A new survey about World of Warcraft is currently causing excitement. Because perhaps the Classic characters will soon come to Retail.
World of Warcraft Classic and Retail, namely The War Within, are strictly separated. Although there is occasionally some small cross-promotion, the different game versions cannot interact with each other. That could change soon. A survey from Blizzard now hints at plans that Classic characters could soon travel to Retail. Something that is not well received in the community.
What has happened? On social media, such as on X or the WoW subreddit, screenshots are currently being published. These show that some players have been invited to a survey from Blizzard and are to answer questions about the future of WoW Classic.
One of the questions is: “After Mists of Pandaria ends, how interested would you be in each of the following options for your characters from Mists of Pandaria?”
One possible answer that can be given there is: “The transfer of my characters to modern WoW.”
What is the problem? The annoyance with this survey is that Blizzard had clearly ruled out the option back then. When “WoW Classic” started, many players wondered if they would be able to earn exclusive Classic rewards – such as transmog, which is no longer available in Retail – and credit that to their Retail account. This was denied by the developers at the time. They did not want people to play Classic just to grab a few items that are no longer available.
If Blizzard were to deviate from these original plans now, many would feel betrayed – because they had trusted that all the “Classic” items would not count towards the Retail collection.
Community fears betrayal but also sees an opportunity
This is how the community discusses: In the community, the plans, even if it’s just the option of a survey, are not well received. Many say they would have played Classic if their Retail collection would have benefited from it. For example, people are writing in the WoW subreddit:
- “It would be extremely controversial if this meant that unlocks from Classic also count in Retail. Blizzard was very clear back then that this would not happen and that they did not want people to play Classic for that reason. If they take that back now, many people will feel pretty cheated.” – KoriJenkins
- “I won’t lie, I would be a little angry if that happens. Another missed opportunity for the Corrupted Ashbringer …” – n1sx
Another player states:
- “As long as they bring back all the items they removed from Retail, I see no problem. Let’s get the bear from Zul’Aman, the Zul’Gurub mounts, and all the other things back. Otherwise, this action will be a Retail killer for many people who did not want to play Classic.”
Whether the survey actually indicates a “backtrack” or whether it is merely about finding out what the future of Classic might look like remains to be seen. After all, Blizzard could also choose a middle step and remove the corresponding items in a possible transfer to Retail.
A warlock has accomplished in WoW Classic what many others can only envy him for. He is cooler than all the other warlocks in the game – because his demonic companion wields a weapon that others may never be able to obtain.
