The Vocal Minority

[Wolfbyte-queldorei]

Thank you. I was going to call that out.

Lets make sure we’re doing some research into the actual numbers of things and not just throwing things around that make your argument sound better.

Appreciate the reference.

[Nítrousoxide-dalaran (Nítrousoxide)]

they only thing that holds any baring in this world of corrupt media is the User Reviews and even they are somewhat erroneous, but its the best we’ve got and Shadowlands has a 5.8 out of 10, so what else really needs to be said…

[Eretloc-area-52]

@Wolfbyte-queldorei

Metacritic: Score: 82%

Never really been one to listen to “gaming” journos… Heck look at the the one who could barely pass the cuphead tutorial. With that being said player scores on metacritic are even worse.

Ghosts vs TLOU2 prove that user scores are trash.

[Anuke-hellscream]

Im confused about this thread. Well, I didn’t read it so much as scan it thinking ‘wtf is this’ not really getting anywhere but…

Are we arguing over the semantics of what we think other people think about the game?

[Tupacshekar-tichondrius]

@Anuke-hellscream

Are we arguing over the semantics of what we think other people think about the game?

This is precisely this thread, folks just seem to think that their guild mates or GD posts represent how the game state is or how a majority of the playerbase feels but this is just not the case. The game is in the best state it’s ever been, and it’s evidence by the fact that this is the most successful WoW expansion to date.

[Niia-stormreaver (Niia)]

@Tupacshekar-tichondrius

The game is in the best state it’s ever been, and it’s evidence by the fact that this is the most successful WoW expansion to date.

WoW’s peak subscriber count was 12 million, in October 2010. Are you claiming that SL has exceeded that?

[Eretloc-area-52]

@Niia-stormreaver

WoW’s peak subscriber count was 12 million, in October 2010

Can’t really use that now. China carried wow subs due to 1hr at an internet cafe = 1 sub.

[Niia-stormreaver (Niia)]

@Eretloc-area-52

Can’t really use that now. China carried wow subs due to 1hr at an internet cafe = 1 sub.

Regardless - is the claim honestly being made here that WoW is currently more popular than it was in 2010?

[Eretloc-area-52]

/shrug. not by me. Doubt it’s more popular. I want to see how subs were 8.3 to sl. That had to be an interesting slide downwards.

[Zareem-rexxar]

Like, by one person who doesn’t even believe it himself. So I’m not really sure if “claimed” is the right word.

[Rayneina-wyrmrest-accord]

@Tupacshekar-tichondrius

a wide majority of the player base say that it’s the best expansion since WoTLK

There’s no way that’s true. Legion was epic. This doesn’t feel epic. But, again, it’s still early.

[Calidge-kirin-tor]

@Wolfbyte-queldorei

These forums seem like there’s a lot of negative reviews of Shadowlands, so much so that you’d think this was the end for Warcraft, and that Blizzard is finished.

Yes, it’s another WoW expac. Gnashing of teeth at the outset of a new expac is normal.

As an aside, I think you take the GD forum way too seriously.

[Badhairday-velen]

@Loktris-moon-guard

IGN is the fox news of gaming.

More like CNN with a heavy dose of CIA.

[Loktris-moon-guard]

CNN lies about the news, Fox News makes stuff up.
Both are bad but Fox is worse

[Billbill-area-52]

To what extent? This isn’t an explicit service they provide, it’s a game they made. They created something and now want to sell it, if you like their product, awesome. If you feel like you were misled about what the product is, request a refund. Feedback is one thing (I like x, wasn’t a fan of y because of z), demanding changes because you paid for the thing they made is entirely different (de-tune torghast or you’ll lose my sub!)

If I buy an awful desk from walmart for $15 and it falls apart in 2 months I don’t write a letter to walmart demanding they increase the quality of their sh*tty furniture, I would have known what I was getting into and set my expectations accordingly. To equate that to the current biggest complaint here, why should torghast be de-tuned? Did they promise that every player of any skill level will be able to complete every layer as soon as it comes out using any gear?

Why is the playerbase obligated to whine about everything because they’re paying customers? Did they open up these forums for the years prior to 2004 when the base game was in development and request feedback for their design decisions? Pretty sure they just made a game they liked and wanted to play themselves, and let it rip.

[Fenny-wyrmrest-accord]

@Wolfbyte-queldorei

These forums seem like there’s a lot of negative reviews of Shadowlands, so much so that you’d think this was the end for Warcraft, and that Blizzard is finished.

However, I believe whats representative on this forum is actually the minority that happens to be incredibly vocal.

I decided to check the overall reception of this expansion to see if my hypothesis was correct.

References Cited below.

1. Metacritic: Score: 82%
2. IGN: Score: 8/10
3. PC Gamer: Score: 80%
4. Game Informer: Score: 8.75

IGN had this to say on the Expansion

" The 10 levels you’ll spend getting to know the Shadowlands definitely live up to the standard of quality I expect from Blizzard in terms of zone design, music, and affecting character moments. And at max level, this is probably the most compelling World of Warcraft’s beckoning call to stick around has ever been, mainly because of Torghast and the chances it presents you to craft your own legendary items. But the fact remains that max-level play is designed to keep you around as long as possible with a limited amount of drip-fed story and repetitive daily and weekly activities, even if Shadowlands has more of them, and they’re more fun, than any previous expansion. Don’t get me wrong: this one ranks highly in the pantheon, up there with Legion and Wrath of the Lich King, partly because it makes some honest and substantial attempts to reinvent the tired endgame formula. I’m just still not sure if it goes far enough to hold my interest, and subscription dollars, in between the meatier story drops in major patches."

PC Gamer had this to say:
"Torghast is such an amazing addition to WoW, but there are times where I can’t escape the feeling that I’ve run this marathon before. I love that Blizzard swings big on its expansions where other MMOs are happy to stick to a template, but it also makes everything feel inconsequential. I can bust my rear grinding my Covenant, but a player who starts playing a month from now will catch up to me with minimal effort. When a major update comes out, the goal posts will be moved back and all that hard-earned gear will be worthless trash compared to whatever new stuff is available. It’s hard to see the value in investing tons of time into the game when everything is so fleeting.

Fortunately, unlike Battle for Azeroth, a lot of Shadowlands’ new features are inherently fun enough that I want to keep playing even if I’m concerned about the bigger picture. The four new zones are dense with surprises and treasures, Covenants are an exciting way to customize my character, and I’m enjoying the more subtle storytelling and worldbuilding now that the main campaign is over with."

Game Informer broke it out into categories:

CONCEPT:
Save the world by entering various realms in the afterlife, meeting old friends and enemies along the way

GRAPHICS
Breathtaking and striking environments make it hard to imagine that the game is 16 years old

SOUND
The core sounds of World of Warcraft haven’t changed much, but there are always unit barks and meme-worthy boss quips to enjoy

PLAYABILITY
A revamped and customizable levelling process makes Shadowlands a great time for new or returning players to join in

ENTERTAINMENT
Shadowlands adds some daring elements into the mix while also retaining many of the same hooks that have kept the MMO going over the years

REPLAY
High

It seems like the game was an overall success showing that the blatant rage posts found here is a vocal minority. It would seem Blizzard got it right with this expansion according to the industry. I would suspect that goinng forward Blizzard will continue to make content utilizing and building what it has done in Shadowlands.

My personal opinion, WoW is WoW… it is what it is, love it or hate it.

I agree that there is a vocal minority complaining about the game. Almost every single person complaining on this forum is doing so on a low post count alt, which tells me they are either trolling or are just trying to generate interest in FF14.

I have seen zero complaints in my guild chat or anywhere in game. Even trade seems to be enjoying the game. This forum is the only place I’ve seen people complaining about the game.

That said, you can’t cite gaming site reviews as those are heavily skewed and sponsored.

[Xianwae-wyrmrest-accord (Xianwae)]

Content slowly trickling to a halt will be noticeable when it happens. If/when WoW ever dies, I feel that it will be palpable as we play, but it won’t be sudden and unexpected.

[Procéss-wyrmrest-accord]

Personally I’m loving Shadowlands. But I also haven’t played WoW in 5 years.

[Dayon-wyrmrest-accord (Dayon)]

Games journalism is pretty garbo. It’s like film scores on RottenTomatoes-- what are people saying versus what the critics are?

But yeah this forum is definitely a vocal minority. Players that are enjoying themselves and having fun aren’t nearly as compelled to post their grievances.

[Whiiteclaw-sargeras]

Yes … this isn’t new information
. Most of the time people come here to complain