I always have the impression that a connection for transmog and collectibles between Classic realms and Retail will eventually happen through the slow path.
“The slow path” is a concept in time travel stories where a character or something travels to the past and is stuck there with no other option to return to the present than waiting until at least the time machine is created.
In this case, the ones who are in some way traveling to the past are the players, we are playing the old version of the game and the fact that retail collections and transmog are not connected to Classic is equivalent to not being able to return to the present.
But after Classic we already know there will be Classic TBC, and after that there is a hight chance to have Classic WOTLK. Every time we continue in this expansion slow path we are more closer, for example Classic WOTLK will have achievements, so there are more chances of being connected to retail. More if Blizzard continue the expansion path, but even if they stop in some expansion tere is also chances to have character migration to retail once Classic expansion ends.
That is the slow path, Classic characters will become TBC characters, then WOTLK characters, maybe Cata, but at some point the connection with retail will happen.
I believe that this kind of transfer (classic -> retail) will happen in the future no matter we want it or no. They will let you do it through pay service.
Most of you don’t believe it, but this is a fantastic opportunity for Activision to acquire more money. It won’t happen now, but at the end of TBC - may be.
Keep in mind that players are already attached to their toons and a lot of folks who stay now in classic era (imo) will want to transfer after one year of boredom.
Activision-Blizzard knows that YOU want your corrupted Ashbringer to enter retail realms and will give you some time … To farm some more transmogable stuff. After that they will give you solution through money.
Yes, that is whay I believe, that transfer won’t be Classic -> Retail but it will be with Classic -> TBC -> Retail or more probably Classic -> TBC -> WOTLK -> Retail, the Slow Path will reach retail eventually.
Funny part is, the reason people want their corrupted ashbringer to enter retail, is because of it’s rarity. Corrupted Ashbringer is not remotely the best looking weapon in the game, sure it looks hella awesome, but if it was a level 30 blue, nobody would transmog it.
If they allow this to happen, the item won’t be rare anymore whatsoever. Every warrior or pve Andy able to clear naxx let alone now, but also in TBC, will have it.
Step 1: Make a statement that something will happen at some point in the future.
Step 2: Wait.
Step 3: If it doesn’t happen, never mention it again. Find new topic, goto Step 1.
Step 4: If it does happen yell “I KNEW IT!!!”
Thing is, it’s not always the Polycount that matters. Even before Classic came out, I still knew the names of most of the items that dropped back in the day. They are my daily reminder, that the game was different/so much better back then, compared to retail. It had “a soul” that retail does no longer have. Classic was (for me) able to keep it mostly intact.
I am currently working on T0 and Benediction for my priest. Stuff I had back in the day on my priest, that got lost somewhere on the way to retail.
That stuff has emotional value, the same way as T3 on my rogue (that I missed back in the day, because my server was too small to clear Naxx).
Now i’ve finally gotten it in classic, but I cannot use it on retail. It makes me sad…
transmog has significant impact on a players ability to ‘read’ his opponents strength level, so no absolutely not.
some people could (and would) use transmogs to camouflage their gear, be it bad or good gear. nothing like being destroyed by a guy who looks like he is in full greys but is really wearing endgame BIS camouflaged by his transmog.
so yeah definitely a hard no to transmog (and every other retail feature for that matter). hell the mount and boost should be backpeddled hard as well, not only because those are both fundamentally bad ideas, but because it gives people like you an excuse to make a thread asking for even more changes using previous changes to justify your suggestions.
we call it “pandoras box” and you should never open one of those.
EDIT: the idea of making what you collect in classic transfer to retail as a transmog is something i couldn’t care less about, but someone above did make a good point as to why it shouldn’t happen. something like thunderfury, hand of rag or glaives of azzinoth are suppose to be feats of achievements from way back in the day, meaning only a few should be able to access that sort of transmog. i never got a hand of rag back in retail vanilla, and suddenly with your idea i would have it on my retail shaman i haven’t played since legion, thus degrading the value of the item visually for everyone who DID get one back in the day.
Another one who did not read, what I was proposing.
All those items you cited are still available in retail. I’ve got Glaives and TF on my Retail-Rogue. Thoridal on my Priest (o//). So why do items from Naxx need to be unobtainable? Also like you said, you couldn’t care less about it.
Because it’s not about these items. It’s about items that are no longer available in game. Like T3, Corrupted Ashbringer, Benediction or whatsoever.
(Yes, T3 is sometimes available on the BMAH, but that’s only for people who play the auction house or buy gold. There is now way to obtain them via regular gameplay.)
having these transmogs available on Retail means “this guy did that way back when”.
Why should the people who earned that privilege see it watered down?
I see lots of people running aroung wearing T3 on retail who never set a foot in Naxx, so this argument is flawed.
For example Benediction was easy to get back in the day. Getting T3 was on a different level. So why should T3 be available on retail, while Benediction is not.
I think BMAH waters down a lot more, than putting in the work in classic, playing for 30+ /played and “earning” the items, even if it’s arguably easier than back in the day.