WoW Classic is getting its first expansion, The Burning Crusade, soon – basically for the second time. However, TBC Classic will not be exactly as it was 14 years ago. There will be some changes, and one of the newer ones is good for all players.
This is the change: The developers have announced that the distance of nameplates in TBC Classic will be increased. Instead of showing enemy nameplates only up to 20 meters away as before, it will now be up to 41 meters.
According to Blizzard, this feature should have been in the game earlier, but the developers encountered technical limits back then (via Blizzard). In the beta, you can smoothly adjust the distance between 0 and 41 meters with the following command:
- /script C_CVar.SetCVar(‘nameplateMaxDistance’, XX)
- XX is a number between 0 and 41 in meters
A similar command worked for a short time in WoW Classic but was disabled after a while. In TBC Classic, the feature is supposed to be implemented by default.
What does the change affect? Many players are used to recognizing or targeting enemies through their nameplates thanks to the new WoW or addons. But with just 20 meters, it is hard to see which enemy is in front of you. So the change helps:
- while leveling, to locate quest mobs more easily
- in PvE in dungeons and raids, to see enemies better
- in PvP for better overview of the battlefield
Especially mages and hunters will be pleased. The two classes have the highest range in the game at 41 meters and can now also see the nameplates of the enemies they attack before getting significantly closer.
TBC Classic will not be the same as 14 years ago
What else is changing: Although TBC Classic is intended to be as close to the original as possible, there are some changes to the game compared to before. Most of these are mainly quality changes, but balancing is also being adjusted. Some of the most important differences include:
- Paladins of both factions have access to seals that were normally reserved for Horde (Seal of Blood) and Alliance (Seal of Retribution)
- Arena teams can now comprise double the number of players as the list they play in (e.g. four players in 2v2)
- Drums leave a tinnitus debuff, preventing them from being used for two minutes
The discussion on whether TBC Classic should remain completely the same or receive changes has been occupying the community since the announcement. At least the nameplates are received largely positively (via reddit).
When does TBC Classic come out? On June 2nd, you can once again cross through the Dark Portal and explore the shattered world. The pre-patch starts on May 19th. There you can even play the new races of Blood Elves and Draenei to prepare a character.
With TBC Classic, you can choose to continue playing your classic character up to level 70 or copy it so that it exists in both TBC and Classic. However, this will cost money. The costs have upset the community significantly and Blizzard has responded by reducing the costs by 50%.
