World of Warcraft Classic

World of Warcraft Classic's uncanny ability to bring players together and immerse them in adventure hasn't aged a day.

World of Warcraft shows why it was – and remains – the MMO to beat, with an enthralling world and satisfying sense of progression

World of Warcraft went through many changes over the years, for better and for worse. That leaves Classic feeling conflicted, both a rose-tinted dream and a dated mess.

*Editors Note: The queue times in WoW Classic as of 10/2/2019 have been much better.

Classic's captivating community and world help it to withstand the test of time.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is an interesting exercise, since it doesn't really have much to do with the original World of Warcraft Classic anymore. The sweeping changes it makes to leveling, class and quest design, while interesting on their own, also supplements the more intriguing small-scale stories told throughout the game.

WoW Classic offers exactly what fans wanted – an untouched version of a game that came out fifteen years ago... warts and all. Thankfully, Classic captures much of the magic that made the game such a phenomenon in the first place. Whether fans will still overlook this in the months to come remains to be seen, but for now it's a fantastic trip down memory lane.

World of Warcraft: Classic is a great game. It always has been. But I definitely think Blizzard might have missed the mark when it comes to securing the interest of their player base in the future.

Yet, somewhere along the way, I and many other gamers felt lost. The deeply rich and vibrant lands we once ventured across no longer held any allure, only temporary distractions and shadows of the glory we once strove for. Leveling became easy. Professions became bothersome. Travel was insignificant. Money lost value. High fantasy was sacrificed for a fantasy/sci-fi hybrid, complete with motorcycles, rocket ships, and aliens. Even the war between factions held little intrigue, as too often had the conflict been sacrificed in the name of some greater evil. The flavor from World of Warcraft faded, and subscriber numbers slowly dwindled to a fraction of their peak. We didn’t want to play the seventh expansion of World of Warcraft anymore, we wanted to play the original. We wanted vanilla. We wanted classic. At least, we think we did…

Overall World of Warcraft Classic is a solid effort and a ton of fun.