Eh, depends on what zones use it. RP realms are already using sharding in new content zones (as mentioned by someone here in the comments). Not much of a big deal to improve the sharding system and just apply it to new content zones on RP realms.
Edit: And remember, I am suggesting this because of latest added PvE zones, not because of zones people do RP in. Everywhere else Sharding on RP-Realms works fine by being almost non-existent.
I believe that RP realms should disappear and be replaced with some voluntary toggle mode to exclusive shards only mean to be used for RP. Just like warmode replaced PVP realms.
Probably with non-RP features disabled on those shards so people do not use it for non-RP purposes, disturbing RP players.
As a bonus, it makes it easier to enforce RP rules in an RP mode instead of RP realms. Why? Because is not possible to ban players from RP realms because they lost their characters unless the infraction is so big they are banned from WOW, but Blizzard could punish people who harass RP players by not allowing them to enter RP mode, temporally or permanently.
I can imagine PvE players complaining that my type of players is on their realms, eating up âspaceâ and ânot contributing to their experienceâ and the Roleplayers complaining about being forced to move from their realms, breaking their own Server-Lores, Communities and Guild-Interactions up and suchâŚ
As I said, your idea may be efficient in the result, but would also break a lot of things in a way making such a change very unpopular.
I have not said that RP will be forced to move from their realms. The realm will still exist, but its special shard will become a special shard based on a toggle instead of being based on the realm, with the only option that now people could opt-in or opt-out. Server-Lores, Communities, and Guild-Interaction should remain existing but now inside of an RP mode shard instead of an RP realm.
About PVE players, I donât find such a complaint legit because if RP players opt out of RP, they are PVE players too, so they are contributing to PVE like any other PVE player. They are entitled to PVE shards as much as any other PVE player.
I think you have misunderstood me. I have never said to close any realm. Blizzard wonât do it anyway. I said to do for RP what they did back them with PVP realms and Warmode. PVP realms didnât disappear when Warmode was added, they become Normal realms, and people from both previous Normal or PVP realms were able to opt in or opt out of Warmode.