WOW Classic Guide
28/07/2022 11:35:42
Game Guides , World Of Warcraft , WOW Gameplay Guides
World of Warcraft Classic (2004/2019)
You don’t have to be a serious gamer to know about the buzz behind the game World of Warcraft. This game, also referred to as "WoW," was extremely well-received when it was first released in 2004. World of Warcraft is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in which players roam the virtual world, fighting monsters and completing quests. It takes place within the world of Azeroth about four years after the events of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Players enjoyed new features regularly, usually in the form of expansion packs, as the game developed. In turn, the gameplay has gotten quite different. Many players had pleaded with Blizzard, the game's creator, to bring back the "classic" or "vanilla" WoW. In 2019, Blizzard introduced WoW Vanilla (or Classic) in response to these requests, complete with a dedicated server for players seeking the purest rendition of the classic WoW game.
What is WoW Classic?
Announced in 2017, Classic recreates the game in the state it was in before The Burning Crusade expansion. The player characters' maximum level is set to 60, there is no expansion content, and nearly all of the gameplay mechanics from the original version have been faithfully replicated.
The eight original races of World of Warcraft are available for players to select from orcs, trolls, tauren, the Forsaken, humans, dwarves, gnomes and night elves for the Alliance. The first nine classes—druid, hunter, mage, paladin, priest, rogue, shaman, warlock, and warrior—are still available. Only Alliance players can become paladins, and only Horde players can become shamans, just like in the original game. The game does not support the races and classes added in the expansions. The pre-Cataclysm state of the game world has been restored, and expansion zones like Outland are inaccessible.
WoW Classic Development
"You think you do, but you don't." - J Allen Brack
The World of Warcraft community has long advocated for the availability of Classic servers. Numerous players have expressed a preference for earlier iterations of the game since each expansion has replaced or removed outdated content and added contentious or unwanted mechanics. From unobtainable raid items, opening faction-specific classes, to flying mounts which were criticized for their effect on world PvP, Blizzard’s repeated refusal only fueled the demand for Classic and other legacy realms. When the subject came up during a Q&A session at Blizzcon 2013, J Allen Brack famously responded, "You think you do, but you don't," a statement that would later be made into a meme.
In the meantime, the loyal community was developing a lot of private servers. Private servers shifted focus and were seen as a way to faithfully recreate earlier iterations of the game as expansions advanced and demand for legacy realms increased. Nostalrius was the most popular server; it launched in February 2015 and had 800,000 registered accounts and 150,000 active players when it shut down on April 10, 2016, in response to a cease and desist letter from Blizzard.
At BlizzCon 2017 on November 3, the World of Warcraft executive producer at the time, J. Allen Brack, announced Classic live on stage. More information about the project was made public in interviews, where it was stated that it would be a faithful recreation of the original version of the game running on the current infrastructure. A developer blog post published on June 15 of 2018 provided additional technical implementation details. A panel discussion about the game's development was held at BlizzCon 2018.
How Can I Play WoW Classic?
Is it too late to immerse yourself into WoW Classic? So, if you're wondering whether it will be worthwhile to play World of Warcraft Classic in 2022, you'll almost certainly find the answer here.
The real magic of WoW Classic lies in fostering dynamic player interactions, a vibrant world, an incredible community, difficult quests, and player accountability. This is why it is still widely played in 2022.
So how can you play WoW Classic? Firstly, you must download Blizzard's Battle.net launcher from the company's website to play WoW Classic. Once that has been downloaded and you have a World of Warcraft subscription, just use the launcher to download the game and wait for it to finish. When the game has finished downloading, a drop-down menu will appear above the large blue "Play" button. Choose World of Warcraft Classic from the menu, press "Play," and you'll be taken to the game.
Why Should You Play WoW Classic?
A Community Like No Other
Even though you may dislike it, Classic World of Warcraft forces you to cooperate and engage with the community. This incredible community is the reason why World of Warcraft Classic is humming with activity. Traders advertise their goods loudly, providing equipment and magical items at affordable prices. Players are waiting patiently in line to finish the quest's objectives. To protect themselves from hazardous low-level enemies, adventurers form parties.
Community relations are not harmed by the startup economy either. There aren't any seasoned crafters producing products and tossing them into the auction house. Players are requesting craftsmen to get together and make their goods in trade conversation rather than going to the market for manufactured goods. This keeps the spirit of MMOs.
Quests That Test Your Might
In WoW Classic, there are dozens of different objectives you can work toward during your game sessions. Progress is slow yet gratifying. You can seek the game's rarest mounts and pets, look for spectacular loot with special abilities, or just concentrate on improving your character's weaponry skills.
There is a whole lot of walking and a whole lot of killing two dozen creatures to collect four or five quest items. The world moves more slowly and there is more interaction with the world map, but it also makes the game more tedious and irritating for some. You walk past people that you can start a fight with, lend a hand, or even join them when a huge spontaneous battle breaks out in the world.
Immersive Nostalgia
You've likely heard that WoW Classic is a challenging and drawn-out game. This is accurate, but it's also for the best. Your character is weak, and it's difficult to get Classic World of Warcraft gold and purchase all the greatest items, unlike with WoW Gold from the retail version of World of Warcraft, battling foes takes longer, and you need to be careful not to pull too many! All of this results in an immersive game. The richness of the world and your place in it snares you, and before you know it, many hours have passed.
In general, WoW Classic transported an entire generation to a simpler time. Despite being 15 years old, it gets these two things pretty right on the fundamentals. There is much to accomplish, much to work toward, and a lot of friends or foes to make. If these things sound worth your while, then give WoW Classic a shot!
Do you have fond raiding memories while playing WoW Classic with your friends? Where were you when the Classic server was announced? Leave a comment if we encouraged you to try WoW Classic again or for the first time!
