So thats it?

[Ophenia]

Surely, surely SOMEBODY must figure out AT SOME POINT that there is a structural problem with an MMORPG if you can finish it so quickly you can't get attached to the world along the way.

Why oh why does this keep being a problem.

There is a structural problem with an MMORPG if you have nothing to do after 5 hours though.

Timegating only frustrates players and prevents them from being involved in the story. The War of the Thorns was the worst timegating ever, with 10-minute quests being stopped by one-week-waits every time. When you came back one week after, you had no clue what happened lately, you didn't even care anymore, and you pretty much knew you embarked on a 10-minute "journey" again.

Time gating was only invented to hide the lack of content at end game level. If there was some real content, you wouldn't be afraid of people grinding the shit out of your patch in 5 hours. As it would mean they'd just start the "end game gameplay" earlier.
But in today's WoW, allowing the players to finish the patch content in 5 hours mean they'll have NOTHING to do for the next 3-6 months.

[Adoxe]

"same old" lmao. The patch is fucking incredible so far.

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This. Who cares if people do all the content, let them unsub until more arrives.

Oh wait that can't happen because there's barely any other content in BFA that's worth a damn so Blizz must artificially timegate content to keep you subbed.

What timegating? There's literally no timegating in 8.2 except the raid and mechagon dungeon.. which, you know, have been getting timegated since like fucking WOTLK.

[Ishayu]

There is a structural problem with an MMORPG if you have nothing to do after 5 hours though.

Timegating only frustrates players and prevents them from being involved in the story. The War of the Thorns was the worst timegating ever, with 10-minute quests being stopped by one-week-waits every time. When you came back one week after, you had no clue what happened lately, you didn't even care anymore, and you pretty much knew you embarked on a 10-minute "journey" again.

Time gating was only invented to hide the lack of content at end game level. If there was some real content, you wouldn't be afraid of people grinding the shit out of your patch in 5 hours. As it would mean they'd just start the "end game gameplay" earlier.
But in today's WoW, allowing the players to finish the patch content in 5 hours mean they'll have NOTHING to do for the next 3-6 months.

More or less correct, but obviously the modern game has way more end-game content than for example Classic, and Classic didn't get these kinds of complaints. Blizzard considered not having a patch out by the time the current content had been cleared to be timegating, and they considered all sorts of timegating to be bad. They'd rather have you farm or engaged in the economy, but NEVER EVER timegated.

So what changed?

As far as I'm concerned it's this whole thing they're doing where they catch people up to late end-game then provide an LFR version that slowly unlocks via timegating but otherwise allows you to AFK it. There is a lack of challenge and investment to explore the story, and this leaves people timegated, because they almost immediately get the credits roll, so to speak.

[Voidwielder]

It's dope so far, shame I don't have the time to properly play it.

[nodq]

Honestly, yes. Thats about it for now. 1-2 hours a day MAX for the first while. Things will unlock in time, but if they released it all at once, ppl would complete it all within 1 month sub, unsub, and wait for 8.3. By pacing it out over 4 weeks, the ensure that the real meaty stuff doesnt come out until the very end of someones 1month sub, so they will stay subbed for at least one month.

Their official reasoning is something about pacing the content so ppl dont feel FORCED to complete it all.

The current system is dumb. So I need to be subbed because every single shit is time gated. Therfor I have content for like 1 hour a day then I've to wait a entire day. Or I do something one time only to get something after one whole week. Or I do 3 quests then I have to wait weeks before I can go on with the "story". They want people subbed with that shit, but the problem is, I do not feel like subbing AT ALL because of this shit. Because, if I wanted to play right now. I couldn't do shit because I have to wait anyway until time gates happen to lift. So I do not see a reason to pay 13 bucks for that RIGHT NOW. I wanna pay NOW and not pay for something that I can play in some WEEKS.

That is effin stupid. And when I wait couple of months until all this time gating is more or less "over" we are at a point where getting gear and all that makes no more sense because next patch and the next catchup mechanic is coming anyway.

Blizzard really provides a really unfun and uncomfortable feeling with this that makes people rather not play the game. As we can see at reactions everywhere and how much more popular Classic is compared to 8.2... heck, I see streamers doing 8.2 for like couple hours then have nothing to do and log on Classic again. I mean wtf?!

[Aoyi]

Pretty much my stance as well.
Got to tend to Shadowbringers first anyway.

Me too, though I’m only halfway through Stormblood right now lol.

[Aggrophobic]

This is what WoW has been for the last 15 years. Why are you even here?

[Zephire]

Honestly, yes. Thats about it for now. 1-2 hours a day MAX for the first while. Things will unlock in time, but if they released it all at once, ppl would complete it all within 1 month sub, unsub, and wait for 8.3. By pacing it out over 4 weeks, the ensure that the real meaty stuff doesnt come out until the very end of someones 1month sub, so they will stay subbed for at least one month.

Their official reasoning is something about pacing the content so ppl dont feel FORCED to complete it all.

I'm okay with phasing. Makes my life less stressful since I can't play 24/7. It also leaves time to other games and stuff which is a nice way of not geting burned out. Their official reasoning is on point, imo! It might net them an extra sub while at it but that's fine.

I can understand why it's frustrating if you can and want to play 24/7.

[MrCool]

sorry you expected something amazing from blizzard.

Best answer award goes to this person

[Olololo2r5]

What do people expect from WoW endgame other than, dailies and grinding? Really though.. it’s been this way forever.Wow might not be the game for you if you find this stuff boring... because I don’t think it will ever change

[Lochton]

8.2 drops wait two weeks for anything other than the same old heart grind and a new place to do very boring dailies??

Or you could do content?

[Chonar]

As someone with a 9 to 5 job, 5 days a week, I am glad I can come home tonight and get into some new content without my unemployed guildies already having done Everything Ever.

[Sondrelk]

Just to make sure of something here. Have the people complaining about there not being a large enoughquantity of stuff, or said stuff being timegated considered, i don't know, just waiting until everything is released and do ti then? There are no parts of hte game that strongly implies everyone HAS TO, be here when it all opens, you can easily just do this later when it is all out. If a monthly subscription is such a big thing, why not just wait until the very end of the expansion even, you can experience all of the game in just a few weeks.

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What do people expect from WoW endgame other than, dailies and grinding? Really though.. it’s been this way forever.Wow might not be the game for you if you find this stuff boring... because I don’t think it will ever change

People expect for the forums to cater to their whims when they complain loud enough, been the same for over a decade.

[erifwodahs]

Believe it or not, many ppl simply know a new patch is coming, wait till patch day, and then log in and play. Blizzard have said a few times the majority of players play this way. I know for us here on a fansite that seems a little strange, but its the norm - we are the unusual ones.

I may be wrong, but i also believe op is expressing their frustration at the situation, rather than their surprise.

Considering the OP made a post on such a fan site, you could presume, that he would know. I guess something like ToT or Timeless Isle would drive OP mad. Two zones is not enough. He wants expansion pack I guess.

[Belloc]

Do people just have these forums bookmarked or something? How do threads like these get made when this info has been plastered across the front page for weeks now?

[Kokolums]

If you don't like a product, stop paying for it. They won't change their ways if you keep paying them.

Imake enough gold doing stuff to buy tokens. But if i ever run out of game time i think thats it, not spending money on it.

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Do people just have these forums bookmarked or something? How do threads like these get made when this info has been plastered across the front page for weeks now?

the front page gets spammed to hell with all kinds of info. not surprised if it is too much and people tune out.

[bullseyed]

Well, heres a different way to look at it. Remove all time gating. The better players finish things without too much hassle, the.....not so good players have to invest more time and effort. It would require a slight adjustment for difficulty, sure, but it worked in the past, it works in other games, i see no reason it wouldnt work here. The gating is the issue. Because they create daily caps on things, they need EVERYONE to be able to easily complete all the tasks in the gated time slot.

Remove the gating, remove the need for everyone to be able to quickly complete it in a certain time frame. I agree completely that there are fundamental design philosophy issues at play.

"good" players would be more focused on raids / pvp / m+ or whatever their rostered content is - thats where the difficult content has always been. If some semi pro mythic raider wants to spend 27 hours in front of his comp to unlock flying on day 2, i just dont see any issue with that at all.

I think you opinion would likely change if the raid required neck 55-60 to be able to down bosses.

And if they removed the gating, they would have to tune the bosses that way so it isn't too easy for the people who farmed AP.

I almost got to 53 last night, so I'd be cool with it, but most wouldn't.

[Kokolums]

i find myself still having legion fatigue. we just beat a universe-sized threat in sageras. king mechagon and even azshara seem puny by comparison. i just cant get into the story. and that makes it very hard to care about 8.2. it feels more and more like we should never have beaten and jailed sargeras. legion needed a different ending.

[Dizson]

Dungeon not even released lol. They really don't know what to do. Here more boring world quests, more boring rep grind. I finished the content in 2 hours. At least I can play FF XIV in peace now.

[Eosia]

8.2 drops wait two weeks for anything other than the same old heart grind and a new place to do very boring dailies??

Is this your first patch or something? Two week waits for raids and stuff has been happening since 2012 and the release of Mists of Pandaria. Raid schedules are now independent of patch schedules. PvP seasons are chained to Raid releases as well for fairness.