Strange Return to Classic Dream

Me logging into Classic Era.

It was just a matter of time before I go back to Warcraft here. However, I didn't really expect that I would start with sort of continuation of Waking Up From Classic Dream. That's not exactly what I had in mind (to be fair, there should be a follow up to another post soon), but sometimes something unexpected happens. And that's what it's all about this time. Besides, I think it's rather interesting to go back to topic of Classic+ after my previous post since it has been like 4 months.

A Trick Twist.

Various reports about a new survey from Blizzard started to appear on June 24, 2021. Screenshots that were shared by users showed questions related to the concept of "Classic Fresh" realms: new servers for World of Warcraft Classic that progress similarly to the original (re-)release in 2019-2020. They also talked about certain changes that could happen there.

Alright, let's get one thing out of the way: I'm not really a fan of this idea. It's just not for me as I don't see any reason to "restart" my character on new realm at faster pace only to (potentially) have all my progress reset and start all over again. That reminds me of Ladder from Diablo 2, Seasons in Diablo 3 and other similar modes in Action RPG's. Even though I doubt I would've checked them out, I see why this type of gameplay works for games of this genre. As for the World of Warcraft... Eh-h-h, not really. If I wanted to have a new start, I would simply make a new character.

Question from recent Blizzard survey. Taken from Reddit.

With that being said, I guess it wouldn't be a surprised that I'm not a fan of certain changes they're suggesting, mainly faster XP, item & gold drop rates. Summoning stores at dungeon entrances and increased debuff limit for raid bosses are more of a contentious points: maybe those are not that crucial to Classic experience, but I'm not so sure.

It doesn't mean that there're no good changes in that list. First of all, original Alterac Valley. Hell yeah! You know, I became Exalted with Stormpike Guard. I got Stormpike Battle Charger for my warrior. This process. Well, it was definitely one hell of a journey. Having a chance to experience Valley in its original form sounds amazing. More difficult bosses in dungeons & raids are just as good, despite the fact I never ended up going into Molten Core "back in my day". More challenge wouldn't hurt Classic, that's for sure. 

Lastly, no world buffs for raids... This is a huge deal for many players. Honestly, I wouldn't bother with them. Although I'm not sure that outright disabling them is a way to go: again, perhaps have it as an option and, for example, tie item drops to it as a trade off. There're also Barbershop and Black Market... Can't really say much about those. They could serve as a gold sink for Classic, which is good.

However, I think you might've noticed that I skipped one detail...

My Conundrum.

Not everything goes according to plan in our lives. Everyone knows that, including. Another thing that I personally experience somewhat often is when something good does end up happening, but not in a way I would want it to. This survey is one of these moments because Blizzard clearly mentions that these changes would be made for so-called "Fresh Start" realms. Not Classic Era servers. Even though it's important to keep some benefit of the doubts, these surveys usually served as early teasers of what's to come from Blizzard. Maybe not all content were shared by players, but I doubt that.

If we had to guess, these realms would most likely work like Leagues in Old School Runescape. Time-limited servers with additional rules and changes to the game experience. Completing specific tasks. From what I understand, Leagues don't affect the main version of OSRS: I could be wrong (as I don't play the game), but no changes from that mode were carried over. While Fresh Start doesn't have to copy Leagues one by one, recent survey from Blizzard implies that Classic Era realms aren't part of it.

So yeah, it seems to be one of many bummers for me. I don't want to create a new version of my gnome warrior to reach original Alterac Valley or any actual "new content" they might dare to introduce. Instead, I want to go back to a level 60 character I'm attached to and continue his story... Except... Well, I'm not really that excited about it.

Blizzard's recent gift to me.

It's pretty apparent that it got only worse for World of Warcraft & Blizzard since my last posts about them. Which is kind of enjoyable, not gonna lie. Classic was one of the last portions of this franchise I had some hopes for. I was against Burning Crusade Classic and my "expectations" were far surpasses. Omar Gonzalez, one of the key figures for World of Warcraft Classic, left Blizzard and went over to Secret Door (development studios at Dreamhaven). He played a major role in its developement, so seeing him being yet another person that leaves the company should probably speak about Classic's fate.

After seeing how Burning Crusade Classic turned out to be with things like Deluxe Edition, I just don't trust them as much as I did before. It doesn't feel like there're developers like Omar that care about the game. Why should I trust in current WoW Classic team after all of this? Again, I'm still very interested in some sort of "Classic+". I just don't have a lot of enthusiasm & faith nowadays.

P.S: Yeah, Blizzard really gifted me free 3 days of WoW Game Time. That's funny.