The Twitch streamer Asmongold has not missed an opportunity in recent months to criticize Blizzard and the MMORPG WoW . But now he says what still speaks for the online role-playing game and what makes it so ‘unironically’ good even today. WoW has a fundamental quality that is especially characterized by its combat system.
Who is the biggest critic of Blizzard?
- The Twitch streamer Asmongold has made a name for himself as the biggest MMORPG streamer on Twitch through World of Warcraft. He was long known for his dedication to WoW, but this love cracked in 2021. In the summer of 2021, he even switched from WoW and extensively played Final Fantasy XIV and other MMORPGs. As a result of his switch, WoW was surpassed as the biggest MMORPG on Twitch after many years.
- In recent months, Asmongold has relentlessly criticized the development of WoW. He had especially focused his criticism on the studio Blizzard. He said that Blizzard has lost its way, acts out of political correctness, and makes the game worse and worse. Asmongold’s criticism reflected the frustration of many long-time WoW fans about the current state of their favorite game in recent months.
- But now Asmongold is praising WoW and Blizzard again. He emphasizes that despite all the criticism, the game still has a fantastic core gameplay. That is the Blizzard quality that many envy the studio for.
“Unironically Blizzard Quality”
This is what Asmongold praises about WoW: The streamer says:
“Games live and die by their core gameplay, meaning how the game feels on a fundamental basis. Is it fun to play the game? It all revolves around this question: Is it responsive? That’s a huge deal. The existence of Black Desert Online is a good example of that.
Also World of Warcraft – I mean, everyone makes fun of WoW – for good reasons, but the combat in WoW is super-responsive. It’s really, really good. Even when you go back and play WoW Classic, the combat is really good. It’s so smooth. That is the unironical Blizzard quality that many people wish they had.”
Asmongold
Is that really the secret of WoW? It is at least a big factor. This “core gameplay loop” of a game, how it truly feels, is often cited as the explanation for why games that are clearly the most successful in their genre continue to thrive even after many years:
- For example, there was early discussion about the ‘core gameplay loop’ in Destiny, which consists of shooting – taking cover – throwing a grenade – shooting. Back then, it was said that if you could achieve 30 seconds of good gameplay, you could chain it together and develop a good game.
- The core gameplay of League of Legends still seems to function outstandingly well even after decades, and people do not tire of spending their time with the MOBA after tens of thousands of hours.
- Asmongold himself cites an interesting example of the system: The MMORPG Black Desert, with microtransactions, grinding, and a lack of PvE focus, has many elements working against its success in the West, but the core gameplay is so exceptionally good that Black Desert remains popular. The most hardcore fans of Black Desert play for thousands of hours just to reach a new level.
Despite all the criticism of WoW: It is this core gameplay of WoW that ensures that combat still feels good even after 16 years of grinding. For many MMORPG fans, farming mobs or doing daily quests belongs to a kind of meditative routine at the end of a workday. This only works because fighting feels “so good.”
Many of the best MMOs and MMORPGs that you can play in 2021 are characterized by good core gameplay and a certain ‘fundamental quality’ in the foundation of the game:
