The WoW Classic servers go online on August 27, 2019, the closed beta is currently underway, and Karsten, the Vanilla veteran and Classic flop prognosticator, is getting more excited by the day, contrary to expectations. But why is that? Our editor reveals it to you!
That I would rank Classic ahead of Wrath of the Lich King or Legion in my personal ranking of the best WoW sections, however, is mainly for nostalgic reasons. And it will be nostalgic reasons that I will choose an undead rogue on the official vanilla servers that Blizzard announced at Blizzcon 2017.
However, I’m already sure that my journey into WoW’s past will be short-lived and that many other players will quickly turn their backs on the official Classic servers as well.”
In the rest of the column, I will of course justify my thesis. In doing so, I will address various problems with Classic, the time factor, which was enormously important at the time, but also the fact that WoW is a child of its time and therefore only fits into 2019 to a limited extent.
WoW Classic – the anticipation is rising
But although I still fear that Classic will only be a short nostalgia trip for me (and many other WoW fans), I notice that, contrary to expectations, the anticipation is rising day by day. On the weekend I sat in the living room and watched Nogg-Aholic – The Movie , Grim – Total Annihilation or Shurrik Part 2, some videos that shaped my Vanilla time. And of course there are reasons why I marked the release date of WoW Classic, August 27th, in red in my calendar….
My villain – Back to basics
My Villain Creep. He wasn’t my first character, but the one that quickly became my “main”. A character I have an incredible amount of memories with. The old dagger pusher was with me for 14 years and is still my favorite today.
When I think back to Creep in Classic WoW, I think of a whole bunch of things that no longer exist today and that I’m looking forward to seeing return. It starts with the class-specific quests and quirks. Yes, I’m looking forward to having room in my pockets for Poisons, Fadeleaf, Blinding Powder, Thistle Tea, and more.
I’m also looking forward to being able to use a bow again in addition to my blades, or drive enemies insane with uninterrupted stun chains. I’m looking forward to the fancy pet sets, weapons like the Räuderripper or Maladath, and of course the old talent tree. I can’t decide whether to play 15/31/5 first, 31/13/7, the hemo builds that are strong with patch 1.12, 17/34/0 or 21/3/27. So many choices!!!11one
One difficulty, one loot pet list.
Speaking of tier sets, yeah, it felt like forever back then until my rogue finally had his full class sets. Some of the weapons he didn’t even see, even though he had farmed the corresponding boss with his guild for months – yeah, I’m looking at you, chromatically hardened sword!
Nevertheless, I think the loot system of that time was better than the loot system of today. I just liked the ability to aim for a best-in-slot composition and complete 8-piece sets. I also liked the status system of that time, the need for resistance gear, and the rewarding feeling of each upgrade.
Also, back then you could tell what content a character had already mastered by their clothing. There was simply no transmogging, no old content from a previous expansion that you could just farm away. If someone was wearing a PvP or raid set and the appropriate weapons, they had sweated and bled for it (ingame).
Not only the loot, but the initial victories over each raid boss felt rewarding at the time. But over the years and with each new difficulty level, that inner joy has faded for me. In Classic, there was only one difficulty level, and each first boss fight was special. I look forward to that, too.
My two “buts”…
Especially regarding the raid area and the PvP ranking system, I’m still afraid that I won’t find the necessary
time with my job and family and the umpteen other games I want to play professionally and privately. I also have bad memories of Patch 1.12 over the years for one reason: With this update, Blizzard introduced cross-server battlegrounds, which should now be available on Classic servers as well, of course.
In Classic, “a real PvP community developed on each server: core groups, battleground friendships and rivalries, real enmities, and a lot of tangible competition. The tactical stakes against other organized PvP groups were very high. Existing tactics were often evolved, discarded, new ones tried, all just to gain small advantages over the opposing group. All of this added a lot of spice to the PvP game. You knew your own people and very often the noses on the other side.
Especially between the core PvP groups there was always enough fuel, friction, but also respect for good games and great achievements. Twinks on the opposing faction side were completely normal on PvE servers to chat a bit with the dear enemies. People also met up in the TS after matches, creating intense acquaintances and a sense of play that hasn’t been matched in PvP since patch 1.12.”
Yes, the introduction of realm pools solved a problem: the factions with the most players suffered from sometimes blatant waiting times, while the other side could usually enjoy instant invitations. Patch 1.12 has provided a better balance here. Unfortunately, that certain something in BG PvP has fallen away, and that’s a big reason why I had so much fun in Classic WoW. So the new Classic servers will be missing a crucial plus point for me. Still, I’m sitting here checking daily to see if I’ve gotten a beta invite yet. I just want to play it for a bit, Blizzard. Honestly!
What is WoW Classic?
World of Warcraft Classic is a true recreation of the original WoW as you know it from 2006. All parts of the game – from combat mechanics and talent trees to character models and zones – have been recreated, contributing to the authentic experience.
Getting Started
All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time on their accounts have access toWoW Classic at no additional cost.
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App and select World of Warcraft from the menu.
- Select World of Warcraft Classic from the Version menu. If you have more than one World of Warcraft account, you’ll see a second Account drop-down list. In this column, select the active account you want to play with.
- Click the Install button. The progress bar will tell you when your game is ready to play.
- Click the Play button when the installation is complete.
You will need to select the realm you want to play on from several different realm types. Make sure you choose the same realm as your friends – in World of Warcraft Classic, you can only group with characters that are on the same realm as you!
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