Cortyn was initially skeptical, but now he is having a lot of fun with Patch 8.3 in World of Warcraft. But will this last long or fade away quickly?
Since yesterday (January 15, 2020), Patch 8.3 in World of Warcraft is live. I do not hide the fact that I was quite skeptical. This was mainly because I would have preferred to dedicate an entire expansion to an antagonist like N’Zoth rather than just a single patch. But also the fact that almost “only” old areas are being revised and there is little that is truly new made me skeptical.
But at least for now, I can put my doubts aside with confidence. I am having fun with Patch 8.3, as the content is really well done.
Great story combined with grind: First of all, I must congratulate Blizzard for the successful combination of the main story with grind elements. The large quest storyline around N’Zoth is cleverly integrated into the new endgame areas, so the initial repulsion of N’Zoth’s attacks does not feel bothersome at all.
For me, it was just a (somewhat more extensive) quest step that I liked. This has given me a more positive attitude towards the attacks and I will surely complete them many more times.
But the sheer length of the questline is also impressive. I think I was moving quite quickly, yet I still took just over 2 hours, excluding the completion of the attacks. This is due to several interesting scenarios, cool cutscenes, and a dense atmosphere.
For those who are not sure what to do, here is a neat to-do list to get started.
Diversion from the dreary everyday life: I particularly want to highlight the events during the attacks. There is really a lot of variety. In addition to the usual “Defend the NPC” events, there are also mini-games with small puzzles, such as the solar panels in Uldum. I also positively noticed the “stepping on eyes while dodging a laser” in the Valley of Eternal Blossoms.
The small inserts and events clearly lighten the action, making everything feel less grindy than it actually is.
Disturbing visions are my favorite: However, my personal highlight is the Disturbing Visions, which remind me strongly of the Chromie scenario. In the visions, you have limited time and must primarily achieve one goal: kill the final boss. This also marks the end of the visit.
Those who are brave can complete additional objectives in the instance, save some residents or simply kill a few enemies to increase the reward.
The trick is to plan your remaining health in such a way that you still have enough left to defeat the final boss, regardless of what else you have accomplished. For this, there is a new resource that can be invested back into talent points, which increases your strength in the Disturbing Visions.
This way, you can last longer, deal more damage, or even be resurrected once.
The only downside: The visions are massively limited. You can only visit them 2-3 times a week. Additionally, it can be very frustrating if you die due to a silly mistake and thus get set back in the upgrade of the legendary cloak or the talents for the visions.
However, Patch 8.3 also has a few bugs – you should be aware of them.
Conclusion:
Patch 8.3 has hooked me, but for how long?
In summary, Patch 8.3 has managed to break me out of my current WoW fatigue. I have spent many hours in a row back in the game and I am currently really excited about the new raid and more disturbing visions. Blizzard always manages to rekindle the fire in the fans.
However, I also have a slight fear that this fun will not last forever – probably not even for particularly long. After the main story has more or less been completed, one falls back into the daily routine. Those are the emissary quests, a quick visit to a small vision and a handful of daily quests.
Great variety does not seem to be expected and as soon as the attacks repeat after 2 weeks, the thrill could be gone again.
But until then I am having fun – and besides, the new raid is coming too…
How do you like Patch 8.3 so far? What is your first impression?
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