As good as World of Warcraft is, one thing is becoming increasingly clear. It is annoying, and the latest patch makes this abundantly clear.
If you look at the current expansion, The War Within, of World of Warcraft and consider all the new features that have been introduced in recent months, this addon should be a strong contender for one of the best expansions of all time. However, as good as the game currently is, there is a growing problem that has surfaced with every single patch in recent years and temporarily dampens the enjoyment of the game. This happens precisely when WoW should be showcasing its strongest side.
What is going on with WoW right now? When you look at WoW objectively from the outside, the game is doing better than ever. New content patches are released at very regular intervals, and special events are launched with some really creative and exciting highlights in between, such as “Remix” or “Plunderstorm.”
The latest patch 11.1.5 was released at a good time, before boredom could set in with patch 11.1. The next patch 11.1.7 is already in the works, as is its successor, 11.2, and the housing feature is slowly coming into reach.
So what is the problem?
The First Impression – WoW Messes It Up Every Time
If there is one constant that runs through recent WoW patches, it is the rather weak first impression of new content.
This was already evident during WoW’s big 20th anniversary celebration. At the beginning, there were so few reward tokens that one got the impression: “Wow, I have to farm here for weeks just to own a single set.”
Patch 11.1.5 even added insult to injury. Because not only was the first impression weak, but the release policy of the content is being heavily criticized.
Patch 11.1.5 actually contains 3 different pieces of content to look forward to:
- The faction “Radiance of Flame” with a new area event
- The return of “Disturbing Visions” with new rewards
- “Devious Duos,” a new fun PvE event where you chase high scores against boss fights
The catch with this content is that only one of these 3 events is available so far – and it’s the most boring one: the Radiance of Flame. The rest will be released at intervals of 4 and 6 weeks.
This is a strange decision. Because in the pre-reporting and announcements, it was primarily the Disturbing Visions that were the clear highlight of the patch. The fact that they are not available at launch causes immediate discontent and many disappointment lead players to log out again.
While one group is now loudly shouting “Timegating!”, I can of course understand Blizzard’s decision. Spacing out new content a little in WoW can have the nice effect of there being something new to do in World of Warcraft every month. There is fundamentally nothing wrong with that, but the spacing of the developers here is extremely unfortunate.
At the launch of a patch, there is something I like to call “patch euphoria.” It’s the first day of a new patch when you are eager to log in and are almost overwhelmed by the abundance of new content. You quickly look through everything, choose the most interesting parts, and then lose yourself in them. This is also the time when you reach out to former players to tell them how great the new features in WoW are.
Actually.
However, if this new feature is just an event that takes place every hour and after the first completion only minimal rewards remain, the thought inevitably arises: “Oh, is that it?”
Almost always, WoW has to correct a few days after a patch and either drastically increase the reputation gain or the rewards.
While this is ultimately good for players, it simply ruins the first impression. Because many don’t give an event a second or third chance. Either it is fun right away – or you might as well skip it.
I can’t really pinpoint where this issue lies. Perhaps it’s the rapid frequency with which patches are released. Maybe the time is too short to thoroughly test everything.
However, it may also be Blizzard’s mindset of making rewards “too bad” initially and then correcting upwards, rather than doing it the other way around, which would upset the players even more.
It is clear, however, that Blizzard needs to learn again how to release patches in a way that the first impression is spectacular. A patch needs to be fun from the first minute and not only after two weeks, when the problems in many areas have been resolved.
At least the next patch brings another nice mount – if the launch doesn’t mess up.
