A week after the release of Classic WoW’s 2nd phase, many players are clamoring that the game is moving by too fast, while others are shockingly pleading with Blizzard to speed things up. What those vocal portions of the playerbase fail to realize, however, is that the game is moving at the pace that was planned from day one. Classic WoW isn’t being rushed, nor should it be.

The release of Phase 2 brought about the introduction of the PvP Honor System, which, in reality, is the foundation of the discussion at hand – as well as the community’s first major divide. With World PvP more prominent than ever before, the game’s population is finding that issues such as disproportionate server populations, faction imbalance, and an overall lack of structure are plaguing the game in its much-anticipated 2nd phase.

With these issues in mind, players representing a faction that is significantly underplayed in comparison to the opposing faction on their respective servers are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to World PvP. However, many of these problems are seeping into the questing and endgame PvE experience, as well.

And while much of the “No Changes” camp is steadfast in its quest for a truly pure and authentic Vanilla experience, a good portion of the playerbase is searching for a possible solution to the problems at hand. With the sentiment that PvP in 2019’s Classic WoW is not true when compared to 2005’s Vanilla WoW beginning to float around the game, solutions to Classic’s modern problems are quickly being formulated.

Perhaps the most prominent of those solutions is increasing the speed at which content is released in an attempt to nip the current World PvP “crisis” in the bud. If all goes according to plan, Phase 3 will bring about Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley, two battlegrounds that could effectively do away with World PvP or at the very least, decrease its current influence on the game. Since the battlegrounds were originally released in July 2005, approximately 9 months after the release of the World of Warcraft, it would be safe to assume that we’d be getting battlegrounds in Classic WoW in May of 2020.

For many players, that feels like a lifetime from now.

The portion of the playerbase that’s calling for a sped up release schedule wants to see battlegrounds implemented in early 2020, or perhaps even earlier. However, if Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley were to hit Classic servers before Christmas, it would leave Phase 3, which will most likely release in the Spring, quite barren and lacking major content outside of the looming opening of Blackwing Lair.

Another solution on the table would be to give players on PvP realms the option to transfer into a permanent PvE setting at a discounted or completely free rate. In Blizzard’s case, this is most definitely the more reasonable option as it keeps players relationship with the game intact, and ensures that subscribers aren’t leaving the game due to reasons out of their control. It’s a pain to reroll in Classic WoW, and for players who just don’t have the time to go back and start from square one, a transfer would promote serious engagement.

Regardless of which path Blizzard chooses to go down – whether it be one with no changes or a scheduling overhaul – it would be in the best interest of both the company and its playerbase to not rush the release of Classic’s most prominent pieces of content. The loyal players will be on board with the game for months to come, and if both parties are going to get the most out of the game, it’s going to be over the course of a long while. Once the Classic well runs dry, it’s dry for good. Classic isn’t going to be sustainable forever, which is why it’s imperative that the game releases on the schedule that made is so lucrative and feasible 15 years ago.

Photo Credit: World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment