Even though World of Warcraft struggles to compete against younger games in terms of mechanics, combat, and graphics, the venerable MMORPG continues to be worth looking at if you enjoy exploration and nail-biting endgame content. But do attempt to temper your expectations if you’re likely to play it the very first time because the game is certainly not getting any younger.
Pros
Certain areas and characters endure surprisingly well even today
Arguably the very best raid content from any MMORPG, if you're able to get past the training curve
A wide number of races and classes to select from
Back when I first played World of Warcraft in 2005, I didn’t much take care of it. My fascination with Warcraft III compelled me to allow it a shot and I wound up disappointed that many of the characters featured in the beloved strategy game were nowhere to appear. To my young teenage mind, it was a form of betrayal so unforgivable that I wound up quitting the sport mere weeks after I started it. As fate would have it, I would return over time and eventually arrive at the understanding that World of Warcraft’s protagonists was never said to be Illidan, Arthas, or Jaina - these were always intended to be you and me.
That last part might seem obvious in this day and age, but MMORPGs remained very much in their infancy within the mid-2000s and also the concept eluded me at that time. Although I returned to the sport during Wrath from the Lich King for Arthas, I wound up spending the majority of my waking hours playing WoW for the better part of two years, not for that character or even the story, but rather for that world itself.
As those who have played WoW for just about any significant amount of their time can tell you, Azeroth is really a special place that outshines other video game worlds. Or a minimum of, that was previously the case. It can be special to this day, however, it all depends on which WoW you're playing. You see, you will find both Classic and retail (current expansion) servers available, and you will find some pretty big differences together. In the interest of painting a clearer picture of WoW in 2023, I'm going to draw several comparisons between your two.
But first, some generalities.
Playing World of Warcraft in 2023 is really a bit of a mixed bag no matter the version due to the sport’s aged mechanics. In spite of all of the improvements made through the years, the sport is nearly 2 decades old at this time and it shows. There are many reasons the reason why you may find it tough to enjoy World of Warcraft nowadays, using the first one which pops into mind is the combat system.
Combat was never the sport's strong suit and, for their credit, Blizzard continues to be trying to make it more intriguing and dynamic recently, particularly using the Dracthyr Evoker in Dragonflight. The new race/class combo has chargeable, multiphase abilities we haven’t seen before and it is in some ways much more mobile compared to Demon Hunter. Unfortunately, that’s simply not enough because at this time no quantity of improvements could make up for the fact that the sport is running on a very old engine.
Outside of PvP, where everyone is spinning around uncontrollably like they’re conducting a not-so-synchronized roller skating dance, combat in WoW is static by today's standards. Of course, your mileage will be different depending on your class but, in most cases, when you lock onto a target there’s no help to moving around in many situations. This makes melee classes such as the Warrior particularly dull while you spend the majority of your time standing still and pressing exactly the same handful of buttons when you wait for that animations to experience out.
Ranged classes such as the Mage, which is what I usually play, don’t feel particularly exciting either since many spells can not be cast while moving, and you’re effectively forced into conducting a repetitive rotation again and again if you want to keep the DPS up. Mind you, I never felt like I had to complete my usual rotations while questing, but once I started jumping into group content there is little room for experimentation since efficiency generally trumps experimentation when you are playing with others.
For probably the most part, questing and leveling in World of Warcraft don’t deviate an excessive amount from the traditional MMORPG formula. The main thing that separates WoW (and never in a great way) from a number of its competitors is the proven fact that once a brand-new expansion launches, the prior content becomes instantly obsolete. The idea is the fact that every new expansion is made to allow players to see wonderful new adventures without needing to worry an excessive amount about past content. The problem with this particular system is the fact that it's tailored for existing players, instead of new ones.
If you’re a brand new player beginning from scratch, you’ll still have to spend a lot of your time in old areas to level up before you reach the point where you can access the most recent expansion. This was previously extremely annoying in the past when progression was more linear, however, because of Chromie Time, something introduced in 2020 alongside Shadowlands that lets players level up their characters in an expansion they need, the sport is more flexible now. Leveling in old areas continues to be not great, but a minimum of now you are able to decide where to complete it, instead of being forced to undergo every single expansion within the order it had been released. In addition, there’s additionally a tutorial island where one can learn the ropes, and exploring it's surprisingly enjoyable even for any veteran player.
But while leveling a totally fresh character is the very best it’s experienced in years, leveling through the most recent expansion like a returning player is simply not very satisfying. Dragonflight is unquestionably a step up from Shadowlands and Battle For Azeroth when it comes to first impressions because of The Waking Shores, an introductory zone that has a lot to offer when it comes to variety. Unfortunately, it’s mostly downhill after that as the next two zones are comparatively pretty bland. By the time you get to the last zone, you’re already at max level and eager to begin delving into endgame content, so there's little reason for further questing and exploration.
Even though Dragonflight reworked that old talent trees and gave players more viable builds to experience in 2022, you'll still feel like you have to stick towards the almighty meta if you wish to experience endgame content. Unlike WoW Classic, in which the journey is usually more important compared to the destination, recent expansions happen to be focused entirely on the destination. This results in a big divide between players who wish to play the sport for fun and players who only worry about the endgame. Unless you're having fun with a group of friends, you are able to rarely have both. From my experience, laid-back WoW players tend to be more common in Classic while try-hard veterans dominate no matter what to be the present expansion.
People often discuss how meta in competitive games limits individuals to certain playstyles and builds, and nowhere is the fact that more true compared to World of Warcraft, where you’re certain to it both in competitive and cooperative content. When you’re playing a game title that’s existed for as long as WoW has, individuals have certain expectations from you no matter whether you’re a veteran or perhaps a newbie. Nowadays, it’s virtually mandatory to set up a bunch of add-ons and thoroughly study boss mechanics before you even consider delving into endgame content like raiding
A player’s inability to grasp all of the intricacies of the boss encounter will generally result in them getting kicked from the party and ridiculed to be a noob. This sort of elitism continues to be present within the game virtually since its inception, however, it's much more widespread, particularly on retail servers. Playing with friends is really as fun as always, but this applies to virtually any online game also it feels almost redundant to praise an MMORPG for something of that nature.
Questing and leveling in old WoW is really a more involved and often annoying process, however, it also gives players additional time to meet fellow adventures.
If you’re primarily interested in the social aspect, you’ll gladly know that it’s there, however, you’ll need to work for it a bit. You can still find guilds welcoming players new and old in each and every version of the game, and you’re certain to make several online buddies if you’re active and attempt to be helpful. Just be wary about joining raiding guilds if you’re not prepared to commit hrs to endgame content each week.
Raiding can become either probably the most fun you’ll have in WoW or even the least, based on your party and also the raid tier you’re attempting to clear. If there is taking care that has definitely improved in WoW through the years it’s the raiding, using the caveat that boss encounters also have become vastly more complicated compared to the olden days. This is really a double-edged sword, since adding complexity to badly designed bosses only serves to ensure they are worse. In turn, good boss encounters are often made even better using the addition of extra mechanics.
Fallen Avatar from Tomb of Sargers in Legion is definitely an infamous example of a boss with mechanics so punishing that creating even a small error while attempting to deal with them would often make the entire raid wipe. 'Git gud,' you say? Well, the truth is, even when everyone within the party plays perfectly, wipes continue to be almost inevitable since the fight also offers an RNG element that was impossible to predict. But the worst part is when claustrophobic and oppressive everything feels throughout the final phase of the fight.
Compare Fallen Avatar with Sire Denathrius from Castle Nathria in Shadowlands, to mention just one example, and you’ll notice some major differences. Sire Denathrius is really a difficult boss, but fighting him is vastly more enjoyable and rewarding. For starters, the arena changes several times throughout the fight, and also the boss constantly finds new methods to surprise players and subvert expectations. In addition, this fight is difficult but fair, and whether won by you or loses all amounts to skill rather than RNG.
Generally speaking, World of Warcraft bosses really are a mixed bag. The best you are able to hope for is really a good final boss, because those ones are usually the hardest to conquer, although you will find certainly types of regular bosses such as the aforementioned Fallen Avatar that may prove to become more challenging.
Endgame content aside, every version of World of Warcraft has its own merits and the sport as a whole still stands up in 2023, even though the long-running MMORPG is certainly not as impressive as it was previously. Visually, even the most recent expansion barely stands up to recent MMOs, not to mention big-budget single-player games.
So, Is It Worth It?
Recommending World of Warcraft in 2023 is fairly difficult simply because these days you will find so many other equally good or better games to select from. Even just within the MMORPG space, WoW has lots of competition from much more modern games like Final Fantasy XIV, Elder Scrolls Online, Lost Ark, and others.
Its pay model leaves a bit to become desired too. If you’re looking to experience Dragonflight, you have to buy the base game, and the development, and pay a monthly subscription in addition. This will cost you $65 or even more depending on which version you're buying, and that is just to begin. This isn't an excellent value proposition for me considering the sport also has microtransactions along with a number of questionable paid services. $10 to alter a character’s name? $25 to alter a character’s race? Is it anywhere between $15 and $25 for any mount, inside a game that already has near to 1000 mounts? It's a type of extortionate.
World of Warcraft is not the juggernaut that captured our imagination back in the mid and late 2000s. The game’s subscription model causes it to be difficult to recommend to new players and it is dated engine isn’t doing the work any favors either.
That said, if you’re having fun with a group of friends or find a community of like-minded people, World of Warcraft could be a fun game even today given the right circumstances. There’s definitely still a little of life left within this old MMORPG, but maybe attempt to temper your expectations if you’re likely to jump in the very first time because whether you choose to experience WoW Classic or retail, World of Warcraft has lost a lot of its magic through the years and it’s most likely not going to get it back in the near future.
