New Fresh Start Realms with Wrath Classic

[Drooler-grobbulus]

@Aggrend-1483

Myself and other members of the team have been reading through a lot of the responses about Fresh Start servers since it was announced, and the common feedback we’ve seen is concern over the idea of transfers opening after the servers have been live for 90 days. I felt it was important to chime in and highlight that Kaviax’s post specifically mentions they won’t be available for at least 90 days. As in, at minimum.

The concept of opening fresh start realms in this way for Classic is somewhat new territory for us, so in this situation we believe its very important to carefully monitor the population on these new realms, observe player behavior, and listen to feedback on this topic. There is nothing saying that transfers must flip on exactly on day 91, day 191, or even day 991 and we don’t intend to commit to an arbitrary timeframe for transfers to become enabled super far ahead of time. We plan to be very thoughtful and deliberate when it comes to how and when we lift the restrictions around transfers on these realms.

So to reiterate, 90 days is the absolute minimum amount of time we’d wait to open transfers, and we intend to listen to the feedback we get on this very carefully. If the realms are healthy and we don’t feel the need to open transfers on these realms, we won’t rush to do so. The team really wants to take care with anything we do here because of how excited many players are about the idea of being able to start fresh and have that type of “equal playing field” experience in Wrath of the Lich King Classic. We are excited about it too, and we really want to take our time and ensure that the experience is as awesome as it can be.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this does a little bit to reassure some concerns about this. As always, thank you so much for the comments and feedback!

First of all, want to say thank you for responding to our concerns.

It is greatly appreciated to know there is someone out there actually reading, and to know its not lost to the void.

The minimum 90 days is still a heavy concern. It feels so early. Perhaps at 90 days, transfers between fresh servers can be enabled, then much later, open to all.

Another important concern going forward, is server balance. Even if transfers are disabled for 90 days, people love to bandwagon once people start ‘spreading the word’ that X server will be the Alliance Mega Server, and Y will be the Horde Mega Server.

I beseech you, to think of server health. P2 should not happen again. 99% faction PvP servers should not exist. Please consider a faction queue to incentivize proper balancing. Please put an end to MASSIVE servers (its ridiculous!)

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to more communication.

[Violazar-earthfury]

well said!.
Totally on board with the idea for the balancing Queue. Make it tops 55/45 then the queue starts for the major faction, easiest fix ever.

[Zaalg-ashkandi]

@Aggrend-1483

Myself and other members of the team have been reading through a lot of the responses about Fresh Start servers since it was announced, and the common feedback we’ve seen is concern over the idea of transfers opening after the servers have been live for 90 days. I felt it was important to chime in and highlight that Kaviax’s post specifically mentions they won’t be available for at least 90 days. As in, at minimum.

The concept of opening fresh start realms in this way for Classic is somewhat new territory for us, so in this situation we believe its very important to carefully monitor the population on these new realms, observe player behavior, and listen to feedback on this topic. There is nothing saying that transfers must flip on exactly on day 91, day 191, or even day 991 and we don’t intend to commit to an arbitrary timeframe for transfers to become enabled super far ahead of time. We plan to be very thoughtful and deliberate when it comes to how and when we lift the restrictions around transfers on these realms.

So to reiterate, 90 days is the absolute minimum amount of time we’d wait to open transfers, and we intend to listen to the feedback we get on this very carefully. If the realms are healthy and we don’t feel the need to open transfers on these realms, we won’t rush to do so. The team really wants to take care with anything we do here because of how excited many players are about the idea of being able to start fresh and have that type of “equal playing field” experience in Wrath of the Lich King Classic. We are excited about it too, and we really want to take our time and ensure that the experience is as awesome as it can be.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this does a little bit to reassure some concerns about this. As always, thank you so much for the comments and feedback!

Somehow I hadn’t seen this post.

Cautiously optimistic.

[Taldros-fairbanks]

Action speaks louder than words.
Also yes, it’s great to see some involvement in this space by a few of the team at Blizzard, however that doesn’t immediately translate into meaningful action.

Just because a paid employee takes an active role on the forums doesn’t mean the train starts going another direction, Blizzard is a huge “money first” company. I’d assume at this point the first question on their mind when any situation is brought up is “How does this make us more or less money?”

Blizzard has a history of saying things people want to hear disingenuously, an example lately would by Wyatt cheng saying you can’t buy gear or character power in Diablo immoral.

You pay for the service of playing their games, so when they make changes that negatively impact the game, you should have the right and encouragement to speak your mind publicly to stimulate effective change.

[Coolstorybro-korialstrasz]

@Aggrend-1483

I felt it was important to chime in and highlight that Kaviax’s post specifically mentions they won’t be available for at least 90 days. As in, at minimum.

Care to chime in on the much more important and heavily debated topic of dungeon finder?

[Toramas-stormrage]

Agreed here, no boosts for the fresh servers.

[Zaalg-ashkandi]

The OP does say at least 90 days for boosts as well. Perhaps they could extend that alongside transfers.

[Sestastic-whitemane]

Still have not addressed the bots that will flood the new servers on day 1 if nothing is done to prevent it.

[Cerrara-whitemane]

Can we hear about your thoughts on GDKPs please? They make it very difficult for new players to enter the endgame, and promote gold buying.

[Kelgar-the-scryers (Kelgar)]

as usual you are NOT listening to the player base they dont want transfers to or from fresh start servers just like you are not listening about rdf in wrath.

you havent listened to the player base at all.

[Øuçh-pagle]

Good news makes the fresh more exciting, After Wrath launch will players be able to transfer off the fresh to a main server if that’s what they like to do ? (asking for a friend)

[Xepa-twisting-nether]

lol, it doesn’t.

[Jojinn-barthilas]

I have to admit, I am in two minds about fresh servers.
First of all, it is great that Blizzard is listening to the community on this, and especially that they are communicating their plans (ahead of time, this time) and responding to the feedback they receive. I hope they take all of the feedback on this seriously and will share their plans for how they are addressing (or not addressing; that is fine, too, it would just be great to have communication) the other issues mentioned in this thread as well.

At the same time, I am very disappointed, but this is because of personal investment into TBCC. I was hoping and arguing for fresh servers in TBCC, and when we did not get them (and did not get proper communication around it, either), I gave up on that hope, assumed there would never be fresh servers, and committed to the TBCC server I was on. So, when WotLKC was announced, I did not even dare think about fresh servers and instead got very excited about preparing for it on the server I am on. Now hearing here, against all expectations, that there will be fresh servers, actually reduces my excitement, and I am not sure whether to wait for a fresh server or to continue my preparations.

And with how I am feeling about I think I am not alone. But if many others feel similarly, fresh severs might “fail” (whatever that actually means). If fresh servers fail, it would not be a sign that it was a bad idea and that the community does not know what it wants (or “we think we do, but we don’t”) and that Blizzard was wrong to listen, but that this change and announcement may just be coming a little too late…

[Ôrcwarrior-jom-gabbar]

Thank you for the quick response.

I do agree with some post mentionned above where I believe that having 1 PvP and 1 PvE realm per region is the best way to go at first.

If the server becomes too crowded, add more as the situation evolve but don’t be too quick in making them like it happened in Classic.

See you all in Northrend on this fresh experience!

[Lugg-remulos]

so … “trust us”. I really want to, but these days Blizzard makes it hard.

I’d feel better if you included boosts in your statement. There are two things that will kill these new realms: transfers AND bots.

[Øuçh-pagle]

@Lugg-remulos

There are two things that will kill these new realms: transfers AND bots.

Thats why I am trying to figure out. If when Wrath releases if can transfer off this fresh and go to the one I am on now. Got a friend that wants to join for fresh WotLK but would like to transfer off when it officially releases. even more so if bots ruined the experience.

[Luriel-stormrage]

What they said was that if they were dead they would link them after a minimum of 90 days. If the population is still high and people are playing then there is no need to link them.

[Luriel-stormrage]

Can you just release the servers now as fresh classic for a month, and then classic TBC for a month, so i dont have to wait to start playing again until you decide to release fresh. Like seriously I am waiting to play until fresh.

[Shygirl-grobbulus]

@Aggrend-1483

There is nothing saying that transfers must flip on exactly on day 91, day 191, or even day 991

Given Blizzard’s track record of poor decisions, this isn’t a risk I’m willing to take. I doubt others will either. DOA.

[Chèéch-westfall]

no bruh, people want wrath, thats why noone stayed around for SoM, the majority of the players want to get into wrath, but they also like the idea of a full reset start leading into wrath.