World of Warcraft Classic is just around the corner, and if you are remotely interested in World of Warcraft as an IP, you have undoubtedly noticed the hype train.
Next week on August 27th, fans of World of Warcraft from around the world will be adventuring through Azeroth as it was almost 15 years ago. And to many players, this will feel like ”going home”.
However, if you are a fan of World of Warcraft as it is now, you might be scratching your head; wondering why people are so excited for a 15-year-old game without all the conveniences of Battle for Azeroth.
So, why should you go back and try a version of the game without automated group finding, mount tabs, transmogrification, and flying mounts?
Well, there are a LOT of good reasons to leave the comfort of Battle for Azeroth and at least give the original World of Warcraft a try. But this article will focus on the content of Vanilla World of Warcraft.
Still, haven’t decided on a class for Classic? Check out our complete class-picking-guide here.
World of Warcraft Classic is the most content-rich version of the game to date
In this article, I am NOT going to try and convince you why the game was better without most of those modern conveniences, because that topic has been talked to death.
This article will focus on World of Warcraft Classic and how it is the version of WoW with the most relevant content to date, by far.
Most World of Warcraft players today hasn’t played through the Vanilla WoW content while it was relevant and for those players, in particular, WoW Classic is the biggest content patch ever.
To show just how much content World of Warcraft Classic has to offer, we have to compare it to one of the biggest expansion yet in terms of content – The Burning Crusade.
The Burning Crusade – Content Overview
The Burning Crusade was an absolutely massive expansion – let us take a look at the content on offer.
- 1 New Continent – Outland
- 12 New Zones – Hellfire Peninsula, Zangarmarsh, Nagrand, Terokkar Forest, Blade’s Edge Mountains, Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Valley, Eversong Woods, Ghostlands, Azuremyst Isle, Bloodmyst Isle, Isle of Quel’Danas
- 16 New Dungeons – Hellfire Ramparts, The Blood Furnace, The Shattered Halls, The Slave Pens, The Underbog, The Steamvault, Mana-Tombs, Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth, Old Hillsbrad Foothills, The Black Morass, The Mechanar, The Arcatraz, The Botanica, Magisters’ Terrace
- 9 New Raids/52 Bosses – Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, Matheridon’s Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, The Eye(Tempest Keep), Battle for Mount Hyjal, The Black Temple, Zul’Aman, Sunwell Plateau.
- Level Cap Raised by 10 – From 60 to 70
- 1 New Profession – Jewelcrafting
- 2 New Races – Draenei, Blood Elves
- Hundreds of new quests – Couldn’t find the exact number
- New Systems – Arenas, Heroic Dungeons, Daily Quests & Flying
- New monsters, talents, spells, and items
World of Warcraft Classic – Content Overview
So, let us see how well Classic compares to the most content-filled WoW expansion to date.
- 2 Continents – Experience Kalimdor & Eastern Kingdoms before the Cataclysm!
- 40 Zones – Explore 40 unique zones. See the full list of zones here.
- 23 Dungeons – Ragefire Chasm, Wailing Caverns, The Deadmines, Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps, The Stockade, Gnomeregan, Razerfen Kraul, The Scarlet Monastery Graveyard/Library/Armory/Cathedral, Razerfen Downs, Uldaman, Zul’Farrak, Maraudon, Temple of Atal’Hakkar, Blackrock Depths, Blackrock Spire, Dire Maul, Stratholme Scarlet Crusade side/Undead side, Scholomance
- 7 Raids/65 Bosses – Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Onyxia’s Lair, Zul’Gurub, Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, The Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, Naxxramas
- 60 Levels – Level from 1-60
- Unique Honor System – Rise to glory through the original honor system
- 12 Professions – These might not be new to modern players(besides First Aid), but they are entirely unique in their Classic state
- 9 Classes – Again, not new to current players BUT they are altogether different from their Battle for Azeroth counterpart.
- 27 Unique Talent trees – Empower your character through the original class talents
- Hundreds of new quests – Experience the original World of Warcraft quests, long lost to time.
You might feel like you have played the classes, seen the zones or conquered the raids. But if you have only played through them while they were relevant, then that is not the case. Venturing into the Molten Core with 39 other people or questing through the dangerous world of Azeroth before the Cataclysm is an entirely different and unique experience.
Vanilla vs. Expansions: Conclusion
No expansion in World of Warcraft history comes even close to the amount of relevant content that Classic contains.
Zones & Continents
No other expansions come close to the number of zones and areas that Classic has on offer. Especially if you started playing after the Cataclysm expansion, Classic WoW is going to be a grand adventure like nothing else.
Player-versus-Environment(PvE) Content
The Burning Crusade comes close, but no expansion in World of Warcraft’s history has the same amount of relevant group content to venture through with your friends.
Leveling & Quests
The journey from 1-60 is arguably grander than all of the World of Warcraft expansions combined. If you joined WoW in the later expansions, then it is hard to explain just how much of an adventure the Classic WoW leveling is.
Especially people who joined after Cataclysm will get to experience hundreds of new quests, including several epic class-specific quests.
Player-versus-Player(PvP)
World of Warcraft Classic has a unique honor system that only exists in this version of the game. Granted, from a competitive standpoint, it is inferior to post-vanilla systems, but it is a unique experience to grind through.
World PvP is something that World of Warcraft Classic does better than any other point in WoW history. Classic as a game incentivizes you to be out in the open world more than any expansion, and if you love world PvP, then WoW Classic is right down your alley.
Professions
If you are used to the way professions work in Battle for Azeroth, then the Classic profession system will blow you away. It is an actual RPG crafting system with much more depth than we are used to in the modern game.
Classes & Talents
The classes that you can play in Classic WoW might also be in the later versions of the game. However, they are night-and-day compared to how they work in the modern game, and if you haven’t played WoW in the early days, then they will almost feel like new classes.
Every class has a ton of flavorful niche abilities, quests, and a vast array of talents. If you love class fantasy, then Classic is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling versions of WoW that you can play.
Final Thoughts
If you are one of the WoW players that don’t plan on trying out Classic, then I hope this article at least gave you an overview of why it is worth considering.
World of Warcraft Classic is a true massively-multiplayer-online role-playing game adventure. Even if you love your flying mount and transmogrification, it is a journey that every fan of World of Warcraft should experience.
WoW has lost its luster for sometime now. Blizzard is losing subscribers by the thousands each month. The game is stagnant and is too time consuming to be really effective. Furthermore, Blizzard knows they are in trouble with their fan base and is struggling to find news ones or at least replacements. Loot table drop rates continue to be troublesome as duplicate drops of the same gear, weps, rings and trinkets at a lower item level continue DESPITE COMPLAINTS from veteran players to FIX THIS PROBLEM.
BGs are predictable and have become literally boring. Again, Blizzard tries to infuse excitement in to BGs with events and “purps” but again falls short.
In short, Blizzard is desperate to recapture its luster and finally, tries ONCE AGAIN, with promises to players that CLASSIC WOW will fix the problem. Sorry Blizzard, it won’t get it done. Players are abandoning ship and no longer want to waste 15$ a month to play the same game with only an “eye candy” makeover.
Good bye WoW.