World of Warcraft has changed significantly. We list the biggest changes since the launch here – and illustrate how much the MMORPG has evolved.
Slowly but surely, World of Warcraft is approaching its 20th anniversary. However, the game from 2004 has little in common with the modern MMORPG and has undergone some drastic changes. We take a look at the biggest changes that have occurred in the history of Azeroth.
1. Paladins for the Horde, Shamans for the Alliance
In the early years, it was the respective brand identity of the Horde and the Alliance. While the Alliance had righteous Paladins who healed their teammates and distributed powerful blessings, the Horde relied on the support of Shamans and their diverse totems, and of course, the Battle Rage.
With “The Burning Crusade,” this separation was removed, as Draenei from the Alliance became Shamans and Blood Elves from the Horde became Paladins. However, it is still remembered by many fans that the two classes “were actually” only supposed to belong to one of the factions – and this, despite the fact that this separation only belonged to a small fraction of the lifespan of World of Warcraft.
2. Flying Mounts – An Eternal Controversy
Also in The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft introduced flying mounts. This faster, freer method of traveling was an amazing experience at first, but soon sparked recurring discussions.
Once the heroes got used to flying, it became very difficult to bind them back to the ground. With every new expansion, the discussion reignited, why flying was not available from the start.
Blizzard repeatedly argued that they designed the game world for players to experience it on foot the first time – while fans countered that they want to decide how they experience the game.
In the meantime, Blizzard has found a compromise with dragon flying and simply created a world designed “with flying mounts.”
3. Raids with Different Difficulties
Since Vanilla, there has been this myth that raids in World of Warcraft are only for the game’s “elite.” At least in part, that’s true, because those who wished to visit raids had to join a large group and best allocate several evenings each week – it was a social commitment.
However, even a complete group was no guarantee that a raid could be fully completed, after all, this was where the toughest battles that World of Warcraft had to offer could be found.
Blizzard also realized that it might not be the best thing if only a small fraction of players experienced this content, which is so important for the story.
Some referred to this as “casualization,” and different difficulty levels were introduced. Now there is even a “foolproof” version, the LFR. There, bosses go down easier, and it is even possible to complete raids with a random group.
In fact, this new system allowed Blizzard to adjust the difficulty both downward and upward. While the LFR is indeed extremely easy, the “Mythic” difficulty is harder than anything that has existed in World of Warcraft before.
The hardest WoW raid bosses of all time are here for you.
4. Cataclysm: The Largest Content Removal in WoW History
The Cataclysm was Blizzard’s attempt to bring the “old” world up to modern standards. Deathwing ravaged the entire world, and most old areas were equipped with new quests and stories. The storyline progressed, and in many places, heroes could experience the consequences of their actions from many years ago and how areas had changed.
However, the presence of new things everywhere also meant something else: The old had to make way.
This effectively buried Blizzard’s “Vanilla” game world along with many of the quests that had been loved and cherished over the years. Not only that, many of the old quest rewards were no longer obtainable afterward.
Objectively speaking, while the quest flow in the Cataclysm areas is now much more cohesive and logical, many beloved quest lines have been lost and can no longer be experienced.
This decision likely fueled the community’s desire for a “classic” WoW even more.
Since then, Blizzard has been taking a different approach and almost always incorporates a time travel option in the areas, mostly in the form of a bronze dragon, allowing players to visit an old version of the area, even if it has changed due to newer events.
5. Cross-Realm Action – Together Across the Globe
By now, it is the standard, and everyone has gotten used to it. However, for a long time, it was different, and it was only possible to play with players who were based on the same realm. If one was on the realm “Die Aldor,” one could only play with other players from “Die Aldor.”
This was changed in several steps. First, Blizzard merged the realms into “clusters.” Several realms were connected and could share a game world. This revived “dead” realms and ensured that there were always enough players to meet other friends (or enemies).
In the second step, this barrier was completely torn down. Thanks to Battle.net friendships or the group finder, it is possible to hop onto all other realms of the same region and play with friends there.
In the past, this was a major limiting factor. When one found out from a friend or a colleague that they also played WoW, the initial excitement soon turned into disappointment, as one realized that they would never play together unless one of them left their old realm behind.
Good thing that’s no longer the case.
6. Abolition of PvP Realms
The first decision in the life of any WoW character is the choice of the right realm. For a long time, this not only affected the players one could encounter but also the game mode. Because if one chose a PvP realm, they had to live with the constant thrill of other faction members showing up and easily extinguishing their character’s life lights while questing.
What could be fun at first could turn into a torture if there was no balance on the realm. Often one faction dominates, and realms with a distribution of 90% Horde and 10% Alliance are not uncommon.
This decision could not be reversed without starting the character anew on another realm.
That is now a thing of the past. There are only PvE and RP realms left. On every realm, it is possible to switch to the war mode at specific locations (capitals) where PvP is permanently active, and there are even special PvP activities. If one has had enough of that, they can switch back to the non-war mode in any inn in the world and quest peacefully side by side.
7. Cross-Faction Groups
One of the most recent changes and yet one with drastic effects. Since the end of Shadowlands, it has been possible for the Alliance and Horde to join together in groups and conquer instanced content. Whether dungeons or raids, these activities can be completed in mixed groups both in endgame and during leveling.
While a large part of the player base was immediately thrilled by this change, there was also skepticism at the introduction. The identity of the Horde and Alliance would be diluted, and the game should start to be called “World of Peacecraft.” These complaints have since quieted down, and Blizzard is even going further:
In Patch 10.1 Glut von Neltharion, it will even be possible for the Horde and Alliance to play in the same guilds and thereby share a pool of resources or write to each other in the guild chat.
What major changes do you think World of Warcraft has undergone?
