World of Warcraft is having discussions about early access to The War Within. The game director explains what you want to achieve with it.
It was a bit of a disappointment from BlizzCon that there wouldn’t be a big “Q&A session” this time. However, the developers kept their word and then answered the questions and answered them in a video. Contrary to the fears of many critical fans, they not only asked the very easy questions, but also answered a few critical questions.
One topic attracted particular attention during the announcement of the next WoW expansion “The War Within”: the 3-day early access that is available if you buy the Epic Edition for a whopping €90.
What was said? One of the first questions in the Q&A is: “What do you think about 3-day early access?”
The game director Hazzikostas gave a detailed answer:
We’ve seen a lot of discussion about Epic Edition Early Access over the last few days. The origin of this was that we looked at where we could add value to the individual editions – at all levels. In the Base Edition, compared to Dragonflight, this is the boost (…) and it also includes Dragonflight itself if you don’t already own it. So if we increase the value of the basic version, then we also have to make sure that there is something worthwhile at the other levels.
Hazzikostas and his team then considered various options. At first it was mainly about cosmetics and other features, but a look at the competition would have made it obvious.
One thing we’ve seen across the industry is the option for early access and beta access. We understand as a live game, as an MMO, as a cooperative and competitive game, that there are some unique aspects to Early Access.
Hazzikostas further explains that there are therefore some restrictions in the days of early access. You can already see this in the small print when purchasing the Epic Edition, but he explained it in a little more detail:
We’re really trying to do everything we can to make sure that’s just a head start on leveling. You can get started, make your way to level 80, explore the world and see the story. But mythic dungeons, weekly quests, weekly specialization cooldowns, high-value rare mobs with epic rewards – all of these things that feel like a long-term competitive advantage are not available during these first few days.
This is actually not that different from what has been the case in World of Warcraft, because:
Those of you, those [beim Launch jüngerer Erweiterungen] were there, already know that. If you’re really committed to starting an expansion, you’ll know that all of these things are locked until the first weekly reset.
Blizzard had introduced these limitations earlier so that everyone could play at their own pace and, above all, enjoy the story in the first few days. Finally, Hazzikostas explains:
The goal is to ensure that at the start of Season 1 – if you have two players with similar playstyles, one had early access and one didn’t, then you shouldn’t be able to tell any difference in terms of competitive aspects of the game.
It is intended to provide additional value and at the same time we ensure that it is fair.
Why is early access controversial? The 3-day early access is being actively discussed in the community. While some are happy about this bonus, there are also critical voices. Many people are of the opinion that they are essentially “forced” to buy the Epic Edition if they want to level up with their guild or farm crafting materials directly. Many people see an unfair advantage, especially when it comes to materials such as herbs or ores.
What do you think of the early access and the game director’s reasoning?
Hazzikostas also explained a lot about Season 4 of Dragonflight – even though Season 3 hasn’t started yet.