So is it me or are the storyline and quests just boring as heck

Community General Discussion
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I have been levelling in Classic taking my sweet time. No rush or meta to follow. Just exploring the world and adventuring on my own. I even went back to zones I outlevelled just because they were interesting to me.

I think Classic has a lot of fault, more so at end game and PvP, but the questing and lore is just amazing. The world building is immersive and I really felt like I was questing through a new world.

And now I am levelling through Shadowlands and I keep taking breaks. It seriously is getting boring, where as in Classic I can play for the whole day and get lost in the game.

I don’t know how to fully phrase why I enjoy classic quests a lot more. Perhaps because they give you freedom to explore. Shadowlands feels more like a story on rails. A rollercoaster, a movie. You can’t venture and steer out of it. It’s a clear line you have to follow. There is also no danger present whatsoever. I could pull 3 to 5 mobs without dying. Try that in Classic and you’ll be seeing the graveyard a lot.

But also how the way the story is told. RP walks a lot, character interaction. I don’t need to see or care so much about NPC’s their feelings or interactions with eachother. This is so damn boring. I need to venture and explore, to fight, to loot, to be free. Yet I’m constantly handholded by NPC’s that I just log out after 1 to 2 hours and I can’t be bothered anymore for the rest of the day.

Maybe it’s just me, I really don’t care about voice acting or cutscenes. A good story doesn’t need to be told through them for me to enjoy it, yet this expansion is full of it.

How many of you did alt-tab through the RP scenes? Be honest.

Not to mention the characters you interact with are as bland as possible and made so neutral that they don’t have any personality or character inside them. They all come off to me as a means to bend around the story.

I was doing a classic zone. The Bad lands. I was assisting an Alliance expedition of Dwarves who were searching for their kinsmen who got lost in their search for information and archeology. A few quests later and you’re sent off to Uldaman to investigate the Iron Dwarves taking up residence there. You find out one of the Dwarves got killed but that he left his medaillion as a last means to make contact. Then you’re sent off to intiltrate the Dark Iron fortress nearby and you uncovered that the Dark Irons are in an Alliance with the Fire elementals, possibly Ragnaros.

Then later you go to Searing Gorge and Blackrock mountain and you find that Ragnaros rules over them, but that the Dark Iron King is trying to subdue Ragnaros and rule himself.

And I think I know the difference behind the two. In Classic you’re told the storyline first hand through exploring and interacting with the world. In Shadowlands you’re told the story by other characters and NPC’s who you interact with.

Blizzard should invest more time into world building and questing imo. Less time for cutscenes and voice acting. Leave that stuff for special occastions.

19 Likes
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I love the cutscenes and “RP” stuff. It’s been a long time since i actually felt immersed and fully part of a story, so i wasn’t expecting SL to suddenly jump out like that to begin with. I just like learning about the different characters, their struggles, the overhanging plot, etc. I’d rather have a story experience that might be described as half-baked than to rush to 60 and spend my week tapping my foot because there aren’t any mythics or raids to do 2 weeks after release.

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Nothing can be worse than pandaria questing.

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All feels very linear now, found it pretty boring myself but it at least didn’t feel like there was seemingly endless quests for the zones. It’s not Borean Tundra at least.

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Bastion was super boring to me. The story and the characters were shallow and uninteresting, and the plot was extremely predictable.

Maldraxxus was a lot better, with a far more likable character cast and a more intriguing plot.

Can’t comment on the other two, as I haven’t done them yet.

In general though, nothing can beat the Classic questing. Not leveling. Questing. The immersion was far better back then in my opinion, especially since the story wasn’t linear.

Just my two cents.

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People keeps saying positive things about cutscenes, story, npcs, atmosphere, design, tower etc. All those are important in single player games.

I am happy for them. But i would like to see a single “mmorpg” improvement.

Back in time wow was all about players’ stories. But now we play npc’ stories.

Sl is barely a filler for me between naxx-tbc.

10 Likes
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I disagree. I love shadowlands way more so far and i wont even Play BC now. The story is amazing and the covenants reminds Me of legion class halls. Im so excited for the raid too. I cba about classic with majority being gbid runs lol. That is far from the real vanilla experience, and All big realms Will do the same in BC. I used to box and make 40k+ gold monthly. Every gbid i joined i felt bad because i had people whispering me “please do not bid on this item”. I had sometimes 100k+ on me.

2 Likes
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Everyone seems to love it from what I’ve seen. Though personally don’t know what there is to rave about. Feels bland to me.

Art and music are good as always though.

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I guess you replied to a wrong poster?

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Pandaria questing was bad too, but this is just worse

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When has it never been boring?

If you aint into the whole dragons, destiny, champions, elves, swords, magic n stuff then I don’t think it will never be anything but boring.

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The issue is that WoW is 12 rated so the storyline is extremely childish unlike what you are used to from WC3 or Classic where everyone was dark and grim like orcs cutting off their hands or entire cities being annihilated. Right now we are in the Shadowlands and yet we never witness any torture or gruesome things, everything’s just cheery and colourful and the scariest thing about the Maw is that… you pull too many mobs.
The old WoW that we knew had demonic mistresses which were half naked to use their body to their advantage. If it was still the old WoW than Sylvanas would have changed to lingerie after joining the Jailer and becoming his female slave. Anyone here remember Illidan’s concubines from BT? That would completely fit WoW’s lore and make it more grim, especially with Nathanos being her simp but instead she runs around like Robin Hood.

The WoW that you know is gone.

2 Likes
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Well isn’t this what Warcraft used to be about?
And where can I find this in the expansion?

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Can’t agree on that, well above average as far as wow expansion questing goes.

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Storytelling has been on another level in this expansion. It’s a matter of taste I guess. I personally enjoyed it a lot. I have 3 characters at 60 and really enjoyed the zones and the story.

Now don’t get me started on TBC. The expansion was brilliant but storytelling wasn’t, sorry. I’ll take Shadowlands over BC questing any day.

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when classic hit, i leveled a warlock to 60. it was super fun but also incredibly dull at times, grinding mobs over and over and the most boring of quests.

i feel like from mop onwards blizzard really elevated their questing design. mop, & shadowlands are the best experiences this game has to offer when it comes to questing and story.

but that’s just me. as much as i love the old game, bc&wrath were both amazing to me, my rose-tinted glasses have long been broken to appreciate this new approach to the game.

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MoP was the start of horrible questing experiences.
Linear story. Following NPCs among predetermined routes. Sometimes even as escorts (4Valley with Chen, lol).
Only ever having 1-3 quests open at one time which you have to do before you are send somewhere. Do another 3 quests. Run back. Do another 3.
You couldnt even really skip those quests and level with dungeons since those are even worse of a playing experience.

Compare that to something like Netherstorm which has you carry as much as 10 quests just leaving Area52 which you can do in any order and are placed in circular fashion around town.
And more to be found out in the open.

2 Likes
18

For me the problem is exactly the on rails way of questing and also the main story has been for yars now so convoluted and over the top anime crap that i just don’t care about it at all.
Zone wide short stories are still fun but the main story is just too weird and nonsense.

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Sorry I stopped reading when u said classic questing is awesome.

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I would never be hooked again like in the WOTLK expansion, questing and the story. Comming in the Howling Fjord for the 1st time was amazing. Howling Fjord and Grizzly Hills music, omg…

1 Like