Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Nyel]

Question for self-identifying casuals out there, particularly those who can only play on the weekends or maybe an hour or two a day: Do you think Dragonflight will be worth the box price and sub cost?

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to come back or not, after skipping SL. I've been playing Classic a lot more than Retail, so I might be paying for the sub cost anyway, though my time did just expire last week.

Every expansion is worth the box price because you easily get 50 hours played time out of it just by leveling and doing the dungeons at max level. Longevity is another thing and this time there's no bs borrowed power system that needs 4 patches to be eventually "ok".

Dragonflight is the most "non-eventful" expansion due to that. If you like the base game, you'll like DF. If you liked all the additional systems and features, DF might be not that much for you.

I'm solely playing this expansion because of Evoker - without a new class I wouldn't even bother because the game has become very stale. But the new class offers a new way to play for me.

_______

Mhm, Inscription or Jewelcrafting for my Evoker, I can't make up my mind lol. I know the decision might not matter much, but I can't get my head around it.

[boyzma]

Question for self-identifying casuals out there, particularly those who can only play on the weekends or maybe an hour or two a day: Do you think Dragonflight will be worth the box price and sub cost?

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to come back or not, after skipping SL. I've been playing Classic a lot more than Retail, so I might be paying for the sub cost anyway, though my time did just expire last week.

I for one, am totally casual. I don't raid...don't care about being better than anyone else. I play for my own enjoyment....which a lot of people here and on other threads think is a waste of time...but I don't give a shit what they think. I tested beta for a short time and was totally engrossed with the massive amounts of things I found to do and just had a blast. Was there plenty of bugs to report? Of course, it was beta...but despite that I enjoyed it. It's each to their own...I will probably be one of the last in all of Azeroth everywhere to experience it all...but I don't care. It's a game

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Maybe the box price of the past, but this box price is a bit too much. This base product is their shallowest yet and honestly I only bought in because I may have some belief in their post launch plans even if they've been completely shut and secretive about it up till now.

[The Stormbringer]

Maybe the box price of the past, but this box price is a bit too much. This base product is their shallowest yet and honestly I only bought in because I may have some belief in their post launch plans even if they've been completely shut and secretive about it up till now.

Yeah, I don't know yet. I might wait until it comes out on sale (will probably be a while) and try it then. Or if Classic becomes boring enough maybe I'll consider swapping over.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Yeah, I don't know yet. I might wait until it comes out on sale (will probably be a while) and try it then. Or if Classic becomes boring enough maybe I'll consider swapping over.

I'd genuinely wait and see their post launch plans and potential roadmaps. So far, they've been really shady staying completely silent about just the basic expectations of this 2 year cycle.

If nothing else, at least there's Classic stuff going on.

[ngc2440]

Question for self-identifying casuals out there, particularly those who can only play on the weekends or maybe an hour or two a day: Do you think Dragonflight will be worth the box price and sub cost?

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to come back or not, after skipping SL. I've been playing Classic a lot more than Retail, so I might be paying for the sub cost anyway, though my time did just expire last week.

If you are on the fence wait till more information comes to light on patch cadence and quality.

[Makabreska]

I'd genuinely wait and see their post launch plans and potential roadmaps. So far, they've been really shady staying completely silent about just the basic expectations of this 2 year cycle.

If nothing else, at least there's Classic stuff going on.

Back to the usual dooming and glooming, becasue Blizz did not lay out entire expansion plan from the start?

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Back to the usual dooming and glooming, becasue Blizz did not lay out entire expansion plan from the start?

Yeah, I don't like the vibe.

[THEORACLE64]

I for one, am totally casual. I don't raid...don't care about being better than anyone else. I play for my own enjoyment....which a lot of people here and on other threads think is a waste of time...but I don't give a shit what they think. I tested beta for a short time and was totally engrossed with the massive amounts of things I found to do and just had a blast. Was there plenty of bugs to report? Of course, it was beta...but despite that I enjoyed it. It's each to their own...I will probably be one of the last in all of Azeroth everywhere to experience it all...but I don't care. It's a game

Same here! I’ve played since EU launch in 2005, played every expansion launch, I’ve raided, been heavily involved with guilds, done the lot! But it’s stuff that hasn’t interested me for years now, to the point where it’s been probably since Legion where I’ve been completely guildless and I love it! I enjoy people with others from time to time, and if I want to see raid content I’ll pug it or LFR, maybe do a few M+s but that’s it. Working in healthcare I just prefer to have a nice, easy, drama-free life when I get home, and playing casually does the trick for me

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Back to the usual dooming and glooming, becasue Blizz did not lay out entire expansion plan from the start?

I kinda understand it though. It’s safe to say that WoD and Shadowlands have been the negatively received expansions, and both of which were heavily changed story wise beginning-mid expansion.

In comparison to Wrath and Legion which were their most positive and well received, both of which were very clearly planned and executed from start to finish.

[Makabreska]

I kinda understand it though. It’s safe to say that WoD and Shadowlands have been the negatively received expansions, and both of which were heavily changed story wise beginning-mid expansion.

In comparison to Wrath and Legion which were their most positive and well received, both of which were very clearly planned and executed from start to finish.

Would agree, if not for the post history of the guy I was responding to.

[Dracullus]

In comparison to Wrath and Legion which were their most positive and well received, both of which were very clearly planned and executed from start to finish.

Sure, these expacs used story build ups from WIII very well to end Scourge and Burning Legion with a bang. But from gameplay perspective both would be shreded by todays community. Wrath for rehashing old raid instead making new one that was clearable week 1, Legion for making game not only alt unfriendly, but SPEC unfriendly.

Also 'clearly planned'? With Legion I agree (only major hiccup was lack of story during 7.2), but Wrath had raid structure revamp every patch, weird parts like Trial and 12 month drought.

(And I ignore fact that we expect more and more content in every expac, amount of stuff to do outside raids in Wrath, or amount of world casual content in 7.0 Legion would not pass today.)

[THEORACLE64]

Would agree, if not for the post history of the guy I was responding to.

Whatever that is supposed to mean…

[Nymrohd]

The end times are near, Argent Dawn is sharded!

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

The end times are near, Argent Dawn is sharded!

Can't wait for it to be like this for way too long as per usual.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Whatever that is supposed to mean…

Don't play dumb. The guy has been super cynical for the last several months and even now is as if Blizzard never does anything right. And I'm sure as I say this someone will accuse me of thinking Blizz is never wrong which is not true and a strawman. Also as Dracculus said those expansions weren't just sailing through with no turbulence.


Wrath did reuse Naxxramas for Nostalgia(I'm not against it but reusing an old raid can be a bad habit) and well the playerbase would scold(Or rather the loud ungrateful part of the playerbase) Blizz for reusing stuff, they already get flack for reusing assets. Oh and the "There must always be a Lich King" I remember people moaning about that plot line and well people "thinking" Arthas was a "Saturday morning cartoon." I don't agree with that notion but it was something that was there.

Edit: Also I forgot about Trial of Crusader in Wrath with no trash. That was....apparently bothering some people.


Legion: Yeah the story end was big but all throughout there was the AP grind whining and the lack of content despite world quests first being introduced. The Tomb of Sargeras Patch was also outside of the raid kinda eh. It had the mage tower challenges but the storyline campaign for ToS was kinda meh(I felt differently at the time but whatevs). I also remember people upset about Night Hold released too early or something. The constant whining about the AP grind was felt throughout the expansion. I didn't like it so much at the end but it was certainly a big factor for Legion.


TLDR: The past for some grumpy WoW players and there are a lot of them, seems far too rosy then what it actually was. Not "completely" bad but not smooth sailing all the way.

[Makabreska]

Wrath did reuse Naxxramas for Nostalgia

Uh, not because of nostalgia. Vanilla and WotLK Naxx were 2 years apart. It got re-used becasue only a fraction of players saw it back then (invalidating all the work Blizz put into it, as they said in an interview) and because it fit perfectly theme-wise.

[Sondrelk]

Uh, not because of nostalgia. Vanilla and WotLK Naxx were 2 years apart. It got re-used becasue only a fraction of players saw it back then (invalidating all the work Blizz put into it, as they said in an interview) and because it fit perfectly theme-wise.

It did. But it was also shamelessly just Naxxramas from Vanilla imported into WotLK, except as an intriductory raid instead of the final one.
This isnt like when the new Uldaman is reusing the old Uldaman in a new way, or UBRS reusing the entire dungeon except with new bosses and some minor aesthetic changes. Naxxramas in WotLK was just Naxxramas from Vanilla once again.
And yes, most players didnt get to see it back in Vanilla, but the same is true for Ahn'qiraj, or any raid prior to LFR really.

[Nymrohd]

It did. But it was also shamelessly just Naxxramas from Vanilla imported into WotLK, except as an intriductory raid instead of the final one.
This isnt like when the new Uldaman is reusing the old Uldaman in a new way, or UBRS reusing the entire dungeon except with new bosses and some minor aesthetic changes. Naxxramas in WotLK was just Naxxramas from Vanilla once again.
And yes, most players didnt get to see it back in Vanilla, but the same is true for Ahn'qiraj, or any raid prior to LFR really.

I wish they had turned Naxxramas into four dungeons (and a small two boss raid) and given us Utgarde Pinnacle and Azjol'Nerub as raids instead

[Makabreska]

It did. But it was also shamelessly just Naxxramas from Vanilla imported into WotLK, except as an intriductory raid instead of the final one.
This isnt like when the new Uldaman is reusing the old Uldaman in a new way, or UBRS reusing the entire dungeon except with new bosses and some minor aesthetic changes. Naxxramas in WotLK was just Naxxramas from Vanilla once again.
And yes, most players didnt get to see it back in Vanilla, but the same is true for Ahn'qiraj, or any raid prior to LFR really.

Naxx was the last and most difficult of these raids, hence the least players saw it in any meaningful capacity (and it fit, unlike Ahn'qiraj). Less than 1,000 players have killed Kel’Thuzad, that's less than 0.1% of the player base. I didn't do it back then, so it was great WotLK experience for me and my noob guild. But this is really pointless to argue about re-used raid 14y ago. Blizz did it once and wont do it never again.

[Sondrelk]

Naxx was the last and most difficult of these raids, hence the least players saw it in any meaningful capacity (and it fit, unlike Ahn'qiraj). I didn't do it back then, so it was great WotLK experience for me and my noob guild. But this is really pointless to argue about re-used raid 14y ago. Blizz did it once and never again.

I agree that barely anyone saw Naxxramas, and I can accept that this makes it a waste of resources. I does not however really justify shamelessly reusing it. Reusing the concept or the location for sure, but the entire thing? Down to exact copies of all the bosses?