Blizzard’s decision to allow paid level boosting on multiple characters in The Burning Crusade Classic represents a fundamental misunderstanding of why many players cared about TBC in the first place. For those of us who invested real time and effort into leveling—sometimes dozens of characters to 60—this change doesn’t feel like convenience or accessibility. It feels like our work was devalued after the fact, erased by a credit card swipe.
Leveling was never just a hurdle to get over; it was part of the identity of the game. The time spent leveling characters created attachment, investment, and a sense of progression that made endgame meaningful. By allowing players to bypass that process entirely, Blizzard removes one of the core pillars that made TBC compelling. Worse, allowing multiple paid boosts turns what was once an earned achievement into a purchasable commodity, signaling that time and dedication matter less than willingness to pay.
This decision is especially frustrating because it caters to a player base that doesn’t truly care about TBC as a game or a world, but rather sees it as a temporary distraction due to the lack of a satisfying modern version of World of Warcraft. Instead of preserving what made TBC special, Blizzard continues to reshape it to fit modern expectations—shorter attention spans, instant gratification, and monetization-first design. The result is a version of TBC that is neither authentic nor challenging.
That erosion doesn’t stop at boosting. Nerfed content and lowered arena rating requirements for gear further dilute the experience. These systems originally existed to reward skill, coordination, and persistence. By lowering the bar across the board, Blizzard transforms meaningful progression into a shallow checklist. Gear becomes less a symbol of accomplishment and more a participation trophy, undermining both PvE and PvP integrity.
Taken together, paid boosts, nerfed encounters, and relaxed arena requirements don’t make TBC better—they water it down. They turn a game built on effort and mastery into one designed to be consumed quickly and discarded. For players who actually want to play The Burning Crusade rather than skip through it, these changes feel like a betrayal of the very philosophy that made the expansion great.
A game built on effort and mastery into one designed to be consumed quickly and discarded.
This is the problem.
I have zero doubt that anyone in the ‘boosting’ majority, if offered, would purchase pre-raid gear for T4. Raid gear for T5. Raid gear for T6. They would purchase Warglaives!
I don’t see where the satisfaction is for any of these people.
“This is the 3rd time we’ve done this.” No, this is the 3rd time YOU have done this. What about the new players? Let them live the adventure with you.
Its a watered down game, designed for swipers looking for instant gratification on gear / achievements they never had in the previous 2 iterations.
Yes, it was a part of the identity of the game, 15 years ago. Its not anymore.
I beg to argue the opposite. You meant to say more accessible content, which makes the game more enjoyable for todays WoW gamer.
TBC kind of has to be consumed quickly. We experienced TBC Classic, after P2, you’ve already consumed all of the content outside of raids until the sunwell dailies.
I played hundreds of hours of TBC Classic. The changes that have been made are all nothing but good for TBC. People quickly forget (or didn’t play TBC Classic) how quickly it becomes the WOTLK waiting room because of the lack of content.
Its not semantics. Its a genuine question. What is todays ‘Wow Gamer’ that you are you defining here?
Based on your post, todays WoW Gamer does NOT enjoy the grind, but enjoys swiping the card to .. steam-roll NERFED content, do it again, then again, then complain about NO content, and we .. fall into that WoTLK waiting room?
This post was a little early. We still don’t know if boosts are unlimited. Though if you have money they are unlimited since you can just make enough accounts to boost w/e you want
You’re pushing the narrative that everyone just buys gold. People do, yes, but I don’t think the majority do.
Steam rolling nerfed content? Okay, so instead of spending 3 hours to clear a raid, they do it in an hour and a half. What do you do after? Stand in shatt and do nothing for an extra hour and a half. It doesn’t change anything. Once you have your attunes and pre-raid gear, theres nothing left to do but raid and afk.
We’re doing the content again…and again..and again…regardless of its state or if people are buying gold. TBC is a great expansion for many reasons, but content is not one of them.