So, something that’s been pretty apparent more and more lately and has been getting brought up more is how demoralizing it is for new, or returning after hiatus, players to see so many items/appearances they like/want to not be at all available because they weren’t playing during the right time.
So why not a solution from a not quite MMO that seems to be quite elegant. I am referring to Warframe and the ‘prime vault’. On a set rotation multiple times a year, the devs rotate the Prime warframes of the past that are no longer normally obtainable to be obtainable once more, and rotate out some of the currently available options.
In WoW terms this could be used as an extended version of Timewalking, extend the event out to say, 2 weeks every month, but, during that, removed questlines/appearances/etc from that expansion could be earned while doing things like the level squishing/adjustments as they are now. This would allow the ‘preservation of difficulty’ many people take qualm with, while also allowing new players an opportunity to seek out items they would really want and be able to get them.
This would really not have any downsides that I can see.
-edit-
After some back and forth (and some education on how it actually works in regards to Gladiator) I’d like to say I can understand why for the push back on that with how it works now compared to then. With that in mind why not this as a replacement to that initial suggestion instead.
-The top 0.5% of the PVP player base on a given realm also gets a gladiator’s token to use for legacy Gladiator cosmetics, with varying cost based on the age and type of cosmetic that it is-
That would honor the actual legacy of what Gladiators would, while giving newer (and existing) players a goal to shoot for with ranked pvp beyond the current system that is in place.
I always thought they missed a huge opportunity to link them with classic versions. You could get everything removed that way through season of mastery. Including snowflake PvP stuff because it would be the same if not harder to obtain.
Nah. If anything they need to have more seasonal incentives. It’s so boring to see that I can just go back and get the rewards later, especially if it’ll be easier.
So a new player joining the game, and seeing so many cool things they cannot have because they are new to the game is an ‘entitlement issue’ but players demanding others cannot have things because ‘well they weren’t here then’ isn’t? Ok boomer.
Pandaren Pheonixes have no equivilents and cannot be gotten. Entire story lines were removed despite being pivitol to the expansion they were from meaning players are expected to go other places and not play the game to learn story.
Ah yes, a slight expansion to make Timewalking, a form of Evergreen which is important in long standing games, will take up as much time/resources as those precious Raid Tiers they keep trying to force every one into.
So, it is better to disservice new players or returning players in favor of players that were here in the past or might not even play any more? That’s like a restaurant offering the chef’s special only to people that ate their in the opening week, it’s bad business.
This is why I said make it an expansion of time walking, where players are synced down to ‘maintain difficulty’ which folks like you seem pretty obsessed with in a game that is no longer the only thing on the market.
-edit-
Because it seems to be going over peoples heads: the ‘Ok, Boomer’ bit is in reference to the systematic removal of systems that allowed Baby Boomers to be successful that were removed in swathes from things the Millennial Generation would have access too, which is why the Millennial Generation is the first generation of Americans to make less than their Parents (Gen X which fell between millennials and baby boomers but was into adulthood by the time the ripples were felt from the program removals)
You can add new items while also allowing old things to be gotten again, these things are not mutually exclusive, and since the old things are already in the game and would just need a form of re-enablement, none of the art/asset designers, or even quest designers or anything like that would need to be working on it
In your opinion it is fine, there is an always growing portion of the player base that says things like this aren’t fine as new players try out the game
allow removed items and rewards to be earned in their relevant classic version of the game, and let any cosmetics (mounts, pets, mogs) be usable in retail.
enough of a barrier that epeen chasers can still feel special, but still obtainable by anyone determined enough.
The less FOMO in the game the better, feats of strength already exist for the purpose of giving you the badge to flash that you “were there”, it’s about time to stop limiting customization for no reason really, especially if you still have to earn it and not just given away like a lot of people seem to think for some reason.
And that is why I said make it an expansion of Timewalking, it would give more content for people to do with Timewalking other than the current method of ‘5 dungeons quest and done’ like it is for the majority of players.
And that’s a way to kill the game with gusto. Players will suffer burn out and stop playing as a result. Then the sheer amount of ‘well sucks to be new’ stuff in game due to the FOMO will result in less new players resulting in a shrinking community which with how much of the content focus is around large groups atm would just drive more players away because they can’t fill groups
Without new players the game dies sooner rather than later.
Such as what games exactly where the items aren’t on a constant in and out rotation so every one can, at some point, still have a chance, new, old, or established and are also designed around group/community play?