The puzzles of World of Warcraft are getting increasingly difficult and absurd. Moreover, they are called “Waist of Time”, which sounds like a waste of time. Is Blizzard just trolling its fans?
With Battle for Azeroth, there are again numerous puzzles in World of Warcraft. After the puzzle about the pet Baa’l was solved just over a week ago, a few days later the puzzle about the belt “Zeitvergoldung” followed – or in English, “Waist of Time”.
This is, of course, a play on words and stands for “wasting time” or “Waste of Time”. The name is indeed well chosen, as the puzzle kept players occupied for days. Even with a guide, solving the individual puzzles takes several hours, making it a very time-consuming task.
Together with the pun comes the question: Do players not feel trolled by Blizzard? After all, it is a long and very complicated puzzle, at the end of which the developers tell you: “Congratulations, here is your reward for the waste of time.”
Puzzle fun in WoW: The journey is the reward
Most players of the “WoW Secret Finding” Discord server seem to have no problem at all with how long the puzzles are and that the reward seems to be minimal. They are having so much fun with the puzzles that the actual reward takes a back seat. Similar to a treasure hunt, it is not the reward that is the true goal, but the fun of finding new clues.
That the puzzles are hardly solvable for average players anymore has been covered in this article:
Puzzle masters are still searching. However, the players of the “WoW Secret Finding” Discord server have not given up yet. They suspect that the belt is needed to unlock another step in the puzzle. Currently, they have no reliable lead, but the search is still ongoing.
As long as there is no clear confirmation from Blizzard that this puzzle has been solved, the puzzle masters will likely not rest. For them, it seems that this is not a “Waste of Time” – but rather a time-filling evening program over several days. Sometimes the journey is simply more beautiful than the destination.
This distinguishes puzzle masters significantly from “normal” players. For the puzzle masters, the puzzles and the next step are already reward enough. For “normal” players, the puzzles are just an annoyance that stands between them and the reward.
How did you perceive the puzzles of Legion and Battle for Azeroth? Is Blizzard just trolling its players, or do the developers give fans exactly what they want?
