It feels like Blizzard is slowly abbandoning this MMO

[Dystemper]

Lacking fun is opinion, not measurable evidence. I'm having plenty of fun in the game.

Oh and if you have played this game for more than 2 years you know that the art assets, weapons, gear, mobs etc are largely the same in every xpac.

So whats fun about doing the same WQ over and over or the Invasions whos loot is all heavily RNG oriented? Sure they added a couple puzzles if you like that . But nothing in Legion is what I would call innovative or cutting edge. The story was lacking and not very compelling .

[Will]

So let me get this right, Blizz are pushing more content than they have in years and someone complains about lack of content. FIGURES.

[Darkeon]

I feel "abandoning" is the wrong word to it.

Are they probably realizing that shifting resources around, as in not as many in WoW while these could be put to good use elsewhere? I'd say yes.
From that to "Abandoning WoW" is quite the stretch. It still gives them money. No way they'll take actions against it.

[NatePsy]

That's your opinion and all, it's wrong, but it's your opinion. The amount of investment seen this year alone contradicts that statement. WoD I'd of believed you.

[Soon-TM]

lol..

WoW is old yes, but have been upgraded many time.

Same with Windows, it's the same thing, they have upgraded it!

So, WoW can last forever, they can update ANYTHING.

This is factually wrong. Windows 10 isn't just an "upgraded" Windows XP, is an entirely different beast altogether. While the UI of W10 may resemble WXP's somewhat, all of the stuff "under the hood" is WAY different. Which causes many programs to be incompatible with Win XP and vice versa, i.e. WoW (soon).

[Queen of Hamsters]

To me it feels more like they're getting tired of it and theyre running out of ideas. WoW is going on what? 14 years? Most of the good stories have been told already and the stories that have yet to be told are in the hands of not so competent writers. Definitely weaker than back in the golden years of vanilla-WotLK.

The story was not "strong" in Classic-WOTLK though, it was very much WoW writing and your statement in regards to "not so competent writers" has been made since forever. WoW always had bad story interwoven with the bad, but at least the storytelling has become something which spans over several expansions rather than fractured/non-existent in certain areas.

People said they were out of stories to tell after WOTLK, and it just didn't held true. Their own statement of "as long as you keep playing, we'll put out content" (not exact quote) has held true so far and probably will. Whenever a writer gets bored and wants to move on, tons line up wanting to fill those shoes for a game pulling absolute bank with a dedicated fanbase.

[Eleccybubb]

The story was not "strong" in Classic-WOTLK though, it was very much WoW writing and your statement in regards to "not so competent writers" has been made since forever. WoW always had bad story interwoven with the bad, but at least the storytelling has become something which spans over several expansions rather than fractured/non-existent in certain areas.

People said they were out of stories to tell after WOTLK, and it just didn't held true. Their own statement of "as long as you keep playing, we'll put out content" (not exact quote) has held true so far and probably will. Whenever a writer gets bored and wants to move on, tons line up wanting to fill those shoes for a game pulling absolute bank with a dedicated fanbase.

Classic didn't need to focus on a story. It was more of an adventure. You learned the lore of each raid and whatnot. Plus it had a solid lore base built from Warcraft with new stuff added. The story was more intertwined with each zone rather than connecting.

Burning Crusade most certainly did have a story. Was the Portal reopening after so long and was essentially carrying on Beyond the Dark Portal but for WoW.

Wrath was essentially the sequel to the Frozen Throne as well. Basically dealing with the whole Arthas arc that was set up. Which was needed.

To claim WoW never had story pre Cata is silly. WoW has always had story. And to be honest I think Legions is meh. The Pillars of Creation was really shallow and Emerald Nightmare stuff was just as shallow. Tomb of Sargeras itself did a great job of setting up Argus which so far is doing good with the story.

Worst part of Legion though for me was the Broken Shore "story" of 14 weeks. Was arguably the worst 14 weeks thrown out towards it imo.

And no this doesn't suddenly mean I think Legion is trash but the story is back and forth for me. Started bad, got worse, got better and is slowly climbing. Just need to see week 3 of Argus before being able to give a full opinion of the story.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Classic didn't need to focus on a story. It was more of an adventure. You learned the lore of each raid and whatnot. Plus it had a solid lore base built from Warcraft with new stuff added. The story was more intertwined with each zone rather than connecting.

Burning Crusade most certainly did have a story. Was the Portal reopening after so long and was essentially carrying on Beyond the Dark Portal but for WoW.

Wrath was essentially the sequel to the Frozen Throne as well.

To claim WoW never had story pre cata is silly.

Good thing then that I didn't say that WoW never had story before Cata.

And the game is as much of an adventure as the player feels it is, there wasn't some cutoff point where they stopped designing it as such. Some people have been playing this game for 13 years and never gave a shit about story and the world, for example.

[Eleccybubb]

Good thing then that I didn't say that WoW never had story before Cata.

And the game is as much of an adventure as the player feels it is, there wasn't some cutoff point where they stopped designing it as such. Some people have been playing this game for 13 years and never gave a shit about story and the world, for example.

And some people do. Lore is a big deal for people. Some Roleplayers fashion their character around the Lore of Warcraft in general.

If I had to say when the game hit the sweet spot on story it would have been Wrath. It continued a very well received story.

[MrFiddleswitch]

If you would actually look at quality instead of quantity, you wouldn't make that statement.

OK. I'll bite. What "Quality" did Timeless Isle, Tanaan Jungle, and/or Isle of Quel'Danas have that is better than what Argus is offering? And let's limit this to the content that is currently out right now - as the Dungeon and Raid are not. What features did Timeless, Tanaan, and Quel'Danas offer that Argus does not?

I am looking at both quality and quantity and I find 7.3 to be one of the highest quality patches this game has ever seen - the Isle of Thunder being the only other one I may prefer over it (and that's simply because I really enjoyed how the daily quest hubs and story advancing took place there).

It has brought new gameplay features in the invasion points - While these are simplified versions of the pre-launch event - the pre-launch event was received by the community as one of the best new features that WoW has had in years, and these give something quick and fun to do that makes the world feel alive since there are usually a good number of players working together to complete the event.

It has brought multiple new enemy types, new models, new environmental model/doodads, new textures and all of them are high quality and interesting (the void corrupted creatures and environments in particular are amazing)

It has brought solid story content - something very few "island patches" have ever been able to bring - and certainly the highest quality of content than any of the previous end patches. The quality of the cut scenes in particular are fantastic considering this is just a patch.

It has brought a wide variety in environments, each with their own unique feel - Mac'aree being an open area steeped in history and unique environmental models and textures (void, ancient Eredar Structures, etc.) Krokuun being a constricting area with tight narrow passages that the Argussian use to hide from the legion and the Xenedar crash site with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and a huge open area that serves as the front of the battle between the Legion and the Army of the Light at the Xenedar crash site, and then finally the Antoran Wastes with their fel pools, massive structures, floating citedals and dangerous, elite only areas. Sure, these last two use environmental models from Broken Shore and throughout the Expansion, but this is no different than Tanaan Jungle, Quel'danas, and Timeless Isle - all of which used nothing but re-used environmental assets and enemies from their respective expansions - 7.3 at least brings new enemies/models to these zones. At least with Argus, we get one fully unique area with all new environmental models, and massive new features like the Xenedar, The Fel Core, and the massive Antoran Citadel at the far west of the Antoran Wastes.

While most of the "rares" are not particularly interesting, this is no different than the rares in Tanaan or Timeless Isle. The only difference being that these are a bit more accessible (difficulty wise) if there are not a large number of people around. Not sure if this is a good or bad things and I will admit that I wish they something akin to Hu'lon or the Dread Pirate Ship - but the Greater Invasions seem to fill this gap. I do like the few "summonable" only enemies that require gathering specific quest items before you can bring out the rare.

I cannot really speak for the World Bosses since we have only seen one so far, but as a World boss, she was quite interesting - the Mind Control ability in particular is something we only usually see inside a raid, so I found it quite fun in a less organized environment. Certainly on par with 4 Celestial world bosses.

I'm sorry, i'm just not seeing where similar "Island Patches" brought quality content vs. 7.3 All I see is 7.3 doing a lot of things that other island patches did not (story, new models, new environmental models and textures, new gameplay features), and doing what those island patches did do the same or better (rares, world quests vs. daily quests vs. endless grind vs. meter fillers)

I would certainly love to hear your side of it though - something more detailed than "You are wrong" would be fantastic!

[Queen of Hamsters]

And some people do. Lore is a big deal for people. Some Roleplayers fashion their character around the Lore of Warcraft in general.

If I had to say when the game hit the sweet spot on story it would have been Wrath. It continued a very well received story.

Yes, and that's the point (I'm one of the lore and adventure-fans). People here like to pretend that there's some magical era where everyone cared and felt a sense of adventure, and then that era stopped.

Doesn't work that way. People still care, still feel a sense of adventure, still follow the story, still enjoy those aspects. An individual no longer feeling the same for whatever reason =/= it's now impossible to feel that way through design.

[Eleccybubb]

Yes, and that's the point (I'm one of the lore and adventure-fans). People here like to pretend that there's some magical era where everyone cared and felt a sense of adventure, and then that era stopped.

Doesn't work that way. People still care, still feel a sense of adventure, still follow the story, still enjoy those aspects. An individual no longer feeling the same for whatever reason =/= it's now impossible to feel that way through design.

And I agree. But I do feel that it has gotten a bit stale with some of the Legion lore and shallow.

[Queen of Hamsters]

OK. I'll bite. What "Quality" did Timeless Isle, Tanaan Jungle, and/or Isle of Quel'Danas have that is better than what Argus is offering? And let's limit this to the content that is currently out right now - as the Dungeon and Raid are not. What features did Timeless, Tanaan, and Quel'Danas offer that Argus does not?

I am looking at both quality and quantity and I find 7.3 to be one of the highest quality patches this game has ever seen - the Isle of Thunder being the only other one I may prefer over it (and that's simply because I really enjoyed how the daily quest hubs and story advancing took place there).

It has brought new gameplay features in the invasion points - While these are simplified versions of the pre-launch event - the pre-launch event was received by the community as one of the best new features that WoW has had in years, and these give something quick and fun to do that makes the world feel alive since there are usually a good number of players working together to complete the event.

It has brought multiple new enemy types, new models, new environmental model/doodads, new textures and all of them are high quality and interesting (the void corrupted creatures and environments in particular are amazing)

It has brought solid story content - something very few "island patches" have ever been able to bring - and certainly the highest quality of content than any of the previous end patches. The quality of the cut scenes in particular are fantastic considering this is just a patch.

It has brought a wide variety in environments, each with their own unique feel - Mac'aree being an open area steeped in history and unique environmental models and textures (void, ancient Eredar Structures, etc.) Krokuun being a constricting area with tight narrow passages that the Argussian use to hide from the legion and the Xenedar crash site with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and a huge open area that serves as the front of the battle between the Legion and the Army of the Light at the Xenedar crash site, and then finally the Antoran Wastes with their fel pools, massive structures, floating citedals and dangerous, elite only areas. Sure, these last two use environmental models from Broken Shore and throughout the Expansion, but this is no different than Tanaan Jungle, Quel'danas, and Timeless Isle - all of which used nothing but re-used environmental assets and enemies from their respective expansions - 7.3 at least brings new enemies/models to these zones. At least with Argus, we get one fully unique area with all new environmental models, and massive new features like the Xenedar, The Fel Core, and the massive Antoran Citadel at the far west of the Antoran Wastes.

While most of the "rares" are not particularly interesting, this is no different than the rares in Tanaan or Timeless Isle. The only difference being that these are a bit more accessible (difficulty wise) if there are not a large number of people around. Not sure if this is a good or bad things and I will admit that I wish they something akin to Hu'lon or the Dread Pirate Ship - but the Greater Invasions seem to fill this gap. I do like the few "summonable" only enemies that require gathering specific quest items before you can bring out the rare.

I cannot really speak for the World Bosses since we have only seen one so far, but as a World boss, she was quite interesting - the Mind Control ability in particular is something we only usually see inside a raid, so I found it quite fun in a less organized environment. Certainly on par with 4 Celestial world bosses.

I'm sorry, i'm just not seeing where similar "Island Patches" brought quality content vs. 7.3 All I see is 7.3 doing a lot of things that other island patches did not (story, new models, new environmental models and textures, new gameplay features), and doing what those island patches did do the same or better (rares, world quests vs. daily quests vs. endless grind vs. meter fillers)

I would certainly love to hear your side of it though - something more detailed than "You are wrong" would be fantastic!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Some people will stare themselves blind on the fact that the current patch is not the patch they remember fondly to the point where they'll deny the color of the ground we run across as long as it fits their narrative of "Blizzurd dun care and the game sucks now for a fact!"...

But, what to expect from the crowd on here. We've actually had people claim that Legion has less content than WoD because they personally have no interest in the content...

[Eleccybubb]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Some people will stare themselves blind on the fact that the current patch is not the patch they remember fondly to the point where they'll deny the color of the ground we run across as long as it fits their narrative of "Blizzurd dun care and the game sucks now for a fact!"...

But, what to expect from the crowd on here. We've actually had people claim that Legion has less content than WoD because they personally have no interest in the content...

Ok this I 100% agree on.

People claiming WoD had more content are full of it.

WoD had 3 raids, 8 Dungeons, shitty apexis dailies, Timewalking, Tanaan and 6.1 which can go to hell. You really want to claim that is more than Legion?

[Xirrohon]

I quit when 7.2 came out but Im having blast playing 7.3. That being said, I do feel like the current version/story of WoW is close to ending. This will either end WoW or allow them to start a new story. Im thinking a new story, post Sargeras is what we are going to get. And that sounds pretty cool.

[MoanaLisa]

Yes, and that's the point (I'm one of the lore and adventure-fans). People here like to pretend that there's some magical era where everyone cared and felt a sense of adventure, and then that era stopped.

Doesn't work that way. People still care, still feel a sense of adventure, still follow the story, still enjoy those aspects. An individual no longer feeling the same for whatever reason =/= it's now impossible to feel that way through design.

I don't know if it stopped. That said, there have been a fair number of stories that were not well thought out over the years & of course, the frequent times when developers would proudly promote how they wanted gameplay to be more important than story elements and the frequent not-so-quiet laments about that on the part of Chris Metzen. Some of the best stories in the game are now relegated to low-level leveling zones which is a shame in a way since Blizzard has largely ignored their game world in favor of keeping everyone corralled in expansion zones.

All of that was short-sighted and frankly a little arrogant since it presumes the two things--gameplay and story--can't play together in a well-designed expansion. That's wrong. I think that attitude is less true now but fixing whatever damage that did with players won't be fixed overnight. They made a mess of it but over time it's repairable. I secretly (well, not a secret any longer) wish that they would hire someone like a Christie Golden as a story consultant and heed whatever advice she might have to give about sustaining long story arcs over a period of years. There's a certain obviousness about most of the stories which is off-putting to me. I do think that Legion was better but there's still too many years of "We're going to tell you an !!!!!EPIC!!!! story (and it's epic because we say so)" instead of constructing stories that mean something. Mists was really very good in that respect. SMV in Warlords was pretty decent too. They just need to get to be more consistent and start thinking about how stories can affect the world instead of loading everything into the relatively tiny spaces of an expansion.

[corebit]

Argus is the largest piece of post-expansion patch landmass so far, and yet the OP thinks Blizzard is "abandoning" WoW LUL.

This thread is basically yet another "WoW is dying" topic without the keywords, and the mods should lock this thread.

[Soon-TM]

Sure mate, the OS is the same because the UI looks similar. Whatever you say

[Taus]

I really have a hard time with the arguments saying that WoW is "grindier than ever" because there are things in the game you can grind. The game is both wider and deeper than it's ever been - meaning there are more things to choose to do than there's ever been, and all of them can be repeated/grinded (ground?) as much or as little as you want, honestly. With only a few exceptions (Suramar rep gating to advance the story is an example) everything that needs to be advanced is generally unique content, as opposed to killing mobs for rep for countless hours. That's the definition of a progression mindset in gameplay. Contrast this to vanilla when you had to kill furbolgs for 10+ hours just to get through the bridge into winterspring and advance to the zone.

[MoanaLisa]

Don't turn this into a conversation about operating systems. No more warnings about that. This is the wrong place. It's about as off-topic as it's possible to be.

Contact me or a global if that isn't clear. Thanks.