What made Vanilla magical for you?

[Prothynyas]

the expectation of the burning crusade and leaving it behind

[Cayumi]

Everything was new, and gigantic, a vast world I could possibly never fully explore and know everything about. It was legendary at the point.
I remember walking into Ironforge and dropping my jaw, thinking this is the high point of gaming, forever!

[Kuja]

Entering Molten Core for the first time. All those epics were so shiny when you have only blue gear mainly! Shame I didn't get any drops ever, lol.

[Deleted]

Easy, it was the novelty.
The novelty of a new game, a large new world and the MMO concept as a whole.

3 things that can't be recaptured for ever.
That's why I think Vanilla will bomb, hard, once people will realize that it's just a clunky wow that they have already played.

But MMOs had been around for ages? Runescape? EQ? And 'clunkiness' was just the way the game played. Only today's player would call it clunky?

Anyway - I want to know what made it special at the time.

For a large majority of the players in vanilla, wow was the first MMO they invested significant time into for it to, over time, turn into a sentimental experience. This way a lot of us look back at this time and get almost overwhelmed with nostalgia. While this is a great feeling, I really do think a lot of people will be disappointed looking at it with the same eyes that have watched the game evolve over 15 years. I think this is what Hell-Nicø means when he's talking about "clunkyness". It is, in fact, today's players that will play Classic.

OT: I completely agree with Hell-Nicø. The new experience with a MMO combined with a world I'd been part of for many years (absolutely loved the Warcraft-franchise from the start) is what got me hooked.
However, I remember that I already in vanilla were missing being rewarded for being a good player and not for having a shit ton of time to invest and grind.
That is why I still think the later expansions are reflecting a far better game, even tho the level of enjoyment have gone up and down for me over the years.

TLDR; I had some of my best times in vanilla and loved the game while fully knowing that it would bore me to death playing it with todays expectations.

[Gungnir]

-snipped-

This is very much highly subjective and extremely anecdotal, in regards to both you and Hell-Nicø.
What you might not find interesting, other people do.

You might not care about any of the RPG aspects nor anything that made the original WoW iterations great, you might only want to have the boss rush simulator that retail is. Others do care about those older RPG aspects and values.


It's always an incredibly poor idea to make a generalized statement that everyone will hate the game simply because you do, it's facetious at best.

[chooi]

- first MMORPG played
- linear progression
- classic RPG style
- a massive world to explore
- the need for community/socializing

That's really it for me. Gameplay-wise other expansions/games were far superiour and more fun.

[Animalhouse]

- Was my first MMORPG played
- Massive world
- Ambiance, great music. Ashenvale and Barrens music <3
- Community
- Sense of achievement and growth in power as you level

Have been on PS mainly lately and for me it is so much better I may just cancel sub till classic releases. People are so much nicer! Everyone buffing each other and giving away stuff to those who need because they have compassion due to knowing that the struggle is real.

Was doing "Free from the hold" quest with 2 other people on Saturday and doing all we could to complete since Gilthares Firebough walks (as slowly as possible) through every pack of mobs on the was back to ratchet as if he is the terminator, when all of a sudden a 50+ gnome warlock comes running by and Firebough attacks him! We were all like nooooo! But this class act just fears him and continues on his way. We were shocked at this insane kind act towards us lowbie Hordies.
It is things like this that are common in the classic community. I really hope toxic anti-classic players stay in their cesspool.

[Piesor]

Everybody was a noob. Most people cared for each other. When you met other players you always used to buff each other, greet (sometimes chat) and help each other. Of course there were some toxic player, but those were excluded from the community quite fast. Most people from a server knew each other.

I came from Warcraft 3 to WoW. Especially seeing all those n811 buildings, ancients and characters in a 3D environment was pure magic. I still remember when the earth shaked when I first arrived in Darnassus because an ancient protector passed my way.

Another positive thing was that the world felt dangerous, very large and leveling was a crucial part of the game. The server first mage on our server even did not knew that there was a game after lvl60 lol. He hit 60 and quit because he thought he was done. Never saw this dude again online. Exploring the world felt important. Of course you get way more stuff done today with all the portals and quality of life improvements. But back then the route was the goal. I still remember the dangeroues route from Darkshore to Maestras Post and then to Astranaar. I met the first Horde Players on the road and spent an eternity in shadowmeld with my heart beating like crazy because they were looking for me. It just was ..... intense.

[Reinaerd]

My guild back then.

[Sencha]

Crafted epics are pretty easy to come by, as is MC/Ony gear.

Yeah but still harder than 20min afk in warfronts...

[Spl4sh3r]

The story. Especially the only intros and the background music. Then the community.

[Pieterman]

I made more friends (/wave and such) on the opposing faction on a crappy unlicenced server than I have in BFA.

[Gaexion Ramza Beoulve]

I was so bad at it. My original character was a protection warrior, who died in desolace with no gold and all red gear after charge bugged out took me accross a mountain range into the middle of a centaur den where I was promptly and justifiably roflstomped

It made me so mad.

I failed at everything else in life I was not going to fail at a goddamn fucking video game. I bargained with the devil, read every strategy guide I could find, cried a little, tried a little and eventually I got good.

But not before I quit and came back as a Blood Elf.

[Stoobs]

Raiding Alliance, my first mount, becoming a part of a top 100 guild and raiding my face off. I'm quite excited to come back(quit before MoP).

[Zka]

It was new, it was something I always wanted to play and all my good friends played it.

[Nigel Tufnel]

So... you aren't a player today?

Nah... I played a lot until the end of WotLK. Then it was a gradual decline in commitment. I levelled my character in all expacs just to see what the game was like & keep in touch with folk. Then I properly unsubbed a couple of months into the start of Legion. On so many levels I just wasn't enjoying it. Yes, you're right. I guess that doesn't make me a 'current' player.

There's a lot of good stuff in this thread. I think Blizz made a wonderful game. if people enjoy the current incarnation as much as ever before, that's great.

From my pov, I don't doubt that my experience in Vanilla can't be recreated. But, would I still enjoy Classic for many of the reasons people have listed above? I'm hoping I would. The only thing that would stop me from resubbing to play Classic is whether or not I could find the time to play.

[crono14]

Raided with the same guild and friends from MC all the way to Naxx 40. Still play with some of those same people today albeit in other games. The community, journey, and overall experience that Vanilla offered.

I first tried the game when a friend let me create a character on his account to play with. I think I maybe played 2 hours or so before running down the street and purchasing my own copy of the game.

[Deleted]

That I can neckbeard all summer and after that dumpster on some nuuubs

[JerseyGhoul]

Attacking a fully Tier 2 (or tier 1 not sure anymore) geared Paladin on my level 2 Warlock (first char ever made) in 2006. Guess who got rekt very hard . I just thought it was a quest mob back then. I still remember it untill this day

Still remember being in Darkshore when a mid-level horde showed up and started killing people. There was maybe 15-25 lowbies Alliance-side that all grouped up on him, missing nearly every arrack and getting one shotted whenever he attacked. It took us a ton of low level hits and graveyard runs, but we finally killed him and celebrated our victory heartily. Was such great fun and an example of what an MMO could be.

Meeting people while leveling and then again later on when you’re both geared up a bit was super fun too. Still remember this Latino warlock I befriended on my priest. Wonder what he’s up to these days.

[HuxNeva]

Discovery, lack of knowledge, mystery, the world felt immense, not because it took time to travel, but because you had not seen or discovered it yet.
These things, original first time experiences, for better or worse, can't be re-lived.
Innocence lost I'm afraid.