Summary
After years of dealing with content droughts, it feels likeWorld of Warcraftis the healthiest it has ever been. Blizzard really wanted to win the fanbase back after the extremely controversial Shadowlands, and it seems to be doing just that. Every couple of months, players have been given new content to explore with new stories waiting to be discovered. It has given them a reason to keep coming back toWorld of Warcraftthroughout the year, which has helped make Dragonflight one of the best expansions to date.
While all of this content is great to see, it may not be as good as it sounds.World of Warcrafthas never really seen this much added throughout the course of the expansion, and because of that, it can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many different systems andworld events littered around the Dragon Isles, with new ones getting added every few months. This has created a fantastic, but also bloated, expansion. It feels weird to complain about too much content, yet Dragonflight’s roadmap may be a bit too much.
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Dragonflight Has an Overwhelming Amount of Content
Since release,World of Warcraft: Dragonflightwas hoping to change things. Players were getting burnt out by the last two expansions as they were very lackluster. The game was heading in a direction players did not want, so Blizzard tried to rectify that. Not only did it begin stripping out systems and limitations that players hated, but Dragonflight also brought the entire story back to Azeroth after years of hanging out in entirely different realms.
Bringing the story back to Azerothwas great, but Blizzard took it a step further by ensuring players had loads of content to explore while they were there. Usually, there was a massive gap between updates without anything new for months. Instead of following that model, Blizzard chose to adopt a new content roadmap which promised so much new content throughout the course of the expansion. Not only would players still be treated to the massive seasonal patches and one tiny patch between each, but they were also getting additional tinier patches filled with even more content to explore.
This roadmap kicked off right away with the launch of Dragonflight. After that, players got 10.0.5 and 10.0.7 which added additional stories and events. Then, they were treated to the massive 10.1 followed by 10.1.5 and 10.1.7. Since then, they have also gotten content from 10.2, 10.2.5, and 10.2.7. Next, they will be getting even more adventures withthe massive 10.2 updatewith more likely following. All of this has really helped keep players engaged and filled the game with exciting content, but it may be a bit too much.
Every couple of months,World of Warcraftplayersare expected to log in and play the latest content. They usually only have another couple of months before even more content gets added that requires their attention. This has led to a game filled with events, currencies, systems, and items all over the place. While it gives players a ton of things to do, it can also be extremely overwhelming, When players open their map, they are swarmed by event notices, their quest log is filled with new stories, and it feels impossible to figure out what is actually worth their time.
A consistent content stream is a nice change of pace, but there is also not enough time to engage with all of this content. It would be one thing if these smaller patches were simply adding new transmogs, side stories, or various smaller tweaks. But Blizzard is adding important story beats, new events, new currencies, and entirely new progression systems with almost every patch. If these updates are going to continue, then the studio needs to make them a bit smaller, otherwiseWoWplayers may get burnt out once more.
World of Warcraftis available now on PC.
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