World of Warcraft: The Island of Irrelevancy

[@edd_TV]

Just wanted to put a message here thanking everybody who has engaged with the video and left such kind comments. I'm so grateful and overwhelmed at such a positive response and never expected this. Hitting 40k+ views and 570+ subs in 8 days is just insane and I'm not used to this kind of praise at all. In response to a few comments, I'm not from NA (if you haven't already guessed), World of Warcraft launched in 2005 in the EU! I also misspeak at the start of the video saying '2023', as the script was written and recorded then, and I was very late getting this out. Sorry! Thank you again so much for your kind words and support!

[@mattdutton2094]

Just wait until Asmon watches it then it will pop off again

[@quentain1]

My jaw dropped at “this is my first video” Your script, footage, audio clarity and passion, made me think you were a veteran content creator. Amazing video! Totally subbing for more!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words!

[@ThePrimitiveAndTheModern]

Had to fact check and yes, it is his first video, subbed as well

[@edd_TV]

@@ThePrimitiveAndTheModern Thank you!

[@darthyvardyreal]

[@ac2.024]

He could've worked on KZbin channels before, and now he decided to make his own stuff. Lots of people do that and some don't. For example I used to be a scriptwriter for a KZbin channel, but I don't have my own channel, if I decide to create my own stuff for the platform though I will use the things I've learned from working for others into my own projects. That or he did a lot of research before posting his first video, also a possibility

[@akhylla_2671]

I've discussed this with my boyfriend many times - I started playing at the end of BfA and he is a veteran. He built me up, kept me updated and spent hours explaining both the story and the mechanics of the game. When starting, you basically NEED someone saying "No no no, do this instead, go here instead, it will be better for you," to have a good time without confusion. And that should NOT happen in a game.

[@edd_TV]

Couple that with people telling you to download various addons to further enhance your experience, and it's really overwhelming for a new player. I hope you're still finding enjoyment in the game! Thank you for the comment!

[@ZachStachelski13]

To be fair, even in 2004 WoW was a bit difficult to get into without a friend.

[@edd_TV]

@@ZachStachelski13 Yeah, you would have to actually read quest logs to figure out where you needed to go and such. Most people would just tell you to download the addon 'Questie'. I think as WoW has evolved, the QoL changes are mostly brilliant, it's the disconnect with the story that really leaves players in the dust.

[@Polterbun]

Literally the same thing happened to me and my BF when I first got him into the game. I seriously can't imagine what it would be like for a new player with nobody helping them, and as Edd said I can't imagine trying to do half of the stuff in the game without addons at this point. Another problem that was had too is that, quite frankly, the older the content you want to experience, the more "crusty" it will be for lack of a better term. Between stat and level squishes, as well as just the level of mechanics, older style of storytelling, and even the very art and game assets; doing something like TBC questing just isn't going to be as engaging to a new player who doesn't have nostalgia for it.

[@edd_TV]

@@Polterbun That's a good point about the older content. It isn't as refined as something like BFA, and that's why BFA is currently the place for new players to go, and that makes sense. I think only a world revamp can really save new player experiences at this point. I think they have to find some way of retroactively explaining everything that has come before and essentially archive it somewhere, rather than just giving people a half-a-job experience with it. Whatever they choose to do is going to be a TON of work!

[@mirakil7636]

Now that they've made NPC dungeons a thing, they could use the same tech for the final raid of the expansions to adress the issue of missing the climax of the story.

[@edd_TV]

I have a friend who would absolutely love that as he loves WoW but has crippling anxiety, and is always worried about confrontation. It would be great!

[@MegatronDconZ]

LFR is a thing guy... if you aint good enough to clear LFR you need to find a new game

[@GylleneGott]

​@@MegatronDconZ Doesn't change the fact that a lot of wow players are toxic and rip on you for anything in group content

[@siera2470]

@@MegatronDconZ And we found the kind of guy someone with anxiety would hate to play with, good job

[@MegatronDconZ]

This is just code for "I suck at the game and cant follow directions"@@siera2470

[@SundraTanakoh]

I started WoW on day one. I have two main characters one Alliance and One Horde. I have done absolutely every single quest (sometimes twice because of overlap) in every expansion, followed the story lines and found that one of two of my decisions moved me in a different direction. All the dungeons and raids etc. But today it seems everyone is ALWAYS focused on end game only. Missing so much. I am lucky I stuck with WoW for this long and experienced everything the devs put in. I feel sorry for new players.

[@edd_TV]

I feel exactly the same way. I've bounced between both Alliance and Horde, but I'm Alliance through and through and I have more knowledge with that faction. I feel the exact same way as you do! Thank you for your comment!

[@webduelist]

Borrowed powers, Garrisons, and Quest tables can stay dead, I like just being a dude traveling place to place doing what I can

[@edd_TV]

I think Garrisons had potential to be crazy good, but they totally dropped the ball with them. It was just a fortress of solitude. I don't think I'd ever felt as lonely as I did in Warlords. It was such a shame. I totally forgot about the Quest Tables! I wouldn't want to see those back either!

[@brandonsinner6545]

Murder Hobo

[@monkeyjames9285]

​@@edd_TVdidn't help me that garrison had city chat think been less lonely they removed city chat force people other city's. If ever add housing better not city chat in it

[@edd_TV]

@@monkeyjames9285 Housing is an interesting topic. I'm not sure how they would ever do that, but I'm sure it'll come in time! Players have wanted it since forever.

[@Scumborg]

I don’t mind the quest tables. They basically gave me a way to be productive when away from the PC.

[@jeremiahgehrig5175]

I think the leveling experience and story could both be fixed by "Chromie Time" eliminating the filler fetch and kill quests and condense the zones to the major story beats. That way you can learn what happened across the expansions without having to get 150 animal meats and kill 300 murlocs. The mini dungeon/raid to see the conclusion would be great to. And I really wish we could go back to just being adventurers and not the god hero slayer kings of the universe!!!!! that we are now.

[@edd_TV]

That would be great. I don't mind being this great hero, and overcoming all of the trials we have. It adds some real history and acclaim to who we are, but the people who haven't experienced those epic moments will just be confused. They are getting told about their accomplishments and triumphs without ever experiencing them. Thanks for your comment!

[@archdruidbookwalter951]

Wouldn't condensing all of the zones into just being their main story beats be detrimental to the feeling of being an adventurer? If only the main storyline matters, then the rest of the world outside that feels empty and pointless, and there's no reason to explore it. Not to mention how many side quests are an important part of their zone's identity, or how some fan favorite characters, like Hemet Nesingwary, only appear in side quests and would be effectively removed from the game without them.

[@robotshepard6965]

@@archdruidbookwalter951 Something like the main quest indicators like we have in the later Xpacs would help this - make only certain quests REQUIRED but allow people to still do the less important quests if they so choose (letting them know with a quest that this is how it works).

[@edd_TV]

@@archdruidbookwalter951 That is true, but I wonder how many of these zones are getting explored anyway? I feel it's hard to find a banker of a solution because like you said, if this goes ahead then side characters and lore/stories of zones becomes alienated. It's difficult to win.

[@MrTomEdo]

The downside would be the disappointment later on when a new player finds out that this game is packed with repeatable filler quests in the shiny new content.

[@elliottgale1771]

Good analysis! It reminds me of the famous Stan Lee quote: "every comic is someone's first" and how you need to balance rewarding long time fans for their investment in the story and hand-holding newer players while introducing 15+ years of lore to them.

[@edd_TV]

Love that quote! Thank you!

[@Valkod23]

"Illidan disenchanting Gul'dan" has got to be one of the funnier WoW-related jokes I've heard in a long time.

[@edd_TV]

Glad you liked it!

[@SpewPuke]

They need new intros for each race with a streamlined summary in quests of the history of that race. Exile's reach is ok, but you lose a lot of identity. Example, as a human, you should get an intro about the Stormwind reconstruction and the king missing in action and quests summing up the story of the Defias and the unmasking of Onyxia, phased quests, instances, cutscenes, whatever, but they need an intro like that, a singleplayer version, easy and fast. And then, an introduction of the options you have if you want to follow the story in chronological order or not. Chromie time was a good idea, but they need to be more clear with the order (Cataclysm should be third, after Outland and Northrend, as most of the Classic context is lost) It's 30 years of lore we're talking about. It's normal that it is multimedia (books, comics, games...). But currently, the new player gets an extremely generic intro and then gets shoved into a very complex world.

[@edd_TV]

That's a great point. I think that is potentially something we could see, certainly for Night Elves if their plan is to have new characters start off in Amirdrassil going forward. I would actually really love that, the way you described the Human starting cutscene sounds great!

[@SpewPuke]

@@edd_TV Thank you. I'm sure they have the knowledge and the time to make them better but here are a few more, I see them as separate from "Chromie expansions" as they are now, Exile reach like but reusing interesting places and stories, not creating a generic one for everyone. Dwarves - Tell the war of the 3 hammers and about different clans, play mostly your fast way to Blackrock and end the "tutorial" with the first Ragnaros fight N. Elves - War of the ancients, well of eternity and world trees. Play the relevant quests that lead to Ahn'quiraj Gnomes - Their contributions with tech around the world. Then Gnomeregan. Draenei - Intro about them fleeing from Argus. Some phased quest using the world of alternate Draenor and Outland to tell the second escape. B. Elves - Intro about their history with the alliance, Arthas and then Kael'thas, similar to the Draenei, with phased quests on outland until some leave and tell Lor'themar. Trolls - Zandalari empire history intro, images from all over the world, then specific Darkspear intro reliving Sen'Jin's death, Zalazane and the retake of Echo Islands or something Tauren - Gotta have some centaurs, Earth Mother, Grimtotems son of bitches, etc. Maybe Maraudon. Undead - Lordaeron backstory and finish starting quests on Stratholme or Naxx. Orcs - Intro about new Horde philosophy vs old one. Images of old wars or something, Durnholde dungeon to know Thrall. Maybe quest of getting rid (again) of the cult of the damned allying with everyone to raid Ahn'quiraj (yea, like N. Elves idk). They could also make a "select a story" option and follow every important piece to level through that, and you may try different ones with each alt character you create. For example, Garrosh. You get general Horde intro and go into quests related to Grom's mistakes and final redemption, then jump to Outland where the son is sad because his father was a disgrace and the first drinker, then you follow him on every quest until he becomes a hand statue.

[@edd_TV]

@@SpewPuke Very cool idea!

[@maxpowers4436]

Heritage armour quests do that. While your idea is great is requires and entire world revamp like cata.

[@edd_TV]

@@maxpowers4436 Sort of, but the human heritage armour quest for example is quite heavy with both Vanessa Vancleef and Onyxia. It's not really relevant to the modern day, it's just a nice throwback, and it's an awesome questline! I loved it. But it doesn't really shape or connect the dots for a new player

[@felixdargent942]

Well, to be completely honest, they begun to do it. For some characters, when you first interact with them in Dragonflight, you have dialogue options to ask who they are and what are they doing here. It is still too little, but it is a begining. Also they are little diferences in quests if you play as a dracthyr (not big and not many, but some).

[@edd_TV]

That's good, but like you said, it's too little too late.

[@Silent002]

Excellent summary of what I've had in mind for the past couple years, ever since I started playing Guild Wars 2. In GW2, you have a UI to select different story chapters from each expansion / season. Select the chapter and an icon appears in the world where that chapter starts. Interact with it and the cutscene starts, then you're pulled into an instanced version of the world to play through that piece of content and at the end, you're placed back in the world with other players. If you want to replay the content in that chapter, just select it and go again, or you can read a synopsis of that chapter in the window next to the chapter selection. It allows the story to be very cohesive and understandable, even if you take a break and come back months or years later. It wouldn't work perfectly for WoW, but the devs are proven to be masters at taking good ideas, fitting them to WoW and polishing them, and I have faith they could do the same with this if they wanted to. They might say that few people care for the story, but given how many people didn't like what they did with Shadowlands, I'd say there's far more people that care about it than let on.

[@edd_TV]

Very true about the Shadowlands. I think the outrage showcases that people love the lore of WoW and want to have the best story experience possible, if Blizzard are planning on telling stories. Thank you for your comment and nice words!

[@CsStoker]

Now everything is "when did that happened?" and the answer is "in a book that it's at the blizzard store written by someone who has never played any warcraft game and it's retcone pretty much everything you know"

[@edd_TV]

I do love to read, but people would be expecting to learn and see things in game too. You're right.

[@CsStoker]

@@edd_TV I hate having to buy stuff to follow the in-game story, also I can't afford those in my country, also there's the fact that I lost all my love for the game in Shadowlands.

[@Terrados1337]

When I tried getting people into WoW and we played together, made our way through Elwynn, through Westfall, oh look dungeon quests! Dead Mines! ... Oh sheet, this isn't dead mines how I remember it, this is heirloom tank scaling Dead Mines. After we had the same happen in the Stockades a bit later one of my friends logged off. "This is not an MMO". I still feel that.

[@edd_TV]

That is so sad, but so very true.

[@TheHorreK2]

i really dont get why blizz isnt creating a prologue questline, that bridges the story of the old expansion to the new ones. Like a questline thats a couple of hours long, lets you learn the core of your class, explains the story of the previous expansions and then spits you out at the current one with the relevant level. That way new players know the relevant storybits, their class and the core gameplay loop and Blizz could easely just hang another chapter and the end of the questline, everytime a new expansion comes out.

[@edd_TV]

That sounds good to me! I understand the 'conclusion' of expansions and the solo raid instance is a big wish, and almost certainly an impossible ask, so this would be pretty great. Thanks for your comment!

[@Darmalarm777]

Azerothian Archives came out and it has nothing to do with what Day was talking about. it tells the story of one Dracthyr battle from the past through a bugged out public event that operates on a timer like prior ones. There's a daily hub with even more bugged and poorly thought out quests. It's really something.

[@edd_TV]

I did see! I was honestly in such a mad rush to get this video out before the launch of patch 10.2.5 that I didn't have time to adjust any of it. I haven't played it personally yet but I've seen some gameplay of it. I can't say I'm surprised it's buggy, hopefully they will address it soon. Thank you for your comment!

[@duckbread6496]

I've got my xp capped at 59 and playing through the expansions in order with Chromie active currently, it's been a neat challenge seeing loads of things I haven't ever paid attention to! Though very time consuming, if anyone's at a loss at what to do in the game and is curious to the story, I recommend this - although it would be amazing if Blizz would incorporate a proper way of doing it

[@edd_TV]

That's awesome. Fair play to you for doing that, because I don't think many would! I hope you're having fun with it!

[@gustavocados]

THIS is your FIRST video!? I'm in. Subbed. I totally look forward to how you narrate videos and put together your thoughts going forward. Please do not feel a need to rush more content - I look forward to what happens whenever it happens.

[@edd_TV]

It is! I've written another script already which I'll start putting together in the next few weeks. Thanks so much for your kind words, it means a lot. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@unouwantme61183]

Great analysis!! I was shocked to hear this was your first video… Your tone, pacing, and editing was perfection!! Great job, awesome content! ❤🎉

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@Magdalena287]

This happened to my daughter, my husband and I have played since vanilla and our oldest daughter who is 13 wanted to try to play, we made her a character got her through the island and then she was forced into bfa she was so confused trying to get around with out flying. She gave up from frustration even with our help from being forced into a story line she wasn’t that interested in. She’s played ff11 with me which is much more frustrating and she had more fun so that’s saying something

[@edd_TV]

That's such a shame. I think it's great that you can play games together as a family, but quitting out of sheer frustration and confusion because Blizzard haven't looked into new player experiences is so sad to hear. Like you said, you really are powerless to do anything in this situation too. You have been given your marching orders and this is the way you have to play the game until you can access the current expansion. It's something that needs addressing if Blizzard want to attract new players and both celebrate the history of the game and showcase the storyline to the best of its ability. Thank you for sharing!

[@gearhead417]

WoW is a game I have basically given up on learning the lore for because so much of it is either lost to time or never visible to the player in an easy to experience medium. Like I understood the lore through MoP for the most part. But because they had major story events in a random book outside of the game when WoD happened I was so confused and quite.

[@edd_TV]

WoD was very risky, and initially I was so excited for it. I think WoD was just so unfortunate. It had potential to be brilliant. But yeah, you're right. I think the book War Crimes is where it started getting more noticeable for me. And even though I purchased some of these books and enjoyed them, I don't think it was the right way to go about it. Thank you for your comment!

[@cariandi]

"I just want to know what's going on" was definitely my mantra as a new player. I only played WoW for a few months at the tail end of Legion and the beginning of BfA, but I always felt lost on some level without consulting a wiki or something. I still tune in to the odd WoW video to see how things are every now and then even though I haven't had much desire to actually play it again. The ability to better experience older stories (like with those story fights you proposed for example) would really tempt me to give it another go.

[@edd_TV]

I hope they can do something to encourage you to return. You sound like you enjoy the game and are obviously interested enough to stay up to date with the story. I think the 'consulting wiki' or KZbin videos and stuff is what Blizzard expects of players at this stage. There is so much written up or compiled into videos, and it's really great stuff. It's so informative and I love watching them, but I do think these things need to be conveyed inside the game as well. Thank you for your comment. I hope you get to return to the game and enjoy it someday.

[@skememan]

Great to see some content on this subject! A new players experience is so diminished without them externally searching for lore - nice video!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you very much!

[@bert949]

"What is World of Warcraft's Iron Man?" That is such a great question, and if Blizzard could answer that then maybe they could add value to chromie stories.

[@edd_TV]

Glad you liked it! I don't think it's a question they will ever think about though. They are either creating more problems or still attempting to solve other known issues. New player experiences sadly aren't and probably won't ever be a priority.

[@Meoni1]

I miss WoTLK on a daily basis, it's storyline was incredible to teenage Meoni. It's absolutely horrifying to see that new players start an expansion and never really see the pay off. Same with the other expansions, but wow, not actually dealing with the threat must feel awful! Excellent vid!

[@edd_TV]

Don't forget the music as well! Stuff like Wintergrasp and Storm Peaks are just seared into my brain. Thanks a lot, Meoni!

[@42Nightsyesterday]

Bruv you can play Wrath right now

[@edd_TV]

@@42Nightsyesterday I don't think it can ever be the same though. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug, and the behaviour the classic community has cultivated is so foreign to the game we knew and loved back then. I think we've all grown a bit cynical with age too and if we go back and try to remember these games as they were, it's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It can't ever be the same again. But it is still nice the option is there.

[@Mastermind12358]

One of the horrible thing about modern wow is how restricted it is, forcing new players to play a certain expansions. another example is the portal from Teldrasil is restricted untill you get to lvl 10 (they might have changed that by now) the glory of vanilla back in the day is that you would create a character and do what the hell you wanted. you could walk to highets lvl zone in the game if you wanted. there was nothing stopping you.

[@edd_TV]

That's very true. The world felt bigger and more dangerous.

[@WoWcruids]

with the new follower dungeons i hope they make a raid variant for older raids for the people that play the game the way you explained

[@edd_TV]

It would be a great idea! I'm sure they will no doubt expand on follower dungeons but as for how much, we'll have to wait and see. Thanks for your comment!

[@EpicMathTime]

They get closer and closer and then abandon concepts before hitting the mark. Garrisons are a great example. Player garrisons in WoD keeps you isolated. Then in Legion, they reformatted the idea to class halls. Closer. Still not there. Then they abandoned the concept. The bullseye was Guild Halls. A place for Guildmates to congregate. Help each other craft and quest. The Hero's Call board lists upcoming guild events on the calendar. A bulletin board with quests to accept that were guildies requesting help with a group quest. Special rewards for completing these to help your guildmates. They got so close. I don't know why they don't bring these concepts to their obvious winning conclusion. I would love a hideaway with my guildmates. A hideaway with random druid strangers wasn't fundamentally different from the WoD garrisons.

[@edd_TV]

Order Halls were brilliant. I think another 'hideaway' idea you were pining for could have maybe been Garrisons. Garrisons had such huge potential. It would have been nice if it had more of a sort of guild or 'clubhouse' vibe. I love the idea you're planting of just a bunch of guildies together in a little hub either socialising or crafting together. It would be great if you could do tasks together to unlock skins and themes for it too (but that already sounds like a cash shop nightmare). All of this sounds lovely but It just sounds like WoW from the past (from a community and togetherness angle). I always feel like Blizzard have some great ideas, but their execution is often so poor and just misses the mark like you say. Thank you for your comment!

[@michaelhaley7269]

That actually is an amazing idea to have some sort of museum. It would be amazing to collect every expansion's cutscenes into one physical area, and then any new players could literally just watch it like a Netflix series or something.

[@edd_TV]

All credit goes to Nobbel regarding that! He told me he was working on a video for it, so make sure to subscribe to his channel if you haven't already, so you don't miss it! It would be really cool I agree! I think it's likely the best avenue for Blizzard to explore at this point. Thanks for your comment!

[@Shiirow]

yeah watch all the cutscenes and then uninstall, sitting and watching a best of compilation really doesnt do much to get people invested in a story. especially since WoW has very few cutscenes and would probably confuse players more than inform them.

[@makeacupoftea5310]

Maybe not just cinematics, but some gameplay moments also.

[@edd_TV]

@@makeacupoftea5310 That would be a good idea. If you're familiar with the solo duties you take part in within the MSQ in FFXIV, that would be a really good way to illustrate some key moments of past expansions and actually engage you, rather than just watching a film, so to speak.

[@makeacupoftea5310]

@@edd_TV If i know what you are talking about, then that would be very nice.

[@Demonskunk]

FF14’s model is so close to what I feel is the ‘optimal’ mmo for me. The fact that the main story content is designed to be easily played with random groups or alone is such a big thing for me. One of my biggest turnoffs of WoW was how the climax of every expansion (fighting the Lich King in your video) was gated behind endgame large group content is a stinky design idea. Same thing with Raids in Destiny

[@edd_TV]

Yeah, I think it's just something that is so very dated now. It's kind of okay in a very weird way with LFR, but it's not exactly a fulfilling experience and is enabled for every expansion. I agree with you that I think FFXIV has nailed the way story is delivered. I just don't think WoW would work if they implemented the same style into it.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

As an old-school WoW player that quit over a decade ago, the saddest thing I have to say is that the Wrath of The Lich King and Burning Crusade expansions had flaws. They were fun at the time, I can't deny it. But a bunch of holes in the experience and the story were starting to show already, compared to the good old Warcraft 3 it was based on. I had the expectation that things would improve in later expansions. But the opposite happened. It was hard to imagine just how low the standards would become for this series.

[@edd_TV]

This is exactly why I couldn't play TBC or Wrath classic! I have such fond memories of both expansions, and I knew if I ever went back to play them now, I would just poke holes and complain about it. And I really don't want to feel that way about those expansions. I agree, the decline in the storytelling has been profound.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

@@edd_TV I played classic when it first came out and loved it. Nowadays I don't feel like doing it though. It was a fun MMO back in the day, but today, there are just better games out there. I remember the time I wasted grinding for some stuff in old WoW and am afraid of doing it again.

[@edd_TV]

@@rumplstiltztinkerstein That is a valid fear I think. I think Classic is in a bit of a transition now with Season of Discovery and surely down the line, Classic+. I think in terms of character progression, retail will always be king in regards to collections and such. Classic is a bit of a question mark, because Wrath going into Cata can only go on for so much further. Will they ride Classic all the way up to Shadowlands for example? I'd say very likely not. I would put money on it ending after Mists personally. So it is a lot of stock to invest to potentially leave it all behind. I suppose if we're being very realistic about it though, it's just a video game at the end of the day, right? But I empathise with sunk cost fallacy a hell of a lot!

[@Mastermind12358]

Maybe in WoW you should have a ingame hidden "rank", a adventurer, soldier, general, hero, champion. depending on how far you've reached in the game. how much content you have finished. and it is by this rank the NPC's will refere to you. So if you're a new player, instead of a champion anduin will refer to you as an adventurer.

[@edd_TV]

That could be interesting, and sounds like a solution because they will obviously never address us by our characters names. I think 'champion' is the go-to, but obviously we have had alternatives too like you said: hero, maw walker etc. They do actually use new dialogue when you enter Stormwind Keep off the back of Exile's Reach. I believe Anduin calls you 'recruit', but then you're immediately escalated to 'champion'.

[@Pengalen]

I started playing Wow in BC, and I quite frankly still have all these problems. I think I've loremastered everything up through Pandaria, but I never got to fight the Lich King, because by the time I got there, I could walk through the dungeon, but due to mechanics could not get past the vampire queen. Currently trying to do broken isles on my main and Warlords on another character, and I think I've randomly been exposed to other expansions, but whole thing is shitshow. I think wow was better when characters were just a guy in the world, and not the "champion of light" so to speak, or more accurately, the audience of light.

[@edd_TV]

It's very tough if you weren't there at the time. There is a serious sense of fomo because like you said, if you don't do it when it's current and then eventually decide to check it out, you're overgeared, over levelled and it just simply can't be that same experience it was at the time of release. I feel really passionately about the minimum item level feature from FFXIV, purely because I don't think it hurts anybody, and I think players could have a lot of fun with it. It would make old content relevant and people could organise some fun social nights to remember raids gone by. Thanks for the comment!

[@Tyrin_Wolfinzar]

The very thing you're asking for is Timewalking. The only difference is they haven't expanded it to every raid, but each time a specific expansion's timewalking event is up, there is not only the dungeons that scale you down, but there is also a raid that's scaled down you can queue for and fight as if it were that xpac currently, again. BC: Black Temple, Wrath: Ulduar, Cata: Firelands, etc. Also this is acting like you can't just... go back and quest ever again after level cap. Nothing is stopping a player from returning to finish where they left off.

[@edd_TV]

It is. That's why I mention things like the minimum ilvl and food for thought for Timewalking. It just basically needs reinventing I think. Or some life/relevancy injected into it. I think doing Timewalking just for the hope that you're lucky enough to get the mount or the gear reward from the raid is a bit flat. I mean they can go back and finish those quests/zones, but what is the conclusion with the campaign?

[@Code-Imp]

Kinda why I started playing again with Dragonflight, Played an Evoker as my main and literaly focused only on what made sense for that character, fresh out of the stassis. Best way to not think of the past content

[@edd_TV]

Nice! That actually works out really well from your character's perspective at least! Glad you're having fun with it!

[@Code-Imp]

@@edd_TV And to add on top, Evokers only have shoulders and belt transmog, so there is even less point in doing past content for skins!

[@voidVirago]

Great video! I couldn't believe it was your first, I can't wait to see what else you make! As someone who joined in mid-late Cata because my family was too poor for any of us to play before that, I agree that the new player experience needs such a revamp. Even back then, when I was like 12 and new, I found myself wishing I could start from the -beginning-, not just the beginning of that expansion. When I tried out FFXIV in 2015, I was so shocked when you really DID start at the beginning! I like how the story changes with what you've done in FFXIV, even in the smallest ways. I've been trying to get my friends into WoW for years, and it all just feels so daunting to them - they watch hours of lore videos just to catch up and understand what's going on, and that's not even mentioning my friend group all plays on RP realms and are avid RPers, so there's a whole other layer to it. I hope Blizzard updates the experience soon so I can show the people I love the world I fell in love with over ten years ago.

[@edd_TV]

Did you try Classic/TBC/Wrath to try and experience those expansions as they were? I can relate trying to get friends of mine into WoW too, it feels like an impossible task at this point. Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it!

[@voidVirago]

@@edd_TV I did try classic, both hardcore (pre-actual hardcore servers) and “regular” classic! I enjoyed it a lot when I played with my friend, but I found myself a bit lonely on my own because I started later on. I did also try wrath but I didn’t even get out of the starting zone because that loneliness crept back up, even with friends waiting for me at the end game. It almost feels like I’m just seeing a glimpse into what was - everyone talks about their nostalgia and how amazing these times were back in the day in trade chat, but it’s my first time seeing it all, and that almost makes me feel othered. It’s hard to fully articulate that feeling!

[@edd_TV]

@@voidVirago Yeah, that's understandable. I'm glad you were able to give them a try, but I think it's impossible to have that true authentic experience because people already know everything. Loneliness is a huge factor too, it's the main reason why retail is dwindling for me. Most of my friends play Classic, particularly Season of Discovery right now, and have no interest in retail. Thank you for your comments!

[@kabrozkabroz]

My suggestion is a middle ground, force players to complete the expansion chosen for chromie time, and then make 5-man dungeon versions of core raids that are mandatory to progress and finish them. It would still be alt friendly, might slow the leveling process by a few hours possibly, but would ensure people experience the story. The 5 man versions of raids could be tuned like a sort of uber dungeon that has like 9 bosses. And could be made only for expansions that are over / raid tiers from 2 patches ago and have some potential gear and cosmetic rewards maybe equal to or slightly less prestigious than the ones in the actual raid. So basically what would happen is you'd do WOTLK and you'd have to go through HF or BT, and then ZF or DB, and then do Ice Crown and Storm Peaks (or something along these lines) then make you face Malygos at the end of Borean Tundra, make you face Ulduar at the end of Storm Peaks and then make you face the tournament at the start of Icecrown and then ICC at the end of Ice Crown While they may not get all the chronology, they would have enough of WOTLK understood. Then they could scale the other expansions at their leisure or level an alt. The alt path would probably require them like let's be generous and say about 10 playthroughs to see everything. But it's better than keeping things as they are now, or making us all go back to the dreaded level 60-80 leveling block from the scaled level bracketing of late Legion. I just don't feel like doing every expansion front to back every time I level an alt.

[@edd_TV]

I like that!

[@keithb6344]

Force them to finish the leveling expansion? No. Just No. I get a lot of people think everyone plays the game for story, but a lot of us just want to level. I tried the “catered” MSQ in FF and by Shadowbringers I was so sick of skipping cutscenes, I just quit. Optional sure, forced no. I don’t care about the story in WoW, FF or any other game. I don’t know why Mario saved the princess and don’t care.

[@kabrozkabroz]

@@keithb6344 You clearly have zero imagination. Waste someone else's time. If you don't care then feel free to skip all the dialogue you want. But WoW doesn't have a bunch of cutscenes so you're basically whining that you'd have to PLAY THE GAME more. Oh noooo! It might take me 16 hours to get from level 1 to level 60 what ever will I do...

[@keithb6344]

@@kabrozkabroz Yeah, it takes a lot of imagination to come up with a single solution to a problem and force everyone through it. Its a moronic idea for a game that already has multiple ways to level. 16 hours of skipping dialogue is a waste of time if don't care about it. If people want to lock XP and do the whole story they can. They can even put a group together and do the raids at that level. Once again making it an option is fine. Forcing it is just going to put people off.

[@kabrozkabroz]

@@keithb6344 Oh sorry too long, didn't read!

[@fleshhunter8703]

One of the best ways for a new player to actually play through the game's previous expansions is... Insane. Like currently it requires buying dragonflight, doing a class trial to trick the game into letting you do Chromie time, and then actually going through the expansions, and freezing your level at 59. Like WoW has become more Insular I recognize, but it is going to be even more insular if it entirely rejects New players who are interested in the story.

[@edd_TV]

I didn't even think about that; tricking the game into letting you do Chromie Time. The lengths you have to go to, eh? Thanks for your comment!

[@fleshhunter8703]

NP, least I can do was give engagement for something I am heavily agreeing with at this time (Since I am 'leveling' while trying to actually pick up on the story I never got originally. Though seeing the classic versions of zones is soon going to be impossible unless someone enjoys the idea of Hardcore WoW or using a 3rd party service.)

[@edd_TV]

@@fleshhunter8703 I appreciate it!

[@DonTinker]

You know, this is a really, really good analysis. As someone that has played for the last 12 years, yeah, I can figure how hard can be for someone to start a new adventure and be greeted as the Champion.

[@edd_TV]

Thank you!

[@Acquilla7]

Some of my friends dragged me into it back in august for the first time (they're long time players, I missed out on it cause I was a poor student at the time and then went gw2 -> XIV), and it was very confusing. We ended up making second chars and going to play Legion instead, and that felt much better. Still some Confusing bits, but not as much.

[@edd_TV]

@@Acquilla7 Hope you enjoyed Legion as best you could! It's my favourite.

[@Acquilla7]

@@edd_TV Thank you! Yeah, had a good time with it! Got really invested in all the stuff with the nightborne.

[@edd_TV]

@@Acquilla7 Suramar was so good!

[@hansw15]

The new player experience can be crucial to a game, especially when they introduce content through the story. I started playing Destiny 2 in 2019, bought it shortly before it went free to play, to join an established group of friends. The new player experience was not a very useful one, I constantly had to be told which NPC was used for content, I had no introduction to the story and no idea who the NPC's were, why they mattered or where to unlock dungeons/raids. As a result of this complete disconnect with the game world, when they froze progression for my favorite weapons I stopped playing, as I could no longer play the way I liked and keep up with the content outside of pvp matches.

[@edd_TV]

That sounds frustrating, I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for your comment!

[@joebagwell4009]

Not sure why this got recommended to me but I really like that you get straight to the point and don’t spend 3 mins talking about some random stuff. Keep up the good work, man!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you!

[@Verpal]

IMO there need to be an option for totally new player to start their journey like how a vanilla player walk out of Northshire, you slowly go through each expansion, with a guiding main story line to follow, like what they do in FFXIV. This story line doesn't have to use all zone, but at least, the player should be guided through the expansion at a somewhat accelerated pace without losing any major story point. I understand this had to be optional, would be too extreme of a change to turn WOW into story first raid later, but if the game is to retain new player, expecting every new player to buy a boost, server change, then start raiding for entire expansion is simply not realistic.

[@edd_TV]

I love the idea of it, but it's such a time commitment. And with Blizzard saying that they are aiming to get expansions out quicker going forward. It would be such a climb I think for a player who wanted to take their time and really absorb everything. It would have to be a completely different game at this point I think. I really like it, I just don't think Blizzard could ever justify it.

[@guilhermetheophilotelles8170]

Really good job, especially as a first video! I would like to see a questline stitching the main events of each expansion together, along with the solo raids idea. I think with the new technology they have it may be feasible, and it would at least give new players a basic understanding of what's going on while fulfilling the need for a decent conclusion in each individual storyline. Looking forward for more content!

[@edd_TV]

That would be a lot of fun! I'd like to see that. I just wonder if it's something they put much thought into. Love the idea of it. Thank you for the kind words!

[@MrTomEdo]

That was exactly my experience with the game. I played WoW first a long time ago in WotLK. I returned for Shadowlands. I got really into the story of Legion and was excited to see it unravel. Suddenly, I reached the final level of scaling and everything was ruined for me. I even attempted to continue, but the fact that I basically blasted through all these powerful enemies with one hit and got no reward for it felt empty and broke the immersion. I ended up going for the Shadowlands content but... yeah, the magic was gone. This is also such a dramatic shift for me since I'm a Guild Wars 2 player, and in that game the core game takes you to level 80 and then you just never level up higher. It stays at 80 while new, expansion specific, optional progress systems are introduced. It's always worth doing older content because it has different skins, legendary weapons and achivements. People are still grouping en masse for world bosses for lvl 10 and thanks to downscaling they continue to enjoy the fights. They will still farm lower level maps because even the more basic crafting materials are still usable in the lategame. WoW clearly was inspired by the GW2 mount system in Dragonflight. I wonder why wouldn't they also borrow the GW2 storytelling and leveling experience as well.

[@edd_TV]

A few people have mentioned the GW2 philosophy/system, and it sounds interesting. Any comment I've seen about GW2 has been nothing but praise. That sucks about your experience, it's a damn shame too because Legion is really great. I did read that dragonriding was essentially born through GW2 too. I just don't think the story or levelling journey is something that even comes to mind for them. Their focuses are just on what's relevant, and it's hard to imagine that ever changing. Thank you for your comment!

[@deathbreach3448]

What if blizzard did a level rescale where new players have to spend 10 levels in each expansion, finish a main quest line for each before “Shardding” into the main course with all the experienced players. At that point the new players would have a gist of the lore direction.

[@edd_TV]

It could be interesting but it's a lot of moving around. I'm not opposed to the idea of it!

[@ohjajaja]

that prontera field background music in the outro really caught me by surprise. Good one!

[@edd_TV]

It's called 'Streamside' if you were curious! Glad you recognised it from Ragnarok! Thanks for the comment!

[@NotSeregnar]

17:30 WoW has a few times where it'll reference things you've actually done. I remember Bolvar would recognize you in Dragonblight if you did the big Onyxia attunement quest back in the day. I'm also finally levelling one of my older characters through Shadowlands and Lady Vashj had an extra gossip option since that character has actually done SSC. Great video! Glad the algo sent me here!

[@edd_TV]

Ah that's really cool! I didn't know that with Bolvar! Thank you!

[@TheHawkinsGrove]

Very well done video! I do like Tali's "Path of the Curator" idea, either way it's nice when the glaring problem with WoW gets some significant attention. I subscribed and looking forward to seeing what else you do!

[@edd_TV]

Yeah, it's really well done. I hope people check it out! Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot.

[@SuperGoldenHat]

Great first video man, and the audio is very very solid for just starting out. One of the things many new content creaters never get right is Audio, so very well done!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@dustinmorse7975]

ive had this idea for a while, honestly, i think a timewalking quest line or timeline if you prefer where chromie walks you though major events and quest through each expansion up to the new one would be my idea, logistically its probably a shit ton of work, but it would build a solid foundation that wont become outdated for new players. new expansion? add on to the quest line from the previous, make the xp appropriate so people dont have to go back and when they finish that quest line they can immediately jump into the current expansion and continue the story. as for dungeon que just lump every expansion classic to current into the random que. would make times way faster and wouldnt be too disorenting as the loading screen tells you what xpac youre doing a dungeon in .

[@edd_TV]

I think TImewalking is probably the answer. Revitalising Timewalking and offering new rewards and incentives to take part in it would be great. It would allow new players to get a taste of what content was like back then and players helping them achieve these goals could still have some fun and feel that their time isn't being wasted. Thank you for your comment!

[@dustinmorse7975]

@@edd_TVyes! Make a main quest that gives good xp, weaves in and out of the expansions hitting all the focal points, throw in some toys and transoms and the problem is solved. Hope blizzard sees this! Haha

[@edd_TV]

@@dustinmorse7975 Gear will always be the biggest incentive to most players sadly. I love the idea of transmog and toys being rewards. They could remodel the older Transmog sets and bump up their quality. Or even just offer recolours. I think it would be enough for collectors to go after them. I think there is A LOT of possibilities with both follower dungeons and timewalking, and if people don't like it they don't have to engage with it. I don't see how it hurts anyone.

[@ahealthkit2745]

I actually think your idea with the npc dungeons is a great way to solidify the old expansion experiences! Having a short miniquest that just provides some Chromie-specific introduction to the content would be good too. Like providing a short summary that explains what kicks off the events of the expansion, potentially alongside a small series of quests involving replicating the pre-launch events. That'd be the dream. That *AND* a hopeful Cata-like event to freshen up the 1-60 experience again, updating the content to be far more relevant. If they really want to go in more of a character-driven direction, they ought to retroactively involve the npcs in the raid progression through those npc dungeons to culminate an expansion's story.

[@edd_TV]

The dream, indeed! Thanks for your comment!

[@Maverrick2140]

i think what wow is missing is a separate story mode where you can experience all the lore and stuff in order and without the need to rush things .. you get appropriate rewards like specific gear sets for transmog and maybe titles mounts and all such things .. all the nice stuff that still does not influence gear progression for endgame or current expansion .. leveling only always from lvl 50 to 60 .. and a level squish with each new addon ... i don't want to level up to 120 again.

[@edd_TV]

I thought about this too. I wondered how players would feel if the storyline in WoW was just a completely optional thing. I wonder how many would actually take part in it? I have a feeling that it wouldn't do very well. My only gripe with this is, players often struggle to engage with anything that doesn't reward gear or power. This is why they tied legendaries to Torghast, because if they didn't, nobody would go there. And it sucks that this is the way things are often implemented. I love your idea though! Thank you for your comment!

[@josealejandrochavarriamadr713]

Excellent vid! I completely agree! Id do something like give a choise between a regular chromie/bfa fast leveling and a much more slower "cinematic leveling" or "main story questline" where you get to see the most important parts of each expasion while leveling, lets call it a curated highlight reel haha, guided by chromie (or not, so you feel that you were actually there and not just cheating your way in) and the main characters, also serving in a tutorial sort of thing. So you do the most important quests, see the most important cutscenes and play in a follower dungeon type of thing the most important raids and dungeons. And once you reach the end of the second to last xpac you are max lvl for that xpac and you are ready for the new one. I wouldnt call it a way too relive the past xpacs but for of a guided tour thru the story, might as well even add some new cutscenes to skip questlines or summarise otherwise long or tedius content. Heck Id play something like that even tho im here since WotLK

[@edd_TV]

Thank you! I think a guided tour is definitely better, because it can't be TOO time consuming otherwise nobody is going to want to do it. You run the risk of people disengaging. If it was like FFXIV where you were expected to go from TBC right the way through until Dragonflight, it would just be so overwhelming.

[@jspangler5003]

"Illidan disenchanting Guldan" was epic. As for your arguments, I think you have mostly good points, we shouldn't have to be dumped out of Chromie Time automatically and it really shouldn't force first time players into BfA. As a player since Vanilla, though, I like being the "Champion", and one of the things that galled me about BfA was I went from Legion as the freakin' DEATHLORD with my own flying fortress and Illidan himself praising you for assisting on world quests to "Oh, Kul Tiran's are gonna chuck you into the dungeon" on the Alliance side, and on Horde side Nathanos was crapping on you every time you accepted a world quest. The Alliance BfA start should have had the option to nope out of the arrest attempt - seriously, a high level PC should have been able to just walk out leaving behind a trail of knocked out/dead guards dumb enough to try and stop them - and immediately jump to working with Cyrus.

[@edd_TV]

The transition from Legion to BFA really did kill a lot of stuff, I agree. We lost our artifacts and so many cool things that came with it. We also lost the use of our legendaries, and going from that power into Azerite...it didn't stand a chance. BFA felt like a miserable levelling experience after all the fun we had in Legion. You're so right too about the story and fantasy with our characters.You would have been the Deathlord and I would have been the Highlord, and as soon as BFA rolls around..it's just a chapter that's over now. Thanks for your comment!

[@Knight1029]

I also think your ideas would be amazing to tell a a somewhat "canon" version of the story. A lot of WoW's story can be weird canonwise but doing what you suggested could provide some bases for a consistent narrative.

[@edd_TV]

I think some stuff is just so very forgettable too, or was quite weighty in the narrative for a while and then never gets talked about or mentioned again. It feels like these stories are important for that time period, and then we close the book on it and start a new one I think this is what The Worldsoul Saga aims to eliminate. It will connect all three future expansions and tell them in a way they have never tried to convey WoW before, which is exciting, but doesn't do much for a newcomer. Thanks for your comment!

[@Knight1029]

@@edd_TV I think it is forgettable because it never become relevant again. When characters are finished with their stories (like Illidan) it causes them to feel like they have no purpose anymore and it can feel weird because it feels like they should be involved more. You are right pointing out how characters are relevant for one expansion and then get forgotten. It just really sucks because WoW has shown they can make really great stories. But what happens after those stories retroactively makes those previous stories feel weightless. And thank you for the video. It was really great seeing my own thoughts reflected in such a great way.

[@edd_TV]

@@Knight1029 I agree. I think another example of this is Tess Greymane in 10.2.5 with Gilneas. Just how relevant is she going to become in the future? I would bet probably not very. We've seen it in the past with other characters I've referenced too such as Talanji and Taelia. Illidan is a big name, but I'm sure he's going to have a big part to play in The Worldsoul Saga when the time is right. I'm pleased to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot!

[@Knight1029]

@@edd_TV yeah. Obviously not ever small character should become main stays but characters like the ones you mentioned where they were huge movers and shakers feel like they need more relevance. I did! And I hope to see more from you soon!

[@edd_TV]

@@Knight1029 Thank you for your support!

[@caylorhc]

Loved your video! I have been saying SO much of this for years. Especially about the new player experience. I would like to add that I have high hopes for the integration of the AI dungeons, as it's a tool they could VERY easily use to do those type of Story dungeons, and story raids for each expansion. Even if it's not a leveling experience, I believe the option to go back and experience the expansions at the correct level would still be something new players would want to do, especially if it had capstones to the story that allowed you to run the story of the raids and why you were there. Obviously, a lot of work. But if WoW is improving their end game and new expansion leveling experience, they need to bring the previous expansions if not to the same level, at least up to a level that people will resonate with.

[@edd_TV]

It's so bittersweet to hear that people resonate with this. I love that I'm not alone with my thoughts and feelings here, but I'm also sad that people have been having these experiences and likely end up quitting the game entirely because of it. I wholeheartedly agree with what you're saying. Thank you for your kind words and comment!

[@daefaron]

The point about characters being forgotten reminds me of the whole issue in BFA of the Alliance having a spaceship and the army of the light and just... never using them.

[@edd_TV]

Good point! I think we'll absolutely be seeing them in the Worldsoul Saga, but it does beg the question when we have these kinds of allies at our disposal and we don't use them, or at least request their aid.

[@daefaron]

A common complaint I saw of WoW's writing tended to be how there are all these super powerful characters, who just never use their powers. Here's two "god-tier" night elves who... just don't retake their land.@@edd_TV

[@edd_TV]

@@daefaron That's a very valid point. I even think some are explained poorly, or maybe sometimes not even explained. What exactly are the Dragon Aspects 'Aspectral Powers'? What are they going to do now they have these powers back? Good point!

[@Freiasjoko]

I'm fairly new in wow, started playing shortly after Dragon flight came out. I have no idea what's happening outside DF. This lack of understanding the story just made me quit for quite a while. It wasn't worth the monthly subscription when I was just running around doing quests to level up and trying to decipher 20 years of lore. Also being locked out of raids by other players because of being new also sucked :(

[@edd_TV]

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you can enjoy the game and have a more coherent experience going forward with The Worldsoul saga!

[@omok2]

It would be really cool if they did a curated time walk Leveling experience with unique quests and cinematics to tell the whole story

[@edd_TV]

I really do think enhancing and revamping Timewalking might be the best thing for them if they wanted to tackle this. Making old content relevant again would be a lot of fun. Syncing down the ilvl/level/gear and jumping into Throne of Thunder, Icecrown Citadel etc. Maybe tie some new rewards and achievements to it, similar to how Fated works. They could also introduce some higher res tier sets of the original, and maybe mounts to give players incentive to take part.

[@omok2]

@edd_TV I've said wow has 20 years of lore and all it care about is the current year and forward, the old content just sits and has almost no value

[@edd_TV]

@@omok2 It's a shame.

[@Kenzu100]

Instantly subbed! The "wow" heart and soul that went into this is amazing. Overall great video, loved Mor'ladin getting a shoutout! GIVE US MORE VIDEOS!

[@BigpoppaEU]

THE TRUE LIGHT BRINGER! Ken

[@edd_TV]

Thank you Ken!

[@Idiotboxxx]

That's the reason Classic Era and Classic + is so good, the game used to be way more of a sandbox.

[@edd_TV]

It's a lot more community driven too. All professions are relevant and so on. And the world just feels so big and magical.

[@LordProteus]

They should have Ner'zul, now freed from The Jailers control, take over Torghast and begin locating and reviving the Souls therin, including Arthas, Kel'Thuzad and Teron Gorefiend to be his Luitenants. Gul'dan too, but I think it'd be more interesting if he went back out into the world to do stuff. He could either be the new Jailer or be preparing to whatever cosmic stuff they were planning.

[@edd_TV]

Love the idea of this. I think some people may roll their eyes at seeing villains return, but if it serves a purpose and is done correctly, I'm all for it. I think this would be awesome. Thanks for your comment!

[@rethall2308]

Frankly, I think the only way of making any sense of the whole plot in a cohesive manner would be a WHOLE WORLD revamp, but also with the design philosophy that zone's plots should be "evergreen". Think how zones are in vanilla: There are conflicts, yes, but the zones aren't necessarily stuck in in time, or at least, they're not stuck in particular brief time periods like later expansions are (Especially the likes of cataclysm or BFA) Granted this would be a MASSIVE undertaking, and even then the benefit they'd get from it is... Dubious at best, as most of that is unlikely to actually be played by current players who already have all their character leveled up. Wow is a 20 year old game. There's no cure for that. It's crushed under the weight of its past selves.

[@edd_TV]

So true. I don't think they could have ever anticipated almost 20 years of the game. When I started playing at the age of 13-14, I never thought I'd still be interested in it now! A world revamp would be really cool but I wonder how it could happen.

[@DustyTheKitty]

First video? I think you bloody nailed it Edd, take my sub, Looking forward to watching your channel grow. WoW's Ironman? I fell like that would of actually been warcraft 3, the original, not the reforged, it set up so much for Vanilla, TBC and WotLk to follow, characters, location, factions, it's all in there.

[@edd_TV]

That's really kind of you to say, thanks a lot! And I agree with you. I think Warcraft 3 is the best place to start if people feel they can stomach an RTS. Reforged was so disappointing, but you're right, there is so much setup there. Thanks for your comment!

[@nielsharteman]

Wow Edd, if this is your first video... then your channel is a MUST to subscribe to! Well done! Great insights and I so hope someone at Blizz watches this, that might truly fix the leveling experience.

[@edd_TV]

That's really kind of you to say. Thank you so much!

[@alexrosu4405]

Remember when you first got out of Northshire Abbey and into the larger Elwynn Forest area...

[@edd_TV]

Will never forget it!

[@kaakrepwhatever]

I remember on my first character, a goblin hunter toward the end of MoP, arriving at Org, walking out into Durotar, and over and over again asking myself, "What the heck are these questgivers talking about?"

[@tangerinesky1293]

Awesome points! I agree whole heartedly! Blizz alrdy has a great way to tell their older stories, the Caverns of time.....make a bronze dragon (Chromie) in ToC have a "story" menu and make some scenarios that players can run through to hit the major plot points of the last 20 years lol. Maybe add some cosmetic items u can get for going though them. I mean look at some of the actual dungeons they have there. It wouldn't be anything to hard to implement, and new players could start off doing those before u head to the "new" expac. They could even add just a few per patch. I've been playing since wotlk and I would love to run through something like that.

[@edd_TV]

The Caverns of Time is a great idea too, considering it had told us so many stories in the past: The Culling of Stratholme, Mount Hyjal etc. I like the idea! Thank you for the comment!

[@Darkkfated]

I think the major issue is that the DEVS THEMSELVES don't care about anything other than getting you to Max Level and the current new, hot, end-game content as quickly as possible.

[@edd_TV]

It's definitely their biggest target for players, and it does make sense to have people participating in the latest content where everybody else is, but at what cost? Neglecting the rest of the game and watching it stagnate just feels so sad to me.

[@CrouchingTigger]

Great vid Edd! I hope that some day Blizzard does decide to implement improvements you've mentioned here - I hope they can see the value of it with the success of Classic and how much people enjoy witnessing older content. Looking forward to the next one!

[@Aventor01]

/wave

[@CrouchingTigger]

@@Aventor01 /wave

[@edd_TV]

Thank you!

[@TheDeathslaw]

I was thinking how have I not come up on this channel before and clikced your channel and found the reason lol. Everything in the video in technical aspect Ie. audio, editing, presentation and pacing and such was super smooth. Also the writing was great with good points and tought out argument!

[@edd_TV]

Haha that's really kind of you to say. Thank you so much!

[@Idiotboxxx]

I'd love them to start from the beginning, Orcs and Humans, then work their way through the entire story in phases. They could do it SoD phase style where you simply can't get max level for the first playthrough, but it'd require major revamps to bring Eastern Kingdoms to pre-war and reworked Blackrock Mountain to be the capital for the Horde until the WC3 phase. I'd love to see Stormwind fall and the Alliance move capitals to Lordaeron. I'd love to see Beyond the Dark Portal via recycling and updating some of the Draenor from Warlords of Draenor, and then even a phase where Draenor breaks as Khadgar destroys the portal. Then we move to a phase where Horde is embattled and Kalimdor opens up, and then we witness the rise of the Scourge and Lordaeron falls. The phases would continue into WoW Era, but by the time Naxxaramas rolls around, we follow it up with Northrend instead of Burning Crusade. Though tbh making an Era of Darkness (WC2 world state) with the Orc/Troll/Ogre/Goblin Horde would be amazing on its own

[@edd_TV]

That sounds awesome. I would love to see that!

[@Kanoga]

Great choice of outro music btw, had to do a double take that my headphones didn't unplug from my pc and started playing RO music

[@edd_TV]

Glad you liked it!

[@markWilliams-gx7hs]

Great video! I've felt like I'm either missing something or behind every every time I go back would be nice if they did something like you've mentioned!

[@edd_TV]

It can be a very confusing, mad dash, and so much can be unexplained that you may have to go digging for answers, whether it be Wowhead or KZbin or whatever else. It's frustrating. Thank you for your kind words!

[@TimmyTheNerd]

One of the things I liked when I gave FFXIV a try in 2022 was that I didn't feel like I had to rush to level cap. I was able to take my time and enjoy the story. As I got to Endwalker, the current expansion, I had full context of what was going one because I had gone through everything before it. WoW use to be like that. You'd level through Vanilla, TBC, and then WotLK. Then Cataclysm happened. So now you'd level through the Cataclysm revamped zones, then TBC, and then WotLK, before getting to the Cataclysm end game zones. And while I enjoyed Cataclysm, I realized how confusing things had to be from a new player perspective. Cause you'd be hearing about how there's war happening and that you need to defeat Deathwing....only to wind up in Outland being told you have to beat Illidan, and then you get a quest from Garrosh telling you to go to Northrend to talk to....him....and it's like: wtf is going on?

[@edd_TV]

Yeah, FFXIV is really nice in that sense. I'm fearful for its future when eventually it may get to a stage like WoW where level squishes become a discussion, or new story arcs which may mean starting in an expansion further down the road, like WoW with BFA. I oddly miss the old skool levelling of WoW, because it felt like such a nostalgia trip, even if you didn't get to do all of the zones, I still liked the fact that I knew I'd go and do Hellfire, and then Grizzly Hills and Sholazar etc. It was obviously very long winded and messy, but at least the continents felt a bit more lived in. I agree with everything you've said. Thanks for your comment!

[@TimmyTheNerd]

There's three reasons why I believe FFXIV wont do what WoW did. The first reason is FFXI, the first of the two FF MMOs. It's been going on since 2002 in Japan and 2004 world wide. It's had a lot of content updates with the last major one being in 2020. And yet the leveling experience remains unaltered. The second reason is that FFXIV doesn't have the endgame focus like WoW does. WoW's focus on the endgame is why they push players to the latest expansion content as quickly as possible. In FFXIV, the focus is on the story and the journey instead of the destination. The third reason is looking at FFXI. It's been going since 2002 in Japan and 2004 world wide. It's still being updated with the latest major update happening in 2020. They've not changed the levelling experience at all. They could if they wanted to, the game is older than WoW and has a large amount of content to work through. But Square Enix isn't the kind of company to sacrifice story in the name of the endgame.

[@edd_TV]

@@TimmyTheNerd Very good analysis. I agree with you.

[@EspadaNeliel77]

I haven't been a regular player since Cataclysm so this has been illuminating as to the current levelling experience for old and new players alike. I've been playing classic (and loving it). Story and immersion is what keeps bringing me back to WoW, even if I lost my taste for it as soon as the end of Cataclysm started making us (the player) the Real Heroes (i.e. the dragon aspects stepping down to honour the mortals' rise). So I'm a huge fan of being a background character - a cog in the wheel - making small differences to people's lives everywhere only to eventually heroically defeat The Evil. That's a rewarding story! However, it's hard to justify that player story arc over and over again. Why would the player NOT be a class leader after killing old gods and dragons and titans? It doesn't make sense to keep being a background character. There may be a balance just above the region of 'getting to cut the line at Valiance Keep' (fantastic point to bring up btw!). Glad it's not my problem to solve. Thanks for the video, have a sub.

[@edd_TV]

I'm glad you're still able to find some enjoyment in WoW in classic! I'm in a similar boat and have been butting heads with retail for a while now. I played the first season of Dragonflight and then decided to take a break because I didn't know anybody else who still played. I'm optimistic The War Within could be a lot of fun, but I still don't see how it could be a good new player experience. Thank you very much for your engagement and encouragement!

[@EspadaNeliel77]

@edd_TV That's something else I hadn't noticed. Despite thinking the mini expansions were adding features to the game that ought to entice me to come back, it still feels inaccessible. You described it as new players feeling like they've "missed the boat", and that's exactly what the new announcement is missing: where is the entry point?

[@edd_TV]

@@EspadaNeliel77 Your guess is as good as mine! It's a difficult one to comprehend because a player would ideally want to come back because they are enticed by something new, so then they have to either rush through (or often ignore) content so they can get to the latest bit. I think the entry point is honestly Warcraft III. That was where I began and fortunately I have been able to see and experience everything, but I couldn't imagine the experience as a new player, assuming they are checking the game out mainly for the story. I think it's so much easier if your goals are simply pvp or end game, but to really delve in and learn the story of Warcraft is such a tall order now.

[@canislupid2466]

You speak my thoughts exactly. I've been playing this game since 2005 and I have seen all the glory days. When I was doing Chromie Time, I forgot all about it saying it kicks you out. Lo and behold, it kicks me out with no chance of stopping it. I was so pissed. I was three zones into Northrend. I was so frustrated I sent Blizzard a suggestion to stop this system from kicking you out like this. For me, Warcraft's lore has always been top priority. I took a break midway through BfA (please change your abusive behaviour, Acti-Blizz...) and only returned recently. I was completely lost and because of the levelling system, BfA and Shadowlands are half-completed. I am missing so much context that it's baffling.

[@edd_TV]

It's bittersweet to see comments like this. It's great to know I'm not alone with feeling this way regarding new player experiences, but it's sad to know the frustration people are experiencing, even veterans such as yourself. It's interesting that you say Warcraft's lore is your top priority because not many it that way, as the focus is primarily at endgame. But it's so important that things can be connected and make sense FOR players such as yourself, and many others who just want to understand what's going on. I imagine you have likely gone to the necessary tools such as Wowhead, Wowwiki and maybe some lore KZbin videos, but this shouldn't be the answer when it could (and should) be told in the game. Thank you for your comment and sharing your experience!

[@m00nb34m86]

Agree with a lot of this. Think there was a discussion a few years ago where people pointed out that a lot of the WoW team were raiders and the game had become more geared towards that. Do wonder if it was about revenue as well though; that raiders made up the larger portion of the player base. Though that could be a chicken and the egg kind of situation; whether the game was already heading that way so the player base reflected that or vice versus. Is very difficult to move away from that though; as you say - its whether Blizzard consider it being worth it (or should we say Microsoft who potentially may want to see a far more casual experience for console players). Also a lot of those folks who started out 20 years ago probably have their own families now so there's a potential market there.

[@ManamindEU]

first video. Its was crazy good and interesting. Keep it up boy!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.

[@Trashloot]

5:25 You didn't even mention that you hit Level 60 after only 1 or 2 Zones. And then you are forced out of chromie time if you don't know that there is an npc who can freeze your exp gain at Level 49. Its really hard to enjoy WOWs Story for some reason. And i don't understand why chromie time is not a feature you can turn on permanently. We are asking for this for years now. I also don't understand why there is no option to hide certain Quests. Its so confusing if you join an expansion somewhere in the middle. Its really hard to follow the story because Patch Content and the Baseline Expansion quests mix. I also don't understand how a new player should ever get in to the story when the world state is a crude mix of all expansions. If you start playing now you learn that Silvanas is your Warchief but when you get to 60 you are booted out of Chromie time and then you are asked to join the dragon isles where Silvanas is a defeated villain.

[@edd_TV]

That's very true. Freezing the exp gain is nice, but I feel that people often get demotivated when experience is no longer a factor. It feels like there's no 'goal' now, as in WoW you're often always working towards something, and the telling or learning of a story is rarely ever that goal. It's a valid statement though!

[@Trashloot]

@@edd_TV I don't know. I read these arguments as well. People are hating chromie time as well because they don't feel like they are getting stronger. In my ideal world we would play from Level 1-60 to get a grasp of the game and to learn your class. I would have players always start in the current expansion and i would have a starting quest chain which catches players up to the current situation. This introduces a new problem where Raid gear from all expansions competes with each other and your numbers would never go up between expansions. To solve the issue with previous expansions i would cap them and their Gear at Level 50 or 55 and scale every piece of gear down when the expansion ends. That way you can still enjoy old expansions and you would still be able to clear old raids with a bunch of friends to farm transmog. Im sure a lot of people would complain because they couldn't oneshot everything in old raids anymore. But i don't know if you played during MoP but back then old raids felt soooo nice. You could basically take a small Dungeongroup of 4-5 Players and play through Cata Raids and you still had to follow mechanics a bit. We basically played Raids like they were dungeons when we farmed achievements. This was so much more enjoyable and you were able to follow the stories of the old expec while stil having nice gameplay. Especially now where every Raid is designed around Flexible Party sizes it should be easy to reuse old raids as 5 Man Dungeons. Im not sure if the numbers not getting higher is a true problem. We are having number squishes every few expansions anyways.

[@edd_TV]

@@Trashloot It's interesting for sure. I know what you mean with MoP too! I totally agree with that. You raise a good point with the number (and level) squishes too. It makes it harder to do things or see things as they were; for example being able to go into Molten Core or Black Temple at level 20 now. It's just all a bit out of control.

[@Trashloot]

@@edd_TV I didn't realize you could go in to those raids so early. Has anyone ever tried that ? I kinda want to try and lock my exp at level 20 now and see how far i can go raidwise xD. Could be a fun Guild thing.

[@edd_TV]

@@Trashloot I'm sure there must be VODs and the like of people experiencing it!

[@asmrtpop2676]

Dragonflight leveling fell flat for me. I was two areas in when I hit max level. How hard is it for them to balance out the amount of XP you’re getting when questing so that you don’t ridiculously level too fast..? Why can’t it keep pace with the content..? I barely even dungeon except when I have quests for it so it’s not like I constantly q.

[@edd_TV]

I will admit that was the same for me. I do recall hitting max level in the Azure Span and having to do all of Thaldraszus with no experience gains, which felt a bit strange.

[@Puddles0294]

This video is perfect. If blizzard did exactly this i feel people would be much more invested in the game I know I would!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!

[@figmentpudding]

Loved this overview. I've been playing since inception - I still remember wanting to be a banshee based on WC3 and choosing undead as my first character because that was the closest thing. And I still play that character. But as someone whose dodged in and out of WoW over the past 20ish years, I get lost a LOT in the story, where to go/what to do next in leveling an alt, and wishing I could re-experience some of the older expansions. But I even struggle to find where to start some of those things. Just give us a story mode - a playthrough of the major quests in succession, with all those gloriously beautiful cinematics. And for that matter, some "Guides" for things like the class hall mounts and achievements without having to toggle back and forth between various comments on WoWhead would be amazing. There's so much potential for these things.

[@edd_TV]

I think a story mode would be fun. It would require a lot of work but I think it would be worth it for those interested. It's a shame that all those stories are discarded now. There should be a way to enjoy them in their entirety and to celebrate those times and stories. Thank you for watching, I'm glad you liked it!

[@MichaelLoda]

This dude just named his channel Edd, uploaded a banger video out of nowhere and gained 40k views, what a chad. Keep it up mate! Great and insightful video, many things you’ve shown here I actually never thought about as a long time player

[@edd_TV]

Edd is just my name, haha. I've legitimately always been horrendous when it comes to aliases or anything of the like! I used to play a lot of competitive Counter-Strike: Source and even then I just used the name 'edd'. That's really kind of you to say, thank you so much!

[@MichaelLoda]

@@edd_TV Maybe that’s part of the charm that helped your video grow - just simply your name and your photo. No fancy logos and graphics, comes across as more genuine and honest. But the video obviously was well made and you put a lot of work into it. Keep it up! Looking forward to your next one

[@edd_TV]

@@MichaelLoda You might be right. Thanks a lot for your kind words and support!

[@reneputtlitz618]

With the bronze dragons, there would be a perfect (lore friendly) way to catch up with WoW history. There could be an npc that you can talk to, to set you back in time to replay every piece of content someone might want. May it be a questline, a specific event or even a complete expansion. For example, you could visit the old world before the cataclysm, cut content or old versions of dungeons and raids. And with level and item scaling, and the new npc followers for dungeons, this could even be a challenging experience if one might want to.

[@edd_TV]

That would be pretty sweet. I think they would have to offer rewards and incentives for all players to want to do it though, rather than the players desperate to learn the stories and long forgotten or even removed events/questlines. I think if Blizzard can create something like this that makes all (or most) players interested in checking it out, then that would be worth it in their eyes. Love the idea. Thanks for your comment!

[@reneputtlitz618]

@@edd_TV Thank you! I love this game and I played it for more than a decade, but it felt odd to me after a longer break. I would love to come back if something that way would be implemented.

[@reneputtlitz618]

And thank you for your video! I hope, you will have an awesome comunity and career here on youtube! @@edd_TV

[@edd_TV]

@@reneputtlitz618 That's really nice of you to say. Thanks a lot for your comments and kind words!

[@IamCombustible]

Sunk cost fallacy is exactly that, a fallacy. Why should the average player have to settle for a jumbled disjointed mess just because a couple of people chose to grind out a billion pointless achievements? The game 100% needs a reset, no if or buts.

[@edd_TV]

it's tough, but it is likely the way.

[@lucavalente6620]

The problem with a codex is that new players would still feel... detached. You can offer what essentially is a wall of text to explain lore and story but it wouldn't fix what modern WoW lacks, that is to say the connection between new players and those characters. You can say that people go to deep exploration in Wikis, but that happens only after the user is already (or partially) hooked in the IP.

[@edd_TV]

Very true, there is going to be a massive disconnect regardless. And whilst reading and watching may be the simplest solution, it's not exactly a happy one.

[@andthekneesofbees]

The real answer is that they just need to build each expansion to stand on its own and shelve/ignore old expansions. The game should go from a revamped Old World that doesn't have a core story straight into whatever threat currently faces Azeroth. It's the only way to make a game that has lasted 20 years and clearly plans to last as long as possible coherent. Want to do old expansions? Do Chromie time.

[@ballixman6587]

If WoW 2 is released and they don’t give us our mount collection then I’ll never play, only just got the ashes of al’ar yesterday xD

[@edd_TV]

Understandable. It's one of the best mounts!

[@SzilardEnyedi]

The issue: WoW has no leveling experience, has no midgame, has no endgame. Retail turned into a bloat of fetch quests. Most people consider logging in to raid or do m+ as 'endgame'. But then it's just a dungeon simulator and not an MMORPG anymore.

[@edd_TV]

That is essentially what I did. It was just mythic+ for me. I did +20 on every key in Season 1 to unlock the portals and thought 'What now?' and just quit. It was a lonely experience for me.

[@DotOgg]

great video - keep this up and youll build your channel tenfold

[@edd_TV]

Thank you so much! Will do!

[@SumsieBun]

I think this video is the perfect encapsulation of how bewildering it is to be a new player in Wow. I started playing in 10.1 and everything you said here was my exact reactions to the story beats. Who is that? What am I the champion of again? The sensitive music is swelling,am I supposed to me feeling something? I started enjoying things, just STARTED enjoying the story when I tarted looking up wow lore videos on KZbin. The story feels fine, but thats the main way i feel like I missed out is that I basically need others in the Community to tell me exactly what is happening the entire time im playing.

[@edd_TV]

That's very kind of you to say. Thank you. I'm glad it resonated with you, but obviously sad that you felt that way when progressing through the game. I hope you are/can get up to speed and be ready for The War Within! Thank you for the comment!

[@TBebop]

@@edd_TV Full agree. I started in late Shadowlands and you've described it very accurately. BFA is completely confusing for a new player, and much worse events can happen WAY out of order depending on when you do each questline. It's completely meaningless and almost anti-immersive to a new player who has no context for any of it. Having now played for a while and taking multiple alts through all of the expansions, I'd say I'm only JUST now realizing the import of characters that've just kind of been "around". It's a real shame, as all the current era big moments are dulled compared to meeting those same characters earlier in their lives. I met Ysera the first time when she was being reborn in Shadowlands, then 8 months later I watched her die in Legion, then a month ago I really "met" her and got to spend time with her for the first time in Dragonflight in the recent patch. It's completely bananas.

[@edd_TV]

@@TBebop Your experience with Ysera is so crazy. Like that must look so ridiculous and confusing. Thank you for such a detailed comment!

[@TBebop]

@@edd_TV No prob. I phrased it a bit poorly but even within BFA the timeline is super wonky. You can very easily uncover Lady Ashvane's plot and get to the part where they call her out for it and she escapes, THEN go to the next area and have cutscenes where you meet with her like nothing happened yet. They can't even keep the timeline straight within a single expansion, it's complete chaos.

[@edd_TV]

@@TBebop It is maddening like you say. It just goes to show that there is such a lack of care regarding this. BFA just serves as the gatekeeper to Dragonflight at this point. BFA isn't exactly regarded as a masterpiece, but it should still be coherent. I appreciate you sharing your experience!

[@SnackPatrol]

Nice first video, wish you the best of luck as a content creator!

[@edd_TV]

That's very kind of you. Thank you very much!

[@Ebonmoth]

I think they should really lean into the potential of Chromie Time and allow it to be something you can access even beyond the level required for the current expansion. If new players had the option to go pick a timeline and quest through it to its conclusion, even at max level, then they might be willing to invest some time and effort toward playing through them just to learn the story. Gearing options, collectables, and other rewards could even be incentive for long-time players to run their alts through as a means to re-experience the story while also gaining something that will still serve them in the current end-game cycle. They might even consider bringing back those scenarios which are no longer present so that players can experience the various battles and scenes which drastically changed the face of Azeroth (Think things like the burning of Teldrassil and the blighting of Undercity). I've been playing off and on over the years since 2005, and there are a few things I have missed that happened during each hiatus that can no longer be experienced, and I feel like the game is more hollow for the removal. I'm a big fan of immersion when I am playing games. I don't need to be the main character in an MMO (and it actually feels weird to be the special chosen one when every other player I come across is also that same special chosen one), but I do like to have recognition for deeds I have achieved, and not be randomly called champion for deeds that (at least the character, if not the player) have not been part of the journey. In fact, some characters, like my Void Elf priest can't have been around for events until, in his case, the very end of Legion and leading into BfA, and they get the same "Champion, you've stood with me since cleansing my egg in the Badlands and helped me every step of the way. Will you stand with me once more?" treatment (Just going to throw Wrathion under the bus, there). This game is old enough that there are players who weren't even alive when it first released. Some even were born during the peak of WoW experience (Wrath of the Lich King, of course) and could not have known or been present for the various momentous events leading into the story today. I feel like they really need to revamp the leveling system. Perhaps this archives idea that you have could be merged with Chromie Time. "We need champions and heroes with the gumption to take on the challenges facing us today. You've shown promise in your training, but there is no greater teacher than experience in the field. I have many timelines to choose from where adventurers of the past were forged into the champions of the present, and I invite you to travel back in time to learn from the heroes that beat the odds! When you're ready, we'll have plenty of work for you to get to, but you're always welcome to return for further training to hone your skills in combat so that you'll always have an edge. And... if you come across ancient weapons of the Old Gods or demon-tainted armaments, I recommend you leave them be. They have an important role to play in the timeline, you know!" (Or something like that.)

[@edd_TV]

I agree, I think it would be great to be able to do this, otherwise it means you will have to level various alts and choose a different story every time. It's a very good point! I think maybe a fear from Blizzard or a gripe from the player is that they would no longer be getting experience, therefore it wouldn't feel as fulfilling or rewarding, but from learning the story I think it's a great idea. If it provided the incentives that you mentioned, I would absolutely do it again. I think those incentives could also be applied to potential Timewalking adjustments, for example if we were to see raids such as Throne of Thunder, Siege of Orgrimmar or anything else, we could be rewarded with a reskin or higher res model of the tier set, new titles, and mounts. This would a reason for veterans to return to do previous raids they will have done in the past. It would be nice if people can experience the scenarios of storyline that came and went and aren't something accessible now, like the examples you mentioned. There should be a connecting of the dots illustrated somehow, and not by the means of KZbin in my opinion. I really like this comment. I think you have summed up everything brilliantly, and I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and leaving such a detailed comment!

[@ElkGodEd]

Great video dude, I think a massive issue with WoW is the story has gone pretty doolaly without explaining everything. Nothing has a conclusion anymore, each expansion ends on a cliff hanger, its exhausting!!

[@edd_TV]

Thanks a lot, glad you liked it!

[@C4Hertz]

"i can't imagine everybody reads every quest log they've ever picked up" BUT THEY SHOULD!

[@edd_TV]

It was more of a thing of the past, sadly! Back in those days you HAD to read the quest log, otherwise you would have no idea where you were going! Addons such as Questie invalidated a lot of the quest text for most people, as they just wanted to get on with the game. I feel like they have tried to make quest text more important with Dragonflight from a narrative point of view, which is awesome, but not everybody is going to read it or be interested, and that's okay! Thank you for your comment!

[@ballixman6587]

Great first video!

[@edd_TV]

Thank you very much!

[@NotKiramisu]

Great video, though you were repeating a few points here and there so a bit more polish in the script to remove the redundancies might help but overall a good first try. Also, I did a double take when I heard Ragnarok Online music at the end there, gives my old MMO player heart the nostalgia.

[@edd_TV]

Thank you for the feedback. Glad you liked it!

[@vitorsalvi3530]

Subscibing becouse of the ragnarok music at the end

[@edd_TV]

One of my favourite tracks in the game! Thank you!

[@marklafrancis253]

As a returner who left enraged with the way the story was going in BFA I just want the story of WoW to feel relevant to the player. I fell in love with FFXIV’s storytelling and characters over the last 5ish years, but I will admit that wows gameplay just gives me so much dopamine. I don’t know how they could fix the gap between players and the story, aside from making another revamp as a starting point and moving on…but I really hope someone at blizzard figures it out because I’d love to enjoy wow beyond really enjoying the gameplay. They don’t need to pull a dalamud but they’ve gotta do something to make the story feel important.

[@edd_TV]

I agree massively with this. I think cutscenes, dialogue and everything else should pertain simply to what you have achieved within the game. It makes no sense to hear stories of conquest, of Arthas, Deathwing and whatever else when you were simply never involved with it. WoW's combat and gameplay is unmatched I think. Tearing it all down and starting again seems like the easiest solution, but unless they then execute WoW 2 in a fashion that is similar to FFXIV, players through the years who want to try WoW 2 will just inevitably encounter the same pitfalls that may have drove them away from the original MMO. Pulling a Dalamud could work! I think they would get eaten alive for doing something so similar to XIV, but it could work! Thank you for your comment.

[@Msdimwitted]

Hella good video, amazing to see this as your first. I don't think you're crazy for feeling dissatisfied with the new player experience: I am too, and for all of how helpful that the island is as a tutorial, it's a shame that not only are new players deprived of a strong introduction to their chosen race, but also just rushed along into the most recent expansion without context. I support the idea of designing a main througline of story, hitting all the important and interesting beats. Like, can you really say you know the story of Pandaria if you don't do the Klaxxi rep questchain, or 5.1's dominance offensive, or the Barrens rebellion?? Not to mention all the storylines clipped out of the game because they were pre-expac stuff. Doing the Burning of Teldrassil as an Alliance player hits you with the really cool UI storytelling with a 1 minute completion time, and you have to somehow save 1000 people, and that's just not in the game anymore! It's practically a crime! On the other hand...WoW's storytelling has never been...Storytelling in the traditional sense. It, ever since back in vanilla, was always about selling how big the world is. There will be entire questlines that the opposite faction will never be privy to. There are storylines that our player characters may never be privy to - (For good and for ill, I loved reading Day of the Dragon and the War of the Ancients, adventures done by other adventurers, and the main appeal of MoP's short stories are all following other people of Azeroth and their interactions with Pandaria...And then on the other hand, an important bridge to WoD, Warcrimes and Garrosh' trial, is all in a book). I don't know how to design it, or how the modern Blizzard team could pull it off, but that big overarching idea that the story of Azeroth is not one singular story, but of many little ones intersecting and crossing paths, should be WoW's greatest strength. (I will say, it does worry me they're pulling inspo from Marvel. It's not for me, but...I play Warcraft because it's Warcraft, not because it's Marvel, ya know? I also hear nothing but wailing sadness from my friends who are deep into Starwars, who had Disney completely chop the head off of the Extended Universe, but I digress)

[@edd_TV]

Thank you for the kind words! You make some great points. I can relate with the Star Wars 'Legends' stuff and Extended Universe being totally ripped away too. I think it's okay to take inspiration from these things, it's all about execution. I suppose the bigger question to ask is, will people enjoy it? It'll be interesting to see how the Worldsoul Saga unfolds. Thank you for such a detailed comment!

[@Mezchna52]

BFA was honestly the most fun I'd had in WoW since 2006. Leveling in BGs from 10-Max. On an OP Disc priest. Was a blast. Then I ran out of shit to do.

[@edd_TV]

I'm glad you had fun with it for a while!