs kiss of rogue opportunities and layers take that away.
6 Likes
Not necessarily, but layers should only be in crowded zones instead of the entire world.
A lot of problems Classic had were due to the lack of enough launch servers in 2019 and the layering solution. Those things had repercussions to this day.
One of the things that WoW seems to have gotten more right than any other MMORPG is World PvP in the Classic->TBC offering. It is DEFINITELY suffering now. Why play a layered game like this, A Solo MMORPG when you could play a slicker better more well supported version of the same thing with retail? The WHOLE point to SERVER culture is to INTERACT with folks. And the WHOLE point of a RP/PVP server is to interact ON THE SERVER in and RP and PVP setting. Which can not be done if you are layered so badly it is like playing a solo rpg? What is the whole point of MMO then?
Please, Blizzard, work on the changes that can bring some RP and PvP back to the game.
5 Likes
yeah if I wanted to play single player game, id pick up god of war or skyrim. I play this game for the social aspect, layers effectively make this a trashy single player game for many people
10 Likes
I gotta say, that Blizzard really seems to be hurting the entire reason for Classic’s existence. Now we have two versions of Retail. And both suck for open World PvP and RP.
6 Likes
RDF would help reduce layers.
It would, and it would also put another nail in anyone doing anything in open world. Just another reason to stay in Dalaran or any other capital unflagged.
I have not played “retail” since the original TBC essentially. Is there any point to a PvP server anymore in retail? Especially since the faction war has been ended. Are all servers now essentially authentication tools to manage the player base? Or is there something I am missing?
The larger servers would have to have been Locked since very early Classic for Layer-esque systems to not be needed.
Instanced WG can barely handle 240 players, let alone the mess Northrend would be on larger servers.
Really need to dial back expectations on the Classic dev team. I reccomend Paperboy Intern levels of expectations.
2 Likes
Retail servers are now all “Normal” with a seperate PvP layer you can only disable in Capital cities.
Warmode (marking yourself for PvP) also gives loot + exp bonuses depending on how underrepresented a given faction is. As well as access to a handful of Warmode exclusive talents in addition to your normal talent trees. DF may have changed that, but I haven’t looked at it myself.