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Why I Don’t Like Allied Races

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How is everyone doing today? I want to explain why I don’t like allied races. The WoW fandom has asked for allied races for years. Blizzard has finally answered that call with Battle for Azeroth. But, was it worth it?

I’m also going to cover my feelings about Pathfinder in this article, but you can read my blog post about it. Blizzard isn’t the company it once was.

Instead of focusing on the most important thing which is fun, Blizzard is more focused on the bottom line. So, what does this mean for the average player?

Are we actually getting less for our money now? Especially when comparing Vanilla WoW, the Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King to Battle for Azeroth.

Let me know in the comments how you feel. I maybe explaining why I don’t like allied races, but I want to know what do you think. Is Blizzard going to make every race (and class) locked behind a time-locked reputation grind in the future?

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What’s an Allied Race?

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Before I can explain why I don’t like allied races, you need to understand what allied races are. An allied race is a sub-race. They’re allied with the Horde or Alliance.

An example of an allied race is the Highmountain Tauren. The Horde already has Tauren. Which means the Highmountain Tauren are recolored with different horns. Allied races also have their own lore (story) which can make them interesting.

Allied races can become muddled. I’ve seen fans on the World of Warcraft forums ask to play Vulpera and Sethrak. To me, those two would be ‘new’ races which could potentially join the Horde or Alliance.

If Blizzard tried to lock those two new races behind a reputation grind, it wouldn’t be fair, as they aren’t a reskin or recolor. We never had to unlock new races in the Burning Crusade, Cataclysm, or Mists of Pandaria. Buying the expansion was the only requirement for accessing one of the game’s basic features.

The current allied races for the Alliance are Dark Iron Dwarves, Lightforged Draenei, Void Elf, and Kul Tiran Humans.

For the Horde, the current allied races are Hightmountain Tauren, Magh’har Orc, Nightborne Elf, and Zandalari Troll.

Why I don’t like Allied Races?

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Blizzard Entertainment’s main focus is  focused on making money. There was a time when the company put player satisfaction first.

The reason why I don’t like allied races is that purchasing the expansion pack is enough. Blizzard has made the sense of elitism in the WoW community worse.

I can’t say the fandom hasn’t always had elitist jerks, but thanks to Blizzard creating problems that didn’t exist until they said os, now the elitist players have a louder voice.

Wanting to get my money’s worth doesn’t make me a lazy player. I played briefly during Vanilla WoW, and I played full-time during Wrath. Anyone who played WoW during its peak already knows the game was much harder back in the day.

We didn’t have to unlock races. Nothing was trapped behind a time-gated reputation grind. But, the game world was more dangerous, leveling was slower, obtaining the coolest mounts and gear could take months of farming, and if you were a rude player your whole server knew about it.

Why I don’t like Allied Races Continued

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I’ve seen some players in the fandom talk about Pathfinder as if we’re finally earning our wings. It’s almost as if people forget how long it took to earn gold back in the day.

Unless you were great at playing the Auction House, or was a Mage and made gold from teleporting, gold was harder to come by. Just because someone has the time today to ‘earn the allied races (or Pathfinder) it doesn’t make you a better player.

When Wrath was new, I was a senior in high school. I had all the time in the world back then to play WoW. Now, I’m inching toward my thirties. I’ve got bills, my own business, and a grandparent to care for. I’d love to spend hours in WoW doing what ‘Blizzard told me to do’ but I’d much rather choose how I play and have fun.

Are we getting our Money’s Worth?

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Part of the reason why I don’t like allied races is that I’m not sure if the players are benefiting. Blizzard has artificially increased our playtime by adding reputation grinds which aren’t fun to do.

There have been months where all I’ve done is grind rep. As a casual player, it sucks the life out of the game. Instead of the game feeling like ‘fun’, it begins to feel like a ‘chore’.

When I play video games I want to relax. So, even if I’m earning rep, hunting a rare hunter pet, or farming for mounts, I want to feel as if I’m doing what I want.

The feeling is the key here. How does the game make you feel?

World of Warcraft used to feel good. It’s why the game was so addictive during the Vanilla – Wrath years. We were working hard to play the game, but the community wasn’t as toxic, and Blizzard wasn’t Big Brother watching your every move.

What’s interesting is that the Game Masters (GM’s) were more prevalent back then. We had famous Game Master jokes and even knew some of them by name. Blizzard was laid back. GM’s interacted with us in that way. It helped to foster a community of fun and not work although we were working hard.

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Blizzard Favors a Certain Play Style Now

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Everyone has a different play style, and we all have different goals. You’re not a bad player if you don’t do Mythics, nor are you a bad player if you’re only interested in role-playing. So if you don’t unlock the allied races right away you’re not lazy.

WoW was so exciting because the world was vast and had so many things to do. I don’t want busy work when I play, but I want the work I do in the game to be fun, engaging with others, and to have value.

It’s why I don’t agree with Pathfinder achievement. You can check out an in-depth analysis of my thoughts regarding flight, but Blizzard made flying an issue because they wanted to remove the option from the game. The company was worried that flying caused us to miss content.

For example, newer zones such as Highmountain are gorgeous but over-designed. It’s a slog to try and run through such a sprawling mountainous place. There are many caves to get lost in. Cliffs look like pathways until you’re too close.

Blizzard Favors a Certain Play Style Continued

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Blizzard has forgotten that Vanilla WoW had simpler zones. They were beautiful but easy to navigate. So even without flying, Vanilla WoW was still enjoyable. You need flying to navigate the newer zones better.

Now, they’ve added the Pathfinder achievement. It’s created a sense of elitism among the players. More laid back or casual players may struggle with the achievement. Not everyone has struggled, but enough have where it’s a problem. Especially because the achievement may force casual players to participate in the content they don’t feel comfortable doing, like PvP or raiding.

Some players are saying just ‘playing the game’ should be enough, and we should stop trying to get out of it. No one wants to get out of playing the game. The average player just wants the game to be fun, rewarding, and social.

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Why I don’t like Allied Races: Blizzard should do this Instead

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Blizzard needs to make player satisfaction it’s number one priority again. Flying and allied races have divided the fandom. But, those topics aren’t the only hot button issues. If I was Blizzard I’d take another glance at the drawing board.

The company really needs to consider what the average player wants to do when they play. Not everyone is a hardcore PvP’er, nor does everyone do Mythics, and not every player does raid. Players shouldn’t be punished if they aren’t ‘hardcover enough’ to have certain things.

Let me know in the comments how you feel about all this. Should allied races be locked behind a rep grind? Would you be okay with Blizzard making all-new races (or classes) in future expansions obtainable behind rep? Why or why not?

Classic WoW is dropping on August 27, 2019. If you’re a beginner to Classic, or if you need a refresher, check out my Classic WoW beginners. guide.By the way, BlizzCon 2019 is right around the corner, so share your predictions on the next WoW expansion and future Blizzard Entertainment News.

Check out this post for speculation on WoW’s new Expansion at BlizzCon 2019. Want to know the most interesting zones in WoW Classic? Or maybe you’re looking for the best ways to gain reputation in World of Warcraft? Don’t forget to check out the seven best quest chains in WoW Classic.  Have you ever wanted to taste Crispy Bat Wings? Well, my first review on the World of Warcraft Official Cookbook is available. Be sure to read those articles for help.

Happy Hunting!

Spyells


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