Which do you prefer: WoW Retail or WoW Classic?

[Xapyion]

WoW Retail or WoW Classic? Why?



I'm conducting some research for an assignment, so all answers are appreciated!

[RoKPaNda]

WoW Retail. Classic really just showed me that a lot of what I remember liking about Vanilla was pure nostalgia. Vanilla WoW hasn't aged well at all. Meanwhile retail gets new content fairly frequently and it's actually challenging content.

[epigramx]

Vanilla was purely broken. Entire classes were incomplete like coming out not from a beta or an alpha but from a random ideas drawer. You had a mage that had to drink every single mob to get mana and a rogue stunlocking it for 20 seconds ffs.

[Tojara]

Always retail.

Classic is a nice blast to the past and something I raid in every single week, but it's void of anything challenging at all or well, content I like to do. You have to make up categories in classic as a thinly veiled attempt at creating a challenge, and while some people buy into that, I certainly don't. I think it's largely for people looking to go back in time to a simpler time in their lives and because there's nothing new to discover in the game, there's zero anxiety and basically zero pressure while playing the game. The lack of mystery is obviously ideal for another subset of player who have played on private servers for years, and main goal is to speed run the game.

All of that said, what keeps me tied to retail is simply the challenge. There is just far more to do, there's actual progression in multiple forms of the game (arena, dungeons, raids) and it's an ever evolving game (for better or worse at times).

Most of my friends I play classic with are against newer versions of the game, simply don't like it because it's added pressure to learn something new while adapting or evolving. Classic was perfect for them because they knew exactly how the classes would play and because of it's relative ease, nobody really feels like a 'noob'.

[Wildmoon]

Long term I enjoy retail more because I simply can not get into raiding in classic anymore. 40m is too much for me. I pretty much stopped playing classic since I reached 60. The experience of levelling by questing and doing dungeons in classic is more fun though. It feels less like a mean to an end. It has this feeling of throwing you into the world and let you navigate it.

[GnomeEU]

I like small group content.
Classic only has raids and pvp that's all the content there is.
And the pvp is only for the extreme no lifers.
There are no catch up mechanics for raids so you're at the mercy of the other players to help your alts through raids.

Without mythic plus I think I wouldn't play wow anymore today.
It's the only thing thats really exciting for me.
Pvp is also fine in retail, but I don't like that you only get gear at very high rating. So it's either start with everyone else or you're always behind with your gear.

[Wadrak]

Easy retail.

Classic is just terrible. No game modes, terrible levelling, terrible rotations, dungeons drop too specific gear and
have nothing for your spec.
I played frost mage in classic and I liked how you had "frost spell power" stats on items.
But thats the only thing...

[Cosmic Janitor]

As flawed as retail may be, it is still new stuff at least. I played vanilla back when it was current and the genre has come a long way for people who are no longer students.

[Rustedsaint]

wow retail you can atleast hope for improvements while classic is kinda stuck as it is, they would do small changes but in the end it’ll still be the same dated game forever.

[neik]

Classic honeymoon is over for me, one hundred percent.

The game is unplayable to the point where it feels that it hurts physically if I decide to torture myself any further.

Classic is also on it's last cycle, there cannot be any new content in Classic. You are stuck on Classic forever. Wheres Retail the sky's the limit to what they can do with the game.

Retail game it is.

[TheLucky1]

The option where i don't fall to sleep during raid bosses.

I'll consider classic in 25 or so years when i'm 50+.

[Kyphael]

The option where i don't fall to sleep during raid bosses.

I'll consider classic in 25 or so years when i'm 50+.

This. Also the version that isn't a complete and utter grind and time sink.

[Throwme]

I'm conducting some research for an assignment, so all answers are appreciated!

You should definitely be way more specific with your questions then.

[Toast515]

This. Also the version that isn't a complete and utter grind and time sink.

That...is...EXACTLY how Classic was when it was current though.

[Xapyion]

I wanted to keep it pretty general, and I'm still happy with the responses that I've gotten already!

[Kyphael]

That...is...EXACTLY how Classic was when it was current though.

And it still is today. That's why I don't care that I didn't experience it when it was current. I would have really loved to experience Burning Crusade back in 2007, though.

[Evolixe]

I think they each have their charmes. And which of those charmes are favorable will differ from person to person.

I for example love the simplicity of loot and items in classic. There is just one version of the item that you want and the road to getting it is straightforward.
On top of that classic is very player driven. You have to make friends to get stuff done. Going solo is basically not an option. That does have a certain allure to it and I think it should be that way.

What I like about retail is how easy it is to make alts now. I can basically start a new character and bring it to endgame within a week.
That does come at a cost of a less interesting levelling journey but I've made peace with that.
Instanced PvE and encounters in general are also far, far more interesting on retail.

[Lakrin]

I prefer retail, which is not to say that I think Classic was a bad idea, I just have little interest in being back in those days

[Razion]

It would probably be useful to your assignment if you specified what about each you're trying to compare so we can be more specific in cases where one is better than the other for specific things.

For example, 1-30 I'd prefer Classic any day of the week. But endgame is where I prefer Retail. Since I almost exclusively play endgame now I'd say Retail. But I still miss the old zones before Cata changed them, even now.

[javierdsv]

I'd probably prefer TBC classic when they release it, but retail all the way in.

I no longer have time in my life to sink into a walking simulator.