Opinion: Changes / compromises that must be made for WoW to survive

[sam86]

-snip-

-no ppl weren't 'following' them, how do u think ppl even discovered those weird builds? most of those examples existed since start of wrath but on reverse ppl just follow the typical guide from icy-veins that they missed them until they start to gain popularity, then hammer nerf hit
I was playing paladin, so i remember that healing tankadin talents existed since start until it got nerfed (i think mid-ulduar patch?), the rogue one also existed since start until nerf mid patch cycle (it was nerfed pre-ulduar, got nerf quite early), the hunter one stayed i think until 3.3? can't recall thought that was way old, but it stayed for far too long
messing with talents was fun
-all professions gave useful items entire exp, which profession didn't in wrath era?
-so ur own head voice is more trusted than actual poll because the sample is small, well do that poll anywhere u want, but until u can gather a better result, this is the closet we have to what can be described what most wow players love in music
-what u call 'more clear' i call it less work, and which hm u talking about that was depended on earlier bosses in Ulduar?
or are u talking about transmog runs , which shouldn't be even regarded for how good a raid is (or else all raids are worse than ToC since u don't even leave ur room in ToC)
-u need more proof how t6 from TBC black temple is most popular than blizz themselves saying that? yeah that info is a little outdated but that was just last exp, blizz flat out stated that they using same models for ToS because this is the most popular set and they want to update it to current standards
And i did say in BFA i rarely see them, because how low polygons they are very obviously, but i have no idea how popular they are in BFA, just a confirmed official blizz statement in Legion era

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Blizzard needs to embrace a more multiplayer focused game with single player being nearly removed. Remove scaling from all content.

i agree..
when a MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER online game has a lot of solo content, u f8cked up something here very bad
they should just remove the massive part in first place, except the mythic raiding nowhere is massive anymore

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This thread just proves that alot of people have actually no idea what the gcd change actually did and they just jump on the bandwagon to complain for the sole reason to complain.

u probably play a class that was almost not effected by it, mostly a non melee
as paladin i felt it from the first micro second in the game, gcd f8cked me very hard
my warlock alt, and even my warrior that i only lvled for mining and herbing were far more fun than my forever main paladin, it is the biggest reason i left the game, i feel so pissed i can't enjoy my main, and they can make it work, at least i enjoyed playing warrior, and i NEVER liked to play warrior before

[Akka]

it is REALLY easy to do so, but they don't want to because it will require far more work from them
exact wrath model just add to it, done, heck keep LFG because how contraversial it is (I hate it btw)

WoW today IS using the Wrath model, so...

[shade3891]

There aren't... just folks that pretend they know more than the devs.

Maybe not posting but they surely are reading.

[Seranthor]

Maybe not posting but they surely are reading.

What would lead you to this particular conclusion?

[ercarp]

They can start by reverting the GCD changes and fixing M+.

[Flower Milk]

- Either get rid of the rep requirements for Pathfinder or make part 1 unlock flying for expansion release zones, and part 2 unlocks the new patch zones
- Remove rep requirements for allied races
- No more borrowed power systems
- Make rewards gear again instead of a bunch of convoluted rewards system, let us go after that carrot on a stick again
- No more Titanforging
- Overhaul crafting to be difficult but actually matter again and be a viable path to gearing your character and make consumables actually worthwhile to use out in the world again
- Revamp classes to be interesting and have more class flavor systems again like totems for example (they supposedly are doing this in SL tho)

I think that's about it, those are all the most glaring issues to me. I would also like less of a focus on time gated rep grinds to unlock everything, but if they tone down the wait or rep for Pathfinder and remove the rep requirements for allied races I think I can deal with time gated rep grinds existing.

[Nohara]

I think they need to find a better balance between today’s QoL features and the classic features. I also believe the focus on endgame is too big and the journey is forgotten.

Plus Classic has shown that you can form the community to be social again with a snap of the finger. People are missing that in retail WoW.

That said, changing back to a Classic style WoW would be a bad idea. I think they slowly need to change to features. And they might be experimenting with that already. Just look at flying in Mechagon, Uldum and Vale.

[SirCowdog]

Blizzard needs to embrace a more multiplayer focused game with single player being nearly removed. Remove scaling from all content.

i agree..
when a MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER online game has a lot of solo content, u f8cked up something here very bad
they should just remove the massive part in first place, except the mythic raiding nowhere is massive anymore

More often than not, when a game starts to lean into more forced multiplayer(as in, not providing ANY option for a single player to even attempt the content), it's detrimental to the overall health of the game. I can't count the number of MMORPGs that have died off attempting to make this work.

While it sounds good on paper to have all this amazing multi-player focused content(probably because you'd be getting what you want), it completely ignore just how many people out there who don't really enjoy that aspect of the game. A lot of people just want to log in and be part of the world without having to be forced into groups just to play. A lot of people will outright quit if that isn't a viable option. And no....stupid little scraps of content like WQs 24/7 don't count.

If you want WoW to continue to be a healthy game, you have to allow for as many different types of players as possible, while not sacrificing quality. Raids and M+ are already still the main focus of the game. And while WoW has done a decent job of providing a lot of sideshow activities for solo players, the game probably does need to continue to add to that balance. The Mage Tower was an amazing first step that never should have been removed. Torghast appears to be a great addition. I think that adding a solo version of regular dungeons and raids, possibly with NPCs, could and probably SHOULD be done.

Before you rip your shirt off and start pulling your hair out, sit down and think carefully about this first. It's not taking away players from your precious pool of elitist super-awesome badass raiders. A lot of the "bads" are people who don't even like to group in the first place. They aren't even IN the pool of LFG, raiderIO, 1337 build strategy video-watching players for your M+15 key run anyway. They aren't looking to PUG a heroic final boss kill. They're just out there farming solo content, and sometimes using LFR or LFD. And there are more people like that than you might expect.

People REALLY need to get away from the idea that adding something to the game takes away from their fun.

[Azerate]

Blizzard should stop trying to cater to mythic raiders and the vocal minority of influencers That's the biggest compromise I can think of that has to be made

They often make steps in the right direction, but then walk it back because of the whining.

[Hinastorm]

Blizzard needs to embrace a more single-player focused game with the multiplayer being optional. Allow all content to scale for dungeons and raids and NPC options for PVP. I would even be fine with renting a private server for that option. Keep all the multiplayer options there for people that enjoy that.

While MMO's having some single player stuff is important, this is a bad take. You're welcome to your opinion of course, but a single player focus is not what an mmo is.

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Blizzard should stop trying to cater to mythic raiders and the vocal minority of influencers That's the biggest compromise I can think of that has to be made

They often make steps in the right direction, but then walk it back because of the whining.

Agreed. People, and often devs, take into account what the top 1% of players are doing WAYYYYYYYYY too much.

[Kralljin]

WoW today IS using the Wrath model, so...

I'd argue that Wotlk was pretty hardcore by comparison to BfA.
Doing a daily dungeon for thirty days to buy a single raid quality item, sounds like tales straight out of some hardcore MMO in comparison to BfA.

[bryroo]

Warcraft is already surviving. Considering it's age its still profitable, healthy game. If you think something could be done to improve the game that's fine but don't suggest the game's existence hinges on it just to add weight to your argument. It makes you look like a git.

[Akka]

I'd argue that Wotlk was pretty hardcore by comparison to BfA.
Doing a daily dungeon for thirty days to buy a single raid quality item, sounds like tales straight out of some hardcore MMO in comparison to BfA.

Yeah it's gone further down the path, but said path was designed in WotLK. The core design is the same as WotLK, it hasn't changed since then, they just went more and more abou it.

[Powerogue]

So all of this is over a tiny number of abilities being put on the GCD instead of being able to be macro'd together? That's "WHAT WOW MUST CHANGE TO SURVIVE?"

Holy cow you guys will complain about anything.

How is any class ruined by this? I forgot about it entirely.

[RemasteredClassic]

So all of this is over a tiny number of abilities being put on the GCD instead of being able to be macro'd together? That's "WHAT WOW MUST CHANGE TO SURVIVE?"

Holy cow you guys will complain about anything.

How is any class ruined by this? I forgot about it entirely.

Well, when you play WoW, or any game for that matter, you are mostly and mainly interacting with the game via your character's action bars keys. That interaction is what many refer to as gameplay. Make it fun and Blizz can get away with unpopular choices elsewhere, but make THIS one, specifically THIS part, slow and fully predictable, then it's GG. Games are getting faster, not slower.

Blizzard does an amazing job with graphics, boss designs, quests...etc, but when it comes to gameplay, it's not fun anymore. There is a balance that needs to be created where mobs don't die too slowly but not too quickly, you get to use your main 4 attack abilities while your other 4 abilities are either on a long cooldown or are triggered reasonably randomly. For an old game like WoW, tab targetting/CD/GCD based gameplay needs a minimum 8 active attack skills per spec with varying cooldowns and at least 4 of them should not be on the GCD, specifically one that is spammable but not powerful, 3 powerful with 1min, 2min and 3min cooldowns for example. Variety spices things up, not 1, 2, 3, 4 rinse and repeat.

[Echocho]

Blizzard will have big competition in 2020/2021 (New World, Blue Protocol, PSO2, A:IR, Crimson Desert, Project TL, Crowfall, Lost Ark).

No they won't

[sam86]

WoW today IS using the Wrath model, so...

in what exactly? raid system? only ICC i'd say, gear system? no badges, and there was no titanforge/corrupt back then, professions? nothing like back then, some are even don't have a use
what exactly are they using from wrath model?

[Akka]

in what exactly? raid system? only ICC i'd say, gear system? no badges, and there was no titanforge/corrupt back then, professions? nothing like back then, some are even don't have a use
what exactly are they using from wrath model?

Design philosophy : everything is extremely accessible so anyone can get to all the content right away, there is no progression in the content, everything is made obsolete every patch, the only relevant content is the latest one released, 5-man provides raid-equivalent gear and the only way to increase challenge is provided by cranking up the "difficulty level" of parts of the content via a menu.

This describes the entirety of WoW from WotLK to today. It's the overarching design philosophy.

[Voidism]

To be clear and maybe over-precise Massive Multiplayer Online RPG does not necessarily mean that players, most complete strangers, need to be playing together. It only means an Online Gaming Platform of a suitable size in which multiple players can be on simultaneously. The assumption that "multiplayer" means grouped up is not really true. Like a large urban area somewhere in real life it's easy to imagine an MMO with 200,000 concurrent players who are going about their own business getting stuff done while ignoring everyone else.

I'm really only saying this because grouping up with total strangers to do something difficult is NOT something we do a lot in real life. It's unnatural in most circumstances where someone wants to relax. The best experience in any MMO is with friends or acquaintances in something like a guild. That is where the incentives should be. The anti-social experience that most receive at some point in the game where people, usually total strangers, are screaming insults at each other? Better to go solo. Probably better for business too.

That is not to say that multiplayer group activities shouldn't exist. They should but be more optional than they are at present. There have been studies and surveys of this. Anywhere from 60%-70% of players prefer to go about their business on their own. It does much to explain the huge crowds that come along for expansions, do their leveling and then leave.

Bias: I don't play with strangers any longer. I purely play with people I know and trust or else play solo stuff. I'm done with trying to do anything in this or any other game with strangers who stand an excellent chance of being at a different skill level which will either hold me back or hold them back or complete assholes who are more interested in ruining someone else's game.

Completely agreed. I do stuff with my boyfriend but most of the time I do solo activities and enjoy that.

Also, LFD and LFR might aswell be singleplayer with NPC's considering how asocial they are. Other people are just in the way imo.

[Zyrinx]

WOW is the best Single Player game I have ever played. It is a fully open world with flight. It has a decade worth of content and it's still being updated. I can level every class to the max without any help easily. The quests are nice and simple, for that after work brainless grind to relax. Except for the current endgame, you can solo every single past dungeon. Almost every past raid can be beaten solo by most classes. The current dungeons and raids you can Q for and never talk to a soul. You have world quests and pet battles all fun solo content.

So if they could just make a solo version of the other content it would got from being 90% solo to 100%. But they can keep the multiplayer part for those that enjoy it. If multiplayer is better and people play that more than my idea would fail. But I think more people would play solo becau8se its easier and more fun.

Right there with you. Obviously, others play differently.

I only wish they would implement raid soloability stuff in the prior expansion, instead of the one before that. Not sure why they don't, tbh. Make it a removable buff if you want.