WrA has a good thing going

Wyrmrest Accord
1

Since returning to the game, I sometimes glance and write here but lately, I see a couple of new people looking for info on the server so I thought I would give my thoughts since resubing.

Tight-knit community: Being a smaller population server is not always a bad thing, in fact, I am actually really enjoying it. Everyone knows everyone and I feel like we have a stronger sense of community. Of course, I only play Alliance but even when I do cross faction RP I feel like I know a lot of Horde players at this point and they know me.

More friendly than I remember: I suppose this comes with the smaller size but people seem generally more kind and I have yet to see any major drama. Sure some people don’t like others, however, that’s kinda kept to themselves and you don’t really see that in-game or even on here (Twitter being the exception lol). A lot of the more problematic names kinda left. Toxic behavior seems to be very minimal if any now of days.

Creative characters: I have been reading some AMAZING character concepts, I pretty much love any profile that’s unique and well thought out. The creativity I see honestly gets me excited to interact with them IC and I have been getting that a lot. Even if its not written I enjoy vibrant personalities that really make this server feel alive.

Accepting RP concepts: Kind of ties in with my last point but I am happy to see the number of people rolling with other’s ideas and headcanons that some might consider “out there”. Not to say there’s anything wrong with not wanting to go along with a concept that’s just TOO extreme, even I have some limits. RP is about having fun bottom line and people seem accommodating of that here.

Events: Though I have only made a few because of my work schedule, the events have all been very fun as well. I really like the fact that they are mostly cross-faction and Horde side here seems to understand Alliance side could use some help. I wish however we had a better way to advertise RP events, maybe a discord server just for that?

My guild: Some of THE most amazing, kind-hearted, and welcoming people I have ever met on this game period. They are here to stay and so shall I be.

Now for the cons:
1-It’s no secret, Alliance side is pretty small and RP can be harder to find in the early hours.
2-A lot of good friends left to Moonguard or server I probably can’t legally mention which is upsetting because I will NEVER go back to either of those places (had incredibly bad experiences).
3-I have actually seen a good bit of IC shifting to OOC drama Horde side for the short time I was there enough to kind of keep me away.(seen this on Alliance as well, just not as much)
4-When it comes to actual content for PVP and PVE WrA suffers the same issues the rest of the game is facing with a (understandable) lack of interest in end game.

Conclusion: Other than those last 4 things I highly recommend this server. I have played this game for 15 years now and while we are in what I would call ‘WoW’s dark ages’ WrA is a small beacon of light. I am increasingly hoping Blizzard gets their act together in A LOT of areas so that players can return. Whether they do or don’t ultimately decides the health of this game and its community however no matter if I am playing or unsubbed I will consider this my home server.

13 Likes
2

squint

Hey I know you!

Really awesome to see we still have a good bunch of pvp/rpers on the server

3 Likes
3

Ocean maaaahhaaan–

In my long tenure on WrA I can’t say I’ve ever seen this realm (or the game as a whole) quite so bad in terms of population and general attitude towards the game, but I cannot say the result of that is all bad. I cannot speak for Horde as I almost never play there, but the smaller population A-side has lead to fewer outbursts due to drama and so on. I can also appreciate how most of the people still around are generally more accepting of different concepts that might not be 100% lore-abiding/a bit lore bendy.

It’s become easier, I think, to find people you can get along with and avoid those you don’t, and I can appreciate that.

4 Likes
4

There is a project in the works specially for that, Alliance side. What platforms you currently use most to stay informed about Alliance-side events?

2 Likes
5

It’s interesting to me seeing the sentiment that WrA’s smaller population has contributed to fewer people enforcing strict lore adherence. Perhaps that’s a function of there simply being fewer people to do it; but as someone who recently came back from MG, where you can’t throw a stick two feet in SW without hitting someone, there was very little lore policing there. Perhaps the fact that I play a very lore-abiding character contributes to me never receiving angry whispers criticizing and trying to correct me, but what I witnessed on MG before I left was a city filled with far more out-there concepts and things that downright don’t exist in the WoW universe than more run-of-the-mill characters. I think the overall attitude in what remains of the RP community has long been on course toward the more do-what-you-want mentality and away from one that encourages sticking to lore.

However, I definitely agree that a tighter-knit community makes for less drama and greater ease at avoiding those you’d rather not associate with. This is definitely something WrA has over MG, and it almost makes me feel like this would change in a negative way should WrA’s (Alliance in particular) population start to grow too large again.

3 Likes
6

We’ve all gotten old with this game and have enough life experiences under our belts now to appreciate the need to play pretend and that need manifests in multiple ways wholly depending on the person’s situation.

Not to mention, WoW’s own lore has been one perpetual state of people/nations being flung bodily down the stairs for decades, in-game time. There’s only so many variations on the “Dark, damaged individual with a tragic past” one can encounter and interact with before the “out there” concepts become enjoyable simply for variety’s sake.

And yes, I say that as someone who RPs a Dark, damaged individual with a tragic past.

3 Likes
7

Oh I totally understand your meaning. It is what it is. I think you said it best when you said that the way we roleplay and the reasons for it depend largely on the individual, their situation, and what they’re looking to get from it. As someone who misses the more lore-abiding past, I realize that this scene isn’t necessarily one I fit so well into anymore. But, as many know, the path to letting something go is not always short, linear, or easy.

I was more making the observation that even over on MG with all its population, you can play or be anything you want to be. And those concepts get far more attention and interaction than boring characters like mine.

3 Likes
8

I think this is also driven by how the game’s lore has progressed as well, more genres and concepts have been added into the game to allow the truly creative person to justify just about any character concept. Shadowlands in particular has been a complete shark jump where a lot of people have gone “I could write something better” …and have written something better.

2 Likes
9

Believe it or not, I’m right there with you. I hang out on RP servers in any online game not strictly for RP but simply because it’s nice to be surrounded by people getting immersed in the world.

That said, for the last several years I completely understand those who are increasingly losing interest in the world proper. The latest expansion is especially bad on that front, since there’s very little in the way of indication of what’s transpiring on Azeroth at all. (At least in Warlords the Iron Horde had invaded and that remained an issue)

4 Likes
10

True. I guess when I think of some of the more out-there concepts that I’ve seen (particularly on MG in the last year), I mean people RPing as things like FF characters and races or things ripped straight out of animes or things that would make them single-handedly more powerful than most named lore characters by combining multiple classes, races, and magics all into one “prismatic” being for lack of a better way of putting it. But hey, if they enjoy it I guess. I know at this point I’m the odd one out.

Good to know there are still some of us around. :stuck_out_tongue: And YES on your second paragraph. Shadowlands hasn’t been the worst thing ever to me, but it’s definitely not great. My character has been almost wholly disconnected from its events because I just wasn’t able to come up with a great way to incorporate it. Even in past expansions that were pretty grand like Legion, I could say that Fey was part of a larger war effort of some sort and played a small part on the periphery. But it just feels like I…can’t do that in Shadowlands without being either the literal champion or something close to it. Ah well. Here’s to hoping for the future and next expansion for whatever that’s worth.

3 Likes
11

I’m certainly not going to respect the lore if Blizzard isn’t.

6 Likes
12

Hmmm well I would like to have maybe a Discord for this as that seems like the easiest way to go these days. I may be a bit paranoid when it comes to that platform though because I have seen channels get some pretty bad drama storms before so I don’t know. Perhaps just posting here would be best. shrugs

I can see that but then again (and I have said this before and gotten yelled at) WoW’s lore is pretty damn big, it’s kind of hard to break it. All my characters bend it a tiny bit but aside from as you said, works from other media, its hard to break. Even that has an exception with WoW lore covering common themes of other games, animes, stories etc.

I mean really think about it, what fantasy trope does WoW not cover at this point?

1 Like
13

I don’t think WoW’s lore is that hard to break at all. However, it isn’t my intention to turn your good-natured thread into an argument or a debate. I simply wanted to mention that the attitude of the RP community was becoming less-restrictive across the board and that it wasn’t a phenomenon happening only here specifically because of some quality unique to WrA.

2 Likes
14

I have in fact heard and noticed MG also shares a more lack stance on canons/head-canons, so yes I agree perhaps this is more so larger happening than just any one server.
I don’t mean to debate either but I don’t mind sharing perspectives, personally, I have (not here) had people tell me I am breaking lore only for me to hit em with a Wowpedia link that justifies my characters. I should be more clear, I refer to RP policing not RP lore abiding because I find RP policing people generally doesn’t actually have extensive knowledge of lore and only really focus on small aspects they really like. I mean hell…one time I got told Lahil cant be Kul’Tiran because he’s not big and muscular >.>

Of course, then you got people straight up RPing Miqo’te who were sent through a portal in time from Aku to Azeroth…Theeeeeen I might draw the line and back out ^^;

2 Likes
15

I have some thoughts.

I feel as though BFA, then Shadowlands and, also importantly, the lawsuit/revelations, drove a lot of people away.

Those of us who stayed had to seek each other out, get to know each other, and work together to create and participate in events of our design, our making, if we wanted to see this community survive.

And I think that it’s done more than that.

I think those who have stayed have grown, individually and collectively, and I think that the server feels nicer.

And, gods willing, when folks come back, and new folks join too, they will find a community. They will find help. They will find a world that is alive and welcoming.

6 Likes
16

That’s totally fair, and I think you’re right about those who tend to actually take it upon themselves to offer unsolicited criticism to others over their characters.

Lol! This is more of what I mean when I say it’s pretty easy to break WoW lore. In the final weeks before I left MG, I saw a few characters who were RPing as the literal title characters from other universes or animes. I can’t remember exactly what they were, probably because I just noped right away from them as soon as I saw their TRP tooltips. I have also seen Miqo’tes and other FF races openly advertised as such walking around like nothing at all.

On another note, a thing I find interesting between the last time I was a WrA regular and now is how before, server projects and server canon were not very present here at all much less humored or considered. But now with things like Year of the Scourge and whatever it winds up evolving into, that distinction has become less so. Not taking shots or criticizing at all, but it’s interesting to see how things change over time and how sentiment that seems immovably cemented can still shift regardless.

1 Like
17

I think you are spot on with this. I never gave much thought as to WHY things are the way they are but this all makes sense. <3

1 Like
18

If you’re new and poking around the forum threads for a sense of the realm…to reiterate the OP - this server has a good thing going despite the lighter numbers lately. Good people, good guilds, good stuff happening. Good gravy!

3 Likes
19

Well said. I very much agree.

Funny how right as I was adding a thought about WrA’s blossoming server project with Year of the Scourge, you were posting at the same time. I do hope that the project continues to go well and that you’re able to avoid a lot of the issues the various projects on MG have fallen into over the years. And on a personal note, as the community continues to get to know its members in tight-knit fashion and as more big events take place, it’s my little hope that I can get Fey some cool interactions with you and your guild as an ex-member who basically became all the things they feared she would back when she was still sin’dorei. :stuck_out_tongue:

2 Likes
20

The gravy is actually quite evil.