Look at the bottom left.
The numbers are inferred from matching data points.
Bellular has a solid argument for 5.8Mil at the beginning of the graph.
ht tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHDFgZAuJHU&ab_channel=BellularWarcraft
(Starts sbout 10:25 into the video)
This is where you cross reference data between IFPro and the graph.
(You’ll note the spike in Classic in mid-march from IFPro aligns with with lockdown, which also aligns with the sub boost to wow overall.)
Sub Numbers continue going up, at an accelerated clip
- While Wrath population (IFPro) takes a distinct dive the same weeks.
- While Era also loses 35% that week (IFPro), basically cancelling out the boost Era got from the HC hype bringing people back long enough to realize HC isn’t for them- they went to SoD.
No doubt, some of that subcount raise, particularly from right before SoD can be accounted for HC hype, but there’s a distinct change in the delta at SoD.
It’s not quite as sharp as Classic (it didn’t have a full year of hype and theorycrafting for people who were fed up of Retail) but when accounting for there being alternatives outside of retail and the population (IFPro) has dropped by about 55% from the peak- Just like Classic did.
TL;DR
Classic and SoD both had similar spikes, and similar rates of dropoff-
But where as Classic had almost a year of hype, no (legit) classic wow alternatives, and a maligned retail xpac for competition, SoD has had very little hype (it was revealed less than a month before launch), a better retail Xpac, Classic Era, Wrath, and Hardcore to compete with.
If you see 2 people climbing a mountain at the same rate, but one is carrying 1 Boulder, and the other is carrying 5 Boulders, you can infer which one is stronger.
Hardly.
You not liking the result doesn’t invalidate the evidence.
ok have fun playing SoD 2, whatever that monstrosity turns out to be 
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lol @ trying to argue that SoD is more popular than 2019 classic
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Once again there is a whole lot of assumptions you just sell as facts.
SoD is a complete failure and an example at modern blizzards incompetence. If they’re not just copy pasting from a better generation of blizzard devs then they have no clue how to make a quality classic mmo.
SoD should have been as easy win as shown from the interest it garnered, unfortunately the ball has been fumbled and even if they did everything right from now, it will never be what it could have been. Many players have been burnt whom would have stuck around had they have had any resemblance of competence.
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I mean, SoD made era playable and fun… so I’m sure an SoD 2 would be more fun as well.
NGL, zones are starting to empty out…
Devs you need to do something about Season of Discovering how to Grind
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Era is the worst version of wow and 2019 proved it. Even during covid it lost massive players. It git a slight boost from hc for a bit and now thats dead as well
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SoD is losing massive players, guess it’s the worst version too
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It’s because people became super anal retentive in WoW over the years. It went from 2004, we just need human bodies up in here for this 40 man, don’t care what gear they have to now people check logs and run background checks and require multiple raid buffs and this and that and this and that. It’s soooooooo anal retentive, it’s beyond psycho.
Nailed it.
I don’t raid, don’t have time for it,. I do love five man dungeon running though and there is less five man content thanks to SoD repurposing 3 of those dungeons for raids. Not only that but wild offerings and incursions have killed what remains of the 5mans in phase 3. Its speed runs only and actually finding a group to do the full dungeons for quests or gear is harder and harder each day.
I am at the point where I log in, look for group for 30m and then give up and log out.
This is a massive change to the first two phases where I was excited to log in each day.
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Yes please, give us fresh vanilla. Just like the no changes crowd foresaw, modern day blizz has no idea what made vanilla so good and shouldn’t be trying to make a better version of the game. Leave classic as classic. Tinker around in retail all you like.
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I think what bothers me is that the failure of SoD will mean that there probably will never be a true, Classic Plus. (Classic Era with more content.)
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Sod is the same as what classic plus would be. Either the Devs are incompetent and have no idea how to make a good classic plus, or blizzard won’t devote the resources required for them to make a good classic plus. Either way, from what we’ve seen we would be better off with classic staying classic.
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SoD is basically retail minus. It’s the worst aspects of both classic and retail.
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For sure, just proves the Devs wouldn’t be able to make a good classic plus tbh.
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Hypocrite, you’re selling your opinion as a fact.
Fact is: Classic and SoD share the same initial 55% player drop common with most new releases.
Fact is: SoD had competition to begin with.
Gotta take Goonunit side here man. Your posts regarding the raider numbers is confirmation bias / reification fallacy. It does not say what you claim and you can plug in (insert my reasoning here) and it will look correct
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100%
But it’s an orc shammy debating the success of SOD lmao, there’s no hope and even if you make a good point he’ll grounding totem it.
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It’s probably already been said here but…
Can I have your gold? Please?
I did say please 