When Blizzard Releases The Next Classic Expansion (BC)

[Apexis]

Let's assume that Blizzard entertains this nonsense split of servers and resources, which does not seem likely. I am trying to wrap my head around why someone that spent time level 1-60, then upon release said person create another character, has to level it from 1-60 again, only to then level 10 more level through BC content to level 70. Now assume that we go to Wrath, the same person has to not only level again from 1-60, then 10 levels of BC, but they also get to do the Wrath expansion for 10 levels to 80.

We end up with three separate characters with different types of progress that do not overlap one another. That means whatever one would have to spend a massive amount in each character, between content, gear, mounts, and whatever else would not be accessible to each new character. Which means each character would have to go through every single piece of content again to acquire all those various items. I love playing WoW, but I don't love playing WoW this much to have to grind and grind to get the same things on three separate characters on the same account.

Not only does this sound completely insane from Blizzard perspective of server resources, having four separate teams of people working on each content. We have the players themselves leveling multiple characters and not getting to benefit from the progression of as many as four different pieces of the game's content.

By the way, this also ends up further dividing a player base with the intent of trying to rebuild said community in Classic. So this nonsense ends up subdividing the initial player base into three entire new player bases creating three separate communities. This does not take into consideration the people who are going to play retail as well.

I can't fathom Blizzard entertaining this level of stupidity. I know they have done some dumb stuff over the years. Though if their whole point was to again build a community for the overall health of the game than this approach would defeat that entire purpose in doing so. Some people playing Classic, Some playing Classic and TBC, some playing Classic, TBC, and Wrath, then we have the purist of each piece of content only do their pieces.

Many who only want Classic will not entertaining the move to BC and/or Wrath. Although the people they group with and are guildmates with will be jumping ship to go to BC or Wrath or BC and Wrath and not have time to play one fully much less two or even three at the same time.

Then there is still the retail game that is not going anywhere anytime soon and people will continue play. Unless Blizzard entertains the ability for people in Classic, BC, and Wrath to purchase WoW tokens to keep playing. Many that use token will have to keep playing retail. In this case, the people that depend on retail to continue to play. Will be dividing their time play in as many as 4 different versions of the game. Again, I love this game, though dividing my time to as many of two versions of WoW is far more than I can do now, much less 4 different versions. Sounds like not only the worst way to build a community but a massively good way to create massive burnout as well.

I think some of you people miss the point of what is taking place here. What you are proposing is what helped to kill the retail game in the first place, not make it succeed. I know some of you thinks Blizzard is stupid, but I can't imagine that from a business standpoint that they would ever want to create this train wreck scenario.

[Musta]

TBC is coming. Is money without having to make any content. And blizzard likes money.

[Relapses]

Let's assume that Blizzard entertains this nonsense split of servers and resources, which does not seem likely. I am trying to wrap my head around why someone that spent time level 1-60, then upon release said person create another character, has to level it from 1-60 again, only to then level 10 more level through BC content to level 70. Now assume that we go to Wrath, the same person has to not only level again from 1-60, then 10 levels of BC, but they also get to do the Wrath expansion for 10 levels to 80.

We end up with three separate characters with different types of progress that do not overlap one another. That means whatever one would have to spend a massive amount in each character, between content, gear, mounts, and whatever else would not be accessible to each new character. Which means each character would have to go through every single piece of content again to acquire all those various items. I love playing WoW, but I don't love playing WoW this much to have to grind and grind to get the same things on three separate characters on the same account.

Not only does this sound completely insane from Blizzard perspective of server resources, having four separate teams of people working on each content. We have the players themselves leveling multiple characters and not getting to benefit from the progression of as many as four different pieces of the game's content.

By the way, this also ends up further dividing a player base with the intent of trying to rebuild said community in Classic. So this nonsense ends up subdividing the initial player base into three entire new player bases creating three separate communities. This does not take into consideration the people who are going to play retail as well.

I can't fathom Blizzard entertaining this level of stupidity. I know they have done some dumb stuff over the years. Though if their whole point was to again build a community for the overall health of the game than this approach would defeat that entire purpose in doing so. Some people playing Classic, Some playing Classic and TBC, some playing Classic, TBC, and Wrath, then we have the purist of each piece of content only do their pieces.

Many who only want Classic will not entertaining the move to BC and/or Wrath. Although the people they group with and are guildmates with will be jumping ship to go to BC or Wrath or BC and Wrath and not have time to play one fully much less two or even three at the same time.

Then there is still the retail game that is not going anywhere anytime soon and people will continue play. Unless Blizzard entertains the ability for people in Classic, BC, and Wrath to purchase WoW tokens to keep playing. Many that use token will have to keep playing retail. In this case, the people that depend on retail to continue to play. Will be dividing their time play in as many as 4 different versions of the game. Again, I love this game, though dividing my time to as many of two versions of WoW is far more than I can do now, much less 4 different versions. Sounds like not only the worst way to build a community but a massively good way to create massive burnout as well.

I think some of you people miss the point of what is taking place here. What you are proposing is what helped to kill the retail game in the first place, not make it succeed. I know some of you thinks Blizzard is stupid, but I can't imagine that from a business standpoint that they would ever want to create this train wreck scenario.

It sounds like you're arguing from the perspective that any given player would only play one version of the game at a time. I'd probably play on Classic, TBC and WotLK simultaneously, with retail. If everybody is paying the same $15/mo to access their servers, I don't see the playerbase division issue being nearly as bad as you seem to think it'll be. Additionally, outside of the initial development of the game, there isn't a huge amount of development necessary to upkeep the servers. (Blizzard has confirmed this in interviews.) I hard disagree on requiring fresh level 1 leveling for each expansion but the situation post-launch isn't necessarily as bad as you try to make it sound.

[GreenJesus]

Why not be able to copy your 60 character over to the BC server?

[gd8]

Blizzard should keep the orginal world going and introduce Hyjal and other areas that are dead space in the current world.

you mean like they've literally been doing with expansions for the past 10 or so years? surprise - they already did hyjal

[munkeyinorbit]

Yeah that's essentially what I meant.

Don't take the exact same road as before as it has proven not to work. In my opinion TBC would be great, but I know in many others it is not.
They should just use what knowledge they have of the past, to forge an entirely new future.

Hopefully don't make the same mistakes again.. and as few as possible new ones

I'm pretty sure it worked. With the billions of dollars of revenue, I am pretty sure it worked really well. I dont understand how someone can sit there and pass off their lies as the truth. When was the last time that an expansion failed to bring in over $B in revenue and what are the reasons why 9.0 will not do the same? This lie that people have concocted that BfA wasn't a financial success is ridiculous.

[Relapses]

I'm pretty sure it worked. With the billions of dollars of revenue, I am pretty sure it worked really well. I dont understand how someone can sit there and pass off their lies as the truth. When was the last time that an expansion failed to bring in over $B in revenue and what are the reasons why 9.0 will not do the same? This lie that people have concocted that BfA wasn't a financial success is ridiculous.

Fucking hell, dude. Does the thought of Blizzard being profitable in 2019 rustle your jimmies so much you have to propagate conspiracy theories just to feel better about your smug negative opinions about the direction the game has taken? Show us on the doll where Activision touched you.

[Notdev]

My ideal way to do it would be separate servers, but whenever TBC servers release players can copy, not transfer, their Classic server character over to the TBC server.

Leave classic servers classic forever, leave TBC servers on TBC forever, and so forth.

[Apexis]

It sounds like you're arguing from the perspective that any given player would only play one version of the game at a time. I'd probably play on Classic, TBC and WotLK simultaneously, with retail. If everybody is paying the same $15/mo to access their servers, I don't see the playerbase division issue being nearly as bad as you seem to think it'll be. Additionally, outside of the initial development of the game, there isn't a huge amount of development necessary to upkeep the servers. (Blizzard has confirmed this in interviews.) I hard disagree on requiring fresh level 1 leveling for each expansion but the situation post-launch isn't necessarily as bad as you try to make it sound.

No, one person would be playing as many as 4 versions at a given time. If you will have Classic server, and BC server, and Wrath server, then you have divided the community into as many as 3 different communities. Given that there will be many of each, there could be as many as 10, 20 or more separate communities across just these three versions alone. If one person played all 4 versions they would be part of 4 entirely different communities of various combinations of friends playing various versions.


Some people love Classic and only want Classic and not additional expansion content to be added to the Classic server.


Some people loved Vanilla/Classic and TBC and want nothing to do with playing Wrath.


Some people loved Wrath, some of those liked to play Classic, though did not like TBC.


Some people loved TBC and Wrath and do not want to play Classic.


Then there are the purists of all three contents that only want Classic, only TBC, and only Wrath.


Blizzard is going to be required have Classic servers, TBC servers, Wrath servers, then a mixture of each one of the above to satisfy each of these groups.


Then we have retail.


Once Blizzard opened the Classic Pandora's Box, there was no way that box was ever going to be shut again. People will demand their content and versions of content, you bet on it. Many are not going to want to have to level through the parts of the game they did not enjoy. So that means creating an instant level 60 characters for TBC, and level 70 characters for Wrath, then creating a combination of two or three and starting from a variety of levels.


You see this as something simple, but many are simply going to demand Blizzard cave to their whim or feel their wrath.


Now that Blizzard was able to create Classic only servers. The demand for only Wrath and TBC are going to take place and people are going to only want to have the content they enjoyed and nothing else. That is what I am talking about here and why I say that the sense of community Blizzard is driving for as a whole is going to be subdivided through all these various versions and scenarios. This is not going to be as simple as creating Classic servers, and TBC servers, and Wrath servers and anyone that think so has not been reading the many intentions of people that are asking for their flavor like Baskin Robbins 31 flavors of ice cream.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

I'd be fine with either, but I wont be fine with Classic shutting down and becoming TBC, like a normal product.

IMO, they should not make TBC or any other products, as the population can clearly not support three versions of the game.
But if they must, I would like an optional transfer of my toon, provided I can switch it from Alliance to BE paladin.
Otherwise I'd be leveling a new toon anyway.

[stevepelle91]

You clearly don't have a clue about TBC and only have experience playing it on a private server. One of the things that made TBC so great was it was basically an extension of vanilla. The friggen legendary staff gave you a portal to the entrance of Karazhan. Do you know how awkward that was for the people who had it before TBC was released? Some level 60 items were still useful well into tier 5 and tier 6. TBC is incomplete without vanilla before it. TBC was part of vanilla. End of discussion. Go away wrath babies.

[sibut]

No TBC, No Wrath.

Blizzard should continue to build on Classic and release new raid content around CLASSIC.
TBC introduces flying an an entirely new zone which kills the interaction within the orginal World.

Blizzard should keep the orginal world going and introduce Hyjal and other areas that are dead space in the current world.

Absolutely not. Blizzard should not change anything about classic whatsoever, particularly anything involving creating new content.

[Muajin76]

I truly think we should have to level from 1-70. We should absolutely not be permitted to continue from 60, or transfer the 60 to the BC server cluster.

Classic/Vanilla should stay Vanilla forever.

BC servers should stay BC forever.

Wrath the same... 1-80, forever.

The rest... Most people don't care.

Soo.....you suggest players start from lvl ONE on a bc server...after they've lvl'd to 60 on a classic server? Boy..you're crazy.

- - - Updated - - -

They could take a look at the EverQuest model.

Basically just staggered releases of sets of classic servers, they progress over time at their own rate.

Example

--------------------2019------2020------2021------2022------2023------2024
Server Set A----Classic----Classic-----BC---------BC--------Wrath-----Wrath
Server Set B-----------------------------Classic----Classic----BC----------BC
Server Set C-----------------------------------------------------Classic-----Classic

mmmm...losing exp on death then having to find a cleric to give you a hit of his res stick to get that exp back. :P

[Raelyn]

No TBC, No Wrath.

Blizzard should continue to build on Classic and release new raid content around CLASSIC.
TBC introduces flying an an entirely new zone which kills the interaction within the orginal World.

Blizzard should keep the orginal world going and introduce Hyjal and other areas that are dead space in the current world.

This is what confuses me a little about the Classic crowd (fyi - I am playing Classic and enjoying it) - the majority of players play Classic to relive Vanilla right, for nostalgia?

If you release NEW content that wasn't in Vanilla, then it is no longer what it was meant to be and everyone wanted, right?

[Muajin76]

Here's a pretty simple solution. If you want to play BC then you go pick up a quest. It flags that character is one that can access the BC content and level. All other characters on that server will not be able to. Here's the kicker. Without the quest, your toon will still have their original 1.12 shit. Blizzard can do this through sharding. People on classic toons do not need to interact with BC toons unless they actively look for it. Everybody wins.

Sadly this is Blizz and Ion we're talkin about here. I think implimenting something like this would take too much time and thought to do. :P

[RedBrood]

I'd be fine with either, but I wont be fine with Classic shutting down and becoming TBC, like a normal product.

IMO, they should not make TBC or any other products, as the population can clearly not support three versions of the game.
B.

That's a poor argument. It couldn't be used against Classic servers and it can't be used for it.

[MatadorMedia]

Much rather have a Classic+ server rather than BC. They should release new level 60 content.

[Druzzil-Zipe]

Hello,
From my own personal undergoing, after almost 4 years of playing Everquest progression servers, I must say that it's been my best mmorpg experience.
It's not about the nostalgia (That feeling that some look for in WoW classic, like drug addicts looking for their first experience again).
For me it's all about Time Locked Progression. Having the opportunity to experience all content from Launch to Live with the same guildies and friends have been priceless.

In Everquest, each Progression server have different rulesets. My server unlocks a Expansion every 3 months. During my server lifespan (like 3 years and a half) I have experienced every single encounter, farmed every game zone, did every quest and best-of-all; I learned my class from zero, every spell, every mechanic, I got it at its natural moment, squeezed it and got all its juice when it was meant to. My class evolved after 18 expansions but I learned it step by step.

Yes, 18 expansions, my server is at Everquest 18th expansion now of 26 total.

Why I am explaining all this shit to you? Just so you can compare and you can realize that the Everquest model isn't WoW classic model. It's just the seed but I guess Blizzard is just testing and checking the waters, looking at how it is appealed and accepted.

My bet is that if it really works out they'll leave the actual servers as WoW-Classic-Locked servers.

They won't go into a Progression model until they have developed some progression.
You must understand that WoW got progression released by Tiers mid expansion. So you are ACTUALLY experimenting a Progression server across all the classic tiers.
The question is: Will they do it across BC and WOTLK? My guess is nope, and nope on this servers. Probably they'll announce BC-Locked server, where you'll have to start from zero or transfer your Classic char, then do the same for Wotlk. This is what some of you already noted on your posts. The thing is: by the end Blizzard can decide to make a Hardcore-competitive-Progression bunch of servers that go across Classic-BTC-WTLK or whatever during a 1 year time span. This have been proven successful on Everquest and it's the experience I described and that you are experiencing now across Classic and, in the following months, its tiers.

TL;DR
Some people will want Classic-Locked servers.
Other people will want Progression-Locked servers.
Blizzard got the capacity to satisfy everyone: They are testing the waters now and we'll see how it ends once you are done with Classic content and last tier is delivered.

[Devilyaki]

Who said they even doing the others?

[Taquito]

They could take a look at the EverQuest model.

Basically just staggered releases of sets of classic servers, they progress over time at their own rate.

Example

--------------------2019------2020------2021------2022------2023------2024
Server Set A----Classic----Classic-----BC---------BC--------Wrath-----Wrath
Server Set B-----------------------------Classic----Classic----BC----------BC
Server Set C-----------------------------------------------------Classic-----Classic

This is how Blizz should handle this, like D3 seasons.

Also, they can make it every year if they want. New "seasons" so people can try different classes. This will ensure Classic replayability forever.