Time for the second part of the Era Pyrewood cluster report. My hunter hit 60 after ~8d on /played or so. Not racing but still, it felt quite smooth and fast. Started Classic with a mage so I’m a bit spoiled but either way, Hunter handled most elites and alike wherever running around in circles doing Counterattack elite or trying to navigate Barelgore through all the mobs in the area 
The level-60 Hunter at work:
https://i.imgur.com/qTUsbiL.jpeg
Population and roles
- Low/mid-level dungeon groups are common, although sometimes you will wait for tank or healer
- It’s not so uncommon to see 2-3 DPS in a group waiting for a tank where those “DPS” are warriors (or shamans/druids)…
- We did Uldaman with a Shaman tank and it was fine… there is a deficit of healers and tanks.
- At 60 or close there is a big deficit of interested people - a lot of level 60 population is Naxx geared and doesn’t have to run dungeons or UBRS while fresh 60 usually aren’t healers nor tanks
- At the same time a sizable part of levelers aren’t leveling - they are alts of Naxx/chill players that don’t intend to level to 60 and progress from that, they are just chilling or 35 for professions, etc.
- I’ve also noticed quite a few new-new players on Era - those that did not play Classic or WoW at all.
The Firemaw transfers
- We get regular transfers from Firemaw
- Levelers or even max level transfer here due to obnoxious ganking on Firemaw
- With luck the playerbase will heal and PvP realms won’t be seen as “better” or “more pro” than PvE and the drawback of them will become clear for people that don’t intend to WPvP where “I always have to win mode or transfer to my monofaction PvP realm” is not possible.
Look at this: summons, no griefing, WB dispells, sad ret palas, and so on:
https://i.imgur.com/TGwXQcp.jpeg
Level 60 beginnings
- As this isn’t P1 you can get some gear from Silithus summons
- Devilsaurs aren’t even extinct, few loops and I had leather for my Devilsaur set
- Note that there are existing crafters so you don’t have to rush with your crafting professions, especially if you can reach old Naxx-level crafters
- Leveling guild “Broken Few” got rid of their 50-60 players by ignoring them and forbidding any cross-guild cooperation (good luck with that). I was in that guild but after ZG PUG I’m not alongside others
- There are also “Classic Andys” and other weird people or guilds that won’t raid or fit the progression path. Very little if any HC activity/guilds.
Raids and endgame progression
By three they come. By three, thy way opens:
https://i.imgur.com/fZkbMqN.jpeg
- There are AFAIK 2 Horde guilds doing Naxx. Trinity (DE) is the most advanced, but we also have Warriors of Sunlight (they did double MC recently if I recall correctly), Blood Guard, and a few others cooperating/doing PUGs
- There are some really good raid leads, some from switched factions and so on - but we all need players to fill the raid spots
- There is very very very little max level dungeon runs so you won’t realistically farm gear from them. You have to scrape what’s possible and then get into AQ20 and ZG or other PUGs (like MC zerg with Naxx-geared toons).
- And as such your own progression/fun may be limited. I did whooping grey parses in ZG and MC while having ok-ish blue gear only.
Yesterday Trinity (Naxx geared) did an MC/Ony with other guilds to barely scrape a 40-man. Blood Guard did ZG PUG a few days before - also cleared, a few Naxx-geared people and other new freshly dinged toons.
Fresh vs ERA
- Era has quite a bit of population locked on Naxx toons, alts/social-always-low-level and alike players that will not progress
- People that want to start a progression and play alongside likeminded players may have problems currently on Era
- Pyrewood Alliance is bigger so it may look bigger, but with increasing size Era has the problem of sell-out and bots - deck down toons/guilds may start to sell services while bots may start to sell gold/gear/services as well.
- As Era isn’t Fresh some may be withholding their star of a new toon making Era “self-fulfilling prophecy”
Fresh or Era seasons wishlist:
- New fresh custom season, not fresh Classic - differentiate Era from Fresh.
- Go full-on fun - easy/cheap respec, maybe some dual/multi spec, limit raid logging, maybe something better than Chronoboon, and allow each class to have their own mastery of the game…
- Break the meta - probably based on TBC or newer talent trees (Cata pre-show?)
- Make Era for Era and Fresh for Fresh players, don’t try to make Fresh for Era-specific players or Fresh pretending to be close to OG Classic release.
and also:
- Way more crafting items for professions
- Way more turn-in items for Cenarion Circle, Argent Dawn, more items from Pristine Hide of the Beast, and new items with each phase (option to farm decent epics outside of 40-man raids), world elites with more unique loot.
- New upgrade paths for dungeon set, postmaster set, and a few others that become actually usable/for offspecs that lacked gear
- If they want to alter or add some raids/dungeons focus on 20-man and early not late Nax level or above-Naxx stuff. MC is a bit stale so blast and fun through ZG-alike would be nice.
Seasons on Era?:
There is always the possibility Blizzard could come up with seasons and custom modes that would happen on Era. It would have to face the problem of the existing deck down toons but could also help with new toon/players progression and make more of existing players active. And also no-changes ERA becomes SoM-alike with changes and new content.
Fallout 76 has a “scoreboard” for each season lasting a few months. As you do daily/other activities your progress unlocks more on your scoreboard getting some generic currencies/consumables but also unique gear. Could something like this work on Era? Also things like Scourge Invasion or Qiraj War could repeat as an event 
Screenshots
- WPL questing: that’s not very healthy but good exp:
https://i.imgur.com/GuhtAvZ.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/fu90QSW.jpeg
- Hakkar ded:
https://i.imgur.com/X66YdlM.jpeg
- World Buffs Day (Thursday, Saturday):
https://i.imgur.com/Z6ACu4M.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/0EnK06w.jpeg
- You are telling me I have to kite-kill it instead of frostbolt it to death?
https://i.imgur.com/Ju3fHoN.jpeg
- At least I have the high ground:
https://i.imgur.com/U4zkGqV.jpeg
- Geddon and Rag down:
https://i.imgur.com/QhRqlJH.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/3ZQvO9K.jpeg