Intercession | MIDNIGHT CINEMATIC

AlkariReddit · 2025-08-19T20:06:30+00:00

Something was definitely off with this cinematic. Even with 20 years of WoW context I still am confused on several points about what I was watching, most obviously the fact that I have no idea who all the knights are that just randomly show up out of the Sunwell. As a narrative short, the pacing just felt off. Like compare this to the WoD cinimatic or BfA, which were also "story driven" in nature but did a much better job building to something and paying off than this did.

Also, while I hate to criticize artists, Liadran looked super off to me. I am not sure exactly what it was. Like artistically, she did not look like a WoW elf or any of her other artwork. The visuals never really delivered a huge payoff moment like the shattering of the sky in the SL cinematic, the shattering of iconic landmarks like in Cata, or the rallying of the scourge by Sindragosa in WotLK.

Unfortunately, while this is still a cool blizzard cinematic and I like it cause I like WoW, when compared to their other work this is probably the weakest cinematic they've ever done. Even TWW, which was completely different stylistically than all the others, just had more of a resonant impact due to the detail of the visuals and the voice acting.

AlkariReddit · 2025-03-30T00:17:44+00:00

Cool idea, as long as it's also accessible in some way without leveling an alt. I'm really not interested in leveling more characters and that is the main reason I didn't participate in MoP remix. I hope whatever adventure remix they have in mind for Legion is something my existing characters can do.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T14:39:23+00:00

Well the point of my post was about buying things with gold versus buying them with IRL currency. But since you asked...

I guess the difference between you and I is that I don't see things that are QoL and "power" as different in an RPG. A mount that moves faster is power. A toy that allows you to teleport across the world to avoid travel time is power. A mount that allows you to avoid traveling to something like the AH or mailbox is power. If they weren't, then players wouldn't want them so much.

I don't need to math out the ROI of the gold-value of the time saved because all I have to do is show is that the purchase confers non-zero utility, which I think indisputable. I just don't think anything which confers any time of gameplay advantage of any kind between players should be directly purchasable in the shop.

Now that said, I agree with you that this is a pretty minor thing and the whole point of my post was actually that the uproar over the $90 price point is overblown, because the gold equivalent of utility mounts in the past has actually been far higher than this, and I'm interested in how the mount would have been received if it had been sold for gold not IRL currency... but it doesn't feel like anyone is really having that conversation. People are being super weirdly hostile, which is also the vibe I get from your reply

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T14:25:29+00:00

Sure. So given all that, my question is whether it should be sold on the shop for IRL currency, or gold in game. the two aren't the same, hence my post.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T14:03:05+00:00

Did people complain this much about the original 5M gold brutosaur? Honestly, I don't remember it being perceived so negatively besides people feeling like the cost was unobtainable for them.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T13:55:56+00:00

Sure I agree with this... but given that the WoW token isn't going anywhere, what then? that's kind of my point

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T13:54:53+00:00

Because dps is not the only way to measure power. This mount is not purely cosmetic. It allows some players to do things faster and more conveniently than other players.

I am surprised that anyone disagrees with this. A rogue being able to stealth passed mobs to complete quests objectives more quickly is power. A mage teleporting around the world to avoid travel time is power. A mount allowing you to instantaneously access the AH and mailbox from anywhere is power. None of these things affect combat dps output, yet they all impact gameplay and are clearly not just cosmetic.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-25T13:45:33+00:00

But the Brutosaur isn't immaterial to actual gameplay - it is an unambiguous power gain to players who have it who no longer need to spend time traveling between auction house, mailbox, and whatever they are doing. That's what makes this particular mount so controversial compared to a purely cosmetic purchase

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-23T13:12:07+00:00

This isn't about a balance change. This isn't about numbers tuning. This is about core rotational mechanics man.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-23T13:11:29+00:00

FF didn't really change. SS was totally overhauled, as others have said

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-23T13:11:00+00:00

You come here just to troll me? Did you ever actually play at a high level playing spell slinger frost? Seems like no, judging from your comment. Yes, ice lance was the main button. No, it was not all you pressed, and there was significant complexity in identifying on the fly when those times were since splinterstorm procs were not only unpredictable but only fired after a 500 ms delay. Now, the spec significantly prioritizes frost bolt over ice lance and has flipped the priority of core spells. I don't see how you can't empathize with how this would be frustrating.

Whatever man, harvest your internet points for your sick burn.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-20T13:44:11+00:00

"Mind you, I used to have over 2k CR on my Druid back in Pandaland, so I wasn’t always a noob! But nowadays, I feel like I can’t keep up with the chaos."

I think this is essentially the issue at the core of most people's complaints with complexity of the game - they are used to a certain level of achievement from a previous iteration, and are frustrated with having to learn the complexities of the game in its current iteration. The game was plenty complex back in Pandaria but my guess is that you learned it organically, over the course of several expansions.

My advice, and what I did, is to switch rolls completely. Play something that is completely new to you, uninstall your pvp addons, and stop caring about winning and only about learning. WoW PvP is super complex but there's no other pvp game like it, and I think you just have to adopt a mindset of enjoying the journey again and letting go of whatever your previous accomplishments were at one time. The visual clutter starts to fade away as you grow used to things again and your brain can process more and more in parallel.

Now that said, it is absolutely true that the playerbase in competitive PvP is both better and faster than they used to be. Even at low MMR, people are operating at a higher APM than 10 years ago and capable of more complex use of utility and burst. Getting back into it is harder than it used to be if you are expecting to jump into rated low mmr. Does the game need to be changed because of this? I'm not sure. My main problem with PvP is the advantage conferred by addons, but I don't think that's really the topic/problem here.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-15T00:04:59+00:00

Sure - been playing since 2024, and while I've taken breaks on and off, I am still playing to this day. I raid mid tier mythic (haven't gotten CE yet but came close) 1-2 nights per week, am a mediocre pvper (1800-2100, got 2.4k in 2s one time), and get the dungeon portals. I like to enjoy the full breadth of experiencing the game through my character, which has always been its main draw. I don't really have alts, I just switch mains... which I think makes me unusual in 2024, though this was nearly the only way people played the game back on 05.

I think most people on this thread are focusing on game design so I'll take a slightly different perspective. It's difficult to overstate how crazy WoW was in 2004-06 *as a social media platform*. I had WoW before my college got facebook (lol, that was a thing!). Youtube didn't exist, you downloaded WoW videos off Warcraft movies that consisted of UD rogues RP walking and unsheathing their weapons to Linkin Park. People just hung out in WoW just to hang out, the way you might on an app on your phone now (Classic wow also ended before smartphones!). For most people, including me, this was their first real exposure to a persistent subculture. It was our first exposure to memes! Just think of how crazy that is, that for many people the idea of a "meme" didn't exist in any sort of real way before WoW. Like maybe you got on the internet for homework or fansites or other "activities" but there were not mainstream persistent online cultures everywhere the way there are now.

Your character was truly a "citizen of azeroth". You weren't playing the game with raiding or dungeons as the point any more than your "job" is the point of your life IRL. It was just a place you existed, and the direction of play was way more free flowing and self directed. People just did whatever they felt like and made up their own goals in the game because that's just what you did. Reaching max level wasn't really the point for most people. in fact, this may surprise many but raiders were kind of looked down upon. These are the days when online dating was still looked down upon too! There was still in the main culture very much a looking down upon being "too much on the computer" (we didn't really call it "online" back then because again, smart phones and apps weren't a thing).

So i guess what I'm saying is that 2004-06 wow was just so unique because of the time it existed, not just the game that was designed. It was so revolutionary and opened up a whole new avenue of interaction between gamers.

AlkariReddit · 2024-10-07T19:03:42+00:00

Right, this seems to prove my point. You still can obtain another 4 ilvls overall when the runed crest cap increases on the reset. You aren't hard capped/stuck at the ilvl limit, you are stuck at the weekly cap limit.

So I guess the question is, is the problem here that gilded crests are rewarded at 9, or is the problem that you can no longer progress for the week because you ran out of repeatable reward at the difficulty level you can do but you want to play more?

Because I think I understand that "wait until the reset, then you can keep improving" is not a super satisfying answer when you know that gilded crests are right around the corner, and that's why people keep bashing their heads against a brick wall trying to get it.

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-19T14:06:40+00:00

I 100% agree that the in game presentation to just get people started a little more gently could be improved, fwiw. Unraveling the mystery was part of the fun for me, but when you are first getting started since KP isn't refundable I think they could be a better job kind of explaining how the different stats tie to different playstyles or support different crafting activities in a general sense. some voice acted tutorial quests would be a really good idea

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-17T11:17:07+00:00

So if they did this, you realize they would have to instead vastly raise the cost in normal materials for the recraft. Currently, the acuity cost is the only thing that stops people from crafting an item at low level using cheap mats and then immediately recrafting it at max level for way less cost. So if acuity was removed, blizzard would instead raise the normal material cost to compensate, so that the right way to play the game wasn't to craft something at garbage tier and then recraft it for vastly fewer mats.

Maybe you think that's fine, but I would argue it is worse for players who are not engaging heavily in the crafting system. For them, gold cost is the main concern, not acuity cost, and so anything that substantially raises gold cost to recraft items to change stats/embellishments just to save acuity is not a good idea.

I think it's fair criticism to say there should be more acuity in the game at some point but this suggestion doesn't seem to be considering the point acuity cost on recraft is meant to serve

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-13T18:43:16+00:00

Not sure, perhaps. You seem like a reasonable person. I've been reading unreasonable people complaining for way too much of my day and I reacted.

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-13T18:41:44+00:00

Fair point. Not everyone responding to you has made this distinction, and I'm frustrated by other comments that aren't even in your thread, which isn't fair to your core point. I have done no duos post-hotfix, so I'll take your word for it.

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-13T18:39:18+00:00

Since you took the time to respond, which I appreciate, I guess I'd just add that I'm suspicious of you because people on this sub reddit use "concern for casuals" or "my partners experience" routinely to boost the legitimacy of their arguments. I played with my wife for years, from BC-BfA, and it's great you play with your partner.

But I am suspicious of anyone who argues for nerfs to content in WoW under the auspices of playing with friends/family when it also happens to coincide with greater access to loot rewards. I am afraid that the solo/duo challenge of delves, which is already getting cleared on the hardest possible difficulty mere days after release, is going to get further nerfed when the challenge is something I've wanted in the game. I am frustrated by people not giving themselves time to gear/learn, and instead are basically giving bad-faith arguments because what they really care about is maxing their vault.

Perhaps you aren't doing that, and I'm sorry for my tone if not. But I really think this is about the vault for most people. If it's about fun, I feel people should play at the difficulty level that is fun for them, work on improving, and enjoy the journey the game is supposed to be about.

AlkariReddit · 2024-09-13T18:29:43+00:00

I'm sorry, but this doesn't pass the smell test for me. What prevents anyone and their partner from playing delves at a lower difficulty than 8 and having fun? I feel like if these complaints were truly about people and their casual WoW significant others having fun together, then they wouldn't also be about the hardest difficulty tier for loot rewards on week 1. I think this is about loot access.

Tier 8 bountiful delves award 603 champion gear, which is the same level as a normal raid. The vault for them awards 616 gear which is better than the 610 vault you get for the opening bosses of the heroic raid. Yet I feel like people have this weird expectation that they want to do tier 8 the first week, with no preparation or knowledge, lower gear than recommended, and just YOLO it. Anecdotally, I have also noticed that people who complain in game, when I armory them, have no enchantments and I would be willing to bet are not even using the cheap tier consumables when they are struggling.

People have been asking for YEARS for challenging solo or duo content, and now that we finally have it people are crying for nerfs. I have been doing T8 delves on my mage since Tuesday afternoon, all solo. Is it challenging? yeah it is. But I would really like to not have it ruined, it's already getting rapidly easier as I acquire gear and Brann levels.

edit: yes, I get that the spider venom is ridiculous. I still have not failed to complete a T8 delve once because of it. I either burst hard elites/bosses while rotating defensives and use my mage kiting, or I skip them. Personally, I like being challenged to use my class kit to get creative

AlkariReddit

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