In WoW: Classic, a sharding technology will be used, but only to a limited extent. We explain what this means.
For some, it will surely be a bit of a dampener, others will see it as necessary: World of Warcraft: Classic will use a variation of the “sharding” technology at launch in August. It is called “layering” and ensures that multiple “instances” of the same continent are available on a realm. However, this is only a temporary measure.
What is layering in World of Warcraft: Classic? Layering is fundamentally similar to “sharding” in the current WoW. It means that if too many players are in the vicinity, WoW will create another version of the respective continent to accommodate additional players in the “new” version of the continent. So, it would be possible that at the beginning, you play with friends on the same realm, but cannot see each other because you are in different versions.
However, there should not be permanently “popping up” players. Once you are in your version of the game, you remain in this version, unless you join a group that is currently in a different version.
Why does WoW: Classic even use layering? The developers assume that the rush at the launch of WoW: Classic will be gigantic. However, not all of the many players who check in at launch will likely stay long. To handle this gigantic initial load, layering is used.
Otherwise, players would find hundreds or even thousands of characters in a starting area and would not be able to make any progress. It is about reducing the initial load for servers and players.
No more layering from Phase 2: It is important to mention that layering is only used temporarily. Currently, it is planned to use this for about 4 weeks, but depending on the popularity of the game and necessity, the time can be shortened or extended.
However, with the start of Phase 2, there will be no more layering. This is the point at which world bosses will also be available. Here, players should have the same challenges as back then – which also means competition for the respective bosses.
More about the individual phases of WoW: Classic can be found in this article.
In summary, WoW: Classic thus uses a modified sharding technology at launch to manage the initial rush. However, this system is expected to be permanently turned off after a short time and will no longer be used.
Do you think it is good that WoW: Classic resorts to these more modern technologies at launch? Or does this ruin the gameplay experience and should not be active at launch?
