Why WoW Classic 2022 is worth it for you, even if you haven’t played WotLK before

WoW Classic is considered the great service for World of Warcraft fans who want to go back to “the good old days”. But the reissued versions are not only nostalgia for veterans, they are even worthwhile for newcomers. This also applies to the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Many WoW fans today still rave about old expansions, most notably The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King and Legion. WotLK is even considered the best expansion according to our poll here on MeinMMO. WotLK first appeared in 2018, 14 years ago.

But anyone who only came into play with Battle for Azeroth or Shadowlands in the last few years has no connection to these expansions at all. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, it is worth taking a look at the classic version of WotLK.

WotLK Classic, the 2nd expansion of WoW, will be released on September 27th. MeinMMO tells you why you should take a look at the game, even if you didn’t even play WoW back then.

Here you can see the trailer for WotLK Classic:

Wrath of the Lich King is the best WoW expansion for MyMMO readers

What exactly is “WoW Classic” anyway? Basically, WoW Classic is supposed to bring the World of Warcraft back to how it was back then. Not necessarily as a 1:1 copy, but above all the way it felt to play back then.

WoW used to have some more complex systems, such as significantly larger talent trees, more group and raid buffs, and a slightly looser role distribution. Where today, for example, the activation of the protection specialization as a paladin is enough, in the past a certain value of defense had to be reached in order to be able to tank.

Roughly speaking, WoW was more oriented towards old role-playing systems and simplified fewer things. This is neither worse nor better, just a different gaming experience:

What makes WotLK so special? WotLK is considered by many fans to be the best expansion, mainly because the story told in Warcraft III finally comes to an end here. Arthas Menethil, the Lich King and one of WoW’s biggest and most popular villains, serves as the final boss here.

Throughout the addon, you will battle the undead Scourge commanded by Arthas and work towards toppling the Lich King from his frozen throne. WotLK is a gathering of big names in WoW history, like Jaina Proudmoore, Bolvar Fordragon, Alexstrasza and Varok Saurfang, who will support you in the campaign.

The whole war with the grand finale against Arthas is considered one of the best stories Blizzard has ever told. Appropriately, there is also the legendary cutscene “Worth Gate” in WotLK, the first WoW in-game cinematic ever:

In addition, the first hero class and the first new class ever appeared with WotLK: the death knight. He got his own starting area, his own mount and, unlike everyone else, was allowed to start the game at a higher level.

Death knights still exist today, but they are significantly different in retail today than they used to be. Runes needed to be managed better, all specs could tank, and the “presences” meant that death knights could still slightly adjust their playstyle. WotLK Classic brings back this “old” version of the death knight.

WotLK also debuted a similar version of the dungeon finder as you know it today. However, the tool will not be included in WotLK Classic.

Another era: WotLK is not retail!

What do I have to consider as a newcomer? If you have never played WoW before, many things will feel very unfamiliar to you, especially since the world itself is very similar to the one you know. But don’t rely on your knowledge being of much use to you.

Almost every class has been improved over the years. In the past, the gameplay was still a bit choppy in some places, so that magic classes sometimes had to hit the stick or pull out their magic wand. A rough overview of what to expect:

• Leveling takes significantly longer, especially from level 1 onwards.
• You get a new talent point for each level – don’t forget to distribute it!
• Many abilities have different ranks. As a rule of thumb, you should always use the highest rank – lower ranks only become really important in raids.
• You have to buy new spells, skills and higher ranks from your class teacher for gold.
• There is no war mode. The servers themselves are divided into PvP and PvE. PvP servers are always at war, everywhere!
• Cross-faction groups have only existed since Shadowlands. They are not available in WotLK, nor through Battle.net.

Class balancing also wasn’t as sophisticated as it is today. Veterans in particular like to point out that shadow priests only serve as a mana battery, not as a DPS class, and that discipline priests are only good as PvP healers.

Why should I watch WotLK Classic? If you are interested in the story of WoW, WotLK is perhaps the best expansion to delve deeper into the story at all. You’ll learn a lot of what led up to current events here, especially things like the final end of Arthas Menethil.

If you want to catch up on the story quickly, you should hurry. Burning Crusade Classic servers will disappear with the release of WotLK. You still have a few weeks to enjoy the old expansion without being too quickly thrown into new areas.

Despite its similarity to retail, WotLK is still a completely different version of WoW. You should check it out especially if you want to play the MMORPG at a slower pace, with less pressure and a fresh look at the game. All you need to access it is an active WoW subscription.

You can find out everything else you need to know about WotLK in our info hub:

WoW WotLK Classic: Release, Pre-Patch, Beta – All information about the new expansion