WoW demon Cortyn is dissatisfied with the events in World of Warcraft. Because the same mistake repeats itself over and over and over again.
Anyone who has participated in the various major events in World of Warcraft over the last few months – and has been there from the beginning – must have rolled their eyes multiple times. Because although the events are generally tested for weeks or even months, it seems Blizzard can never really get one thing right on the first try.
WoW is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary:
However, the events themselves are well done. Whether you can warm up to Plunderstorm or not like it at all because it is essentially PvP – it was something new that excited many players.
Just as Mists of Pandaria Remix was. The idea of re-releasing an entire old expansion for a few weeks, with interesting effects and the thought that you would be completely overpowered, was new and exciting.
The same applies to the birthday event of World of Warcraft. That we get another raid “just like that” in the middle of the season, which is not only full of nostalgia but also quite challenging, I like a lot.
But there is one commonality that all events have failed at equally:
A proper reward right from the start.
Rewards are part of the fun in an MMORPG
No matter if it’s about the “Plunder” in Plunderstorm, the bronze in MoP Remix, or the bronze dragon celebration badge at the birthday event – all reward currencies were given out so sparingly at the respective start that many felt it simply wasn’t worth it. You have to play forever for individual rewards, making it a tedious grind.
Of course, one could now say: Just play for pure fun! The rewards are just a bonus.
That is true for some content, but not for all, and I believe that perspective is individual for each person.
Plunderstorm was so much fun for me that the rewards were secondary. However, MoP Remix was enjoyable for me primarily because the rewards drew me in. For many, these two are likely inseparably linked.
Better to wait than to play?
It is no longer just a meme in the community, but a certainty: When a new event starts, you should not play it right away. Because Blizzard will adjust the rewards so strongly after 1-2 weeks anyway that everything beforehand felt unworthwhile, making you wonder why you even wasted time investing in it.
I’m also not quite sure what the plan behind this is. You could put on the tinfoil hat and think: “Blizzard does this intentionally to later improve the event, making everyone believe: Blizzard listens to the community.”
But I find that hard to imagine.
Because an old saying fits quite well here: There is no second chance for a good first impression.
Once an event is considered “burned,” it is hard to convince those who turned away annoyed after the first few days.
Those who put in effort are the “losers” later
At the same time, you hit all those in the face who really put in effort in the first days of an event and then after a while realize: Why the hell did I even invest time if the effort of a whole week can simply be completed in 20 minutes later?
From my perspective, Blizzard also tends to overcorrect in this regard. While you receive too little of a currency at the beginning of the event, it is then drastically boosted to the point where the exact opposite extreme is reached.
I find both approaches not particularly engaging – they do not entice me to engage with the system:
- If there is too little currency, I think: “Wow, what I have to do, that is just way too much.”
- If there is too much currency, I think: “It doesn’t matter what I do, I am overwhelmed with it everywhere. I don’t need to deal with it at all.”
Sure, it’s not easy to find a healthy middle ground here, but I increasingly get the impression that this is not even intended.
Ultimately, this system has led to the point where I can hardly look forward to new events or directly think: “Better wait a few days before playing the new content.” And that is just a shame.
World of Warcraft currently has some problems anyway – because newcomers are often hit over the head.
