What made vanilla and TBC so memorable?

[Deleted]

I know when people get all nostalgic about the past others are quick to point out how unbalanced or slow-paced the game was back then, and I agree that it was unbalanced, slow and a bit tedious at times but I think that's a big part of what made the game so enjoyable for me.

Just hear me out here:

-The slow pace of leveling and acquiring gear made it all the more rewarding. Since I was only gaining a few levels a week back then, it made every time I dinged that much more special. I get what Blizzard were trying to do by speeding up the leveling process, but it really took the sense of achievement out of it, to the point where people don't even bat an eyelid when someone dings around then, whereas before the very least they would've got would have been a /clap and a "gz."

-All the inconsistencies, unbalanced classes, bugs, pointless items, etc. brought the community together. I'm not saying Blizzard shouldn't try and fix these things whenever they find them, just that the way they've done it has meant a lot less variety. It's much harder to distinguish between classes now, you have the visual aspects and spell effects, but that's it really. Everything is very homogeneous. All you have to do is watch videos like Roguecraft which were basically centred around bitching about the game, but in a funny way, and the game was arguably the most unbalanced it's ever been in Vanilla and TBC, but it wasn't until halfway through WotLK that sub numbers stopped increasing.

-They've made the game too easy. WoW was always an easier game, but it always required teamwork and it was rare that you'd just blow up mobs without taking a bit of damage. Nowadays it's normal to one or two-shot mobs, even while leveling. This just makes everything trivial and killing monsters just feels more like a chore than anything else now. I remember back in the day I'd have to drink and eat between every other monster I killed, and if I messed up and ran right through an enemy base I'd definitely be dead, but last night I was in burning steppes grinding level 49-?? mobs on my level 40 hunter and died once. A good example is that if I saw a dragon, or any elite mob, back in vanilla or TBC I'd think about getting a group together to down it, but now I just run up to a massive dragon and kill it in literally 2-3 hits, it just feels stupid. What's the point in making these cool giant monsters if they're barely more powerful than critters?

-Armour sets are getting over the top. This one is more of a pet peeve of mine, but I just feel that since every set of armour has friggin lazers and fire coming out it just makes it less special. Are lazers cool? Yep. Is burning armour cool? Yep. Can something be cool if you have it every single day? Nope. Think about it this way - when you got that cool new car, or new bike, new whatever, it seemed amazing, but it wears off and doesn't seem special after a while. I feel that's exactly what happened with armour sets. It meant that little glow, or the faint wings on priest T3 armour seemed cool as fuck at the time, now everyone has fucking wings, armour, fire, lazers, spaulders the size of cars and it's starting to look stupid and clownish.

-The current model of replaying content on different difficulties just isn't too appealing to some. When I started playing again and hit 90, I did LFR, then after that I did flex, now I'm doing normals and it's just not fun anymore. I do it to help out my guild and that's it. I've killed Garrosh I don't know how many times now, and killing him 3 times a week is just gruelling. Back in TBC I didn't play much so didn't get to see a lot of the content, but I didn't mind. I'd spent my time in Karazhan and had a blast, then I moved onto the rest of the T4 stuff as T5 was coming out, and I didn't actually get to raid them (or even get attuned) for a good while after they were released, but it made it so much more special and rewarding when I finally did get there. This slower pace of progress also had the side effect of making that one guy who was raiding the very latest content that much more cooler and epic, nowadays everyone has all the latest gear and nothing is special anymore.

What do you guys think?

[calinass]

nostalgia makes memories more powerful

the end

[Zoneseek]

My favourite part about vanilla and bc was logging in to 10+ buddies online and getting to business as opposed to logging in and being the only one in my guild online with 100+ characters showing 2-6+ years last logged in dates....which is what it has been like since cata

[Myrwyss]

Lots of people started playing during that period,nothing else realy...

[nyc81991]

There were things to explore.

In Vanilla (and BC to some extent) everything was new, the world had zones that you normally couldn't get into but people figured out how to wall climb and got into them. Doing things like that was awesome. It felt like you were exploring a new world that other people haven't seen yet.

Now there are no "secrets", nothing left unexplored. There is simply no "mystery" to WoW anymore.

[calinass]

It was more fun to play. Thats all it comes down to.



Ignorance makes bullshit more powerful. Nostalgia isnt a magic word you can throw about and discount the conversation.

Heres how I see it, man. I really like Boy Meets World. I think I remember being so happy whenever I would watch it with my family when I was younger. I get these cravings to watch it again, here and there, because I remember it so fondly. But I bet that if I watch it again, I would be like "yeah this is pretty good" versus "wow man, this is the best thing ever because I remember my childhood memories telling me that". If that makes any sense, thats my logic.

[Deleted]

Lots of people started playing during that period,nothing else realy...

Yep, and most of them were teenagers back then. Everything feels teh best ever in that age.

[Mekkle]

Yep, and most of them were teenagers back then. Everything feels teh best ever in that age.

This so much.

[RH92]

What made vanilla and TBC so memorable?

Nothing.

Only the game was still young during those years, everything was fresh for majority of players. Once WotLK arrived, the freshness started to diminish for these players. I am pretty sure in next five years we will see more "What made WotLK and Cata so memorable?", as it was WotLK when next wave of new players arrived.

[Deleted]

not as any people bitching and complaining about EVERYTHING oh how I miss those days

[Deleted]

Nostalgia. Nothing more. Kids should learn to grow up and stop looking back all the time.

[Perkunas]

Keeping a blue item(s) I got in SM and only replacing it in Inner Maraudon. The leveling speed was something that we should probably look at. There's no attachment to the items we get before cap. All the heirlooms help wreck that feeling as well.

[Tastyfish]

We got comped time for their failures!
I think that really is the only outstanding thing from that era.

[Sevyvia]

The game had a journey. Since WotLK, especially since the scourge of the game, Ghostcrawler, was welcomed to the team, it has been systematically removed from the game. No longer was it okay that someone might see things a tier late, or even an expansion late. Working for your gains was now awful, rather than something that made what you got all the sweeter. With attunements removed, the cycle of higher guilds poaching members from lower guilds was broken. Why was the ability to progress through content removed, too? Constantly updated valor gear and the mere presence of the LFR ruins that aspect of the game entirely.

In short, a dolt who has no idea how to make something worth anything to people was put in charge and ruined everything. He was not there in Classic and TBC, so the game, for all its MANY faults back then (And it had more than now) was still better. Not because of mechanics, but because what it inspired in the players. What does the game inspire in players now? Level to 90, get timeless isle gear, see the end of content. Within a week, most likely. There is no journey. Everything isn't just served to you on a silver platter, it is literally thrown at you for fear that you might miss a single beat or not be as caught up as those who have worked months for it.

Will you cherish the memory of how you spent a couple hours doing insultingly easy LFR runs with complete idiots until you killed a dumbed down Garrosh? No, of course not. The game is not memorable because it isn't built to be any more. It could be, of course. They could put things in (Other than dailies) that people could work on for days, weeks, even months. But they don't, and they won't.

[ryanmahaffe]

There were things to explore.

In Vanilla (and BC to some extent) everything was new, the world had zones that you normally couldn't get into but people figured out how to wall climb and got into them. Doing things like that was awesome. It felt like you were exploring a new world that other people haven't seen yet.

Now there are no "secrets", nothing left unexplored. There is simply no "mystery" to WoW anymore.

that is flyings fault

- - - Updated - - -

not as any people bitching and complaining about EVERYTHING oh how I miss those days

Yes there was, just forums were less popular

[Xilurm]

There were things to explore.

In Vanilla (and BC to some extent) everything was new, the world had zones that you normally couldn't get into but people figured out how to wall climb and got into them. Doing things like that was awesome. It felt like you were exploring a new world that other people haven't seen yet.

Now there are no "secrets", nothing left unexplored. There is simply no "mystery" to WoW anymore.

So you liked them because you could glitch?

[Demsi]

Because it was new, now that you have seen it all, its not the same is it was when you logged on your first char

[Maw]

I enjoyed raiding a lot more back then. Mainly because I was more motivated to progress forward and see the new raids. The prospect of doing the same raid where the bosses hit harder is far less encouraging.

[Deleted]

It was more fun during TBC (more than a single reason) but above all was the fact that there were things I never did; I never did Sunwell because I had other engagements in life and it would have required real time and effort.

Now with the current content you can just breeze through all the non-HC and that's about it. I no longer feel any desire or interest in doing 'end game' because I already see all of it on normal.

[nekobaka]

It was new, friends, and personally was far more laid back. I did a lot of PVP while at the same time leveling to end game wasnt a rush to get to the enjoyable stuff. PuGs was also far more enjoyable. Some say only because players had to be nice to each other, but I would rather have that than a bunch of self entitled dbags bouncing from group to group ruining the enjoyment of others and no I am not talking about elitist raiders.

The friendships I developed in BC is what also got me to pick up WotLK, Cata, and MoP. If I was a soloist I would have stopped at BC.

It was more fun during TBC (more than a single reason) but above all was the fact that there were things I never did; I never did Sunwell because I had other engagements in life and it would have required real time and effort.

Now with the current content you can just breeze through all the non-HC and that's about it. I no longer feel any desire or interest in doing 'end game' because I already see all of it on normal.

Sumular as well. Perhaps if I spent more time in the game or took it more seriously I could have seen all the "content", but I was having fun doing the things I was doing. I could do a heroic, dailies, or raid. I still did Kara when I didnt need badges or gear with friends and PuGs because we had fun and even if we out geared the place the mechanics wasnt trivial. Unlike challenge modes we still have a sense of power progression, but some things will still fuck you up and it doesnt take away from the fun and actually adds to it.

Seeing all the content is not my concern and I can also visit it later as long as it remains in the game. So what if I outgear it, I would out gear it if Blizzard gutted it and would change the original experience anyways.

I took the game at my own pace and was proud of my own accomplishments. I dont really get those who bitch about grinds then bitch when there is nothing to do. You cant satify those players, but they are so loud and arrogant.