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"Never let a Tauren Drink and Tank: Raid Aspect of WoW Questioned"


Some of us may or may not have experienced the mighty end game content Blizzard has provided its fans with thusfar in the game Word of Warcraft. With the release of the Burning Crusade coming up soon next year, many people have been very curious to see the coming changes to the "Raiding World" within the game. It is a topic of many opinions, usually including four different sides, hard core gamers (Raiders), casual players who have hit the cap, casual players who have not hit the cap and have fallen in love with the atmosphere, and, Blizzard themselves.

"This game is approachable for all play styles" This has always been supported by Blizzard, but recently, is this statement true at all in WOW? When the game was first released, there was something absolutely wonderful present, everyone was on a level playing feild. There was no 60's, there was no previous knowledge of content, boss pulls, areas, quest secrets, it was all brand new, fresh, and gave equall opportunity to all. Now, it might as well be a whole different game. Large guilds of any type under the sun have formed, a virtual economy has implanted itself firmly, gold farming and bots have found their way in, all things to be excpected in a online game. The fun you had leveling and questing is now coming into short supply as you reach 60, as it become a very different game and that is where this article begins.

".... Wow at 60 is a different game. You play because you feel you have to. Game content is something to be endured, not enjoyed."-Kazgrim

The first thing to look at is when you first hit 60. It could have taken you a month, or a year, but the effort to hit the level cap is there. In my personal experience, leveling was one of the funnest parts about WOW. Enjoying the content and doing 5 man instances with people you know, or forming tight friendships with characters and players in the game. You develop a certain trust with them and as a direct result, enjoy spending more time with them than other people. You have the time to enjoy the terrain and quest fluff and combine it with the few people you enjoy spending time online with. It is extremely true that a personal sense of moment is lost when you are mass raiding an instance with 40 people, you barely know all the people in it, certainely dont know each of their potentials and very few may have the same gaming intent as you do.

Blizzard does an excellent job with content, raids and story that can be enjoyed by everyone, up untill you hit 60. What is there to do when you have attained the highest goal possible in leveling? Blizzard has given you a small list of to do's, all based on enhancing your toon's gear... Raid, or PVP. There is nothing inbetween. For PVPing as a future for your WOW toon, it can be very enjoyable. Extremely quick games can be played and anybody (doesnt matter about your guild or equipment) can take part in it and share in the victory. However, when pick up groups of players looking to have fun play in BattleGrounds, it is usually against a tiered end game group all belonging to the same guild, who are there purely to farm ranks. If you have ever faced one, it is enough to make you not even want to play in PVP, especially if you are just in the mood for fun. As for seeing the PVP rank system out faithfully, a small warning must be given out, for it is a very, very deep commitment.

"There are many achievement oriented people that play MMORPGs, and that is precisely who the Honor system is attempting to hook into participating. Just as the game itself is potentially psychologically addicting (just like a gambler’s addiction, which is very real), the Honor system is even more so. The need to get to that next hurdle or accomplishment to prove to oneself that one is progressing can be extremely strong. This type of compulsion will not show up in everyone, but that is simply due to the fact that every person is different. What affects one person mentally is not guaranteed to work on another. This can lead to decisions that adversely affect the self, just like a gambling addict that sells his car for money to take to a casino. The Honor system is not something that is either healthy or constructive. Blizzard has created a system that people can abuse themselves with, and should make changes to it so that the intensive, consecutive time requirements currently in the system are no longer the case. This would be both to show care for their PVP oriented populace, and to retain the customers that often quit after either finishing or no longer wishing to participate in the system. Compete at your own risk." -Grantham

The second option, with two very seperate categories, is Raiding. At 60, you have several different raid options, the first is normal dungeons doable in 5 man groups, but you use 10 and sometimes 15 people, and the second is the large scale end game dungeons, that take anywhere from 20-40 people to tackle. Casual gamers can log on at any time and have the ability to find a group to Scholomance, LBRS, UBRS, Dire Maul, and Strathholme without knowing anybody, or having the best equipment. They can go there and have fun tackling the content and strive to complete the very attainable rare sets. Doing these activities amuse some, but others are begining to realise, there is little hope for them to go from here and even if they do achieve to finnish there set and buy their epic mount, they really hunger for more. For example, on my 80th (no word of a lie) run to Upper Blackrock Spire, I finally won my Spaulders of Valour to complete my set. I realised that there was little else to strive for (being a casual gamer) unless I was prepared to carve out a large chunk of playing time every week (and be the worst person equiped should I join a raiding guild). These runs to equip your character have no value of FUN what so ever, it is very comparible to work and are slightly mentaly frustrating seeing and doing the same thing dozens of times over and over again.

The end game content we have come to know includes places like Molten Core, Onyxia's Lair, Black Wing Lair, parts of Sithilus, Zul Gurrub, and several out raid encounters. In order to be successful and take part in any of this, one usually must be a part of a serious end game guild, with high expectations to it's members about attendance and gear. This is where many gamers feel slighted. In order to enjoy most of the level 60 content, you must be able to put in the large amounts of time required (usually anywhere from 4-5 hours several times a week) and have farmed the lower instances (Scholo, Strath for example) to have the gear to move on. How fair is this to the level 60s who want to take part in the content, but are disallowed by the guild's restrictions? Who are made to only have mediocre gear in comparison to a hard core Raider. Yes they may have put more time into their character (and the ones who live at home without a job usually do), but how can you justify the money we give to Blizzard is only used to further the fun of a handleful of people and allow that handful the satisfaction of the best items and equipment?

"There are set pieces for the classes, people are clamouring to get them. Iron Forge is filled with look alikes, which is disappointing. To make the most of your character you need to 'get' the pieces. Whether you raiders admit it or not, there are tons of people who are paying monthly fees for your content, but who get none of their own. (Don't worry, I don't expect your sense of injustice to kick in). There is an RPG component you conveniently ignore. What is 'Role-Playing' about going in to a dungeon for the 20th time and killing the same boss you have killed interminable times before? LOTS of people play an average of several hours a day and don't like the repetition of RAID dungeons (whereas some raiders I know only play a few hours a week, in order to do a run. There goes the "I play most so I should get the most" argument)." -Linlithgow

"100% of the WoW population can/will see the Strath, Scholo, BRS, and DM.(The 'casual' end game.) I'll be generous and say 50% of the population can/will see MC. Out of that 50% 25% will get to see BWL. Out of that 25% 10% will get to see AQ. Do you not see a trend here? You're making content that a fraction of your population will even ever see?" -Rylek

Will Blizzard ever consider giving the same rewards that you recieve in 40 man raids to 5-10 man ones? The answer sadly is no. Why would a Raider try and better himself/ herself with 40 people when the items can be farmed with 5? It would destroy the larger scale to the raiding world.

"Now the main thing we need to do is get The Burning Crusade out. Players at 60 who do not wish to raid want more of what they had in levels 1-59 which was Questing With a Purpose. When we can add a suite of new content and raise the level cap, we can give players the sense of progression they are looking for. They'll get more of that WoW experience that they came to love. The Burning Crusade has a very balanced combination of solo/group/raid/pvp content. There will be brand new, non-max level dungeons. There will be max level 5 man dungeons. There will be a 10 man raid, something we've never done before (at least endorsed). We're very aware of what people want and we're going to deliver on those needs." -Blizzard Community Manager Tigole

The Expansion places on our table a very new and slightly frightening realization. With all the End Game content being created for Outland, are they going to even bother with 5-10 man 70's instances? Everyone who is only forced to go through and play in Scholomance, LBRS, UBRS, Dire Maul, and Strathholme will have a very hard time keeping busy when they hit 70, as there will be little content available to them and their time frames. As well, we don't know yet if in order to keep advancing through Outland, you infact need a lot of the gear from the early on end game content (MC) which would destroy many people's chances in having fun with the new content. It hardly seems fair to cater an entire expansion to the top 15% of your fan and gamer base. Though there are many promises of hours and hours of content in the expansion for both Casual and Hardcore gamers, I have a large feeling it will be the later that will come out on top.

When all the dust settles from the debates and arguements over where the Raid Content of WOW should head, we have to remember that it is JUST a game, and in the end, we play it to have FUN, though many of us forget this along the way.