What is wrong with modern World of Warcraft? This post will contain spoilers for patch 12.1.5 in World of Warcraft: Midnight. If you don’t want spoilers, please turn back now. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. By now, everyone has seen the new raid, The Unbinding of Kith’ix.
Before we dive into this patch, I want to warn you again: turn away if you don’t want spoilers. Retail WoW has so many problems right now; I’ve become numb to the pain. Let’s discuss the issues that are prevalent in modern WoW and figure out how the game got to this point.
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What Is Wrong With Modern World Of Warcraft?
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!
So, where to begin? Modern World of Warcraft has changed. Little remains of what made vanilla WoW the mega-hit it was back in 2004. Somewhere along the Caverns of Time, an epic adventure lay waiting. One that inspired millions of players to delve into World of Warcraft, explore, and save Azeroth from evil. Yet, somewhere along the way, the sense of adventure was lost.
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In fact, modern World of Warcraft has lost its way so badly that Blizzard Entertainment’s executives somehow approved a patch that made killing one of its main characters in one of the worst ways possible okay. I will admit that I stopped playing retail WoW years ago. I’ve only returned every so often because of nostalgia. And I recently returned for World of Warcraft: Forever, which you can read more about here if you’re not aware. What World of Warcraft has become is honestly horrible, and I have no idea why it’s still online.
Let me back up a bit. Midnight’s story continues the World Soul Saga. It’s the second expansion in a three-expansion mega story. Thanks to Bellular’s video below, I have a general idea of where the plot stands. If you need a refresher or want to catch up on the outrage, check out his video.
World Of Warcraft: The Outrage
Lady Liadrin was a popular character. She’s been a fixture in WoW lore since the Warcraft novels. She was a Blood Knight from Silvermoon City. She dedicated her life to the Light. Midnight illuminated the conflict between the Blood Elves and the Amani trolls, a war that has raged for thousands of years in Quel’Thalas. Liadrin’s parents were slain by the Amani trolls, and as a result, she harbored a hatred for their kind.
Usually, when WoW kills off one of its heroes, they die fighting in some epic battle. At least that’s how King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind died in Legion. You can see that in the video below.
The problem with Liadrin’s death is that the writing up until that point doesn’t set the stakes high enough. In fact, while she was dying, her friends were too busy talking and patting each other on the back. Her death was forgettable, and honestly, plain stupid. You can see her death scene below.
I would argue that over the past ten years, modern WoW’s story has been in decline. The last great expansion was Legion. Afterward, each expansion has kept sliding downhill. I thought nothing could be worse than Warlords of Draenor, but then Shadowlands happened, and now we have the garbage that’s Midnight. What happened to the epicness that made World of Warcraft so cool?
Now, I’ve been browsing social media, and many fans argue that the writing team has become woke. I’ve even seen some fans blame women for the story’s weak writing. However, World of Warcraft exists today because strong women writers worked alongside their male colleagues. In fact, one post on X acknowledged this fact perfectly:
yiou must be very mentally delayed to say this to a woman… btw: Women who contributed to WoW’s success:
• Suzanne Brownell — Quest designer for WoW Vanilla (2004).
• Wendy Vetter (Davis) — Environment artist during WoW’s early years.
• Christie Golden — Writer for the Warcraft universe.
• Holly Longdale — Key leader behind WoW Classic’s development and evolution.
so please, shut the fuck up.— @wowreforged (@Aedrareforged) October 13, 2026
So, if we can’t blame only the women on the writing staff, then who do we point fingers at? Keep in mind, WoW competitor Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) has a woman named Natsuko Ishikawa as the head writer. She and the FFXIV team wrote the critically acclaimed Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions. Final Fantasy XIV is highly regarded for its story.
In FFXIV, the men have never been made weak just so the women can be strong. For example, both Thancred Waters and Y’shtola Rhul are strong characters, and neither undermines the other. I’ve seen WoW fans make these arguments about Anduin being weak on social media. Also, I’ve never seen anyone say Emet-Selch, regarded as one of the best villains in the Final Fantasy franchise, is weak. Women can write immensely powerful characters.
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World Of Warcraft: The Outrage Continued
Now, I’m not going to deny that the current writing team needs to be replaced, but I don’t believe for a second that the writers are the only problem. The writing team answers to the game director and Blizzard Entertainment executives. I have a hard time believing that no one questioned how bad this story was becoming.
One problem is how the team is run. In fact, as reported by Wowhead, Chris Metzen said in an interview with The Instance’s Scott Johnson that he came back to a team “much more democratized” in Dragonflight than when he left, and had to find his place in the new dynamic compared to before, and had to listen to the group’s instincts rather than allowing him to have a large voice.
Technically, it’s not a bad idea to have the team brainstorming ideas. But clearly the current writing team isn’t as well-versed in Warcraft lore. This is causing a disconnect. They seem to be choosing themes for the story, and instead of letting the characters drive the narrative, they use them as tools. A character-driven story is always more compelling than a theme-driven one. That’s why Arthas’s fall into madness is so riveting, and why characters like Illidan Stormrage are so polarizing.
How Can World of Warcraft Be Saved?
Any MMORPG will have some lackluster expansions. These massive games are like video game television shows. They don’t have an end point. So it’s not shocking that some expansions won’t always land, but modern WoW has been suffering for years. We also know MMORPGs attract all kinds of players. From hardcore raiders to cozy players who would rather fish, and role players who want to immerse themselves in a fantasy world, MMORPGs appeal to a mass audience.
Blizzard Entertainment knows modern WoW is in decline. Their new version of WoW, World of Warcraft: Forever, is like a Classic+ version with modern WoW conveniences. Basically, it’s a soft reset for World of Warcraft. WoW Forever World Builder Matthew Armstrong posted about this problem on X. You can read his post below, but he says making a game for everyone isn’t realistic. He also has a clear picture of who WoW Forever is for.
I’m seeing a lot of discourse about who WoW Forever is being made for and while I cannot speak for anyone else on the team I can speak for myself. I am making WoW forever for the classic gamer and for the millions of people who have had their accounts lapse over the years because they were not satisfied with changes that were made to the game. Whether those changes were to the art style, the story, social aspects, game design, or changes to their favorite class.
I did not spend the last year of my life relearning and mastering how to do things like we did it 20+ years ago for retail players. I could have taken it easy and just kept doing things like I had done for the past 8 years on retail…because I was much more familiar with it and it actually takes a lot less time to do (height maps on textures do a ton of heavy lifting). Because the reality is that the majority of retail players wouldn’t care and would probably actually prefer it. But I felt I had a duty to uphold an artistic vision and integrity that millions of people expect from us. But not just for our players, but for my co-workers past and present who worked on it over 20 years ago. If I could not create something that resembled their work then I failed not only them…but myself.
Please do not take this as me throwing any shade at retail players or the retail team because I am one myself…but I wanted to make Forever as authentic of a Vanilla experience as possible. This involves making decisions wildly different than retail. It means holding the line against changes that create a domino affect down the road. It means keeping friction and inconveniences in the game. It means finding friends and forming groups with strangers and being social!! Because WoWs social aspects have always been the pillar of the game and over the years it has slowly been chiseled away at with changes that allow you play alone.
Since the day I started working on the Riverglades I have lived by three sayings.
“Convenience is the death of the journey.”
“If you’re making a game for everyone then you’re making it for no one.”
“Every change we make incurs a debt to the authenticity of the game and sooner or later that debt will be paid.”
These are my core beliefs and I had a specific group of people I was targeting with my work. These beliefs cannot be shaken and I will try to hold the line against anything that goes against them and will continue to pester the team about things that feel out of place.
That being said, my hope is that Forever will pull in as many people as possible, whether you are a retail gamer, a classic gamer, someone who hasn’t played in years, or even a new player. I hope you can all remember what made this game so special in the first place and that starts with understanding why we are so passionate about keeping it authentic.
— Cornfed Nebraska Boy (@Marmstrongwow) September 23, 2026
How Can World of Warcraft Be Saved Continued
World of Warcraft needs a new writing team. The game needs a reset. No game has done that better than FFXIV, which reset after its disastrous 1.0 launch. I’m even willing to accept that everything since Shadowlands has been a dream.
In fact, Blizzard Entertainment should hire people from the fandom. The hardcore fans who know WoW lore better than anyone write impressive fanfiction. We’re at the point where modern WoW needs life-saving surgery, and I’m not sure it can be saved.
What is wrong with modern World of Warcraft? Please leave a comment below. Don’t forget to share this post on social media. I hope you enjoyed reading my content. If you’re interested in more articles, please check out the posts linked below.
What is World of Warcraft: Forever?
What are great specs for a gaming PC?
World of Warcraft Racism and Discrimination
What are the best games for Nintendo Switch?
What is the best gaming monitor?
Thank you for hanging out at my hearth,
Spyells
