The original Wrath of the Lich King is the number one expansion in World of Warcraft for many and that includes me as well. But after experiencing the expansion all over again in Classic, it made me realize that nostalgia can play a major role in changing our perception of how good or bad things truly were “back in the day.” It also made me realize that the memories created during the original expansion might never be recreated even with a brand-new remaster with quality-of-life updates.
Wrath of The Lich King Holds Up Really Well After All These Years
After completing most of Wrath of The Lich King’s content in WoW Classic, I have to commend Blizzard on its original game design for the expansion back in the day. The content holds up really well even in 2022’s iteration of the expansion. While I can’t comment the same is true for players on low-population servers, if you are on one of the bigger servers in the game, you are in for a treat.
Unfortunately, the expansion also made me realize how much of a buggy mess Classic can be sometimes and while the developers have deployed crucial bug fixes over recent weeks, it is far from a perfect experience. Over time, I have also realized that when we are new to a game and really enjoy it, it is easy to overlook issues of all kinds because enjoyment prevails over quality-of-life issues that may be present.
The removal of the automatic group finder is something that is likely to negatively impact Classic long-term and finding groups has been a hassle. After spending a decade with the franchise, real-life circumstances prevent me from spending too much time on video games and spending up to 15 minutes to find a group can be very frustrating. You spend almost as much time finding a group as you do clearing a dungeon, to begin with, which is ridiculous. The experience can of course vary depending on which server you are on but things are far from perfect on my server.
The manual group finder does have its fair share of advantages but I wish we could have a better matchmaking and looking-for-group (LFG) system with the best of both worlds. While that’s a lot of complaints that I have about the game, the expansion does hold up really well especially if you enjoyed the original expansion.
Leveling Can Be Unfun Sometimes
I realized how bad some of the dungeons are when it comes to giving XP for leveling up. My leveling journey was nowhere near as fun as I had expected it to be and I was “forced’ to rely on group quests and brute forced my way through dungeons over and over again until I was burnt out.
Wrath of the Lich King’s dungeons are fun but it was the constant loop of waiting for people to get into a dungeon that barely lasted 15 minutes made it not as fun. My old self is too reliant on add-ons and Questie did not work as intended a lot of the time, making it a frustrating affair. I just wanted to level up as quickly as possible and it took too painstakingly long.
Once you do reach the level needed to raid comfortably, the content in Wrath of the Lich King truly shines. It reminds you of an era long gone and we will probably never get to re-experience what it felt like to play the original expansion for the first time ever, but this re-issued version definitely brings back some fond memories.
I am no longer the hardcore MMO grinder I used to be and it feels like retail might be the more fun of the two experiences. I do not regret going back to Classic and trying out the Wrath of the Lich King, but I cannot deny that the experience WoW offered to me a decade ago can never be recreated. After all, you can only have your first experience with something just once.
As someone with a full-time job and responsibilities that keep me away from gaming, retail offers a faster and more polished experience that meets my lifestyle needs. MMORPGs require dedication and time is something I am constantly short on.
Leveling in retail is less of a hassle but I can see why and how Classic’s leveling experience can be fun for players who want a nostalgia trip or are trying out WoW for the first time. If someone asked me which version they should try out, I would not be able to offer a clear answer.
Retail Might Be Better For Me After All
While Retail is better for me, the version you should go for depends on the kind of player you are. The biggest issue for me when replaying Classic is that I already know everything and have done it all. The story of World of Warcraft is so memorable that I still remember almost all of it. The sense of discovery when playing old expansions is lost on me.
If you do have time on your hands and do not mind experiencing the game in your own way, you should give both versions a try and see which one clicks with you. I have grown too attached to my Demon Hunter and it is something I miss playing in Classic so I guess I will slowly crawl back to retail until the next hype expansion comes to Classic, whenever that is.
If you are a big fan of old-school MMORPG mechanics and love long questing sessions then Classic might be the better option. Slow leveling is one of my biggest complaints but not everyone feels the same way so you can make your decision depending on your play style and the time available to you. Retail WoW is easy and the quality of life features that have been added over the years make me want to stick to retail, for now.
