With Season 4 of Shadowlands, Blizzard is launching an experiment in World of Warcraft. Old raids and dungeons are making a stronger comeback and providing even better loot. This doesn’t sit well with everyone, and especially the bugs annoy many players. But MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus finds that the innovations give him real motivation to play again.
I have been playing World of Warcraft for almost 18 years and have rarely taken such a long break or willingly put myself on the bench of my raid group as I did in Shadowlands.
Although the addon initially excited me, the numerous responsibilities eventually became too much. I hardly had any time to have fun and this has hardly changed until the last patch.
Now Season 4 is here and I am having fun again in WoW. I enjoy logging in, eagerly visiting the dungeons, and I am also happy to be in the raids. Strictly speaking, nothing or little new is there.
Season 4 is generally viewed unfavorably by players because many things do not work as they should. And yes, even though I can understand the frustration as a progress player, the new season does many things right that I have long wished for from WoW.
You can see the trailer for Season 4 here:
“Fateful” affixes are what the raids need
For me, the new… or rather the old raids are the highlight of Season 4. I know that many complain mainly about Mythic+ dungeons and very little is said about raids, but they are really well done.
Nathria Castle is perhaps the best raid World of Warcraft has ever had after Karazhan, and Lord Denathrius is definitely one of the best villains of all time. I have rarely felt so invited and at the same time showcased.
Both the Sanctum of Domination and the Mausoleum of the First were simply boring in comparison. Being allowed to return to Nathria with Season 4 and show the arrogant count the door feels wonderful. And the new raid affixes make it even better.
Instead of just making the raid harder, the new affixes introduce additional mechanics into the game. Suddenly it becomes essential to use Heroism/Berserk at different points or to prioritize targets differently, meaning classes that were previously underrated are now more useful. As a warrior, I currently enjoy the countless targets of Chaotic Essence.
Admittedly, especially with later bosses like Forgemaster Raznal, this is less entertaining, depending on the affix. The Sanctum feels a whole lot harder anyway. Still, the idea behind the mechanics shows how simple means can create added value.
A little bonus: the soul of the Old Warrior from Sylvanas was still one of the best items for many classes despite its low item level in the subsequent raid tier. Having such items now as absolute endgame gear for all raids extracts the full potential from the characters.
Nothing is really new, but still challenging
The new affix with the Dreadlords in Mythic+ is nothing special, hardly changes the routes, and simply brings a buff that you can choose for yourself. It’s fine, there is nothing to complain about or praise here.
What makes the season particularly good is the selection of instances. The “new” mythic dungeons are really well done. Just to remind you: WoW has brought back 6 old dungeons and added Tazavesh to the Mythic rotation. This leaves:
- Karazhan (Upper and Lower)
- Tazavesh (Puppet Show and Streets)
- Mechagon (Scrapyard and City)
- Iron Docks
- Grimrail Depot
As Karazhan is my favorite instance and was already in TBC, I know it inside and out. I have run Mechagon so often that I could probably be woken up at night and still remember the routes.
What I want to say is: I know the dungeons well, they haven’t really changed. And yet, at the moment, it’s only hard to complete higher keys within the time limit.
I would count my guild among the “better” players, even if we are still far from the top in Europe or even Germany. And even we have problems completing some keys above level 15 in time.
But honestly … so what? Then I just have to try harder to get my loot. That’s absolutely okay, because I want to earn my new weapon, my ring, or my trinket. That’s what I play for.
Yes, problems like the Grimrail Depot with incorrect scaling are annoying, no question. Many dungeons will receive a nerf and in a few weeks the gear will be strong enough again to bake some bread on a +15 without wiping.
To my shame, I must admit that I praised the Grimrail Depot as the best dungeon of WoD and I still stand by it. I love the instance, only the modern mistakes perhaps didn’t need to happen. It somewhat undermines my point:
Like a “Best Of” of the expansion
All in all, Season 4 feels like a kudos to the expansion, highlighting the beautiful moments instead of ending on a bad note. Not the criticized story or the somewhat rough final raid is the rejection, but rather the “Best Of”.
For my part, every expansion can end like this. From the upcoming expansion Dragonflight, we already know that a rotation with old dungeons is even planned from the beginning.
The first 2 new dungeons I could check out in the Alpha can be seen here:
Whether this proves to be right remains to be seen – but at least right now, I consider the reuse of old content a good idea. Many still travel through old dungeons today, whether for transmog, mounts, or simply for nostalgia.
For me, that time was never worth it, even though I enjoy reminiscing. However, to have a motivating force that drives me to my happiness now pleases me. Even if Season 4 largely covers up some flaws of Shadowlands, I am currently having a lot of fun. And I am now even more looking forward to Dragonflight:
Dragonflight shows me in the Alpha exactly what I have loved about WoW for 18 years
