World of Warcraft revolutionised the world of MMORPGs when it launched in 2004, becoming the most popular MMORPG on the market.
With over 7 million subscribers, it is still going strong and doesn’t look to be falling out of fashion no matter what the trolls out there believe. But with a ton of other MMORPGs out there, and new ideas and mechanics looming on the horizon, is it worth starting WoW now? Read on for an examination of whether or not you should start immersing yourself in the World of Warcraft.
As a WoW player myself, there are many things that I believe are great about the game. However, from a balanced perspective, I also believe that there are many things that could be, and probably should be, improved. Many of WoW’s mechanics are stable, and so naturally the designers at Blizzard will be working on new content, but there is quite a lot of old content that could be drastically improved with today’s technology.
Let’s start with PvE, or Player versus Environment. Questing is the basis of many MMOs, and in WoW it’s the foundations of the game. For many players, this is how you progress in levels, completing quests for NPCs in return for gold, xp and better gear. On the whole, the system works, and even now, it’s still a strong, practical system. There are thousands upon thousands of quests, built up over years of development. Some of them are really quite fun, and there is a massive variety of quests. But some of them are soul-destroyingly tedious and grindy. WoW’s questing is not a perfect system. Excellent variety aside, reading walls of text applies to virtually all quests, including the good ones. This means that most players skip through the background story, relying only on what the objectives are to complete the mission. While often this is completely understandable, on occasion the quest does require you to read the quest text in order to find out what you’re meant to do. This usually means standing around reading and trying to figure it out, time that would be better spent actually gaming. While it would be impossible to go back and add voice acting for every single quest in the game, I would suggest any new quests for future content be fully voice acted, as well as having bullet point, very clear objectives spelt out in the quest log.
One of Wow’s many flaws is its combat system. The combat system is a very important part of any game that involves fighting; and as an MMORPG WoW relies on its combat system. WoW has a tab targeting system which is used in conjunction with numerous skills and abilities, most of which have significant cool-downs. While this is easy to use, it’s not really immersive or engaging: instead of looking at the actual battle, you end up staring at your action bar, waiting for your abilities to become available again. Hitting tab simply hard-locks onto the next target, so there’s no skill involved at all. Moving and fighting simultaneously requires more skill, however in most combats there is no encouragement to do so, standing in place and spamming your abilities is the norm. Some of the latest content changes this, such as enemy abilities that cause AOE or area of effect damage, forcing you to move. But for the majority of the combat, you’re not required to move.
The crafting in World of Warcraft is actually a pretty deep and fleshed out system. There are eleven main professions in the game: Alchemy, Herbalism, Mining, Blacksmithing, Engineering, Tailoring, Enchanting, Skinning, Leatherworking, Inscription and Jewelcrafting. In addition there are four secondary professions
: Archaeology, First Aid, Cooking and Fishing. All the production professions have vast amounts of items you can craft and the gathering professions can rake in vast amounts of cash as you harvest items on your travels wherever you go in the world. Overall the professions, though tedious at times, are pretty rewarding and can keep you occupied for months and months.
WoW has PvE, PvP, crafting, exploration, achievements, world events and pet battling. Within each of these categories, there is a massive amount of content, enough to satisfy players for years. I’ve been quitting and going back to WoW for years, and each time I’ve been slowly crossing things off a list of personal projects. WoW’s diversity is probably its greatest strength; there are so many things to do in the game. Chances are that no matter what sort of gamer you are, you will find at least one thing that you enjoy in WoW. There is no doubt that this massive appeal to so many gamers is one of the reasons why WoW’s popularity exploded and even now a trip to any zone in the world will result in spending a decent chunk of time engaging in one or more of WoW’s many activities. This diversity is still attracting new players: whenever I have travelled back to one of the game’s starting zones it always reveals new players just starting out.
The latest content for World of Warcraft includes a new area called the Timeless Isle. This mysterious island is filled with giant and powerful monsters but also epic level loot including bind-to-account, purple gear. Numerous moss-covered chests are scattered all over the isle, resulting in an explosion of treasure hunting. Each chest has the potential to contain purple gear and timeless coins, which are used as currency for various high level items.
The World Events in WoW are, with a few exceptions, quite fun and rewarding. The Darkmoon Faire, which happens every month, is probably one of the best and most satisfying. Numerous mini-games, which take the form of faire activities and which can be completed daily, award prize tickets. These are a form of currency used for various prizes, which include pets, mounts, gear and other special items. There are monthly professional quests, awarding skill ups for the associated profession. Naturally, like at any faire, there is a menagerie of strange and bizarre creatures, and a host of vendors, including one for cheap alcohol so you can chill whilst having a drink with your friends. Or if you prefer to battle your friends there is a Deathmatch Pavilion. There is also live music: a performance of “Power of the Horde”, on the hour, from the Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftains. New additions to the faire include a Carousel which awards a five minute xp and reputation buff, and a pet battle arena. It should be noted that there are several tents still unoccupied, hinting at future additions to the Darkmoon Faire. Overall, the faire is very entertaining and definitely worth visiting.
In terms of presentation, Blizzard have some of the best music and cinematics in the video game industry. Each trailer and movie clip I’ve seen for World of Warcraft is exciting and gives a hint of the action lying in wait. Music is an important part of video games, as it helps set the tone, and World of Warcraft’s tone is epic adventure. As a result its music does not fall short of expectation. The story of Warcraft is always epic, and following the story in the game is immensely satisfying, even without the full voice acting.
So taking all this into consideration, is it worth picking up World of Warcraft? Well yes and no. For players who are considering coming back, or players who are used to the mechanics of MMORPGs, I would say yes, WoW still has a lot to offer. Naturally if you have friends who play, this may be a no-brainer. And to gamers who are just starting out in the world of MMOs, I would definitely encourage playing through the first 20 levels, which are completely free of charge. This will not only allow you to decide whether or not you want to continue, but will give you a feel for how MMORPGs are played, or at least the basics. But, with games that promise to be more inventive and creative such as Wildstar and Elder Scrolls Online just around the corner, picking up WoW this late may not be the best choice. MMORPGs are a big commitment, so if you’re set on playing an MMO soon to be released, WoW may not be the way to go.
