they needed to replace Ashran with something equally bad or worse
These are the main problems with Dalaran sewers. Lag. Holy shit balls the lag, when the guards take a break and everybody starts going nuts. You are lucky if you don't disconnect. Glitchy guards. Yay I bought a guard, now I can check the BMAH real fast and there gone. You rat bastard didn't even stick with me for twelve seconds!
I got my Obliterum Forge and hopefully never have to go to the clusterfuck again.
This is hard to figure out?
The longer it takes to do things, the longer you'll be subbed, at least until you've completed the content you want to do; which also means less content they have to create before you've gone through it. Multiplied by millions of players it adds up pretty fast.
I usually hate world PvP, but I think their intention was to make the sewers an absolute clusterfuck of death and destruction that involves zero thought whatsoever. I thought it was pretty fun when I went in my tank spec and didn't die immediately.
My only gripe is the fact that they put a profession quest down there. I'm sure it would have been popular enough without forcing people to go down there and "pvp"
The proper waifu is a wholesome supplement for one's intrinsic need for belonging and purpose.
I have a feeling some people spend way more time complaining about this than the time they actually had to spend in there.
At least it's purely optional and you can opt out for 5g.. which you were unable to do on Timeless Isle.
I don't mind it, been able to do all my quests with the escort and I have zero complaints except the one time there was a gigantic lag.
On PvE servers, the Timeless Isle stuff was 100% optional and required nothing on the players part to be so.
I did my fair share of PvP over the years, but really only played on PvE servers for any length of time, so I understand the desire to be in control of your flagging.
I think Blizzard screwed up here in that they should have just made the area FFA when you actively chose to flag yourself (on PvE servers). It would have been simple and I think they could have avoided a whole lot of rage.
I actually pay for the guard not because I don't like PvP - I don't mind it in most situations. I pay it because I lag out so badly in the Underbelly when there's a large number of people in there that I literally die before I can see who is killing me. And that, my friend, is simply not enjoyable.
It does not make someone a pussy if they choose to play on a PvE realm, or avoid what is going to be near slideshow experience for many.
There are reasons to be there other than PvP.
As a new idea it has merits, but as a new idea I think it still has issues.
Indeed, dropping to single figure framerates is not fun.
Veteran vanilla player - I was 31 back in 2005 when I started playing WoW - Nostalrius raider with a top raid guild.
I had other profession quests that took me there. The forge requires you to go there as well with and without guards. Forced PvP for PvE gear.
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Any class will die a quick death down there. Especially with the costume buff - Don't exaggerate. I nuked players left and right today with the buff and they couldn't touch me. Tank spec won't save you.
All they need to do is put a half hour cooldown on calling off the guards, and not let the guards be allowed to go on a break while 50+ people are trying to kill a rare mob or while a rare mob has spawned, period.
It's fucking annoying. It could have been implemented way better but then they decided to add non-PVP elements, some of which are essential to players like crafting recipes and hidden artifact appearances that drops off RARE MOBS not players.
It's a longer wait to be able to call the guards back than it does to call them off, and the bodyguards are useless. They disappear when the guards are called off and they do absolutely shit all when you have an entire room full of people attacking you or throwing down AoE/Cleave abilities.
Having to wait 2min to res (repeatedly) because you were simply trying to loot something before the corpse despawns is infuriating as well.
Even I don't like PvP that much and I think it is brutally fun. I've spent like 3h total on it already. Don't like it? Find another place to be and something you enjoy to do on the broken isles.
I don't know about your servers but ours has been absolute shit since 2 days after I dinged 110, whenever that was. When it was a free for all mass melee it was fun. Then people started making raidgroups to farm the rares for sightless eyes so every time you enter there there's 40ppl waiting to gib you. They should just entirely disallow groups down there or something.
Even better have two separately phased/sharded instances of the place.
Either you are on a PVP server or you have to flag yourself prior to entry, or if you flag yourself/call the guards off you are phased in with an instance where the guards are already called off.
Ehhhh ... it would be fine except when it interferes with regular PvE gameplay. Could be sorted out with two quick fixes:
(1) 60-120 sec notice that the guards are leaving.
(2) Rez in the staging area.