Why I Timewalk

Sure, the gear and vendor goods are great for a while, but what’s the real reason to keep coming back to Timewalking?

World of Warcraft has changed a lot over the past thirteen years. While some of you have been with the brand since the beginning, others have only recently come into the fold. I’ve been playing WoW since Burning Crusade, specifically, right before the “Black Temple” raid patch dropped. For a long time, I felt as though my WoW-cred was lessened for having not played since Vanilla, like so many of my compatriots, but I have increasingly been feeling my in-game age for a while, particularly thanks to Timewalking.

Longtime Azeroth citizens will likely understand this scenario. You’re going through an old raid showing a new friend your favorite encounters. While the graphics may be a little more dull, and the encounters a lot faster, you find yourself constantly spouting things like: “Well we used to have to pull the boss this way…”, “We needed four tanks for this…”, “Back in the day, you’d never get away with…”, and so on. Even running through leveling dungeons before Timewalking, I found myself making these kinds of statements, or at least conveying how much more “difficult” things used to be, be it due to player strength, gear level, or boss tuning.

Among many other things in WoW, raiding, used to feel more epic, and likely some of that was due to exclusivity. While I am all for the advancements in LFR raiding, there was something to be said for the very first time I stepped into Black Temple and stared Illidan in his blindfolded eyes. The music was building, the tensions were high, and I had no other way of seeing it than with 24 of my soon-to-be closest WoW friends. I’m glad that raiding reaches more people nowadays than it ever did, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel as though something epic about those old encounters has been lost.

Enter Timewalking. When it was released back in the expansion-that-nearly-not-be-named Warlords of Draenor during June of 2016, people were psyched. The ability to go back to old dungeons and clear them out as though we were back at level 70/80 again? Nostalgia abounded left and right, and people were lining up to get their new-old trinkets from the Timewalking vendors. As Timewalking has progressed, we’ve received the addition of Mists of Pandaria dungeons, in addition to the promise of more dungeons as the game progresses. Most recently we heard that Patch 7.2.5 will contain a new addition, Timewalking Raids, namely, Black Temple.

As fun as walking down memory lane with 4 potentially random individuals was, the prospect of Timewalking raiding is all the more enticing. While the current system allows you to queue as you would any other dungeon, Timewalking raids will behave a little differently and require a pre-formed group in order to be tackled. While I’m incredibly excited to waltz into the darkened halls of Karabor once again as my level-70 resto-shaman self, I can’t help but fear that the pre-grouping requirement will reduce the number of people running the raid during the Timewalking period, and with Timewalking only being around a limited time per month (and even more limited to get back to Burning Crusade content), it remains to be seen how Blizzard will handle the accessibility of the revisited content.

Timewalking is a unique experience unto itself in Azeroth. At once, those of us who have been a part of the story since the dawn (or nearly) of the title get to experience a wave of nostalgia through mimicked past experiences. Comparatively, new players bear witness to content long gone and yet experienced anew. Many newer players I’ve spoken with about Timewalking love the system and thoroughly enjoy being able to experience the older content at a relative difficulty, after missing it when it was “current”.

While I play for the nostalgia, and the ability to use all of my pre-Legion legendaries again, I also Timewalk to show my newer friends the “old” days, rather than just talk about it. New experiences and old memories collide in the “Halls of Stone.” I watch my group members perform old mechanics (because in Timewalking they kinda matter) in “The Shattered Halls”. I remember how much I hated doing the challenge mode version of “Shadowpan Monastery” all over again. Awash with emotion when they’re here, and all the more grateful they’re not around all the time, Timewalking dungeons are straight out of the Timeless Isle. Something ephemeral that drifts in and out of view. Shifting faces and eras as it guides us to look back and remember.

While some people run them for their normal-current raid tier box, I’m sure there are plenty of others who play like me, who relive the past through these encounters, and queue with bittersweet thoughts in mind. While the shiny loot is great, it’s the experiences that keep us coming back. Black Temple Timewalking will likely not bring me back to my bright-eyed days as a young shaman, but I can dream, and I can remember.

Why do you Timewalk? Or do you not participate at all? Let us know in the comments below, or join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.

There’s Only So Much Time in the World (of Warcraft): AP & You

From pet battles, to PVP, to end-game raiding content, there’s always something to do in World of Warcraft. But is that becoming a problem? The new artifact power system has hindered a longstanding past-time in-game, namely, alt-play. Have you felt the burn?

It all seems well and good. Each new artifact weapon is laden with lore and excitement. You’re encouraged to explore every avenue of story (even if you don’t fully read it) as you progress your character. For lore buffs and altoholics, this makes alt-leveling seem all the more APpealing. But that, of course, is before you see the endless sea of grinding that you have to do to get them up to snuff in the current grind that is artifact power.

Hello, fellow gamers. I’m Shebalo, and I’m an altoholic.

I’ve had alts for years. Ever since Wrath of the Lich King and some untimely real-life issues, I spent a great deal of time in front of the screen. I’ve continued to roll over each of my alts to the next level cap as a new expansion became available. Some expansions have seen easier alt progression than others, but for the most part, getting them to max level and caught up to a useful amount of power wasn’t all that difficult. I have fond memories of how easy it was to gear freshly minted 90s with Mists of Pandaria‘s Timeless Isle gear. Bind on Account bundles of joy helped make even the meekest alt into, well, at least a slightly less meek creature. Some 500 days played across this one server (not including alts which have been deleted over time), and I might finally be reaching my wit’s end. As you can see, I currently have five level-110 characters, with none seriously contending for sixth place. Why is that you may ask? Namely, artifact power and catch-up difficulties.

Catch-up mechanics do exist, but they’re not as helpful as you may think.

I gained access to the highest level artifact research available pretty quickly when the option was released in Patch 7.1.5. All of my alts were happily whisked away to the land of high levels of AP gain, and it was wonderful…for a time. While the initial boost of AP gain is great for alts to catch up to basic levels of talent tree progression, the fact remains that there’s still quite a distance to be covered to get beyond the 30~ talent range (pre-7.2). Additionally, the current patch has changed such that the next set of traits and artifact knowledges decrease the incentive to grind out AP, making it even harder to catch up in a shorter period of time. While there are certain AP “chunks” available (Mythic Plus 10 or higher, some World Quests, Broken Shore special table quests, etc.), most of us are left wanting for a better method of AP acquisition before reaching to the new research levels. As of right now, in short, it just doesn’t feel worth it.

While we wait for more artifact research to be available on our mains, many of us are finding ourselves farming for a resource with very minimal return for the time invested. While this will improve with time, there’s more going on with the AP requirements than just a lack of return for what we’re putting into it, and that’s player burnout. One of the main reasons I stopped curating my alts this expansion was the inundation of grinding I’m facing on my main. As a mythic raider, it constantly feels like I’m behind on things I need to stay on top of in order to squeeze that extra percent out of my weapon or gear. While the need to farm Mythic Plus dungeons isn’t there yet so far this patch, I know the time is coming. The fact remains that I, like so many in my guild and others that I’ve spoken with, faced that grind in the previous patches in order to attain the coveted 54th point. We slaved for weeks, for hours, often neglecting more “fun” things to do in game, in order to achieve min/max success. Was it worth it? I don’t really know. Bosses die, parses are had, but in the end, many of us look at a new grind with disdain—whether it be the new traits on our mains, or the original ones on our alts. When rolling an alt in Legion, you need to re-grind your AP (with some tome help at least if your main has high research completion), your reps, your gear, and your class campaign. While endless content is great for mains, it puts alts in a chokehold, and there’s very little to help alts out in categories outside of basic AP assistance and easily acquirable but Bind-on-Pickup items on the Broken Shore.

Some people just want to watch the world (of Warcraft) burn.

My alts, like your alts, will live on in time. While the daunting tasks of AP farming and alt catch-ups are ominous at this time, if you like alts, chances are you’ll eventually come back around to them. This could happen during the inter-expansion lull, during a guild hiatus, or even perhaps due to class-breaking changes on your main. Alts exist for a reason, and even if you may just be exploring them for the first time this expansion, there is hope. Blizzard continuously cites a desire to help alts this expansion, after repeated requests from the playerbase. Let’s hope they continue to listen, and continue to help. I have a lot of lore to soak up through my alts this expansion, and I’ll dance my way through the burnout, even if it kills me.

How are you dealing with AP requirements and burnout? Do you feel like it’s still relevant to farm, or are you biding your time doing other things until artifact research catches up? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord!

Famine & Flood: The State of World of Warcraft

Whether you’re raiding, PVPing, or pet battling, Legion offers a lot to do. But is it too much?

Whether you’re raiding, PVPing, or pet battling, Legion offers a lot to do. But is it too much? If you’ve been playing World of Warcraft for a long time, you’ve experienced the content ebbs and flows of Blizzard’s patches. With Legion’s most recent Patch 7.1.5 drop, it’s hard not to feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of content flowing in.

Warlords of Draenor was not a great expansion for content releases. Much of the content originally planned was either scrapped or drastically changed in order to meet ever condensed release schedules. It’s predecessor Mists of Pandaria however boasted a great start to the expansion, dropping content patches like hotcakes. Unfortunately for MoP, content stretched to a famine after the release of the Siege of Orgrimmar raid, a patch which left players wanting for over a year before Warlords finally dropped.

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So far Legion appears to be following a similar release schedule to MoP. From the outset of Legion’s release, there has been a steady flow of content for players to indulge in… perhaps a little too much content. For hardcore players, at the release of the expansion, it was nearly impossible to even consider focusing on anything but your main character. Between world quests, reputation grinds, and professions, there was a near overwhelming amount of things to keep oneself occupied. As raids opened up, arena seasons started, and new storylines were released, Blizzard has kept the river flowing. While the content may not necessarily be up to your speed, the fact remains that there is a lot to do.

Might there just be a little too much going on? While Blizzard has made efforts to try and help alts and new players catch up to current content levels, it can at times feel like there’s too much to do. However, it might just be in how you look at things. In past expansions, at max level, you pretty much logged in just for raids, dailies, or even your daily dungeon and that was it. Now for many players there is a greater variety of things to do. World quests have given a breath of fresh air to the old daily structure, allowing the freedom to not log in every day with only a minor loss to progression, as emissaries last for up to three days. Weekly events and micro holidays help players interact with the world in new ways, and change up the face of the game. Even if you don’t like what’s going on this week, usually something will be coming along soon to carry you away.

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In looking at how much Legion has to offer, it is hard not to draw parallels to MoP. We were fanned with content during Mists, and we were left with a drought in the end. Had Blizzard have paced their content releases a bit more steadily throughout Mists, the content drought would not have lasted nearly as long and might have left people feeling better about the expansion when transitioning into Warlords (which was effectively another drought). It is not surprising then that many fear that Blizzard’s content releases may run out of steam before the next expansion drops, leaving us caught in the content desert as we wait for new things to do.

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While an inter-expansion lull is always expected, one would hope that Blizzard has learned a thing or two about helping ease the transition. While the time between expansions is often a good time to catch up on things you might have let slide (pet battles, Brawler’s Guild, or transmog collections), these are often not the things which keep people subscribed. Legion doesn’t appear to be singing its final swan song anytime soon, and it’s current content trajectory appears to be solid. While players may feel a little overwhelmed with what’s currently on their plates, and the impending menu Blizzard has in store, we can hope that our Warcraft overlords have learned proper content pacing techniques. Not too fast, not too slow, but just right: the Goldilocks schedule. Something we’ll hopefully get to see after our coming trip to Argus.

How do you feel about Blizzard’s content releases so far in Legion? Do you think things are happening too fast? Are you bored already? How did you handle past expansion droughts? Let us know below, or join in the conversation on social media!

Odyn’s Conflicting History, and the Trial of Valor

Today, November 8, marks the release of the next mini-raid “Trial of Valor”. Whether the you’ve ferverously read World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1, simply experienced the Stormheim questline, or are genuinely curious as to why Odyn has us fighting to prove ourselves, yet again, this post’s for you.

Odyn is kind of a jerk. Actually, Odyn is an egotistical jerk. So why are we insistent on helping him? It all lies in his origins, his history, and the legacy of the Titans.

Continue reading “Odyn’s Conflicting History, and the Trial of Valor”

Blizzard Releases The Emerald Nightmare

Today marks the unlocking of the first raid to hit the Broken Isles since Legion‘s launch back on August 30th. Normal and Heroic difficulties of the seven boss raid are available to raid teams as of today. Mythic and LFR: Wing 1, will open up next Tuesday. For a full breakdown of all the reasons we’re heading into the Emerald Nightmare today, check out Blizzard’s Raid Preview: 7 Eerie Reasons to Enter the Emerald Nightmare on the official website. If you’ve been itching to take down Xavius since finishing Val’Sharah, you’ll finally get the opportunity.

Also included in this week’s unlocks for World of Warcraft are world bosses and Mythic + 5-man dungeons. In addition to loot, the world bosses will help players earn new artifact appearances via Unleashed Monstrosities, and may even drop hidden artifact appearances for some classes. Additionally, if you’ve been looking for a little more prestige and difficulty out of your 5-man experiences, you can start collecting Mythic Keystones to make your runs just a little more involved. A full preview of the system was also offered on the official website just last week. Some dungeon modifiers include increasing health and damage by bosses (Tyrannical), constant player-damage (Decay), and an all-time tank favorite where tanks generate less threat (Skittish). Various achievements will be rewarded according to Keystone use and progress, in addition to the improved loot the reward system includes.

Finally, for those who run to the beat of a different World of Warcraft drum, today also marks the start of Legion‘s first PVP season. Are you going to start raiding today? Let us know in the comments, or talk to us on Twitter and Facebook.