I think PvP should be normalized to fall in line with other games that are dedicated to PvP (Overwatch, League, Smite etc). I think this would be best achieved if PvP had its own game mode or “tab” on the character screen like Plunderstorm and Remix. Here are some ideas that I believe would bring the best out of PvP:
-Better balance and less spell bloat
-No racials; not everyone wants to be a night elf
-No leveling; choose your race/class and get in there
-No gear; no more farming PvE for every bit of advantage in PvP
-No professions; they won’t be missed, personally
The balance between PvE and PvP has always been something difficult for Blizz, I’m sure. Even if they tweak some numbers, there are spell mechanics that make it hard to work well in PvP. There is also the problem of every class wanting to do everything, resulting in an abusive amount of CC in PvP, looking especially at stuns and interrupts, in my case.
Even disregarding balance, I think it would be very healthy for PvP popularity overall and giving it a chance to bloom again. Just like there are raiders who raid log, there are PvPers who just want to, well, PvP log. No more dailies, no more borrowed power grind, no more mandatory storylines, and most importantly, no more raid BiS farming. I think it would bring back a great deal of old-school PvPers who just don’t have time for the things they don’t want to do. I have been playing WoW for well over 15 years now, and have seen many players move over to League and Overwatch for that reason, two games where you queue, you play, start over.
Stats could be templated like they were in Legion. Just have your set of gear, place a transmogrifier in the pre-match lobby and choose your mog/skin.
Spells could lose a ton of bloating, simplifying PvP to a level where people can understand what’s going on, because right now I can barely understand what’s happening after taking a short break from the game, and I think many others would agree. Classes could be given their necessities right off the bat, and leave us with 5-10 talents per tree to choose from before the match begins. Of course I’m talking about new talent trees tailored to suit a PvP mode.
Elite sets could be awarded in both PvP mode and the main game as cosmetics. As of right now, earning every elite set requires you to be decent at 13 classes. This is an old system that I believe needs some rework. It feels bad when you wander around the main hub and see someone with an elite set you don’t have and think “aw man, I should’ve spent countless hours every season to grind every elite set just in case I played this class today”. I think you should be able to hit 1800 and unlock every elite set, because let’s be honest, no one cares on which class you got 1800 on. Or perhaps be able to unlock 1 set upon reaching 1800 and unlock the rest at 2000/2200. Just throwing ideas out there but there are tons of possibilities.
Anyway this should be enough to get a conversation started. I’m just brainstorming with what I believe would be a good start, but I’d love to hear all of the ideas you all have!