Anyone else feel like WoW is too formulaic and predictable and with nothing exciting?

[ano2024]

Anyone else feel like WoW is too formulaic and predictable? I mean, I could go into a zone I've never been in before, do some quests or world quests or even dungeons or whatever, and none of them would be exciting or interesting, because they're basically they don't have some exciting element.

Why are most things in the game so cut-and-dry? It's like a routine, a slog with nothing interesting or fresh or exciting. Is it just me? Am I too critical?

[Daedius]

Might I suggest PvP?

[Stormwolf64]

Here is a new spin wow should do, but won't because Blizzard actually are far from smart and intelligent people. N'zoth should actually make us think that we defeat him, but is playing everyones mind and we're actually doing his bidding instead, and the next expansion should be about the fallout of that incident and finally dealing with the boss himself.

[Alteiry]

Might I suggest PvP?

Why are you suggesting cancer?

[msdos]

"Nothing exciting"

This is where the essences come in. Notice how they're all bad, everyone only picks like 2 (iris for cleave, vision if they have a good cd, cruc if they dont) and the rest are just forgotten?

Just for fun I decided to think of my own essences for Shadowlands, things that would give actual weight and make you THINK about which to choose (lets just say you can only equip one), I realized not a single one that I thought up resembled any current essences somehow.
My examples: Remove GCD completely for 15 seconds, all casts become instant for 15 seconds, damage increased by 60% for 10 seconds, immune to all damage for 6 seconds, immune to all CC effects for 15 seconds, haste increased by 60% for 12 seconds, cooldowns decreased by 60%.
Those are all substantial and force you to actually make a hard choice, especially if you get "locked" into them Covenant style.

Notice how not a single one of those resembles a single essence? Instead we are given, not a joke, some of the most mediocre essences I've ever seen and even still they get nerfed lol.

[Redroniksre]

Oh it has become formulaic for quite some time. It kinda sucks, as i used to be super excited for a new expansion, but now for the most part we know what exactly it will be like before it even comes out. That said, i'm pretty sure they went this way because whenever they try anything new the community loses their minds.

[Aucald]

I would say it is more likely you're suffering from burn-out. Try taking a break from WoW and playing another game for a time, exiting the rat race for an expansion and focusing on another game or activity. Then return and see if things haven't improved to some degree.

[Soon-TM]

Oh it has become formulaic for quite some time. It kinda sucks, as i used to be super excited for a new expansion, but now for the most part we know what exactly it will be like before it even comes out. That said, i'm pretty sure they went this way because whenever they try anything new the community loses their minds.

Well, the only new thing from MoP onwards that has been well received are M+ and Legiondaries (in concept, not in the way they were obtained). Everything else (pet battles, garrisons, table missions, expeditions, Warfronts) has ranged from mediocre to frankly bad. It's like their creativity came to an abrupt end after Legion.

[XDurionX]

You are just used to the game after playing it for x years, that is normal and not WoWs fault.

[Doffen]

It was very exciting, unpredicting and stuff in the start. The first raid days, legendary.13-14 years later, yes, it becomes predictable and formulaic, but I can still feel the excitement.

[Kokolums]

Anyone else feel like WoW is too formulaic and predictable? I mean, I could go into a zone I've never been in before, do some quests or world quests or even dungeons or whatever, and none of them would be exciting or interesting, because they're basically they don't have some exciting element.

Why are most things in the game so cut-and-dry? It's like a routine, a slog with nothing interesting or fresh or exciting. Is it just me? Am I too critical?

Its because the exciting part was the social element.

When you were restricted to small servers, everyone knew everyone else. There was a pecking order among players and among guilds. You had a rep on the server to protect. That was what made it magical. You would go into a zone and run into familiar faces. Maybe you spot a paladin who has a lot of cred on the server in PvP but you know you can beat him. Maybe 2-3 from the top guild on your server is hanging out and you want to see what they are wearing and the only way is to inspect them. Or on raid night, your guild is not only trying to kill a boss, but is racing other raid guilds on the same server. Maybe the top guilds is 3 bosses deeper into the raid. But the second best guild is on the same boss as you and you are trying to pass them for 2nd best on the server. After each wipe, you ask around to find out if they killed the boss yet. If not, you push harder, trying to best them.

Nowadays, servers are vast and merged with 234896234892 others. There is no community. You never see the same random twice. There is no pecking order on the server. Its all nameless, faceless people. Going on discord or checking gear on raider.io is just not the same. It all NEEDS to be in-game to feel like it matters.

[Mozu]

My examples: Remove GCD completely for 15 seconds

A demon hunter could cast an infinite amount of Demon's Bites in a single hit, doing an infinite amount of damage. I like it.

[Splenda]

I would say it is more likely you're suffering from burn-out. Try taking a break from WoW and playing another game for a time, exiting the rat race for an expansion and focusing on another game or activity. Then return and see if things haven't improved to some degree.

So, this was my first thought.

Then I think- I ... like formulas. Maybe I don't like change. I wonder that. I tend to dislike when games stray so far from the norm in updates- and tend to prefer fresher takes on formulas- that remain in place.

[Shaetha]

Anyone else feel like WoW is too formulaic and predictable? I mean, I could go into a zone I've never been in before, do some quests or world quests or even dungeons or whatever, and none of them would be exciting or interesting, because they're basically they don't have some exciting element.

Why are most things in the game so cut-and-dry? It's like a routine, a slog with nothing interesting or fresh or exciting. Is it just me? Am I too critical?

It's a 15 year old game.

Video games are inherently formulaic.

They try new things every expansion and patch. Some work. Some don't.

Nothing is going to be exciting if you're expecting the game to be something it isn't.

It's a 15 year old game.

You can oversimplify basically anything and make it seem stupid. It does nothing for anyone.


I'm actually excited for the 8.3 stuff, but then again, I actually enjoy playing the game unlike what seems like 95% of the the people on these forums.

- - - Updated - - -

So, this was my first thought.

Then I think- I ... like formulas. Maybe I don't like change. I wonder that. I tend to dislike when games stray so far from the norm in updates- and tend to prefer fresher takes on formulas- that remain in place.

What it amounts to is if you're looking for a different game, play a different game, but people don't seem to get that.

[Mozu]

It's a 15 year old game.

I always thought this was an interesting take. You're not literally playing the same game you were 15 years ago like you would be if you started playing an old Zelda game or something, so I'd say it's at best disingenuous to say it's "a 15 year old game."

Expansions are essentially new games, and especially so with how much (some) expansions have added/changed.

With that in mind, I think people having an expectation of things being refreshing as time goes on isn't unreasonable.

[Muajin76]

Anyone else feel like WoW is too formulaic and predictable? I mean, I could go into a zone I've never been in before, do some quests or world quests or even dungeons or whatever, and none of them would be exciting or interesting, because they're basically they don't have some exciting element.

Why are most things in the game so cut-and-dry? It's like a routine, a slog with nothing interesting or fresh or exciting. Is it just me? Am I too critical?

I found cybering to help pass the time occasionally
Boy i used to be big into cybering up until wrath. lol

[Shaetha]

I always thought this was an interesting take. You're not literally playing the same game you were 15 years ago like you would be if you started playing an old Zelda game or something, so I'd say it's at best disingenuous to say it's "a 15 year old game."

Expansions are essentially new games, and especially so with how much (some) expansions have added/changed.

With that in mind, I think people having an expectation of things being refreshing as time goes on isn't unreasonable.

No matter how much the set dressing changes, the basic formula is never going to change. The things the OP mentioned are things that haven't changed since the game came out. The only thing that has changed about those things is there's been 15 years of it at this point.

The problem is, there are only so many ideas, and they have a schedule to keep. Any long-running series of any kind has to go back to the well at some point. Even TV shows start to do so after 8-10 years because the theory is the turnover of audience is enough it's new to enough people. I cannot stress enough that this is not a new concept and has been happening in every long-running series for probably as long as long-running series have existed. The only thing that's changed about that is the speed of information transfer.

[Azerate]

Good. I just want more of the stuff I like.

[Redroniksre]

Well, the only new thing from MoP onwards that has been well received are M+ and Legiondaries (in concept, not in the way they were obtained). Everything else (pet battles, garrisons, table missions, expeditions, Warfronts) has ranged from mediocre to frankly bad. It's like their creativity came to an abrupt end after Legion.

What you put as good is stuff that is core gameplay, the rest (that you put as mediocre) are more side stuff (minus Warfronts). If anything they need more side things to do and less focus on endgame, since it makes the world barren as hell by doing that. But when they try side stuff, like i said, people complain.

[Shakana]

So, this was my first thought.

Then I think- I ... like formulas. Maybe I don't like change. I wonder that. I tend to dislike when games stray so far from the norm in updates- and tend to prefer fresher takes on formulas- that remain in place.

When the game changes too much and systems i also don't like it. I don't like a radical changes, for example, azerite gear, don't even have secondary stats, but traits, i guess i still don't like this. It's just item level differences and basically all have same traits. I don't know, it feels a bit meaningless, and not exciting as OP mentioned and predictable.

It's far more enjoyable doing even a run and not knowing if RNG gods are with you and you have the piece you want for head with secondary stats. I miss normal gearing.

The gearing and all makes me burnout of the game too. I have not been playing it for the content, but for my mounts and my dopamine of getting those mounts, besides that i have been way too lazy when i think about the personal gain, also guilds are so meaningless and most of them don't even want to do anything besides m+.

Almost every single guild i know it's on a hiatus. And most guild masters are burnout too.