8.3 for some reason just doesn't seduce me

[Shakana]

I wouldn't agree to that. WoD is still worse, but that doesn't make BfA great.

WoD had a more interesting approach tho

[Yarathir]

WoD had a more interesting approach tho

Now you're making it difficult, because time-traveling Orcs sounded like a travesty to begin with.

But BfA was marketed as a faction war expansion, and those are also a mess.

[Nathasil]

For me, it's just the wrong patch at the wrong time.

It does not feel like a conclusion to BFA at all. It does not feel like a bridge to Shadowlands at all. It simply feels like a side-plot used to fill the biggest content-gap an expansion can have (the wait for next expansion). It's just off. N'zoth would have been fine as first or second patch, but the LAST patch of an expansion should, imho, be the story conclusion/pinnacle or at least the build-up towards the next expansion, which, again, N'zoth is neither.

I have no idea what they intended BFA to be....there were some great story "moments" i would call it (mostly done in ingame-gfx-cinematics) - then there was a completely absent story being told in-game...and then there were some very expensive, cinematic videos tacked ontop of it that did not connect to the ingame events at all. Top that off with some of the worst gameplay+itemization-systems we ever had in 15 years of WoW, sprinkle some really, really long content-droughts all over the expansion....and you got yourself a masterpiece.

For me, BFA went absolutely into the wrong direction with EVERYTHING it did. I did not enjoy the story. I did not enjoy any of the gameplay changes. I did not enjoy the general theme. The last patch having NOTHING to do with the expansion it is trying to finish should actually be a good thing, then, right? Well, maybe...i will play it. And it is quite possible that i will enjoy 8.3 more than anything else in BFA....but i am not excited about this patch just yet. Not one bit.

I am also still holding out for that "Alliance vengenace patch", because that one was simply missing from BFA - but i guess a faction war was simply not what they were going for this time.

[Shakana]

Now you're making it difficult, because time-traveling Orcs sounded like a travesty to begin with.

But BfA was marketed as a faction war expansion, and those are also a mess.

I mean that the theme of the expansion sounded way better than a faction war themed expansion, it had a better approach. The gameplay was a total different thing. But even then the dungeons and raids were better. WoD had potential to be a good expansion and it wasn't, BfA on other hand i never saw the spark in it. I still don't. Cause it was promoted with faction war instead of the endgame theme, old gods.
Legion is the exception for me for many years, the sparkle came back and i know why it came back, as soon as i heard the word "Legion" i was interested. The theme thankfully was good and the raids were good. Even tomb that it was my least favorite.

[Schizoide]

8.3 has a lot of systems, but no new island or landmass. It's just a bunch of daily quests phasing old content plus a raid. Compare that to 8.2 or 7.3. Or hell, even 7.2 or 6.2! It's a much less ambitious patch than any of them.

Better than 6.1 though, gotta give 'em that. It ain't just twitter integration and selfies.

[SirCowdog]

Now you're making it difficult, because time-traveling Orcs sounded like a travesty to begin with.

But BfA was marketed as a faction war expansion, and those are also a mess.

I think this hits the nail on the head.

First it was supposed to be a faction war. Which was problematic due to painting Sylvanas as the batshit crazy evil instead of having it based on something legitimate. Horde bad, alliance good was a weak foundation. Tension between the factions will always be an underlying theme that's important to the game. But because there literally can never be an actual victory due to the game mechanics of Horde/Alliance, it should NEVER be a primary focus of an expansions.

Then it turns out "Oh ho ho! It was Azshara all along! Zoink!". Which undermined the already weak premise of the launch. Throw in mechagnomes one-off side story that literally goes nowherebecause reasons?

Now it's "Oh ho ho! It was Nzoth all along! Zoink!" which is also going to be shut down in a single patch. Come on Blizzard...really?

This expansion has been so schizophrenic and unfocused that it's REALLY hurting the immersion and enjoyment across the board. It's like they're throwing darts at a plot wheel.

Shadowlands better have some extra-strong themes and storylines that actually persist through the ENTIRE expansion. Because if they do this stupid jumping around, disjointed crap again, it's going to hurt them. Wasn't Christie Golden supposed to be helping with the writing direction? They really need someone with some authority to oversee and direct the story of an ENTIRE expansion instead of just doing "Rule of Cool" one-patch spikes.

[Daymanmb]

I wouldn't agree to that. WoD is still worse, but that doesn't make BfA great.

Yeh, thats your opinion. I suspect you dont care about PvP, though. Its essentially been nonexistent since Legion. WoD was the last time the game had decent PvP.

[Yarathir]

Yeh, thats your opinion. I suspect you dont care about PvP, though. Its essentially been nonexistent since Legion. WoD was the last time the game had decent PvP.

It has more to do with the fact that BfA's main problem is trying to don too many skins and doing none of them well and then kind of fizzling out.

WoD's problem was a lot of false hopes from the get-go. Karabor -> Trashran, Farahlon, Tanaan as an immediate lvl 100 zone, Shattrath raid, the fact that we had only one real content patch since 6.1 was not at all a real content patch, and so on.

By 6.2, Blizzard had essentially fled from their own expansion and rushed it to its end and hoped that the content drought between WoD and Legion wouldn't claim too many descriptions.

[Powerogue]

You to 8.3:


IDK I think the horrific visions will keep me busy a while assuming they're challenging enough to push me to raid again. Mainly I want to level my vulpera shaman and get them an alpaca mount. Saving the world from old gods is secondary.

[Shakana]

If a patch seduced me, something would be wrong with me.

[Daymanmb]

It has more to do with the fact that BfA's main problem is trying to don too many skins and doing none of them well and then kind of fizzling out.

WoD's problem was a lot of false hopes from the get-go. Karabor -> Trashran, Farahlon, Tanaan as an immediate lvl 100 zone, Shattrath raid, the fact that we had only one real content patch since 6.1 was not at all a real content patch, and so on.

By 6.2, Blizzard had essentially fled from their own expansion and rushed it to its end and hoped that the content drought between WoD and Legion wouldn't claim too many descriptions.

And yet, still better than BfA. BfA has done so little right, youre correct. PvP is non-existent, RNG is up the wazzoo, BfA cant even stand in WoD's shadow. I get you probably dont like WoD and there was a lot not to like, but if you think BfA is even a shred better than WoD, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[Yarathir]

And yet, still better than BfA. BfA has done so little right, youre correct. PvP is non-existent, RNG is up the wazzoo, BfA cant even stand in WoD's shadow. I get you probably dont like WoD and there was a lot not to like, but if you think BfA is even a shred better than WoD, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

From a conceptual and development standpoint, WoD drowns whereas BfA is starting to gasp for air. I get that you as a PvPer hate BfA more, but that has more to do with other factors (I imagine), such as balancing.

[A Princess From Norway]

Make Greater Heal a baseline skill for Priests :P

[Sughs]

I don't think it seduces anyone.

[Marxman]

It's a good patch that unfortunately has to deal with the baggage of the awful patches and systems that came before it.

If they had some concrete solution for the essence grind for returning players and alts, I think 8.3 would be a 7/10 patch. As is, it's probably a 5/10.

[Barzotti]

If they had some concrete solution for the essence grind for returning players and alts, I think 8.3 would be a 7/10 patch. As is, it's probably a 5/10.

It will be easier to get mechagon and nazjatar essences.

[Daymanmb]

From a conceptual and development standpoint, WoD drowns whereas BfA is starting to gasp for air. I get that you as a PvPer hate BfA more, but that has more to do with other factors (I imagine), such as balancing.

Most of the problems with PvP were introduced with Legion and carried on into BfA. Like the randomization of gearing, the horrible implementation of PvP talents, but most glaring is the GCD changes introduced in BfA.

[Collected]

I'll log into it to unlock my mechagnome. At which point I'll likely park it until the 9.0 pre-patch hits with the new levelling system.

[oplawlz]

It just follows the pattern of the whole expansion. I feel sorry for the raid and art guys, because they're really doing a stellar job. The gameplay systems just never recovered from the horrible azerite system and poor class design.

[Understarmor]

Hmm Horrific visions, what else?
Reworked Deepwind Gorge battleground,what else?
New allied races, What else?
Heroic darkshore warfront, what else?
Mythic mechagon, what else?
New brawl, what else?
New collectables like mounts and transmog, what else?
New experimental gearing process to replace titanforging, what else?
New AH system, what else?

I could go on and on, but in the end if nothing of the new content interests you in the slightest maybe the current game is not for you anymore. With that said what is lacking that was in the past that is not presented here that long longer draws your attention. Because to me what i see it's the usual same old pattern of raid, plus catch up gear and a sub zone or two along side a progressive/grindable instance and some fun activities.

Wasn't wow always like that though or am i missing a memo?

you can't add mythic mechagon in there....that's not NEW content....all that is, is a harder difficultly slapped on CURRENT content....

same thing with a HEROIC warfront....same content just harder....again that's not NEW

the definition of NEW is something that's not in the game now and that is ADDED....

AH system, AH is still in game but they changed the system again not new just adjusted.....

you even said yourself REWORKED deepwind gorge...so once again another thing thats in the game already so that's not new...

so right there about half of the list you tried to defend is not NEW.....

stop letting blizz get away with adjusted content as NEW content....the more you do that the more they will try to get away with.....

look back at xpacs like tbc wrath cata....new content was amazing...the last patch of the lich king had three dungeons ALONE even before the raid lol

and you're trying to defend 8.3? hahahaha