“Soon” WoW Classic will launch. Back then, not only was everything “better”, but above all, it was different. We have put together a list of things that only true fans will remember.
Since the release of World of Warcraft in 2005, many things have changed. When the WoW Classic servers launch in summer 2019, the old game could still become the MMORPG hit of 2019.
Those who have stayed active will have gotten used to many new features, and those who haven’t played since then may have forgotten a lot. We’ll help refresh your memory.
1. Classic Dungeons were different
Every dungeon that existed in Classic has now received at least one adjustment. The enemies, layout, tactics, and level restrictions have changed.
Did you know that in Classic, you fought against Worgen instead of undead in Shadowfang Keep and that the boss of the Deadmines was Vanessa’s father, Edwin von Cleef?
2. No resurrection in Dungeon
If you died in a dungeon or raid, you had to run back. There were no mass resurrections, and after a wipe, you reappeared as a ghost at the nearest graveyard.
To resurrect, you had to run to the entrance of the dungeon. At least in the upcoming version, there will be the ability to trade loot.
3. Areas were level-ordered
In Classic, no areas in Azeroth scaled with the character’s level. World scaling came much later. Back then, it could happen that enemies suddenly became too weak and quests provided hardly any experience points.
New players had to be careful not to accidentally travel through areas for which their level was insufficient. Even normal enemies could be deadly. Stronger foes guaranteed death.
4. There was no “fast mail”
If you were expecting a letter, you had to wait. Always. There was no express delivery between your own characters or even guild members. A letter only arrived an hour after it was sent.
5. New skills were expensive and cumbersome
If you leveled up, you didn’t automatically learn the next rank of a spell or new spells right away. You had to go to your class trainer and purchase new abilities with gold and silver.
It became particularly tedious later on. Many abilities required tomes that dropped in the open world or in dungeons. If you could afford it, you might even find them in the auction house.
6. There were more weapon slots
Each class had an additional weapon slot:
- Hunters, Warriors, and Rogues could carry ranged weapons
- Priests, Mages, and Warlocks got wands
- Shamans, Paladins, and Druids had relics, totems, and idols
There was also a distinction between ranged and thrown weapons. If you wanted to use ranged weapons, you had to be able to “shoot.” Thrown knives and similar weapons required the “throwing” skill.
7. Ranged weapons required distance and ammunition
If you wanted to shoot with bows, guns, or similar items, you had to carry ammunition. Without ammunition, the attacks did not work.
Additionally, there was a minimum range. If you stood too close to the enemy, you couldn’t attack them with ranged weapons. This also led to a dead zone, as there were about 2 meters between maximum melee range and minimum ranged range.
8. Weapon skills had to be learned and improved
When you got a new weapon, you couldn’t necessarily use it immediately. There were weapon skills that you might have to learn from the class trainer.
Furthermore, it was necessary to train with each weapon and improve the corresponding skill through attacks. If you didn’t do that, you wouldn’t hit or dealt less damage.
9. Mounts and pets took inventory space
If you wanted to show off your mounts and pets, you needed a lot of inventory space. Each mount and pet took up its own slot in your backpack.
By the way, mounting also took longer. Today, when you mount your mount, it takes 1.5 seconds. In Classic, it took 3 seconds.
10. Some buffs and abilities required reagents
Many spells could not be used by spellcasters just like that. The abilities in Classic often required specific reagents:
- Mages needed runes for teleportation and portals
- Rogues had to mix their poisons themselves
- Druids needed Dreamfoil for resurrection
The reagents were available from reagent vendors in cities.
11. There were “debuff slots”
In Classic, enemies could not simply be afflicted with an unlimited number of damage-over-time spells. The number of DoTs and debuffs per target was limited to 8, later to 16. This limitation will also be present on the Classic servers.
12. Elite mobs were truly “elite”
An enemy with a golden frame around their portrait is called an “elite mob.” These are stronger enemies that have lost much of their shine today and can often be taken down alone by players.
In Classic, that was almost impossible. Such an enemy typically needed a full group of players and could easily wipe unprepared players.
13. Respec cost gold
What can now be done for free with a mouse click in any resting area once cost a hefty sum. If you wanted to respec, you had to fork over, and the cost increased over time.
Respeccing once cost up to 50 gold and was possibly one of the worst things returning with Classic. The price decreased by 5 gold if you did not reset your talents for a month.
14. PvP realms had restrictions
The PvP realms today have largely been replaced by the new war mode. But in Classic, there were realms where you could whack the opposing faction without any hesitation.
There was one condition: Every player had to choose a faction. If you played a Horde character on a PvP realm, you could not create Alliance characters there.
Whether this will be the case in summer remains to be seen. The upcoming Classic servers will, however, use sharding technology.
15. Gathering required “skill” and tools
In Classic, to gather certain herbs, ores, and leathers, you first had to achieve a certain skill level in the corresponding profession. Before that, the items could not be gathered. Additionally, pickaxes and skinning knives were necessary.
Today, anything can be gathered with any skill level, just more or less effectively.
Some terrible things from WoW we have already forgotten. Others, like the 15 things above, could return with the Classic servers of WoW.
WoW Classic launches in summer 2019.
Do you still remember these things?
In WoW Classic, a lot was different:
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