I used AI to refine a draft, if you want to read the draft here it is:
I have been playing WoW since I was 7, I have the box from when my mom bought me the original game back in 2006. Ever since then, I have played on and off on Retail, but always keep up with the lore and whatnot via YouTube videos.
The reason I am making this post is that I recently tried Classic for the first time, since my GF wanted to try it. It is not an exaggeration that playing it with her, and simply playing it in general, has nearly driven me to tears. I have so many fond memories of friends I met back in the day and fun social experiences tied to a lot of the leveling zones (Mulgore for example was a place I spent countless hours questing with my oldest childhood friend). It’s all made me reflect on how different we used to experience Azeroth back then, from earning each level by spending a long time questing, socializing in towns to try to get dungeon groups together, having to run everywhere before level 40, etc.
I am very happy to see Classic still going strong. However, when I think of the state of retail I get a bit sad, it feels like somewhere along the way the game lost its character or at least its “feel” (for lack of a better word). Being in the World (i.e., outside dungeons and raids) just feels like being in a big waiting lobby, the dungeon/raid experience doesn’t feel as social anymore - it feels like playing with silent bots, and a lot of the gameplay just feels like a rush to min-max. idk, I’m just dumping my thoughts into a post to see if anyone else feels this way as well, and if so does anyone have any suggestions as to what can be done to redirect the game to bring back the lost “feel”?
Dont care you arent using your own words and rehashing things using AI to try and stand on a soap box that doesnt exist. I wont read anything you say because its unorginal and full of rehashing lies, AI, and asmonite syndrome points. Good day have a fun time doing keys or whatever classic andies do between doing the same 40 fetch quests in a game.
Well, I initially said more but realized it was futile given you think keeping something sentimental from my childhood and having a girlfriend is “soap box lies,” lmao. All the best.
Yeah these posts have been a thing forever, through every expansion there’s always the “it used to feel better” posts.
See, the problem is you’re treating WoW as this more than what it is, which is just a game. Whatever fond memories you have in older versions of WoW are because of your place in the world at that time, not the state of the world in general.
Reality of the situation is: it’s 2025, not 2005 and the internet has changed, you along with it. Nostalgia trips are cool and all, but I promise you nothing is going to change to actually bring that feeling in to reality, lol. sorry it’s the hard truth, but it’s just a sign you’ve grown up and are getting older.
Game is better then classic youre upset it didnt stay exactly the same. thats not a game issue thats a you issue. it still has all the same charm community etc. only difference is you and your obviously AI generated post trying to get attention over a none issue. -_-
The whole nostalgia thing is just part of getting old. The real shame is how blindsided and ignorant people are to nostalgia feels, as if they thought they’d stay young forever, lol? Part of getting older ig.
TBH +1 on this. The game is fine, the issue is peoples place in it – if it’s not your vibe it’s time to move on becausing wishing it was 20 years ago won’t change anything, lol.
I understand what you are saying, and it certainly is true [that nostalgia is a huge influence on my reflection]. However, I am not arguing for keeping the game stagnant in terms of gameplay/graphical innovations and turning everything back 20 years. Rather, what I am wondering is whether [or not] some commodity changes (such as having an auction-house/banking/repair/etc mount) are hurting the social aspect & leveling journey, to the point that it’s making certain things such as towns purposeless in terms of being social hubs.
I would argue that Retail is much more of a solo experience outside of joining discord groups, and it does make me a bit sad when it used to be much more common to make friends in-game. Hope I’m articulating my thoughts accurately here.
retail is much more of a community then classic. when i leveled in classic i talked to no one i did nothing with anyone hit 60 then used a discord to do molten core and got bored 3rd boss in because it was too easy and left. No one spoke a word in the call because there was nothing needed to be said as it was that easy
Retail im in a guild doing M+ where we talk stratagize and push keys and mythic raid challanging ourselves and having a laugh.
So again its still there just different then go to random NPC town and see 2 people also spending the next 2 weeks doing 70 fetch quests for 1 level worth of XP
I would also add that the leveling experience does not seem as much of a focus for Blizzard anymore, but rather something they try to get you through quickly in order for you to reach the endgame. Evident by how you can max out a character in a couple days in Retail.
One time I was a TA for a class and the professor insisted we use a plagiarism checker on all work handed in. Just to test it I handed it the Gettysburg Address. It came back 90% original.
So I guess it was me ridding out to Gettysburg on the train with old Honest Abe and I was the one scratching out that speech on the back of an envelope. No doubt the 10% was a few words Abe asked that I put into the speech.
You mean not the 1-2 button rotations with just auto attacking enemies
i say people matter more because you can make a name for yourself in retail people will go “hey thats that top X healer i want him in my key” in classic you might run accross some rando you met once assume he didnt get bored and fell asleep after killing wolves for their pelts for the 100th time .
again 20 yrs world changed
still is and honestly the story is better then classic ever could dream of
huh? classic is so boring so bland no one speaks to each other and is like playing a solo player game that has the same 4 fetch quests on repeat and recolored
you mean retail changes every so often to offer a fresh and new experience to its players got ya.
yea they arent perfect but normally if it says 85-100% AI its normally correct that its a AI generated post.
I honestly think it’s more just the case that EVERYONE is doing the same content, following the same guides, and killing the same bosses, so it’s not possible to be “that tank in full t3” because that’s every tank.
Everyone is doing the same content, and if you aren’t, then why are you even bothering to log in?
I keep seeing people incorrectly reference socialization in Vanilla WoW. It’s not that it “required” socialization—that’s just wrong. Stop saying that. You could play all the way to 60 without ever grouping if you wanted to.
You could play solo at 60 if you wanted to, though you obviously wouldn’t get much in terms of raid gear. However, you could still buy epics off the AH, and that’s good enough for most outdoor content.
What people keep calling “required socialization” is actually just the sense of a shared world. It’s similar to the recent Dragonflight patch with the green zone where you did the Everbloom quest alongside lots of players. It felt like a bigger world because you saw people doing activities around you, and you could choose to interact—or not.
