Classic WoW FAQ

[Gavll]

Classic WoW FAQ

Release Date: 27th August 2019

In an effort to reduce the amount of spam threads asking the same questions/suggestions over and over on this sub-forum, I have produced this FAQ which I will attempt to keep updated as much as possible.

If you have anything to add or notice any mistakes, please post below or PM me

What is Classic WoW?
Classic WoW is Blizzard’s recreation of the earliest era of WoW that lasted from release patch 1.1 (7th Nov 2004 US) to patch 2.0.1 (5th Dec 2006) when the Burning Crusade talents and systems dropped.

Why is it happening?
General consensus, is that the community outcry from the Blizzard mandated shutdown of a popular private server in 2016 and the subsequent online petition which gathered over 280,000 signatures got the ball rolling. However, there have been calls for legacy servers for over a decade now.

How long will Classic last?
Blizzard have stated they are committed to maintaining Classic for as long as they maintain retail.
J. Allen Brack: One of the things we do know is that by announcing this, we're in the WOW Classic business forever. Once that starts, there's a commitment on our end that we're going to continue maintaining those servers for as long as there is a World of Warcraft.

What do we know?

The facts:

Technical

• The server backend is based on the current retail technology
• The data used for the game is based off the 1.12.1 patch
• The official patch for the game is known as 1.13
• The client is based on a fork of the 7.3.5 Legion client - seems this was updated to a fork of 8.0
• Spell batching from Vanilla will be replicated in Classic WoW

Gameplay

• There will be no LFG/LFR tool
• No cross-realm grouping
• No Phasing
• 16 Debuff slot limit from launch
• Content release will be pseudo-progressive (6 stage release cycle) * see below
• Cross realm battleground will be used at launch of PvP
• Layering will be used at server launches in a limited capacity (currently unknown how limited)

The World

• The AQ Gate opening event and Scourge Invasion will happen
• Flightpaths will be linked

Other

• Classic WoW will be supported for as long as retail is around
• Classic will release in Summer 2019
• Classic will be part of your regular subscription

Details

Content Release Plan

Phase 1 (Classic Launch)

• Molten Core
• Onyxia
• Maraudon
• No formal PvP content (no HK or DK tracking)

Phase 2

• Dire Maul
• Azuregos
• Kazzak
• Honor System introduced - including PvP ranking rewards

Phase 3

• Blackwing Lair
• Darkmoon Faire
• Darkmoon deck drops begin
• Alterac Valley and WSG

Phase 4

• Zul’Gurub
• Green Dragons
• Arathi Basin

Phase 5

• Ahn’Qiraj War Effort begins
• Ahn’Qiraj raids open when the war effort dictates
• Dungeon loot reconfiguration: Tier 0.5 Dungeon gear, Relics, drop rates and location changes

Phase 6

• Scourge Invasion
• Naxxramas
• World PvP 'objectives' in EPL and Silithus

Alterac Valley
Blizzard announced they will use the 1.12.1 version of Alterac Valley. This version doesn't differ too greatly from current retail. However, there are no reinforcement caps and more elite enemies. There is no Korrak the Bloodrager in 1.12 and a number of other NPCs and PvE objectives are missing from earlier versions.

Servers

NA

• Atiesh - Normal - Pacific
• Mankrik - Normal - Eastern
• Myzrael - Normal - Pacific
• Pagle - Normal - Eastern
• Name - Type - Time Zone
• Faerlina - PvP - Eastern
• Fairbanks - PvP - Pacific
• Herod - PvP - Eastern
• Thalnos - PvP - Eastern
• Stalagg - PvP - Eastern
• Whitemane - PvP - Pacific
• Blaumeux – PvP – Pacific Time Zone
• Skeram – PvP – Eastern Time Zone
• Bloodsail Buccaneers - RP - Eastern
• Grobbulus - RP-PvP - Pacific

Oceanic

• Arugal - PvP - Australian Eastern Time
• Remulos - Normal - Australian Eastern Time

EU

• Golemagg - PvP - English
• Firemaw – PvP – English
• Shazzrah - PvP - English
• Gehennas - PvP - English
• Hydraxian Waterlords - RP - English
• Mirage Raceway - Normal - English
• Pyrewood Village - Normal - English
• Zandalar Tribe - RP-PvP - English
• Auberdine - Normal - French
• Sulfuron - PvP - French
• Everlook - Normal - German
• Lucifron - PvP - German
• Razorfen - Normal - German
• Venoxis - PvP - German

Changes

What’s changing?

• The graphics: Since the client is based off the current retail technology, players can utilise the latest graphical options including full widescreen support (NB This does not include new models or animations)
• Loot trading for a 2hr window after looting will be in Classic (only in full raid scenarios ie. MC,Ony,BWL etc)
• Sharding will be used in a limited capacity at server launches
• The UI API will be a customised (cut-down) version of current API and not the 1.12 API
• The modern mail system and UI will be used (ie right click add item to mail, multi mail etc)
• Accessibility options: Colourblind mode from current retail will make its way to Classic
• Right click reporting: This feature from retail will make its way to Classic
• Battle.Net Integration: You will download the client from the BNet client and can chat with friends through it as per retail
• No support for 32bit Clients

What’s not changing?

• The graphics: The Classic demo used the orignal models and you are able to use use the original Vanilla water too. Retail levels of doodads, foliage and textures are available at higher settings
• Rogue energy regen will tick in units of 20 per 2s as per Vanilla
• Mail will take 1 hour to arrive still
  

I've never played the old game - what's so different to today?

• There is only 1 difficulty for all content (for Dungeons this is approx equivalent to M0 across the board (imo))
• Talents are acquired every level and not once per ~15 levels (see references for expected talent trees)
• Changing your spec costs an increasing amount of gold each time with a decay over time (like Reforging now)
• Your first mount is available at level 40 not 20 - expect to run. A lot.
• Iconic class abilities are not given at level 10 – instead these are usually 31 point talents (first available at level 40)
• There is no dungeon queuing system or teleport to dungeons - You must build your group via the LFG channel and travel to the dungeon yourself
• Only classes with a healing spec have worthwhile self heals (except Warlocks of course) - Bandages are important
• The stat system is quite different – secondary stats award percentage changes, not a rating system
• Threat management – Over-aggroing the tank is a real possibility in Classic
• Epic quality gear generally only comes from raids
  

Questions

Q. Will I be able to buy gold via Tokens?
A. No

Q. Will there be store mounts/pets?
A. No

Q. Will there be dual spec in Classic?
A. No

Q. Will Classic be included with your normal sub or separate?
A. Included with the normal sub

Q. Will there be future content after Naxxramas?
A. Not planned at this time, although not ruled out entirely

Q. Which version of AV are we getting?
A. 1.12

Q. Will Battlegrounds be released at launch?
A. No. The first BGs will be released in Phase 3

Q. Will there be any cross-over between Classic and retail such as title or appearances earned in Classic being available in retail?
A. No

Q. Is FrontStabbing with Backstab possible?
A. No

Q. Will the old unarmoured epic mounts be available in Classic?
A. No

Q. Will there be a separate Classic only subscription?
A. No



Some quotes from Blizzard

J. Allen Brack: Our goal is to recreate that classic 1-60 gameplay. Some things changed as time went on, with different patches. How does that get manifested? That's one of the outstanding questions. But yeah, the goal is to recreate that exact experience, for better or for worse.

Dev Watercooler 2: From the beginning of this project, the team’s mission has been to be as faithful as possible to World of Warcraft as it existed back in 2005 and 2006



References

Petition
https://www.change.org/p/mike-morhai...raft-community

J Allen Brack interview
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...-big-questions

Classic WoW Blizzcon demo watercooler
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/ne...-blizzcon-demo

German Interview
http://www.buffed.de/World-of-Warcra...ionen-1268554/

Blizzcon Classic WoW Panel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhKkP8LryYM

Patch 1.12.1 Talent calculator
https://classicdb.ch/?talent

Spell Batching
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wo...classic/137118

[Deleted]

Good job. Will follow this

[Gavll]

trying to reserve the next post....

[Deleted]

Well done, thanks for doing this!

[chase_the_mofo]

I just hope they keep vanilla character animations, cos new ones are horrible

[Enfilade]

Finally, a worthy post in here.

[BattleForWord]

I want new graphic!

[Mosotti]

It should also be noted that current UI addons are mostly useless, and essential add-ons will not work, like Questie or BigWigs or MobInfo etc etc etc. All those will need a complete rewrite...

[Millyraynge]

classic is put on such a high pedestal, it's so massive over hyped that it will disappoint a huge amount of the community :-(

[voidillusion]

i'd like to see this sticked and updates as we go

[bonustrack]

classic is put on such a high pedestal, it's so massive over hyped that it will disappoint a huge amount of the community :-(

As someone who played from classic until current retail I can definitely say that classic is a HUUUGE time commitment compared to retail. There are so many quality of life changes that have been implemented that make classic hard to play now (All the graveyards that were put in is a huge one. When you die on classic enjoy spending 5-10mins walking back to your corps, AND you WILL die lvling)

However Blizz won't lose subs from current retail players and will end up getting back subs from the overwhelming amount of people that do like classic and hate the current retail so its really just a win/win for them

[voidillusion]

classic is put on such a high pedestal, it's so massive over hyped that it will disappoint a huge amount of the community :-(

nahh it will be fine...

[Craaazyyy]

classic is put on such a high pedestal, it's so massive over hyped that it will disappoint a huge amount of the community :-(

nah it will be fine, unlike pretty much every expansion they released since WoD

[Mosotti]

classic is put on such a high pedestal, it's so massive over hyped that it will disappoint a huge amount of the community :-(

I will have a lot of fun with it myself... I don't really care about end-game, but I would like to try some leveling things, like how fast I can level to 60 without dying

[vsb]

There are many speculations in this thread. Classic graphics mode is different from real vanilla client, because technologies are not the same (though I'm expecting that they'll improve upon that and will recreate old graphics instead of making it just similar). Many things were datamined from demo client which does not mean that they'll make it into release. Team have more than year to change everything. E.g. right click reporting or colorblind support could be just unremoved yet UI features and they could remove it any time.

[Contego]

E.g. right click reporting or colorblind support could be just unremoved yet UI features and they could remove it any time.

They explicitly mentioned these features in the dev watercooler-post though, if I'm not mistaken. It would be weird to make a point about them being in the demo, only to say they were an oversight abit later. Right click reporting and colorblind mode are very confirmed at this point, despite mention in relation to demo.

[vsb]

They explicitly mentioned these features in the dev watercooler-post though, if I'm not mistaken. It would be weird to make a point about them being in the demo, only to say they were an oversight abit later. Right click reporting and colorblind mode are very confirmed at this point, despite mention in relation to demo.

You're right, sorry.

[Deleted]

I just hope they keep vanilla character animations, cos new ones are horrible

This.

I was really annoyed when the new animations broke the old character model settings, really hope they fix that for classic and (ideally) make it available for retail again eventually.

[Lochton]

Wow @Gavll this is really a lovely structured post. Good to run a little overview on things.

[Storfan]

Please add question: What API will the game use? 1.12.1? Current retail one? A tailor made one for classic specifically?

edit: This is a MAJOR question that will impact macro building as well as addon development.