Aside from everyone claiming to have the first 6-slot bag drop, the competition to ‘World First Level 60’ already has plenty of fireworks (a mage named Jokerd is miles ahead by aoe grinding on August 29th).
Reddit has the rush to 60 covered, and Method is running updates and a Race To World First Ragnaros/Onyxia kills.
But what about Classic competitions on the level with the Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon Invitational? Will Blizzard be hosting these? While we don’t have a for sure answer, it’s interesting to look at why they will most likely implement them.
The Classic WoW Community isn’t going to shy away from events such as duel tournaments, twink BGs, and STV battles that will most likely end up as IRL gang wars during the Presidential election.
While there is no official Esports ladder announced by Blizzard, we can be confident it is on the developer’s minds. It’s crazy to think some are still calling the end of Classic – they have proven again and again their passion for the long-term health of the game. And if they don’t get it right they listen and make changes. I’m writing an article called ‘So How Is Layering Going For You?’ which is centered around how poorly articles such as this have aged. The devs have more information than you, so ask questions instead of raging, please.
If the community wants it the Classic WoW team will deliver. Blizzard’s Esports scene has been showing signs of struggle (even cancelling HOTS and slowing development) and the World of Warcraft player base is continually disengaging. It’s a chance to get a fresh of breath air, sealed tightly from 2004 and opened in 2019.
As long as they avoid cringefests, the top ideas are:
- Raid speedruns
- WSG/AB bracket
- Official race to level 30/40/50 (Blizzard once did this back in 2006 which Joana won)
What else could they do? Would you even want Esports emerging in a game whose original era had little of the sort? I admit extra infrastructure like a tournament realm even seems odd to me – but I’m all for Classic WoW getting more eyes on it with an official competitive scene, or at least Blizzcon events!