edit: apologies for the multiple posts! I deleted the others.

Right now, there's a plethora of ways to play WoW, so how do you play WoW?

We have classic Era (shout-out to Deviate Delight for a community driven fresh server experience).

Season of Discovery for a taste of classic+ (though opinions seem pretty different now than on launch at how successful it is).

There's private servers, like Turtle Wow, if you're looking for a different take on the game.

Cataclysm classic if you want to experience the world revamp.

Mists of Panadaria Remix if you're looking for a new way to level or want to grab some transmogs.

And finally, retail.

Personally, I took a break at the start of phase two of season of discovery and came back when I heard about Panadaria Remix. I bounced between remix, cataclysm, and deviate delight on classic Era. I've finally settled on leveling a character on cataclysm. The mechanics are a nice middle ground between classic and retail, and the revamped world is fun to experience again. I'll likely jump into remix in a month or so to get the transmogs.

So, with all of these options, what are you playing?

As the title says, we're about to start Phase 2, so I thought it would be nice to reflect on what everyone liked / disliked for Phase 1. Also, I believe classic wow content is allowed here, but let me know if that's not correct.

What are some things you liked/disliked in Phase 1 of Season of Discovery?

For me, some of the pros are probably the obvious ones. I love the level cap, which gave me the chance to not only get a main to raid but actually get an alt to raid with as well. It was also interesting being hyper focused on one segment of the world, essentially. I actually saw some places/quests for the first time because of this, and professions felt rewarding even at this lower level. I also appreciated the new runes and the gameplay changes they brought with them, in particular the new roles. My alt is a rogue tank, and while I think there are some kinks to work out there, it's been a fun change of pace. I've been working on a mage healer and a warlock tank on the side and I'm excited to give them a try at some point. Finally, 3 day lockout on the new raid, and making the raid 10 players, was a very welcome change for a casual like me.

For mixed success, I'd say the BFD raid was a nice entry level raid and it was fun seeing the dungeon converted to the raid format, but not all of the mechanics were super interesting. But again, as an entry level raid, I think that's fine. I am looking forward to seeing what changes they've made to Gnomergan.

For the bad, I'd mainly say PVP and class balance. I like the idea of these world PVP events, but I don't think Battle for Ashenvale worked as a PVP event most of the time. Also, playing on an unbalanced server (lava lash US) made it hard to win the event unless you tried during off hours. I wasn't a fan of the % counters to make it start and appreciate the fixed timer they've since implemented (though I think a hybrid system might be more interesting, where the % goes up automatically so you're guaranteed one every 2-3 hours, but you could work to make it happen sooner). For class balance, I don't mind that some classes are overpowered, but there are some classes/specs that do feel a little ignored. An example would be druid tank, which I think feels extremely gimped by having two extremely helpful runes on the same slot.

Overall all though, I really enjoyed Phase 1 and am looking forward to Phase 2. What about y'all?

Celebrate one year of the Trading Post with two steeply discounted items, the Mannequin’s Charm toy and X-53 Rocket, and earn an extra 500 Trader’s Tender this month! Cast a spell with this month’s signature item the Love Witch’s Attire transmog ensemble.

Take to the skies of Outland with a new dragonriding racing event!

Discover the buried history of Azeroth and the Dragon Isles through the Azerothian Archives Public Event, take Dragonriding to the skies of old-world continents, storm Dragonflight Dungeons alongside NPC companions, complete new Campaign chapters in the continuation of the Dragon Isle epilogues, and more!

Earn the Grim Campfire Toy when you watch WoW Dragonflight streams on Twitch between January 23 and January 30, 2024!

Dragonflight: Seeds of Renewal arrives to World of Warcraft on January 16!

In the Seeds of Renewal, players level 60-70 will have the opportunity to play through Normal difficulty Dragonflight dungeons solo, or with friends, with a little help from a few NPC teammates.

Navigate your way through 2024 with the World of Warcraft roadmap with Executive Producer Holly Longdale.

Hero Talents are a new evergreen form of character progression that will be introduced with the release of The War Within expansion. We take a closer look at the philosophies around Hero Talents and the Mountain Thane, Lightsmith, San’layn, and Chronowarden Hero Talents.

Beginning in January, you can go from day to night in the blink of an eye with the new Burden of Unrelenting Justice transmog set by earning the monthly special reward from the Trading Post twelve times.

New class armor sets and weapon sets are available for the Evoker, Hunter, Mage, and Shaman in this month’s Trading Post offerings. This month’s signature item—Buttercup the baby moose pet.

Here you will find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Wrath of the Lich King Classic, Burning Crusade Classic, and WoW Classic.

Gather your allies and join the Dream Wardens as they stand against the machinations of Fyrakk and his allies, the Druids of the Flame—for fame, for glory, for the World Tree—and for the rewards.

Add the Tabard of Fury transmog appearance to your collection with Amazon Prime Gaming.

Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte. Get caught in the Viridian Weave in Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope Raid Finder Wing 3 this week and prepare for WoW Classic: Season of Discovery.

Thank you for all your WoW Q&A submissions! Join World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas, Associate Game Director Morgan Day, World of Warcraft Classic Lead Software Engineer Ana Resendez, Associate Production Director Clayton Stone, Assistant Lead Game Designer Tim Jones, and host Bethany Stout as they answer your questions and take a look at what’s going on behind the scenes of World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft Classic now, and cast a light on what’s coming in the future. (Video is in English Only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8zWAPDUTkc

The time has come to enter the Emerald Dream, engage in new Public Events—Superbloom and Emerald Bounty, build Renown with the Dream Wardens for unique rewards, and save the new World Tree from Fyrakk's forces in a new Raid—Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope.

The Guardians of the Dream content update becomes available the week of November 7, bringing with it a variety of updates to Dragonflight including: New Outdoor Zone: The Emerald Dream, New Raid: Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope, New Public Events: Superbloom, Emerald Frenzy, and Emerald Bounty, Dragonflight Season 3, Battleground Blitz Brawl, New World Boss: Aurostor the Hibernating, and more.

We spoke with General Manager of Warcraft, John Hight, about how the core of Warcraft is grown and its future safeguarded.

During the World of Warcraft®: Deep Dive panel at BlizzCon 2023, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas took viewers deeper into the features coming in the next chapter of World of Warcraft: The War Within™.

Our team at BlizzCon had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Game Director Ion Hazzikostas. Here are the interview highlights!

During the World of Warcraft®: What’s Next panel at BlizzCon 2023, Cinematic Narrative Director Terran Gregory, Associate Design Director Maria Hamilton, and Associate Game Director Morgan Day dove into an overview of the world, story, and features coming in the next chapter of World of Warcraft—The War Within™.

World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ has just been announced! Prepare to descend beneath the surface of Azeroth to explore subterranean worlds full of hidden wonders, earn the trust of the new Earthen allied race, and face an ancient evil lurking in the darkness.