[speculation] Burning Crusade Servers in 2021

[Airlick]

TBC was great if you know it from youtube videos. TBC was pretty awfull in comparison to everything if you played it.

I've played it all the way until Sunwell. It's fine that it wasn't balanced, but it wasn't really broken in any aspect and almost all specs had their unique flavour. It's sad that you didn't enjoy your spec and it seems to affect your judgment of the xpac, but I don't see how that makes it so terrible.

As to what player group wants TBC, I'm not sure what to tell you. The best bet would be PvPers, since the balance was probably the best there (and I mean asymmetrical balance, not "butcher all classes and give them all the same utility within the same role" kind of balance). Other than PvPers, what player group wanted Classic? SOME of the old players and players who haven't played it. Certainly not all of either group. Same goes for TBC, I've read plenty of threads since Classic was announced and it really seemed like more people called for TBC servers rather than Classic. A game doesn't have to be perfect for people to want to come back to it.

[Laqweeta]

Except Classic caused the largest uptick in players in WoW history, which means they made TONS of money from Subs.

So... I guess if making tons of money for relatively little work, is stupid, sure.

Exactly, the crowds cheer at Blizzcon too

Not only that, but Classic is inherently stale and not very well balanced. There’s not a lot to do at level 60.

Take WotLK for example, there’s dailies, there’s reps, there’s plenty more quests, classes are balanced and a lot more fun etc.

I can’t fucking wait for WotLK.

[wargone]

I assume so. It would make sense and that is what i am hopeing will happed

[Romanthony]

Talk about a click bait title. Also I hope note, I just want classic to remain classic, no "+" mode or tbc. because as I said before where does it stop? Tbc classic, Wrath classic Cata classic etc etc and its a waste of resources to run these two side by side. Plus if the development for this "Classic" versions will get stale fast for the developers, because they wont be doing anything new, its just a old game with nothing new put in

[Dellboi]

As much as I loved TBC, it's when I started playing and all of my nostalgia sits within TBC, Classic servers were great for me to see content I never had the chance to do.

I hope they release TBC servers so other people get the opportunity to see it, however I don't think I want to run the risk of ruining my nostalgia that I once had. Go back in 2021 and end up clearing Black Temple in a week, sit there any wonder why I thought it was so epic all them years ago.

[oplawlz]

It's weird reading comments so out of touch with reality that it's frightening.

I was thinking the same thing. Classic is alive and kicking. Huge resurgence of players with the BWL patch announce, as expected. The game has peaks and troughs corresponding with major patches just like literally every other mmo ever made.

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Talk about a click bait title. Also I hope note, I just want classic to remain classic, no "+" mode or tbc. because as I said before where does it stop? Tbc classic, Wrath classic Cata classic etc etc and its a waste of resources to run these two side by side. Plus if the development for this "Classic" versions will get stale fast for the developers, because they wont be doing anything new, its just a old game with nothing new put in

It would logically stop at wotlk since you can play cata+ content in retail right now. That was the expansion where they started taking things away instead of just adding them.

[Zyky]

Eventually, that does come at a cost though.

I personally would play all of Classic - TBC - Wrath, but not everyone would. Eventually, having too many of the same thing will cannibalize it's own audience to the point that it actively hurts the current game, and all active installments. Sure - It's an active sub, but if that sub would have already been active for one of the three other existances of the game, it's not really a gain.

I think that's the biggest reason why they don't jump right up to Wrath with the next installment. Or even GOING to Wrath as an installment. If they do, everyone will want to see "The best iteration of the game." Maybe it lives up to hype, maybe it doesn't - I know I enjoy Wrath myself. But the point being, at some point, it DOES stop being a gain, and starts being a drag on their own resources without any profit to show for it.

There isn't much cost associated with server upkeep. Truthfully all the WoW servers are more than funded for a full year with only a months worth of subs. That said, once the Naxx is out there doesn't need to be any person working on Classic at all as everyone cried and whined about no changes.

[SirCowdog]

It is an extremely stupid idea to waste resource on dead games, instead of improving current game.

Blizz has already gone on record stating that now that they've figured out all the processes to do Vanilla/Classic, further expansions would be MUCH easier to implement.

So I don't think the "We don't have enough resources" excuse holds much water. It would probably be a VERY good investment, actually. A little bit of time and money for a VERY large return. I know a lot of people would rather play TBC than vanilla. And there are a LOT of people, who never got to really play these expansions when they first launched, that would leap at the chance to play it now.

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I just hope that if they do release TBC, they omit Sunwell, the patch was just a shitfest.

I don't know. I kind of liked the daily quest hub and the dungeon. The raid, however...that can take a flying leap off a cliff.

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It would logically stop at wotlk since you can play cata+ content in retail right now. That was the expansion where they started taking things away instead of just adding them.

I think that's probably true. The three original expansions have the most nostalgia, and are widely considered to be the golden age of MMORPGs. I have a hard time seeing them re-releasing a "Classic" Cataclysm server.

[Aresk]

Wasn't the point of Classic to be...Classic? If Blizzard added BC to Classic, then they'd be changing all the Classic systems, too. If they add BC as a third option, then they have another game to maintain (maintenance of servers does have inherent costs, despite what some people seem to think) and a further divide in player base. Is it something they could do? Sure. Is it something they should do? Not until people are fed up with Classic again. Considering it's taken fifteen years and people still aren't tired of it, I'm not convinced releasing BC is a wise investment at this point.

[Understarmor]

If you don't think sustainability matters to Blizzard in a subscription based video game then I don't know what to tell you. Bursts in subscribers are great but the game keeps itself in business with consistent subscriptions.

literally NOWHERE in his post did he say sustainability doesn't matter to blizz all he said was that the burst is just as attractive for them especially in down quarters so that they can please their investors.....lol

amazing how people don't actually read and they are just read to reply to bulldoze others with their nonsensical opinion

[Relapses]

literally NOWHERE in his post did he say sustainability doesn't matter to blizz all he said was that the burst is just as attractive for them especially in down quarters so that they can please their investors.....lol

amazing how people don't actually read and they are just read to reply to bulldoze others with their nonsensical opinion

Uh, what? You say I "didn't read" when the very post he quoted has an explanation as to why I said what I did. Classic fans love to play arm chair investment brokers and imply that TBC is assuredly going to be released. The reality is that not only has TBC not been confirmed, if it was as obvious as players would love to pretend it is, we would have heard about it at BlizzCon. Instead Classic didn't even get a panel. My post was more about tempering expectations because it seems even having a remotely pragmatic opinion about how Blizzard decides to handle Classic moving forward is immediately met with skepticism around here.

[Airlick]

I don't know. I kind of liked the daily quest hub and the dungeon. The raid, however...that can take a flying leap off a cliff.

Isle of Quel'Danas itself would be fine, if it wasn't for the joke that was class balance in the patch. Ret paladin got reworked and was extremely OP on its own, and warriors, druids and locks completely dominated arenas because of their scaling (things were already not that great before Sunwell patch and last PvP season, but just got stupid after that point). Of course it was a pre-patch for WotLK, so there was a lot of changes and that's why balance was so bad, but if Blizzard is going to release TBC servers, they really shouldn't include the part that was basically already WotLK. By all means do release Sunwell and IoQ, but don't include the class changes.

[Nite92]

Won't happen. Classic already dead.

The twitch attention was 100% worth it. Doesnt matter how it goes from here on.

[ashblond]

Blizz has already gone on record stating that now that they've figured out all the processes to do Vanilla/Classic, further expansions would be MUCH easier to implement.

So I don't think the "We don't have enough resources" excuse holds much water. It would probably be a VERY good investment, actually. A little bit of time and money for a VERY large return. I know a lot of people would rather play TBC than vanilla. And there are a LOT of people, who never got to really play these expansions when they first launched, that would leap at the chance to play it now.

Some class community will prefer to keep classic servers, and some prefer to go TBC, Wrath, MoP, etc. If TBC servers come, there is no reason Wrath won't come, so are Cataclysm, MoP, etc.

The inevitable result will be WoW runs on Classic, TBC, Wrath, Cata, MoP, WoD, Legion, BFA, every expansion simultaneously. This will further divide the player base, server maintenance cost, GM, resource, etc. It will greatly diminish the community and importance of retail, and very bad for wow's future.

Classic is a experiment to bring back past experience, but a game's future does not depends on its past.

[willemh]

Isle of Quel'Danas itself would be fine, if it wasn't for the joke that was class balance in the patch. Ret paladin got reworked and was extremely OP on its own, and warriors, druids and locks completely dominated arenas because of their scaling (things were already not that great before Sunwell patch and last PvP season, but just got stupid after that point). Of course it was a pre-patch for WotLK, so there was a lot of changes and that's why balance was so bad, but if Blizzard is going to release TBC servers, they really shouldn't include the part that was basically already WotLK. By all means do release Sunwell and IoQ, but don't include the class changes.

There were no WotLK class changes in the Sunwell patch, those came later in the pre-wotlk (3.0) patch. Thats when mages got living bomb and stuff.

[Roxyfoxy]

If blizzard follows a decent timeline like they have done so far (5.5 months from launch to BWL) we will see AQ in july and Naxx in january 2021.

So if they give us TBC, we probably get a prepatch around june, and the tbc launch in august 2021, exactly two years from Classic launch.

[Airlick]

There were no WotLK class changes in the Sunwell patch, those came later in the pre-wotlk (3.0) patch. Thats when mages got living bomb and stuff.

That might be true. Since my guild decided to skip Sunwell, my memories of this patch are limited to IoQ PvP. I'm still having PTSD from endless duels with that one belf ret paladin who was ganking undergeared allies all day long since the rework. I suppose IoQ is just linked to 3.0 pre-patch in my mind.

[SirCowdog]

Isle of Quel'Danas itself would be fine, if it wasn't for the joke that was class balance in the patch. Ret paladin got reworked and was extremely OP on its own, and warriors, druids and locks completely dominated arenas because of their scaling (things were already not that great before Sunwell patch and last PvP season, but just got stupid after that point). Of course it was a pre-patch for WotLK, so there was a lot of changes and that's why balance was so bad, but if Blizzard is going to release TBC servers, they really shouldn't include the part that was basically already WotLK. By all means do release Sunwell and IoQ, but don't include the class changes.

I actually kind of wish they'd release the TBC content, but apply modern balancing to make things more fair. This #nochanges bullshit isn't fun.

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Some class community will prefer to keep classic servers, and some prefer to go TBC, Wrath, MoP, etc. If TBC servers come, there is no reason Wrath won't come, so are Cataclysm, MoP, etc.

The inevitable result will be WoW runs on Classic, TBC, Wrath, Cata, MoP, WoD, Legion, BFA, every expansion simultaneously. This will further divide the player base, server maintenance cost, GM, resource, etc. It will greatly diminish the community and importance of retail, and very bad for wow's future.

Classic is a experiment to bring back past experience, but a game's future does not depends on its past.

This is just another form of "there aren't enough resources".

The player base won't be divided, because the people who want to play vanilla don't want to play TBC. There's no real conflict. TBC servers won't be taking any significant amount of players away from Vanilla, nor vice-a-versa, because different players want different things.

You're arguing a slippery slope that doesn't actually exist.

[deenman]

I don’t think TBC servers will ever happen, unless they actually have backups of the servers available and can just plant them into Classic.

Doing so would create an odd precedent of just where they’d draw a line in re-releasing old expansions.

I think its obvious the line should be pre cata

[Kuja]

I thought it's official that BC servers are coming in 21. Got jebaited Shame.

But as classic was a huge success, and if it continues to see as many, if not more players than retail, then TBC is very likely to come out as well again if people seem to show interest towards it. Classic would stay classic, so it would be a new server. But I can see an option where you could transfer your classic character to the TBC server.