World of Warcraft has evolved drastically. How big the differences are can be seen in a direct comparison of the classes then and now.
You hear sentences like “WoW is somehow no longer the same as it was back then” and “WoW is simply a different game today” – especially from classic fans who can’t warm up to the current expansions. Even though World of Warcraft continues to stick to its core mechanics, a lot has changed. Not just the type of quests or stories, but also how the classes play. By comparing the villain rotation, a Reddit user shows how drastic the differences are.
What was shown? Reddit user No-Dougnut-293 posted two side-by-side screenshots from different guides for the villain. One shows the rotation of a Deception Rogue in Classic and the other shows the rotation from Retail.
While as a villain in Classic you only have to consider 4 skills, the list in Retail consists of 18 different instructions – depending on whether you are fighting against 1-2 or 3 or more targets.
What is the big difference between retail and classic? If you compare the combat in the two versions of World of Warcraft in particular, you will notice the most differences.
If you look at the classes, the play style of all specializations is significantly different. While many classes in Classic actually get by with 2 or 3 skills (just think of the Frost Mage in Molten Core), in Dragonflight you have to use significantly more skills.
However, this comes at the expense of clarity. Anyone watching a dungeon run in Classic can easily follow most of the actions. Everything is a little slower, spells take longer to cast and there’s a lot less happening on screen.
In Dragonflight, on the other hand, there is a thunderstorm effect and everything is much more hectic. This is precisely what represents a major blockage for many players in making the leap from Classic to Retail. The combat system, although it is still essentially the same, has simply become much faster and has more effects, so that the feel of the game has changed.
Of course, both versions have other differences. Social interactions in Dragonflight are quite simple, at least for most content. The group search is automated and entering a dungeon is also possible via teleport. In Classic, finding a group and making arrangements is a large part of the gaming experience and takes up a lot of time.
The point of the article is not to say that one version is worse or easier than the other. But it’s interesting to look at the differences between the two games. Then it becomes clear why many people are so attached to Classic and find modern WoW too hectic – and at the same time another group thinks Classic is damn boring.
One thing that’s definitely funnier in WoW Classic: the methods hardcore characters use to accidentally blow themselves up.