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

[TickTickTick]

Well, if they want the game to survive long term, or even more, increase the number of players, I think subscription removal is imminent. I'm sure many people would start playing or come back, because you just pay for the box. No more "I pay sub but I receive trash content!" comments.

But then, they don't get money from subs and tokens. So idk. But I dont see this game alive in 10 years with subscription model still there.

[schwank05]

so u ignored far better superior talent system, gear system, raiding system, music, zones, literally every other thing, and u focused only on the idea that next patch make everything irrelevant?
but that btw started in TBC, badge gear was higher than BT/MHJ (except illidan drops), so at least get ur facts in check, the 2.4 badges gear was better than any raid and made any raid prior to sunwell useless
u get better gear from farming Kara + hcs than attempt Black Temple
And btw the new dungeon gave best trinkets in entire game for most classes outside of Sunwell too

I know it was a great system, but I was still raiding BT with my full T4 and doing just fine. The new talents suck ass, the gear system is awful and dumb, the raiding is meh since they destroyed all the fun class/ specs, I play with game volume muted so who cares, zones are basically the same no matter what xpac it is.

[rrayy]

Well, if they want the game to survive long term, or even more, increase the number of players, I think subscription removal is imminent. I'm sure many people would start playing or come back, because you just pay for the box. No more "I pay sub but I receive trash content!" comments.

But then, they don't get money from subs and tokens. So idk. But I dont see this game alive in 10 years with subscription model still there.

The game is still very profitable. They are nowhere close to removing the sub and likely never will. Also, the game is over 15 years old. It has already survived long term.

[sam86]

I know it was a great system, but I was still raiding BT with my full T4 and doing just fine. The new talents suck ass, the gear system is awful and dumb, the raiding is meh since they destroyed all the fun class/ specs, I play with game volume muted so who cares, zones are basically the same no matter what xpac it is.

i was talking that wrath model is overall best in wow, not tbc
still u can raid in sunwell in BT gear, in fact that is the norm, prior to 2.4 release (and back then u didn't get news of patch 3 months prior) few to none knew about that badge reward will get the massive upgrade from starter gear to better than BT gear

honestly i don't understand what u talking about here ?

The game is still very profitable. They are nowhere close to removing the sub and likely never will. Also, the game is over 15 years old. It has already survived long term.

the game is profitable mainly from 'other sources' as their own official statement when they stopped reporting sub numbers, not from subscription, but from services like race/faction transfer and cash shop
Also they couldn't hide their glee when Legion made them have "the most sub numbers since MoP" at least at start

[Musta]

Class design/ expand classes
Embrace alt playing and accwide stuff
move away from absurd amount of systems inside systems and rng
stop add complexity where its not needed (gear)
tier sets
good storytelling in-game (just do a MSQ like ff14, but do it in blizzard style)
Stop rent and borrowed power all the time
stop reseting everything every expac, we need more permanent features (class order halls is the example here, they should have expanded it, not cut it.
USE THE FUCKING ENTIRE WORLD and not a 5 pieces of new terrain.

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Bring tabard system back for reps/ make reps interesting again

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revamp professions entirely

[music49]

THe werost thing you can do is listen to your fans. This has been proven time and time again because different fans want different things and you will never have 100% agreement.

Maybe build on others ideas instead of just saying "nah that's dumb".

No not everyone wants the same thing, but there are general consensus of "hey this system is good but could probably use a little work". IE Azerite traits.

[Musta]

Maybe build on others ideas instead of just saying "nah that's dumb".

No not everyone wants the same thing, but there are general consensus of "hey this system is good but could probably use a little work". IE Azerite traits.

The Sonic movie is hard proof that you HAVE to listen to your fans.

[rrayy]

Also they couldn't hide their glee when Legion made them have "the most sub numbers since MoP" at least at start

You mean the statement that was almost immediately retracted and then said they didn't mean subs?

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the game is profitable mainly from 'other sources' as their own official statement when they stopped reporting sub numbers, not from subscription, but from services like race/faction transfer and cash shop

So? It is still being made of of players playing the game. You are trying to spin and discount to fit your narrative.

[kranur]

Isn't that exactly what they've done?

You can even get 470 gear from visions which is all solo content.

Good one. People are already clearing 5 masks at 450 ilvl right?

[Mirishka]

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.

No. WoW is an MMO - if anything it needs to lean into encouraging people to play together.

If you want a single-player game, I highly recommend Skyrim.

[sam86]

So? It is still being made of of players playing the game. You are trying to spin and discount to fit your narrative.

yeah, let's measure a MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER game by counting not how many play it, but how much whales spend on it, and increase single player content that it almost dwarf multiplayer

[Kithelle]

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.

WoW is a MMORPG....massively multiplayer online roleplaying game...kinda knock off half those letter if you strive to make it a single player game. I don't pay 15 dollars a month so I can play yet another game totally by myself.

[TrollHunter3000]

Good one. People are already clearing 5 masks at 450 ilvl right?

How is that relevant? People aren't killing mythic bosses at 450 ilvl either. Obviously it's much slower to gear that way but that doesn't change the fact that you can all solo content and get gear nearly the same level as the hardest group content.

[kranur]

How is that relevant? People aren't killing mythic bosses at 450 ilvl either. Obviously it's much slower to gear that way but that doesn't change the fact that you can all solo content and get gear nearly the same level as the hardest group content.

Except it's not. Mythic raids are 475-485 and you get more than 1 item a week.
And also as it stands right now, you'll likely need to be close to 470 and max rank cloak in order to be able to do it which makes it pretty irrelevant.

[Firebeast]

Sounds like you're an elitist tool who is part of the bigger problem. If you think the content is too easy for you, stop dumpling and critcizing others

[Redroniksre]

While i don't agree with the guy saying that it needs to be singleplayer, i do think they need to shore up their solo experience a bit. The way i see it, if we say there is an endpoint to gearing i believe that raiding, small group play, and solo should all be able to reach it (At differing speeds mind you). On top of this they needs to focus on side activities more as well. Other MMOs have vastly more stuff to do on the side, and better profession systems, then WoW does at this point.

[TrollHunter3000]

Except it's not. Mythic raids are 475-485 and you get more than 1 item a week.
And also as it stands right now, you'll likely need to be close to 470 and max rank cloak in order to be able to do it which makes it pretty irrelevant.

Except it's not what? Nearly the same level? How is 470 gear not nearly the same level as 475? And only the last two bosses drop 485 shit which 99.5% of the player base won't see anyway. You're also lucky if you get more than one piece a week in a raid, shit even one piece. You get cloak levels in the same solo content. Obviously it'll take more time to gear up this way but it still doesn't change the fact that there is a ton of solo content in the game and continuous progression with only solo content. It's undeniably an option to play this game completely solo and still be at a competitive level.

[neik]

All these "upgrades" and the game is still loaded with mostly what appears to be a wheelchair specs - gated behind ridiculously long cooldowns and unesesary long cast times. Give me something quick and flashy and I'm good to go.

Last time I've played a mage I most certainly enjoyed placing instant blizzards on a ground.

[dope_danny]

Maybe start lifting ideas from rpgs again and not mobile games. Everything right now is structured around the only longterm rewards effectively being skins. Be it gear, mounts or even races at this point. You do your daily pop up missions and quests to fill bars to unlock cosmetic options while hoping rng procs you your SSR waifu card but its a pair of bracers or something. That works longterm in mobile games because its intended to be done when bored on a train or bus or something but for an mmorpg its pretty clear the newish "by mobile gamers for mobile gamers" trend in WoWs mechanics are longterm retention poison when even the most habit forming personality can't counter tedium past a point and they can't monetise it without pay to win so find themselves stuck in a brain drain scenario because they treated their mmorpg like other mmo's mobile spin offs.

[rrayy]

yeah, let's measure a MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER game by counting not how many play it, but how much whales spend on it, and increase single player content that it almost dwarf multiplayer

Games are measured by profitability. WoW is profitable no matter how you try to spin, discount, or stretch.