Fans of retro gaming and MMORPGs are probably already aware, but in case you live under a gaming rock, you might not know that WoW Classic has officially launched. That’s right: It’s back to 2004 for you albeit in a much-improved way.
Blizzard has relaunched a “vanilla” version of World of Warcraft that only includes content that was available in 2004. Many back end improvements have been made to the 2019 version to provide a more stable game. The goal is, however, to provide nostalgic fans and new players with a genuine experience of what it was like “back then”.
Anyone who was around at the original launch will remember the long queues to even enter the game, let alone the competition for quest objectives. The good news is that today’s version is repeating those glorious days with players reporting waits of 5+ hours. Blizzard is responding by adding new servers to accommodate the crowds, something that was not available back in the day.
Players have a lot to say about their memories about the early days and that the 2019 version feels like home. Who could forget Night Elves dancing in Goldshire? Competition for resources? Being ganked by a stealthed rogue “just because”? Redditors are reporting that players are even lining up and politely taking turns to hunt quest monsters or other objectives. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone is playing nicely, but those participating seem content. Others are waiting a few days to let the furor die down a bit before heading into the game.
There is a robust content release coming in the months ahead as well. This includes raids, PvP battlegrounds like Arathi Basin and Alterac Valley, and even some time-limited server-wide events like the Scourge Invasion”. In short, fans have a lot to look forward to as content rolls out.
To celebrate the WoW Classic launch, Blizzard released a new trailer to “Toast” the game’s 15 years of existence and detailed what players in the “retail”, or the modern version, will see later this year. This includes a max level raid to earn the Obsidian Worldbreaker mount and the Lil’ Nefarian pet alongside an in-game achievement and more. The team has plans to reveal all of the details soon.
