World of Warcraft Classic Players Petition Blizzard to Revert Recent Changes

World of Warcraft Classic players have signed a petition demanding that Blizzard revert recent changes made to the Classic servers, as the intentional alterations, such as new buffs and allowing Druids to use additional weapons, have been deemed unwelcome by the community, who want an experience that is authentic to the original version of World of Warcraft, without any perceived convenience or quality of life upgrades.

Some World of Warcraft players have initiated a petition, urging Blizzard to revert recent changes made to the Classic Era and Hardcore servers on July 9th. These fans believe the modifications go against the fundamental spirit of World of Warcraft Classic, as they perceive the changes to be a departure from Blizzard's promise of "No Changes" for the Classic experience.

Recently, World of Warcraft Classic underwent an eight-hour maintenance period in preparation for Phase 4 of the Season of Discovery. After the servers were brought back online, players noticed several bugs in the World of Warcraft Classic Era and Hardcore servers that appeared to have carried over from the Season of Discovery. These issues included a new Paladin quest that unlocked the Divine Steed ability and the Might of Stormwind, an Alliance version of the Warchief's Blessing buff that is granted upon completing the quest to defeat Rend Blackhand.

However, it seems that at least one of these changes was intentional. Shortly after, World of Warcraft revealed the patch notes for the update, which indicated that the Might of Stormwind buff, along with modifications to the guild UI and the ability for Druids to use polearms, were permanent additions to the retro servers. Unsurprisingly, World of Warcraft Classic players have expressed their dissatisfaction with these changes and have demanded that Blizzard revert them.

WoW content creator and Classic enthusiast Kargoz spearheaded the petition on Change.org, asserting that the "Vanilla WoW formula is time tested and it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that people enjoy it and have the desire to play it as it was with no changes." Kargoz believes that the launch of the Classic Era servers was intended to serve as a "time capsule to help preserve the game as it was," and that "lackadaisically" changing the Classic Era experience goes against Blizzard's "No Changes" promise. The petition has already garnered around 2,000 signatures in less than two days, with many players sharing Kargoz's sentiment.

At face value, the changes made to World of Warcraft, such as adding a world buff for faction parity, improving the guild UI, and granting Druids access to polearms, may appear to be positive adjustments. However, fans of the Classic Era do not play the game for convenience or quality-of-life improvements, as seen in WoW Classic Season of Discovery or the progression servers. These players seek to experience the exact same World of Warcraft that existed 20 years ago, and any deviations from that authentic experience are met with staunch opposition.

“The Vanilla WoW formula is time tested and it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that people enjoy it and have the desire to play it as it was with no changes... We like playing on servers with an authentic Vanilla meta with no changes and when Activision Blizzard launched Classic Era, it was promised to serve as a time capsule to help preserve the game as it was.”

While it remains to be seen if Blizzard will revert the recent changes made to World of Warcraft Classic Era and Hardcore servers in response to player feedback, the company has shown a willingness to address community concerns in the past, such as the confusing Molten Core lockout timer issue in Season of Discovery Phase 4. If World of Warcraft Classic players are dissatisfied with the introduction of the Might of Stormwind buff, the guild UI updates, and the addition of polearm usage for Druids, they should be sure to sign the ongoing petition and make their voices heard on the official World of Warcraft forums as well, in the hope that Blizzard will reconsider these changes that appear to deviate from the "No Changes" promise for the Classic experience.

WoW Classic Era and Hardcore Patch Notes – July 9, 2024

Guild User Interface Updates:

The Guilds user interface has been updated to provide more ease of Guild management.

New World Buff:

Alliance players now have access to the Might of Stormwind, a version of the Warchief's Blessing world buff effect.

This new buff is gained for turning in a new quest "End of the Dark Horde" in Stormwind.

The Might of Stormwind buff is mutually exclusive with Warchief's Blessing.

Dispel Immunity:

The Songflower Serenade and Dire Maul Tribute buffs can no longer be dispelled by enemy players.

Druid Weapon Access:

Druids can now train and use polearms.