I meant to write this one up next Monday, so that it is exactly a week in review, but I also want to post my last article for August.
So not exactly a week in review but you know we are close enough.
I posted an outline for this post here, you can go over that to see what you can expect from this series. In this particular article I want to go over the purpose of this series and see where it ends up going.
The first and foremost goal is to play World of Warcraft in its original state. I intend to play the game with no other goal in mind than to experience it the way it is. I will read the quest text, I will not rush to 60. I have no interest in high level content, I have been there, done that. There is nothing there that attracts me. I want the story, I want the hidden quests, I want to explore every nook and cranny of the game. If I ever get to level 60 on my alliance character I will consider starting a horde character to see what Azeroth is like on that side of the world.
To reiterate the goal is simple, play the game and enjoy doing it. And to do that I picked the most solo friendly class in game a hunter. You have a pet to hunt with, you don’t really need groups for a whole lot of things, and your dps is useful in groups as well as there is a strong possibility of being needed for end game if I ever get there.
If you read through my series A is for Azeroth, you will know that when I started playing WoW for the first time, in a stress test, I went hunter. However, when retail came out I played paladin. I did not like leveling as a paladin, you weren’t very good at anything. This time around I started a dwarf hunter to go back to my dream, and the way I think the game should be played. Why dwarf? Because of snow… snow is the best. I love the starting area for dwarfs, and hate the starting area for Nightelfs, the only other race that can be hunters.
With the introduction out of the way let’s get into the review!
The first day was as expected, incredibly packed with people, I ended up waiting in queue for about an hour before I got to play the game. Which was alright for me, because I had an appointment anyways. I just plugged my self in the queue and went about my business. By the time I was done with my appointment, I was in the game.
The place was packed with dwarfs and gnomes, two races who share a starting zone. All of the original excitement I felt when I started the first time was still there. It was so incredible. Have you ever gotten into a time machine and gone back 15 years? I have and let me tell the past is awesome!
So what do I remember that is still awesome? The world is huge! I mean just the thought of running from place to place, scares me. The starting area has the best music, the quests are still fun. Very basic gameplay here, but it’s been 15 years, not to mention none of us wanted it to change at all. We got the exact carbon copy of what the game was like then.
It’s hard to describe how it felt having to walk into the Inn for the first time, completing your quest for the first time. Getting drops from mobs that were cloth, and you are a leather wearer, and using the items anyways, because they are better than what you have on.
Mob tagging is a thing again, so if you wanted to run around helping noobs while getting something in return, forget about it. Once a mob is tagged you get nothing from it. This can be bad or good, depends on how you look at it. For someone who is helpful it can be great, because you know you are helping because you want to and not because you can or get something in return. The ultimate selfless deed.
The drop rate for gear or anything useful is absolute garbage. I mean I couldn’t even get a bag to drop. I had to go buy a bag from a guy, in Stormwind… and I he charged me 5 silver for it. I come back from that super long trip to Stormwind and find out the vendor at my Inn is selling them for 5 copper… I don’t think the person was trying to cheat me, but still that’s how it is in this game, even though you played for 15 years, you don’t remember what it’s like in here, so it feels like a brand new game to you.
Having to learn to grab ammo from vendors is also a thing that was not second nature to me. I came close to running out a couple of times, one of those times was when we were doing an elite boss for a quest. Luckily I am better at getting those now.
Leveling is hard, it takes a while. The hunter does not get a pet until level 10. Before you get to 10 though, it is a hard grind, you are not great at taking damage, you are also not great at dealing damage, oh and did I mention everything can kill you in this game? The mobs that you would just run through in retail will end you. Rough living out there. To think that this game was casual kingdom when it came out. Its now considered hardcore… Has anyone tried to play the original EQ? Or Lineage 2? Now that’s hardcore… this is just fun.
The things that really bring the game together for me is the random acts of kindness from people. For example, priests would throw a buff your way as you are passing them by, or a druid would throw some buffs your way. How incredible is that. There is nothing they are getting in return for it, but it is incredibly helpful for me. I always try to say ‘thank you’ when that happens.
One other thing I want to mention, the games difficulty at low level forces you to group with people, which in turn forces you start conversations and creates a sense of community again. Like you are living in a virtual world, with people, who all have their own goals, and quests and stories to get to. And I get to participate in that when our paths cross. Its awesome.
Not knowing where the quests are, or where the quest givers are was also a fun challenge to overcome.
I did not install any addons for the game, my thinking is; if I am going to play WoW Classic, I will play it they way it was back then. Without all the fancy convenient stuff. However, I do think at some point I will get really bored of the stock UI and upgrade to something else, not taking any firm position on this just yet.
A lot of my friends are in game, and they are all saying the same thing, the game is hard, but ultimately it’s the game we all fell in love with 15 years ago and it’s great to come back home again.
See you guys in the next one.
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