The latest update of World of Warcraft is just around the corner. However, Patch 8.1 will not please all players – at least that’s what Cortyn thinks.
After long weeks of testing, the Patch 8.1, Tides of Vengeance, of World of Warcraft is just about to be released. Starting next Wednesday, December 12, 2018, players will be able to experience the new content – the patch can already be downloaded now.
But those who believe that Patch 8.1 brings great salvation to all are mistaken. Patch 8.1 improves many systems, but does not eliminate the fundamental problems introduced with Battle for Azeroth that upset many fans.
A lot of fixes for self-made problems
The core of Patch 8.1 is not the new content itself. The most important changes concern the systems of Battle for Azeroth that did not run smoothly:
- The unpopular Azerite system gets a dedicated vendor where you can specifically purchase gear.
- Island Expeditions have been revamped and now provide clearly understandable rewards.
- Some classes have been more or less overhauled to be more useful in various situations.
- The War Mode is being modernized and offers greater incentives for the losing faction.
However, even here Blizzard is taking a half-hearted approach and does not have fixes for everything. Enhancement Shamans are looking completely left out and will not receive the overhaul they have been eagerly awaiting.
Among shamans, the joke “Maybe in the next addon” is already circulating – it would be sad if that turns out to be true.
A big patch that brings little
Although Patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance is planned as a “major content patch” and takes up a hefty 16 GB on the hard drive, the actually playable content at launch is rather sparse.
In summary, there are very few “new” contents.
- The Paragon rewards may be negligible for many players. Those who do not want pets or toys will surely not farm world quests again – the major incentives for repeating world quests are simply lacking.
- The Warfront “Darkshore” along with the area Darkshore, where there are new world quests and some rare enemies that lure with new rewards. All of this is, similar to Arathi, primarily an undertaking every two weeks for a few hours. The world quests here are certainly an exception.
- Two new islands, which must first be part of the rotation to appear. With bad luck, you won’t see them for weeks.
- A few quests of the War Campaign to continue the story. However, this will be, at least in part, tied to the new raid that opens in January.
- The pet-battle dungeon Gnomeregan is only for enthusiasts. Those who do not like pet battles will leave that aside.
- The faction incursions are the new “Legion invasions” with accompanying world quests. These are particularly well suited to retrofitting twinks.
In summary, I unfortunately come to the conclusion that Patch 8.1 will only bring back a few players. Because those who could not relate to Patch 8.0 of Battle for Azeroth fundamentally will not find much in Patch 8.1 that convinces them now.
However, those who have had fun in Battle for Azeroth so far are likely to benefit from the changes and continue to stay engaged.
What is your assessment of Patch 8.1? Will it make World of Warcraft a better game? Or does the patch simply not offer enough?
