Back when I started to play the original Guild Wars, there was a bustling community. There were the main hubs of trading in the major cities and then other locations that served purposes for group dungeons, areas and bosses. I remember fondly going into the Underworld with a group of players and killing as much as we could before we all died and had to leave the zone.
Then the next campaign that came out was more of the same, but it added more of a PvP setting. There were cities that could be owned by guilds amongst some other really cool features Im not going to go into. Eventually though, as players started to decline and groups got harder to form, much of the same problems World of Warcraft is going through now, NCSoft came out with the Nightfall campaign (my personal favorite out of all the campaigns/expansions). Despite it being my favorite though, it was in my eyes, one of the first nails in the coffin for the title.
Nightfall introduced Heroes.
Now Heroes were great for the player that didnt want to depend on other people. They were useful alone, but if you had the aptitude for it you could control them just as well as your own character. The biggest downside though at the time, is that your entire party couldnt be just Heroes, back then you could only have 3. Unless you had a friend who had 3 Heroes to use as well.
That was the first nail though, they essentially phased out a social aspect of the game. Which lead to even more nails in the coffin with the slowly dying game.
Its final expansion came out called Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Which added more to the game than any expansion before it, but also changed the limit of Heroes you could bring with you. In the game after GW:EN you could have an entire party filled with nothing other than you and your Heroes.
Now some of you were probably like me at that point. You didnt have to worry about people ruining your runs by aggroing too much. You didnt have to worry about people not being properly geared. You didnt have to worry about people not being attuned to certain areas or against certain damage. You were now the only person you needed to enjoy the game, but at what cost?
When I first started playing WoW, it was very much of the same with Guild Wars. There was a bustling community and even though there was an Auction House, people still used Trade Chat to find gear, materials, as well as people for dungeons, raids, etc.
That was the joy of it though. It was satisfying when you got into a raiding guild that had steady progression and competent people and it made you cherish those memories. Having 9 to 24 other people working together with you to take down a raid boss, or a world boss, or to go to another city or town and take it via brute force and teamwork. To get a group of 40 together and kill the Leader of that city.
Now though, things have devolved. Things are getting to the point that Nightfall and GW:EN did and I feel like the first nail is touching the boards of the coffin.
Were losing a lot of the social aspect of the game, by adding features that make us all less social and less dependant on other people. Some of the features are features Im personally for, so please dont think this is just all hate, but some of these features I feel hurt the game in the long run than help it.
Theyre features designed to help a dying game to not appear as if its dying.
Yet again dont get me wrong, these features help me each week complete quests, raids, dungeons, you name it. But thats the problem at the same time.
Im not building relationships with anyone anymore. Im sure all of us have some tale of some time where World of Warcraft has impacted us someway. I can tell you that since Wrath of the Lich King that I havent had a good raiding experience with any guild, since theyre ready to drop the game the first time something gets hard, or the first time we have a unintentional wipe.
Since my return to Warlords of Draenor and Tanaan Jungle I havent had a guild, because its not necessary anymore and more often than not needless stupid drama happens which Id rather not be a part of or dragged into.
That should worry us though. Were seeing the game die before our eyes and we are almost helpless to stop it, but lets try to anyway.
What I would like everyone who reads this to do, is add someone. Talk to and add the next person you feel did really well in a certain scenario. If a healer in a dungeon/raid kept the group up under dire circumstances, or theres a DPS that is exceptional, or a tank that solo tanked an encounter that needs an Off-Tank after one died, tell them how awesome or great it was. Add that person so you can play with them again. Make a bond and start a friendship.
Make yourself open to the idea that friends can be found on an MMO.
Make yourself open to being more social.
Lets make Legion the start of a more social and friendly World of Warcraft.
Then the next campaign that came out was more of the same, but it added more of a PvP setting. There were cities that could be owned by guilds amongst some other really cool features Im not going to go into. Eventually though, as players started to decline and groups got harder to form, much of the same problems World of Warcraft is going through now, NCSoft came out with the Nightfall campaign (my personal favorite out of all the campaigns/expansions). Despite it being my favorite though, it was in my eyes, one of the first nails in the coffin for the title.
Nightfall introduced Heroes.
Now Heroes were great for the player that didnt want to depend on other people. They were useful alone, but if you had the aptitude for it you could control them just as well as your own character. The biggest downside though at the time, is that your entire party couldnt be just Heroes, back then you could only have 3. Unless you had a friend who had 3 Heroes to use as well.
That was the first nail though, they essentially phased out a social aspect of the game. Which lead to even more nails in the coffin with the slowly dying game.
Its final expansion came out called Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Which added more to the game than any expansion before it, but also changed the limit of Heroes you could bring with you. In the game after GW:EN you could have an entire party filled with nothing other than you and your Heroes.
Now some of you were probably like me at that point. You didnt have to worry about people ruining your runs by aggroing too much. You didnt have to worry about people not being properly geared. You didnt have to worry about people not being attuned to certain areas or against certain damage. You were now the only person you needed to enjoy the game, but at what cost?
When I first started playing WoW, it was very much of the same with Guild Wars. There was a bustling community and even though there was an Auction House, people still used Trade Chat to find gear, materials, as well as people for dungeons, raids, etc.
That was the joy of it though. It was satisfying when you got into a raiding guild that had steady progression and competent people and it made you cherish those memories. Having 9 to 24 other people working together with you to take down a raid boss, or a world boss, or to go to another city or town and take it via brute force and teamwork. To get a group of 40 together and kill the Leader of that city.
Now though, things have devolved. Things are getting to the point that Nightfall and GW:EN did and I feel like the first nail is touching the boards of the coffin.
Were losing a lot of the social aspect of the game, by adding features that make us all less social and less dependant on other people. Some of the features are features Im personally for, so please dont think this is just all hate, but some of these features I feel hurt the game in the long run than help it.
Theyre features designed to help a dying game to not appear as if its dying.
Yet again dont get me wrong, these features help me each week complete quests, raids, dungeons, you name it. But thats the problem at the same time.
Im not building relationships with anyone anymore. Im sure all of us have some tale of some time where World of Warcraft has impacted us someway. I can tell you that since Wrath of the Lich King that I havent had a good raiding experience with any guild, since theyre ready to drop the game the first time something gets hard, or the first time we have a unintentional wipe.
Since my return to Warlords of Draenor and Tanaan Jungle I havent had a guild, because its not necessary anymore and more often than not needless stupid drama happens which Id rather not be a part of or dragged into.
That should worry us though. Were seeing the game die before our eyes and we are almost helpless to stop it, but lets try to anyway.
What I would like everyone who reads this to do, is add someone. Talk to and add the next person you feel did really well in a certain scenario. If a healer in a dungeon/raid kept the group up under dire circumstances, or theres a DPS that is exceptional, or a tank that solo tanked an encounter that needs an Off-Tank after one died, tell them how awesome or great it was. Add that person so you can play with them again. Make a bond and start a friendship.
Make yourself open to the idea that friends can be found on an MMO.
Make yourself open to being more social.
Lets make Legion the start of a more social and friendly World of Warcraft.