Wrath-era World of Warcraft
I remember that after we cleared the revamped Naxxramas my guild disbanded when we couldn’t progress through Ulduar for more than a few bosses...
After that, I don’t think I joined another guild, I just farmed battleground reputation until I achieved the exalted status with the Silverwing Sentinels and the League of Arathor - for that sweet-looking tabard and the Justicar title. The latter was my biggest achievement back then because I don't recall meeting anyone with that title on my server. They were either not displaying it, or the huge amount of wins and/or PvP kills it required for the achievement was an insane grind.
I created my character in The Burning Crusade, I named her Ruthlessness (name from Rogue talent tree), and she was a Human Female Paladin on Sylvanas-EU.
Battle for Azeroth Impressions
The first thing I noticed is that the graphics didn’t look that much different. Sure, it’s updated and improved in a good way I would say, but the overall style is still there. It’s recognizable and familiar. Also, the music was on par with what I remembered, and the interface too. Not perfect, but clean and sleek.
And that about sums up what seemed familiar. Because the second thing I noticed was how empty Ironforge was. It used to be a full house. Someone, later on, told me that people hang around Stormwind and some other place that I forgot its name. Doesn’t surprise me with so many expansions and new cities.
In terms of visual improvements, I like how your character pulls out a map and looks at it when you’re looking at the map. Reminds me of The Lord of The Rings Online where I first saw that. I think stuff like that is cool.
The Community
No one was telling any jokes on the trade chat, no one was talking about anything except the usual “looking for” something; no one was bashing anyone. I remember that back in Vanilla, for example, there was this guy who (almost) everyone hated for being such a huge dick and they were constantly saying jokes about him in trade chat, and he was not inside the game, it was just a pass time. People were just chatting about stuff, saying jokes, having fun, and arguing the shit out of so many stupid topics.
Combat & Spells
Combat animations and spells look nice. However, they do seem very similar to the style of the Crusader from Diablo 3. But, then again, where are my seals, different judgments, and blessings? Also, those 3 combo points are just stupid and Divine Steed is a Charge/Intercept/Heroic Leap. The Retribution Paladin has become very Warrior-like, it seems.
Collecting pets and mounts seems like a nuisance to me, though some of them look quite impressive.
Though I did not run any dungeons the combat system seems pretty straightforward - you push every button that isn’t on cooldown. Well, this is an improvement, at least for the Paladin who had one freaking active spell in Vanilla, two in The Burning Crusade, and, you'll never guess what's next, three in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Add a +1 to each of those if you count Consecrate... Anyway, it seems there’s a button for every type of situation now.
I also went flying through a few zones just to see how they look and it was surprising to see quite a few people in Goldshire goofing around. And very surprised to see Horde players on the coast of Westfall. And some beautiful scenery too!
Better or Worse?
The game has evolved, that much is clear. I can’t say if it’s in the right direction. Because I have not been there for the last 10 years, for one, and I assume, people like myself were not there either. So I can’t tell if this game is bad simply because they made it for other standards, for a different generation. Some people seem to enjoy it. Some don't.
And, thirdly, spending so much time in the Classic community you constantly hear how bad this game has become so my mind is already inclined towards not liking it. Well, one might say objectively it is worse compared to Vanilla and BC; maybe even Wrath.
Who Is Modern WoW For?
I don’t want to bash this game as that wouldn’t be something that hasn’t already been done a thousand times. I will say that it probably is what the current demographic is interested in. It might be just that! People nowadays, and teens, in particular, are moving very fast in this digital age and a slow-paced RPG experience just isn’t for them. I haven’t tried any PvP - but it looks quite nice from what I’ve seen in a few clips online. Overall, the question is, would I play this?
If I wanted to play an MMO and The Elder Scrolls Online wasn't around (which I hear is quite decent and is the only other MMO I haven't yet tried) then I might jump on it occasionally. Either way, I’d rather play a single-player RPG or just wait for Classic WoW.
The fact of the matter is I just did not feel sucked into it as a good game should make you feel. For reference, just in the past few months, I played the 2013 Tomb Raider and replayed the Dungeon Siege 1 game. And I was completely absorbed in both of them.
Old-school Gamer
Call me old-school, but I’d rather have a slow RPG experience than this fast-paced modern hurriedness. I also think one of the biggest issues is that having flying mounts is a double-edged sword. I did my fair share of flying in Wrath - it's convenient and a huge time saver. Seeing the whole of Stormwind from above the clouds is quite nice, honestly, but then again, it demystifies it. Adventure is always found on the ground though. So the view from above should stick to Real-Time Strategies if you ask me.
You might like Battle for Azeroth and you might say I should try some dungeons or whatever, but honestly, I don't need to. I didn’t feel any connection to this game because my overall experience is that it has become fast in the same vein that food has become fast.
The focus is on gratification. You’re here and then you’re there. There are no in-betweens. No downtime to recover some mana.
Would I Play Modern World of Warcraft?
Anyway, I think modern WoW is for modern kids and I don’t blame that. It's fast, it's colored and it's something like an amusement park. You’re here and then you’re rushing to the next big attraction. I’m not saying this is bad. I’m just observing the fact that it isn’t for me.
If I were to sum it up in one word I would say easy. If I were to sum it up in a few words I would say it’s an easily gratifying game, fast and superficial, with good art and animation effects but lacking in identity and streamlined to hell.
Again, I base my critique on just a couple of hours of gameplay (5 to be exact), inspecting people's gear and chatting with them, flying through a few zones, fighting a practice dummy, and leveling a new char. And, of course, listening for months to various YouTubers complaining about how much it sucks...
To conclude I would say just that this isn’t by any means comprehensive. It is just a superficial look at something new, based on something old. That confirmed, to me at least, that the old way is, not better, but better for me.
