1. Attracting New Blood:
- F2P PvP Access: How about letting Game Pass users dive into PvP for free? They could create PvP-only characters that would get locked to a dedicated “PvP Island,” similar to setups in other MMOs. PVE players could travel to this island / city to go hang out as well.
Current Existing Solution: We have tournament realms where players can quickly gear up and jump into max-level PvP. Since PvP content doesn’t change drastically each season, it stays fresh with minimal upkeep.
2. Juicier Rewards:
- Reward Tracks: Let’s introduce paths where players can earn unique PvP transmogs.
- Cosmetic Store Items: Adding exclusive cosmetic items and mounts to the in-game store could work quite well with land locked F2P players.
Current Existing Solution: The in-game store and Trading Post let us snag cosmetic items using tenders or cash. Or just flat out getting the season’s set for reaching rating thresholds as it works now.
3. Streamlined Talents and UI:
- Simplify Talents: Trimming down the talent trees could make the game more newbie-friendly.
- AWC Interface as Default: Making the AWC interface the standard for PvP, along with some tutorials, could help everyone.
Current Existing Solution: The AWC interface is popular and gets updated each season. Adding bot-driven arena tutorials, like “Comp Stomp,” might be helpful. Simplifying talents is a big task, but ideas like Plunderstorm are exploring this. Specs with simpler rotations, like BM, Fury, or Havoc, have been successful. Reducing our reliance on addons could lead to a more stable and future-proof game, especially since we often have to redo UIs each season when support drops.
4. Solo Queue for 3v3 Arenas:
- Flexible Matchmaking: Updating the LFG system to let us queue solo, as a duo, or as a trio, with matchmaking pairing similar group types, could cut down on wait times.
Current Existing Solution: Features like Solo Shuffle and Skirmishes address this need. Expanding this system to rated 2v2 and 3v3 arenas would be beneficial. I’d rather play a suboptimal comp than sit around in Dornogal for 30-60 minutes at a time. I’ve started to play other games in that time frame.
TLDR: Implementing these changes could boost profits, grow the player base, and keep players around longer with minimal risk or resources. The esports scene is huge, and revamping PvP could bring participation back to Wrath of the Lich King levels. Dedicating 1-3 months of work from systems engineers, UI designers, and artists—maybe reusing existing areas like Oribos for a PvP hub—could make this happen. F2P players might transition into the full game, fitting with cross-selling strategies seen in other Blizzard-Activision titles. Making it easy to join the ecosystem mirrors successful models like Warzone’s free access. Considering marketing costs to attract users, focusing on easy entry could be more cost-effective. Looking at competitive games like Dota, Rocket League, and League of Legends (amongst many others), there’s a lot of room for WoW’s PvP scene to grow.
If you like any (or all) these suggestions, remember to like to show some support. Let’s shake things up!
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