I wish that Blizzard would upgrade the graphics in Classic. The old version is wonderful for nostalgia, but we have so many good customizations available in retail and it doesn’t make sense to not use them.
Personally, I would love it if Classic models, animations and even world assets were their new models.
For example, the boar models were updated in 2021 in retail but very few people see it because we don’t spend much time in zones that have boars. Where in Classic the model would be seen by many more players.
That would require a complete texture and resolution overhaul of the game and then animation/spells/skeletal overhauls of models. It would take a very long time and a lot of resources for something that most people don’t want.
If they added lets say just the new models, it would look VERY out of place against everything else. But we do have the upside of having better enviromental graphics due to us now using an updated client which I think is a BFA client. I always play with max (10) settings, but its only a slight increase which I think is just about right for Classic.
For me, one of the appeals of Classic is the old graphics. They butchered Male Undead in Retail. The animations are terrible, and gear looks so stretched.
I would stop playing if they did this. The old game feels and sounds better. Animations in retail, especially the ones introduced with the legion client are terrible.
Just look at the walking animations. Not to mention that new animations aren’t race specific anymore, and are shared across every race (e.g. rampage, raging blow etc.).
I definitely see where everyone is coming from with not wanting the modern models/textures and animations.
I think for me it ties back to when I was playing the game in BC or Wrath and wishing there were more hairstyles or customisations. Now I have those things in Retail but the game isn’t the same anymore.