Welcome to another Whine Wednesday. Without further ado, I continue the series with my complaints surrounding World of Warcraft. This is somehow my favorite topic, but I have to find a balanced approach between being an overly hyped fan and a fanatical critic, right?
A good plan – but is it well executed?
Just a few hours ago, I reported on some of the new legendaries that will be in World of Warcraft: Legion. Unlike before, the items with the orange lettering are no longer part of an endless questline, but can be found as random drops everywhere on the shattered islands. I absolutely commend the plan behind it, to restore the wonderful feeling of random drops from Classic, but not the way it is being implemented now.
Although there are still some details missing about the distribution, the core message was that these items are, in the broadest sense, randomly found – and this is exactly where my problem lies. The random drops in Classic were so great precisely because they had unique effects. These effects were minimal and often had only a small chance to activate at all. Just remember the Darkmoon card that would revive you 10% of the time upon your death – an absolute laugh in PvP when you could stand up again and smack the bewildered rogue with an instant pyroblast to the face.
Too much power – too much obligation?
In Legion, the effects of the legendaries have also become unique again, but infinitely stronger. They are not “nice to have” items, but so significant that players will be practically reliant on these legendaries.
- Who would want to bring a warlock who doesn’t have Wilfred’s Hat, which increases all damage of their demons by 20%?
- Why would you still want to bring a healer who can’t cast while moving?
- Why bring the nice druid tank if he doesn’t have the cloak that deals 5,000 damage as an aura to all enemies around him every second?
The legendaries in their current form are powerful. Way too powerful. Yes, it is a power befitting a “legendary” item. But the effects are – at least in their current form – absolutely not optional. They enhance many classes so much that without them, one would never set foot in a mythic raid again.
And ultimately, this means one of two things if they stay this way. Either every player can farm them relatively reliably and will have to grind specific areas for hours, or they will all eventually be “thrown” to everyone, ruining the great feeling of a random drop. So what will it be, Blizzard?
What is your opinion on the new legendaries? Are they too powerful, or do you find them interesting and exciting? Do you share my concerns, or do you see it calmly?
