In the past few days, there has been some trouble regarding a hidden anti-grinding mechanic in World of Warcraft. Blizzard has finally responded: An attempt to prevent exploits had proven too strict and also affected the gameplay of honest WoW players.
Only 10% exp from everything – even from pet food
For several days, reports from angry players have appeared in Blizzard’s official US forum: Blizzard has, without announcement, ruined their play style in World of Warcraft. Players who regularly kill the same mobs now receive only one-tenth of the experience from the 15th onwards. But players who quickly quest and deal with many mobs, for example in Icecrown, have also suddenly reported immense EXP losses.
For days, players conducted various tests, experimenting with how long a break between kills should last, and pondering the question. They increasingly demanded an answer from Blizzard. Could this be an “anti-bot” mechanic that has now also caught honest players in World of Warcraft?
“Oops,” says Blizzard – that wasn’t the intention
Finally, a “Blue Post” has arrived, which is what the developers’ responses are called. Game Designer Ion “Watcher” Hazzikostas addressed the fans’ concerns. And indeed, it was not just a figment of imagination; they had actually adjusted the mechanic in World of Warcraft. However, they did not intend to introduce an “anti-grinding” mechanic, but rather to implement an anti-bot or anti-exploit mechanic.
They wanted to punish players who exploit certain circumstances in order to provide more generous rewards for “honest” players. Again and again, they had to reduce the EXP for quickly respawning bosses or certain other mobs in World of Warcraft (such as those with low HP that are entangled in fights with other NPCs). They did this out of fear that players would exploit such spots to farm, for example, the same mob that yields more EXP or to farm low-HP mobs.
This EXP penalty has always been strange, as it also punishes “normal” players who are simply passing through to complete quests. And they were not the target at all.
They wanted to find a way that normal players wouldn’t notice, but that made it unattractive to simply be at a spot and farm the same mobs. Apparently, this was not achieved with the currently implemented mechanic. It was far too strict. Therefore, they decided to deactivate it for now. Ideally, this mechanic should never have been noticeable to “normal” players.
