World of Warcraft is far too complex for newcomers. This is not only said by players but also by Blizzard. Therefore, significant changes are coming.
Many say that World of Warcraft is an easy game. For over 18 years, there have been voices claiming that WoW has become “too casual” over the years and has removed all difficulty from the game. Cynics point to features like the “1-button rotation” without realizing that functions like these exist precisely because the classes in the game have become so exceptionally complex that they are barely comprehensible for newcomers. This becomes particularly clear when you use an addon to display how many effects can impact a single ability.
For the upcoming expansion Midnight, the developers have a clear plan: WoW should become more accessible, and all classes should be easier to play.
What was said? During the Alpha launch of Midnight, Blizzard released numerous articles and shared the thoughts of the developers regarding the game’s design philosophy. In one of these blog posts on the WoW website, it states:
One thing we often hear is that there is a high level of complexity in the class and combat design of WoW. Classes have many abilities that one must master, and it can be difficult to find comfortable keybindings for all of them. During combat, there are numerous buffs and debuffs to keep track of, which is a critical aspect of playing well and requires a lot of concentration.
Players trying out new specializations (“Specs”) also report that the talent trees can be intimidating. Even after learning the purpose of each talent, there are still subtle interactions between them that are not obvious, and many players feel they do not understand which bonuses and combinations are crucial for success. […]
This complexity affects nearly everyone in the game in different ways. Without hours of reading guides or the guidance of a more experienced veteran of the respective class, it can be nearly impossible to find access to the specific specialization.
In other words: The gameplay of many classes is extremely complex, and this is set to change.
Fewer abilities, clear effects, easier entry
How is this to be achieved? With Midnight, Blizzard plans significant overhauls for many classes. The underlying core gameplay and feel of the classes should hardly change, but a series of adjustments will ensure the game becomes more accessible. These include:
- The visually most beautiful and impressive abilities should have the greatest impact on the game and be the most efficient.
- Information such as triggered effects (“Procs”) should be visually clear without requiring addons. The number of procs for each class will be reduced.
- The “cognitive load” of all classes should be slightly reduced. This mainly includes simultaneous tasks, such as watching your own auras and buffs, quickly selecting the correct ability, and remembering long sequences. For some classes, however, this cognitive load is part of their identity even more than for others.
- Abilities without meaningful gameplay, such as temporary buffs that are usually used in combination with exactly one specific other ability, will be removed or merged.
Whether and how well these plans by Blizzard work will only become clear in the coming weeks when the Alpha opens up further and talents of all classes at max level can also be tested. It seems clear, however, that the gameplay feel and the complexity of entry into the classes are set to change drastically. However, there are also critical voices, as Blizzard has made such plans in the past repeatedly. Thus, there is essentially an overhaul of healer gameplay with every addon release and in the end everything is just as it was before.
