The mood in WoW Classic could soon become rougher. At least if two developers are allowed to implement their idea of pitting realms against each other.
Besides the retail version “WoW: Dragonflight”, the various classic variants of World of Warcraft continue to enjoy great popularity – even if it sometimes fluctuates. Many realms in Wrath of the Lich King Classic are now somewhat underpopulated. Therefore, the developers are considering merging some realms. But in light of this idea, two WoW developers had another thought: Why not let the largest Alliance and the largest Horde realm face off against each other?
What was said? The Senior Game Producer of World of Warcraft, Tom Ellis, explained an interesting idea on Twitter:
Alright, so we looked at the realms of Wrath Classic and thought about how we could condense them a bit before the launch of Cataclysm, into mega-realms like during the Season of Discovery. But while we were doing that, we realized that there’s an opportunity here that we have too much fear to act on.
Faerlina-US and Benediction-US are fake PvP realms, both have 99% of one faction. One Horde and one Alliance, and nearly in the same numbers. [Josh Greenfield] and I want to desperately throw the two realms together and activate the faction balancing.
What is the problem with the two realms? In Wrath of the Lich King Classic, many realms only have the designation “PvP” as a theoretical construct. Because actual PvP does not exist on many realms at all. This is due to the factions being equipped with a massive imbalance. On some realms, there is a Horde proportion of nearly 99%, while on others, there is a proportion of 99% Alliance.
It is unlikely that actual PvP conflicts will arise here. If they do, it is more akin to a communal beating.
Is this a good idea? The WoW developers are also not entirely sure about this. Because while Faerlina and Benediction are technically PvP realms, there is basically no PvP happening there. Therefore, Tom Ellis continued:
The problem is that a very real number of people who have established themselves on these realms never really wanted to confront the reality of balanced PvP, and shaking that could cause them to leave.
For this reason, Ellis also asks the players of these two realms what they think of this idea.
This is how the community reacts: At least in the comments on X/Twitter, many seem to support this experiment.
- “I started on Faerlina and then switched to Benediction because I always play Alliance. I want to do PvP, but it just doesn’t exist. Personally, I would love to see how this goes, as long as PvE players get a free transfer to another PvE realm.” – TirrinWoW
- “Both realms should be PvP realms. Most players on these realms hopefully understand that. I see no reason why the two shouldn’t merge. It WILL be chaotic at the beginning. But with balancing and more, I think it will be worth the stress in the long run.” – Steve
However, many also believe that the concept of “war mode” from modern World of Warcraft could be adapted. Because then one could decide, regardless of realm and community, whether or not to participate in PvP battles.
Is this going to happen? Probably not. The developers themselves emphasize that the idea would shake up the “status quo” too much, although they find the idea interesting and therefore ask for feedback. If this won’t be a permanent solution, then perhaps it could be something that could be tried temporarily.
Would you like to see such “mega PvP realms” where both factions are present in large numbers? Or do you think the current distribution with one side’s dominance is just right for Classic?
In WoW Classic, players are currently facing unique challenges – such as playing a mage without spells.
