It’s one of the most hotly contested subjects in nerdom, WoW Classic versus retail WoW. It’s up there with debates like “Who’s the Best Star Trek Captain” and “Top 10 DnD Modules.”
Even though we know the battle will rage on for all eternity, among both nerds and non-nerds everywhere, here are a few things we think both games have going for them. Now you have something to add to that debate the next time someone brings it up at the mailbox.
10 Classic: The Grind
This is the first thing everyone thinks of, and it’s a silly thing to argue about because it’s totally a matter of opinion. If you prefer Classic over retail, this is the main reason why; whether you like or hate the grind to max level. This is much more difficult and time-consuming in Classic and that’s the point.
The quests, adventures, and friends you make along the way ar all part of the Classic WoW experience. The time you sent on the grind is closely tied to other great things about the vintage game, like the community that everyone loves so much.
9 Retail: Achievements
These always existed in the community, so it was a great idea to make it an official part of the gameplay. It’s nice to see Blizzard actually paying attention to what its customers are actually doing and enjoying for a change.
Players had always been making challenges for themselves as individuals, and servers had “world firsts” as a way to keep track of which guild downed the most fearsome bosses before anyone else. Achievements include dungeon runs along with a myriad of other adventures, checkpoints, and daring feats. Cooking, exploring, and even falling without dying are all on the list.
8 Classic: The Community
Contrary to popular belief, gamers do not lead solitary or reclusive lives. We are not all hermits hiding in the basement. The social component of Classic WoW I is a big part of why it’s so popular.
Players needed to group up to finish quests, defeat bosses and raid the opposing faction, just like they do in modern WoW, but you had to join a guild or get into trade chat and find some friends the old-fashioned way. You couldn’t just click your mouse a couple of times and forget about who was in your pick-up group (PUG). Features like LFG and guild-finders are convenient, but they take something out of the game that people loved.
7 Retail: Earning Gold
In Classic WoW, the amount of gold you could earn was a serious issue. In retail, you still need gold, but it’s much easier to make and keep than it was in Classic. In the history of expansions, the issue of gold acquisition was high on the list of player complaints with the original game, which is why it was one of the first things to change with The Burning Crusade in 2006.
An additional challenge was the amount of gold you needed for basic items, like training and gear, as opposed to the amount of gold you could earn from quests, kills or playing the auction house. This is balanced out a lot more in the modern World of Warcraft, along with virtually everything else.
6 Classic: The Original Stranglethorn Fishing Contest
This weekly event was so popular it wasn’t only reincarnated in every expansion, but it was exported to every continent and even survived the wrath of Deathwing during the Cataclysm.
It all started in Classic WoW, and in the early days of the contest, it was much harder to win. If you were on a PvP server, you had a whole other set of challenges to contend with in the contested zone of Stranglethorn Vale. Winning was a huge badge of honor and is one of the Achievements listed in modern WoW.
5 Retail: Northrend
Popular topics around the Warcraft water cooler aren’t always divisive. Some of them unite players. Which expansion was the best? Or, what expansion was your favorite? The majority of players, even the hardcore vanilla lovers, will answer, Wrath of the Lich King. Why? Because of the new continent, Northrend.
The music, the lore, the exquisite designs of each zone are what make this whole zone great. For those that played the RTS games, it was the continuation of the story of Arthas Menethil and the aftermath of his reign as the Lich King.
4 Classic: The Brill Tavern
The tavern, whether it’s in an Azerothian city, a space station, or a DnD module, is where most of the role-playing and storyline action takes place. The Brill Tavern had a claim to fame as a dark, dreary place where hope and love went to die, quite the opposite of its shiny, happy counterpart of Goldshire.
That’s the point, as Brill was a vision of what happened to a Human kingdom after it had been ravaged by the Scourge. A chilling reminder of what could happen to Stormwind and Elwynn Forest should the other half of humanity fall. In later expansions, Brill was changed and expanded considerably as the Forsaken tightened its grip on Tirifal Glades, and the tavern is now completely different significantly. The loss of unique music was the most disappointing change.
3 Retail: The Orgrimmar-Thunder Bluff Zepplin
In a world that’s usually in such a rush, we’re not sure how this made it into the game, but we’re glad that it did. In Classic WoW, there were three Zepplin towers and all of them provided cross-continental travel. It’s a long trip but only consists of a cut-scene and a dotted line across the ocean.
It would have been interesting had the journey been real-time but of course, that would take far too long. Now, with the much shorter Zepplin trip that goes between the two Horde capitals, you can take a few minutes to slow down that grind and watch the vast, open spaces of Kalimdor float by under your feet as you fly.
2 Classic: Twinks
Another point that could be a highly contested matter of opinion on its own, it was the uneven balance between characters and some flawed item deigns that made Twinks possible. Oh, did we overlook putting a level cap on that enchant? Did we make that item BoE instead of BoP?
Oh well, nobody will ever figure that out, especially a Rogue or a Mage with a taste for PvP. Let’s face it, you thought Twinks were great, just as long as you got to be one.
1 Retail: The LFG Option
You’re worried about the effect an LFG option would have on the community? That’s really interesting. Well, there have about eight quests here that we’d like to finish before our ’toons level out of this dungeon completely, do you mind?
We know why people love the community in Classic WoW and how the LFG option impacted that in a negative way. On the other hand, we have things we have to do. There are quests to finish and gear and gold to collect. Just hook me up with a group, okay?
