World of Warcrafthas been a genuine gaming phenomenon for years now. This is a game so big that its early days have been packaged as a separate game:World of Warcraft: Classic. With a new expansion on the horizon, players are still wrapping up theirlast tasks beforeShadowlandsdrops. It seems there is no end in sight when it comes toWoW.
Of course, that’s just in the regularWorld of Warcraft. While the retail game has progressed its story a very long way over several years,Classicis a screenshot ofWoW’s earliest days. All the quirks, gear, and quests that no longer exist still exist inClassic. This makes it a popular stomping ground for people who mastered now outdated or extinct parts of the game. Even to this day, people are achieving new things inClassic.
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For example, one 40 player raid group defeated the dragon Onyxia. This is nothing special in itself; Onyxia is not a long or particularly difficult raid, as raids go. What made it impressive is thatthe entire raid was done “naked”: no gear, rings, trinkets, or weapons were used. Surprisingly, this was not enough for some people, who said that world buffs carried by the players into the fight compromised its “nakedness.” To prove that their raid group was not all talk, the team re-created their feat without world buffs. Their second attempt was faster than the first by 2 (recorded) minutes.
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Community feats like this are not unheard of, but are always impressive. In bothWoWandClassic, gear is just as important as high-level abilities. Both, plus a good deal of skill, are required to defeat the game’s most powerful threats. Withoutoverpowered trinketsor weapons to fall back on, defeating a multi-person raid like Onyxia is mostly a matter of skill and very careful planning.
It is also a measure of dedication to the group on an individual players' part. A naked raid requires absolute dedication to the plan, putting the group before oneself at all times. Players who play solo orpick a class based on how fun it isaren’t usually going for this level of required commitment. This is the sort of situation that requires class mastery by pragmatism, not fun. The result is spectacular.
The multi-person raid is a feat of communication and planning that really only exists in games likeWoW. It’s not always the most glamorous to watch, but knowing everything that goes into one, it’s amazing to see it come together. Though their golden age may have passed, it’s undeniable there are stillMMORPGs that are fun to play today.
