Please change retails spell and ability sound effects back to before Legion

After trying to come back to retail with the Blizzard gift of a boost and Shadowlands, one of the biggest reasons I am unable to is the changed sound effects of spells and abilities in the game. Many spells before Legion (Vanilla to WoD) had a nice sound effect to them, almost like a windchime or something easy to listen to. Now it sounds like I am in the middle of a train station with screeching breaks every time I use a spell on my Paladin. Whoever thought screeching, high-pitched noises was the perfect sound for Paladins or melee classes was mistaken, even my shaman when I tried to play sounded like someone was crinkling up thick plastic every time I casted a spell. I honestly think you should go back and redesign all these sounds for Dragonflight. Even the hunters gun sounds like a blowdart now. It feels like I am playing a totally different game. Just go onto Classic and see how different the sound effects are compared to current retail, no one wants to listen to screeching train brakes when they play their class.

On top of all that, Retail has changed so much the game is very different, it feels weird, like it looks like WoW but feels and sounds nothing like it anymore. It is WoW 2.0 but with all the old stuff left in. It reminded me of when Microsoft bought Halo from Bungie, it looked like Halo but sounded and felt nothing like it anymore. It lost that feel to it that made it what it was, the physics were different, even a simple detail as that can throw someone’s perception off, it felt like a fake or a copycat of the orginal just like Retail WoW with its sounds now.

7 Likes

I honestly like how my paladin sounds in both prot and healadin.

Hunter guns sound more like staple guns. No kick at all.

3 Likes

No clue what OP is on about, played since Vanilla / since Warcraft 2 and the soundscape seems fine to me.

2 Likes

There is nothing wrong with the sounds. You are just upset you have to adapt after being gone for 6+ years (ironically since today is 6 year anniversary of legion launch).

I too felt the shock of an inferior soundscape after returning in BFA(having quit before Legion).

Not sure what happened but the sounds and many spell effects took a definite backslide in quality and overall production.

3 Likes

I agree with OP. I am referring to the mutilate sound compared to wrath and shadowlands.
Obviously not all sounds should be changed but if you compare that rogue ability you will hear a huge difference.

2 Likes

I agree, the new sound effects are overwhelmingly bad.

1 Like