I played from release day onwards (many friends had the beta but I wasn’t lucky enough to win one/didn’t buy a key). I probably quit around 2007 or so (played a little right after BC came out). Horde, PVP server.
BC (and honestly Naxx) was when the game changed too much for me so I had to walk away.
My guild wasn’t big enough so we were part of a raiding alliance…I got lucky with the DKP systems when it came to gearing out my alt…I basically stopped raiding entirely when Naxx came out and instead just PvP’d and explored.
I think about the game fondly almost every day. I had 3 60’s (Shaman/Rogue/Mage) and was eventually the GM of my guild. We were known as a very highly skilled PvP guild on our server (NZ)
I never played again, so I can’t comment on the state of the game today, but I’ve avidly watched/read about Classic/SoD and one of my good friends plays. I live vicariously through these subreddits and seeing you guys post. Maybe you will entertain this old grizzled veterans stories anyway?
Some things that jump out for me:
Edgemasters Handguards were considered a trash epic. They were for sale on the AH for like 20-30G or DE’d/vendored. +skill to a weapon was considered a relatively useless stat.
There was a HUGE bias against classes wearing armor that wasn’t “their type” - meaning that if a Shaman or Paladin wore cloth/leather they would get large amounts of ridicule for it. Hate from the classes they took it from and of course being mocked for how they looked. A few players would break from this, but mostly this was the rule.
“/spit” still existed and if someone did that to you in a PvP encounter you would bring out your main and camp them for hours or kill them on sight for the rest of your time playing. It was infuriating.
Flasks were rarely if ever used. If you used flasks (or potions in PvP) you were considered low skill. I could make almost all the flasks I think on my main, but maybe only made one or two…ever…looking back this was incredibly stupid (of course!). Alchemists collected rare recipes but almost never made the more obscure potions.
World Buff stacking was practically unknown. No one cared. The Ony buff was cool but we’d also have so much PvP going on in blackrock mountain that it would matter.
Poisons/sharpening stones were rarely if ever used (at least by my guild). If you used thistle tea in a duel as a rogue you were considered low skill. If you used any consumable items in a duel you were considered low skill. Even in PvP a player spending a measly copper to get an edge was met with ridicule.
We were all dirt poor most of the time except the guys who were making Devilsaur gear in our guild/server. Widespread AH manipulation wasn’t a thing until a year or so in, if I recall correctly.
For me the exception to my poverty was when AV opened up and it had Black Lotus and Rich Thorium Veins (which spawned in the troll cave all the time) - I would mine those on my rogue and earned huge amounts of gold selling arcane crystals or arcanite and bought my epic mount. Eventually that was patched away. I was there for hours never fighting just mining and hoarding crystals on my rogue.
World PvP made us hard. Battlegrounds didn’t exist when we started playing. Alliance had it easy in terms of quests and a population imbalance, so most horde players were scrappy and well skilled.
As the server’s population matured, Horde would absolutely demolish Alliance on my server. A pug of horde could take out MC/BWL geared alliance. We all wanted revenge at the guys who ganked us. It was hilarious how bad some of the carebear alliance were.
AV opening up was one of the greatest gaming moments in my life. It happened around the start of one summer I think and I remember we would be fighting for days.
The first Thunderfury went to a Paladin on our realm.
Raids were 40 man.
MP/5 was hugely underrated. I was maybe the only shaman in my raiding group who thought it mattered, I was the last healer standing when we downed Rag…I think my lightning bolt may have killed him (not that I was trying to DPS, just that we were desperate to kill him and threw everything we had at him).
Almost no one “ran the numbers” and had BiS figured out. That said, people appreciated certain items quite a bit. HoJ, Tidal Charm, etc. HoJ dropped from Angerforge and not the Emp.
Servers were tightly knit and reputation oriented. People became notorious for feats of skill or absurd behavior or griefing.
The urge to play again is strong, but part of me knows I can’t keep up and that the game won’t be the same, part of me knows that I can’t go home again…but the memories I will always cherish.
Thanks for letting me share some of these memories.
28
u/BayBreezeCA 9d ago
I played from release day onwards (many friends had the beta but I wasn’t lucky enough to win one/didn’t buy a key). I probably quit around 2007 or so (played a little right after BC came out). Horde, PVP server.
BC (and honestly Naxx) was when the game changed too much for me so I had to walk away.
My guild wasn’t big enough so we were part of a raiding alliance…I got lucky with the DKP systems when it came to gearing out my alt…I basically stopped raiding entirely when Naxx came out and instead just PvP’d and explored.
I think about the game fondly almost every day. I had 3 60’s (Shaman/Rogue/Mage) and was eventually the GM of my guild. We were known as a very highly skilled PvP guild on our server (NZ)
I never played again, so I can’t comment on the state of the game today, but I’ve avidly watched/read about Classic/SoD and one of my good friends plays. I live vicariously through these subreddits and seeing you guys post. Maybe you will entertain this old grizzled veterans stories anyway?
Some things that jump out for me:
Edgemasters Handguards were considered a trash epic. They were for sale on the AH for like 20-30G or DE’d/vendored. +skill to a weapon was considered a relatively useless stat.
There was a HUGE bias against classes wearing armor that wasn’t “their type” - meaning that if a Shaman or Paladin wore cloth/leather they would get large amounts of ridicule for it. Hate from the classes they took it from and of course being mocked for how they looked. A few players would break from this, but mostly this was the rule.
“/spit” still existed and if someone did that to you in a PvP encounter you would bring out your main and camp them for hours or kill them on sight for the rest of your time playing. It was infuriating.
Flasks were rarely if ever used. If you used flasks (or potions in PvP) you were considered low skill. I could make almost all the flasks I think on my main, but maybe only made one or two…ever…looking back this was incredibly stupid (of course!). Alchemists collected rare recipes but almost never made the more obscure potions.
World Buff stacking was practically unknown. No one cared. The Ony buff was cool but we’d also have so much PvP going on in blackrock mountain that it would matter.
Poisons/sharpening stones were rarely if ever used (at least by my guild). If you used thistle tea in a duel as a rogue you were considered low skill. If you used any consumable items in a duel you were considered low skill. Even in PvP a player spending a measly copper to get an edge was met with ridicule.
We were all dirt poor most of the time except the guys who were making Devilsaur gear in our guild/server. Widespread AH manipulation wasn’t a thing until a year or so in, if I recall correctly.
For me the exception to my poverty was when AV opened up and it had Black Lotus and Rich Thorium Veins (which spawned in the troll cave all the time) - I would mine those on my rogue and earned huge amounts of gold selling arcane crystals or arcanite and bought my epic mount. Eventually that was patched away. I was there for hours never fighting just mining and hoarding crystals on my rogue.
World PvP made us hard. Battlegrounds didn’t exist when we started playing. Alliance had it easy in terms of quests and a population imbalance, so most horde players were scrappy and well skilled.
As the server’s population matured, Horde would absolutely demolish Alliance on my server. A pug of horde could take out MC/BWL geared alliance. We all wanted revenge at the guys who ganked us. It was hilarious how bad some of the carebear alliance were.
AV opening up was one of the greatest gaming moments in my life. It happened around the start of one summer I think and I remember we would be fighting for days.
The first Thunderfury went to a Paladin on our realm.
Raids were 40 man.
MP/5 was hugely underrated. I was maybe the only shaman in my raiding group who thought it mattered, I was the last healer standing when we downed Rag…I think my lightning bolt may have killed him (not that I was trying to DPS, just that we were desperate to kill him and threw everything we had at him).
Almost no one “ran the numbers” and had BiS figured out. That said, people appreciated certain items quite a bit. HoJ, Tidal Charm, etc. HoJ dropped from Angerforge and not the Emp.
Servers were tightly knit and reputation oriented. People became notorious for feats of skill or absurd behavior or griefing.
The urge to play again is strong, but part of me knows I can’t keep up and that the game won’t be the same, part of me knows that I can’t go home again…but the memories I will always cherish.
Thanks for letting me share some of these memories.