However, I specifically want to talk about something I’ve noticed, among others when I first gazed upon it, the new party syncing system:
Introducing Party Sync
During this PTR we’re experimenting with a new mode that makes it easier for players in a party to do quests and play together: Party Sync. When players activate Party Sync, everyone in the party becomes aligned to the same quest state, including phases. By mousing over a quest in your tracker, you can see who is on the quest, what their progress is, and who’s ready to turn in the quest. There’s something else we’re going to try out on the PTR, a “replay” quest feature. This will allow players who have already completed certain quests to replay those quests with their friends for rewards that are appropriate to their current level, regardless of the original level of the quest.
We’re also relaxing level restrictions on queueing for instanced content with your friends. This allows lower-level players to queue for content in their level range, and higher-level players can choose to join them by having their level scaled down while they’re in the instance. This feature will be available for dungeon instances for PTR Week 1, with PvP instances being flagged in the following weeks. Please note that unlike Timewalking, when your level is scaled down via Party Sync you will temporarily lose access to abilities and powers (such as Azerite traits) with requirements that exceed your reduced level.
This could mean a lot if it applies to things like raid groups. The ability to enter a players phase is something I’ve been barking on for years about and it’s possible we’re getting that system in place.
This could mean Horde and Alliance could roleplay together in Gilneas, there would be no quest requirements for groups or factions to meet eachother in locations such as Andorhal so long as one has the correct sync for others to use. Zones that get destroyed by questing or otherwise ‘overrun’ could be bypassed with the help of a friend etc. Potentially this can open a lot of doors for roleplay – no more unable to use a location because half the group is phased out, for example.
What other zones are you aware of that are completely ruined by phasing that could now be open up to the roleplay community?
There’s something else we’re going to try out on the PTR, a “replay” quest feature. This will allow players who have already completed certain quests to replay those quests with their friends for rewards that are appropriate to their current level, regardless of the original level of the quest.
I can think of a couple of quests which could be useful for RP. One of them is the Tiragarde Sound one with the Irontide Raider disguise quests in Freehold. Similarly, the Bloodsail disguise quests in Stranglethorn Vale. Hopefully those quests can be “replayed” to make the NPCs friends with the PC. Down with random NPCs attacking you when you just wanna RP.
I am assuming it will work for raids as a party system is just that but bigger.
The only problem I see with it is campaigns are often more than a single raid group, and both Alliance and Horde will have to find the right player to sync with. I am assuming anyway.
Hopefully that won’t be a big problem as I assume most people have completed X quests over the years.
I am assuming it works on syncing everyone to the party leader, remains to be seen if it works for raids as there is no reason to be in a raid group generally in the outside world outside of RP or a world boss, so they may only make it work in party which will make it fairly useless for RP.
It has really been needed since phasing was introduced, if its raid workable then it will open up some zones which currently are very difficult to go to for RP due to all the phasing issues/caused by different quest stages.
Wish they would actually show you a list of active phases so you could see what one you were in and what ones others you know are in. And then be able to switch into the same one manually. I know when I was RPing in SWTOR way back you had different phases of the same area and when you wanted to RP as a group people would just say we are in phase 1, 2 or 3 or whatever and you could manually switch to that.
This would also make RP in Sentinel Hill possible, because the only thing you need is one person who hasn´t done Westfall (if it works in raids, of course) and you can be in nice Sentinel instead of burning battlefield that it becomes after doing the zone.