WoW Forever (and ever?)
In case you aren't following me on Mastodon, that is usually where I let my thoughts fly out in the wild when I feel the need for a social media, emphasys on social (X? Bluesky? Instagram? Facebook? No thank you), I started playing World of Warcraft Forever. But this will stick for the "and ever" part? I dunno but it's worth a try, so here's my experience so far
Oh and just in case if you have Mastodon say hello, I won't bite, unless asked to.
I'm home, baby
I played World of Warcraft for a long time back in my day - ouch, my back - and I daresay that I played it uninterruptedly from D1 to Warlords of Draenor. Yes, you should know that WoW veterans calculate time through expansions, but if you aren't one the common translation is 10 years circa (2004 to 2014 - ish).
Vanilla (the original game) was all in all a place to explore and get lost in it, because at that time I was a teenager (the very last part of the teen at least) with all the issues that teenagers had at the time, plus my very own personal/family issues. Whatever, Azeroth was a great place where those issues couldn't follow me. I was just Scar, the fearless Tauren restoration druid, fighting Ragnaros with all my guildmates.
Fast forwarding 12 years, I'm about to be a dad, I'm married, I'm definitely not a teenager anymore, I'm still battling some personal issues but those are in the background now, all in call I can honestly say that I'm happy.
Even so, when WoW Forever finally came out this November, nostalgia had the best of me and I subscribed again. The whole "this is going to be the game, stat" vibe and being welcomed back in the original game but with some restyling and QoL features did it for me. It's feeling like home once again.
The new and not so new shiny stuff
It's hard out there for a lonely priest
First of all, I'm really glad that the game is hard once again. You can't one-shot a monster anymore, just like in every other expansion that came out (and more to comes). I'm at level 16 and I died, a lot, like, really a lot. And this doesn't even bother me because my mind is tricked into thinking this is the first time I'm playing WoW so dying is part of the experience, just like when it happened with Scar. Bloody hell, I love it.
The nostalgia toggle
LOVE IT. It is possible to select if you want to play with the old graphics settings for a nostalgic effect or the new improved models for a less visually nostalgic effect. Reminds me of Monkey Island remastered where you could easily switch between the new graphic style and the old VGA version. You can even disable lots of QoL stuff Blizzard added if you want and go really hardcore on the nostalgia.
It's a marathon, not a sprint
Just like in the Vanilla game, leveling is once again the most important part of the experience, not something you should speedrun to get to the endgame and then get ready for the next expansion. You get to learn about your class, your professions and how to deal with various situations.
The ugh it's still there stuff
Honestly, I still hadn't found anything that bothers me that much, but I'm also in the first part of the game, so this could change - drastically or not - later. I'll update this section in case.
So?
Let me get my cat, file the divorce papers and to Azeroth I go!
Jokes aside and all things considered, while it's true that I decided to subscribe again, I'm not going to go all the way for the nostalgic feeling / settings, because it would made the game even harder and now that I'm old more mature I'd rather have a few QoL functions to help me make a better use of my limited time. Having said that I don't know if I'll stick for the and ever part of WoW Forever, but I will definitely get my little priest to level 60, fully enjoying the journey and not just the destination.
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