BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Queen of Hamsters]

25th seems like the number people agree with. I'm wondering if we wouldn't have gotten the release date already if that was a likely date?

[Vynestra]

25th seems like the number people agree with. I'm wondering if we wouldn't have gotten the release date already if that was a likely date?

Pretty sure itll be the 2nd to coincide with shadowbringers.

But the 25th is my bday so thats cool too.

[AngerFork]

Pretty sure itll be the 2nd to coincide with shadowbringers.

But the 25th is my bday so thats cool too.

Shadowbringers is largely why I think it's the 25th. July 2nd puts Blizz square on the 4th of July weekend, which means they are either short staffed or forcing people in for the holiday. Plus, going up against an FFXIV expansion with a patch is not guaranteed to be a winning combo for Blizz.

But by releasing it on the 25th, you get a week before Shadowbringers comes out to get people into the new content, plus the new raid right after Shadowbringers is out. Blizz effectively sandwiches Shadowbringers with their big content patch release spots if they go with 6/25.

Not that Shadowbringers won't pull a ton of people away, it will.

[eduwneso]

Shadowbringers is largely why I think it's the 25th. July 2nd puts Blizz square on the 4th of July weekend, which means they are either short staffed or forcing people in for the holiday. Plus, going up against an FFXIV expansion with a patch is not guaranteed to be a winning combo for Blizz.

But by releasing it on the 25th, you get a week before Shadowbringers comes out to get people into the new content, plus the new raid right after Shadowbringers is out. Blizz effectively sandwiches Shadowbringers with their big content patch release spots if they go with 6/25.

Not that Shadowbringers won't pull a ton of people away, it will.

I've tried several times FFXIV, but I don't like it, I have some fun at the start and then it vanish, I don't know If I'm giving it the wrong approach or what, but I don't like that MMO :S

[Sondrelk]

I've tried several times FFXIV, but I don't like it, I have some fun at the start and then it vanish, I don't know If I'm giving it the wrong approach or what, but I don't like that MMO :S

The basic gist i get from seeing parts of FFXIV is that it is geared very much for the people that specifically liked Final Fantasy and other similar slow-paced story driven games.
The story is better told, but the gameplay is pretty damn slow in comparision.

[Eurhetemec]

I've tried several times FFXIV, but I don't like it, I have some fun at the start and then it vanish, I don't know If I'm giving it the wrong approach or what, but I don't like that MMO :S

Same here. I always end up bored in my teens in FFXIV, and I'm a veteran of ancient MMORPGs like EQ and DAoC.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Shadowbringers is largely why I think it's the 25th. July 2nd puts Blizz square on the 4th of July weekend, which means they are either short staffed or forcing people in for the holiday. Plus, going up against an FFXIV expansion with a patch is not guaranteed to be a winning combo for Blizz.

But by releasing it on the 25th, you get a week before Shadowbringers comes out to get people into the new content, plus the new raid right after Shadowbringers is out. Blizz effectively sandwiches Shadowbringers with their big content patch release spots if they go with 6/25.

Not that Shadowbringers won't pull a ton of people away, it will.

A major WoW patch releasing on the same day as the expansion of another MMORPG is a worry for the other MMORPG, not for Blizzard. Just remember which MMORPG clearly has the biggest draw out of the 2, and has had for the past 15 years.

The art style alone puts me off FFXIV, that's before touching on their business model (paying extra cash per month for storage space? No thanks) and gameplay of the title.

[AngerFork]

A major WoW patch releasing on the same day as the expansion of another MMORPG is a worry for the other MMORPG, not for Blizzard. Just remember which MMORPG clearly has the biggest draw out of the 2, and has had for the past 15 years.

The art style alone puts me off FFXIV, that's before touching on their business model (paying extra cash per month for storage space? No thanks) and gameplay of the title.

For the most part, I don't disagree. Most MMOs releasing at or near when WoW releases something means that MMO tends to get kinda crushed, no matter the content release from either side. FFXIV I would argue is the one exception to that rule...it still has a lot of people playing, it still drums up a lot of excitement whenever something is announced/released, and Shadowbringers from what I've seen is just as exciting. While it likely doesn't have the player base that WoW does, that doesn't change that it's still a pretty large fish in this pond of MMOs. The new FFXIV expansion will certainly take some players away from WoW for a time at least, especially with how many are unhappy with BfA.

I say this as someone that also is not a fan of FFXIV...which I have tried so many times to enjoy (especially with the new Blue Mage coming), but have never been able to care about it past level 10-15.

[Sondrelk]

For the most part, I don't disagree. Most MMOs releasing at or near when WoW releases something means that MMO tends to get kinda crushed, no matter the content release from either side. FFXIV I would argue is the one exception to that rule...it still has a lot of people playing, it still drums up a lot of excitement whenever something is announced/released, and Shadowbringers from what I've seen is just as exciting. While it likely doesn't have the player base that WoW does, that doesn't change that it's still a pretty large fish in this pond of MMOs. The new FFXIV expansion will certainly take some players away from WoW for a time at least, especially with how many are unhappy with BfA.

I say this as someone that also is not a fan of FFXIV...which I have tried so many times to enjoy (especially with the new Blue Mage coming), but have never been able to care about it past level 10-15.

I do give FFXIV that extra bit of leeway in those arguments, because, form what i saw at least, it seems the most removed from WoW in style.
Mostly they just have in common that they are MMOs, and that they have some similar gamemodes (PvE instances for small and large groups)

FFXIV seems ot focuse more on being an MMO version of the Final fantasy series, it has a grand story, it has diverse classes and the gameplay is really, really slow.
WoW is in many ways the diametric opposite. It has a fairly low-key story, it seems grand but its never so serious it cannot have a quest where you summon a giant ball and play Katamari Damacy with gnomes. WoW also plays more like an ARPG, and it might even be among the fastest paced MMOs on the market, especially if you focus on Mainstream ones.

I definitely don't think FFXIV will take a substantial amount of players from WoW, most of the ones that play it seems to be a demographic that would not play WoW anyways.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The Artstyle bothers me and some of the race choices just make me cringe. I know Final Fantasy always had that kind of weirdness in their worlds but XIV takes the cake with that. Don't @ me.

[Nyel]

A major WoW patch releasing on the same day as the expansion of another MMORPG is a worry for the other MMORPG, not for Blizzard. Just remember which MMORPG clearly has the biggest draw out of the 2, and has had for the past 15 years.

You absolutely underestimate FFXIV's / ESO's and overestimate WoW's "draw" at recent times. During expansions like WotLK or Legion I'd absolutely agree but WoW is at an all-time-low while its competitors are most likely stronger than ever.

[derpkitteh]

You absolutely underestimate FFXIV's / ESO's and overestimate WoW's "draw" at recent times. During expansions like WotLK or Legion I'd absolutely agree but WoW is at an all-time-low while its competitors are most likely stronger than ever.

i don't think most people like weebshit like final fantasy.

i'd say eso's more of a draw to wow players than final fantasy would be, but even that's not saying much.

[huanbrother]

Mythic Dungeon (M10+ keystones) item level nerfed to 10 levels below heroic raid drop, wth is Blizzard thinking?

[Sondrelk]

You absolutely underestimate FFXIV's / ESO's and overestimate WoW's "draw" at recent times. During expansions like WotLK or Legion I'd absolutely agree but WoW is at an all-time-low while its competitors are most likely stronger than ever.

FFXIV definitely has merit, and i am not going ot deny that it might be a better game technically than WoW, however, i don't think the demographic overlap between those who play WoW regularly, and those who play FFXIV regularly is as big as you give them credit for.

FFXIV is a really slow game. And i think most of the people who leave WoW because the classes are shit or whatever will go to FFXIV and be surprised at just how boring it can be to play compared to WoW.

[huth]

Mythic Dungeon (M10+ keystones) item level nerfed to 10 levels below heroic raid drop, wth is Blizzard thinking?

Do you have any official announcements for that? If it's on PTR, it could well just be a bug.

[Sondrelk]

Mythic Dungeon (M10+ keystones) item level nerfed to 10 levels below heroic raid drop, wth is Blizzard thinking?

Probably wanting to prevent people feeling forced to do a M+ 10 each week just for the guaranteeded item. Which i am okay with. I know several people who only do M+ 10 because they feel obligated to do so, not because they enjoy it.

It will still be one of, if not the most lucrative avenue for loot. You can farm it forever, and if the M+ revamp next expansion pans out, then they might just preemptively try to prevent outrage from people who hate changes.

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Not checked it myself though, and it could just be a bug. Hard to say until we get a release candidate.

[Queen of Hamsters]

You absolutely underestimate FFXIV's / ESO's and overestimate WoW's "draw" at recent times. During expansions like WotLK or Legion I'd absolutely agree but WoW is at an all-time-low while its competitors are most likely stronger than ever.

Citation needed.
Oh right, you don't have one, other than wishful thinking, which is required in massive amounts to entertain the idea that BfA is performing worse than WoD.

/shoo.

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Mythic Dungeon (M10+ keystones) item level nerfed to 10 levels below heroic raid drop, wth is Blizzard thinking?

Haven't people been complaining for ages that they're only doing M+ at a certain point for the guaranteed item rather than because they actually want to?
Maybe this is a step to make sure that raiders have a way to be done with the content?

Or it's just a bug, we won't know until a later date.

[Nyel]

Citation needed.
Oh right, you don't have one, other than wishful thinking, which is required in massive amounts to entertain the idea that BfA is performing worse than WoD.

Does it matter if it's lower than WoD? Only the possibility (which was never the case during Legion btw) is proof enough of BfA's enormous failure. And I am pretty sure we're definitely lower than we were during WoD. But right, I don't have a citation.

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FFXIV definitely has merit, and i am not going ot deny that it might be a better game technically than WoW, however, i don't think the demographic overlap between those who play WoW regularly, and those who play FFXIV regularly is as big as you give them credit for.

FFXIV is a really slow game. And i think most of the people who leave WoW because the classes are shit or whatever will go to FFXIV and be surprised at just how boring it can be to play compared to WoW.

You're right. FFXIV is quite slow but if you're willing to get into it it's a great MMORPG. The sluggish combat pace is the point that drives me away most of the time but for a PS4 game it's alright in that regard.
________

Still waiting to see if Azshara is really dead or just plays dead. Hopefully this secret will be lifted soon as it's focal for my future enjoyment of WoW's story.

[Sondrelk]

Does it matter if it's lower than WoD? Only the possibility (which was never the case during Legion btw) is proof enough of BfA's enormous failure. And I am pretty sure we're definitely lower than we were during WoD. But right, I don't have a citation.

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You're right. FFXIV is quite slow but if you're willing to get into it it's a great MMORPG. The sluggish combat pace is the point that drives me away most of the time but for a PS4 game it's alright in that regard.
________

Still waiting to see if Azshara is really dead or just plays dead. Hopefully this secret will be lifted soon as it's focal for my future enjoyment of WoW's story.

Again, i don't doubt that FFXIV is a great game of its type. I jusat don't think that that many people are willing to ignore how apinfully slow it is compared to WoW. Epsecially not if you consider the absolute outrage when BfA reconsidered what abilities were on the global cooldown.

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Not to mention that WoWs biggest draw is its raids. And FFXIV has many good things. Raids anywhere near as good as WoWs is not one of them.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Nyel's been hating on Wow since BFA was even a thing. It's obnoxious at this point. Either people will go with XIV or not. I can't stand the artstyle at all and I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels that way. If the gameplay is slower, that's obviously going to affect people's opinions on the game.