Is world of warcraft (WoW) still the best mmorpg?

Is WoW still the best mmorpg?

A lot of people looking for mmorpgs often ask is WoW still the end all be all mmorpg? Ill provide all the information you need, and most importantly tell you if WoW really deserves the hype it gets. For those who don't have the time to read this whole post, I will put a quick breakdown at the end.

Population
From a player's perspective, the population has seemed to be dwindling. But with the release of several new mmorpgs coming out recently it is no surprise that WoW may a few players. That being said, if you join a high population server this will hardly be noticeable. Though the population is still a very good size, some aspects of the game are still a bit slow, namely the dungeon finder and finding pvp matches. But if you are looking for an mmorpg based on population, WoW is still number one.

PvE experience

There are several words to describe WoW's pve experience, and they can range from boring to unbelievable. But in a general sense the pve experience is as good as it gets. The dungeon and raid bosses are not simply a challenge or an obstacle, they are a spectacle. The bosses have both unimaginable size and flare. And they are not simply just a flashy presentation, they also provide a unique challenge and give you a true sense of accomplishment when you defeat them, and if you really want a challenge try going one on one with one of these behemoths, if you succeed you wont be sorry. The downside however is the quests are often repetitive and boring and don't leave much to the imagination. Unlike the amazing raids and dungeons, the quests often don't provide much of a challenge and you don't see anything eyecatching that often and you will often be finding yourself praying for these monotonous atrocities to end. This can make leveling a bit of a drag, but luckily you only have to suffer through this boredom until level 15 at which point you can start doing dungeons, and if you happen to enjoy questing, more power to ya.

What is a dungeon or raid?

Dungeons are portals that are scattered all over the world that takes you to a zone that only you and the people in your group may enter. Others may enter the same dungeon, however it will be completely separate and you will not see them in the dungeon. Dungeons are normally completed by a group of five people and contain groups of weaker enemies known as trash mobs and are normally in groups of about 5. After progressing further in a dungeon you will reach a boss. These bosses often have unique abilities and will have a specific strategies required to beat them, though in the early game they are usually very simple. Dungeon bosses often drop some of the best pve gear in the game for the level required to enter and dungeons can also be a decent source of money. For those that don't like finding people to create a game don't fret, there is a dungeon finder which ques you up to join a dungeon and when 4 other people are found to filled the various rolls (tank, healer, and 3 damage dealer) you will be instantly teleported to the dungeon. Using the dungeon finder and choosing random dungeon provides you with bonuses such as money, experience, and items. Raids are largely the same thing however require larger groups (10 or 25 people), often require much more strategy, and aren't traditionally found using a dungeon finder-like tool, though one has recently been made available so you may have more trouble finding a group for this.

PvP experience

The first question that normally gets asked regarding pvp is "Is it balanced?". Well during other expansions the answer would be much more difficult and lengthy, however for this expansion the answer is very easy. Yes, yes it is. All classes have the ability to compete with any other class, though skill and level will still come into play. Community complaints will undeniably alter this to an extent but that has always been the story with WoW and it doesn't seem like it will be changing anytime soon. However just because it is balance doesn't mean it will be to everyone's liking. The battleground system allows you to join a battleground which is similar to a game mode. There are game modes reminiscent of capture the flag, territory capturing, and siege type modes, there are more than 2 battlegrounds but many are variations of the 3 concepts and have roughly 10 people per team. You may choose 1 specific battleground to join or choose random which comes with some added rewards. These tend to be rather lengthy, averaging around 15-20 minutes, and thanks to health boosts and added survivability to most classes individual battles can last quite long between 2 skilled players. So if lengthy battles that take quick reaction time and the ability to think of the best action in your given situation at a moments notice aren't your thing then WoW pvp probably isn't your thing. However if it is then you may be interested in the next form of pvp, arenas. They are pretty much the more competitive form of pvp. Its just a straight up death match, but similarly to the battles in battleground, with skilled players these can go on for quite a while but tend to be amazingly fun if you're into that type of thing. These can be played in either 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5.

The world

Though the other sections had their ups and downs, this section simply has ups, many of them. The world is stunningly beautiful, I've stopped numerous times during my travels just because the beautiful scenery caught my eye and i needed a second to stop and appreciate it. Even when it I don't stop and stare I'm amazed with every step my black war bear takes. From beautiful forests filled with natures most powerful beast, to icy tundras filled with mammoths and rhinos as far as the eye can see, to demon tainted lands filled with dark temples and bright green fel energies the world is unbelievable. And the characters have incredible depth and you tend to form a bond with the ones that you have taken the most interest in. You will often times find yourself feeling true love or hate toward characters and wonder if you really just felt such a strong emotion about a fictional character, and the answer is yes.

Overview

Pros

• Beautiful scenery
• Easy to learn for begginers but hard to master for veterans
• pvp balance (finally)
• Interesting but not overly complicated abilities
• Amazing dungeons and raids
• Incredibly well developed characters
• Large community
• Variety of classes and races to play as
• Compelling story line
• Incredible boss battles
• Has more experience than other mmo companies and tends to listen to community
• Expansive world with plenty to do.
• Fun game to play with friends
• Simple but interesting pvp
• World pvp on pvp servers
• Infinitely more than i can list

Cons

• Questing can be a bore which can lead to level grinding at times
• Community often complains if they don't like a certain class which leads to unnecessary nerfs
• Balance can be largely out of whack at times making certain classes unimaginably strong
• Population has decreased slightly
• pvp and dungeons and raids can be long but is not necessarily a bad thing.

If this post has interested you in anyway, visit http://us.battle.net/wow/en/ for more information