Patch 3.3: Will ICC Kill TotC Raiding?
iTZKooPA
[caption id="attachment_8877" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption=""]
[/caption]
Blizzard hates when new content kills old content, and with good reason. If you put hours upon countless hours into something, you want it to be enjoyed for as long as possible. Few people managed to clear vanilla Naxxramas before The Burning Crusade launched. This is the reason why Naxxramas returned in Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard gated Trial of the Crusader to ensure that players didn't blow through the trash-less content, even with its multiple versions. Doing so indirectly extended the life of Ulduar. Icecrown Citadel is being handled a little differently though.
Patch 3.3 is approaching fast, allowing various details on the raid to trickle out. ICC will feature four versions per encounter like TotC, but raid leaders will be able to select the difficulty of the encounter on a per-boss basis. The culmination in Wrath raiding will feature gated content as well. However, ICC will be wing gated, meaning there will be multiple bosses (four) per lockout. That begs the titular question, will ICC kill TotC raiding?
I don't think so, and certainly not in the way that Ulduar killed Naxxramas. The obvious reason is the gating. Once you clear a wing in 10/25m, it only makes sense to go back to TotC to grab some badges, and possible upgrades that you may be lacking. I believe that the main reason people will still be raiding TotC so often (or its heroic version, TotGC) won't be because of something Blizzard designed, but because of Patch 3.3 itself. I am speaking of the flood of users that will return to World of Warcraft to be a part of the Lich King's final days.
Every patch is marked by a dramatic increase of Solidsamm's gold deposits returning players, and Patch 3.3 should see an even greater return. A greater return of under-geared players that are eager to participate in the finale that Icecrown Citadel is to bring. What better way to gear them up than with quick and easy runs through TotC?
What will it be raid leaders? Are you planning on abandoning TotC as soon as possible, or are you going to farm it as long as a respectable portion of the guild needs the upgrades?
[/caption]
Blizzard hates when new content kills old content, and with good reason. If you put hours upon countless hours into something, you want it to be enjoyed for as long as possible. Few people managed to clear vanilla Naxxramas before The Burning Crusade launched. This is the reason why Naxxramas returned in Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard gated Trial of the Crusader to ensure that players didn't blow through the trash-less content, even with its multiple versions. Doing so indirectly extended the life of Ulduar. Icecrown Citadel is being handled a little differently though.
Patch 3.3 is approaching fast, allowing various details on the raid to trickle out. ICC will feature four versions per encounter like TotC, but raid leaders will be able to select the difficulty of the encounter on a per-boss basis. The culmination in Wrath raiding will feature gated content as well. However, ICC will be wing gated, meaning there will be multiple bosses (four) per lockout. That begs the titular question, will ICC kill TotC raiding?
I don't think so, and certainly not in the way that Ulduar killed Naxxramas. The obvious reason is the gating. Once you clear a wing in 10/25m, it only makes sense to go back to TotC to grab some badges, and possible upgrades that you may be lacking. I believe that the main reason people will still be raiding TotC so often (or its heroic version, TotGC) won't be because of something Blizzard designed, but because of Patch 3.3 itself. I am speaking of the flood of users that will return to World of Warcraft to be a part of the Lich King's final days.
Every patch is marked by a dramatic increase of Solidsamm's gold deposits returning players, and Patch 3.3 should see an even greater return. A greater return of under-geared players that are eager to participate in the finale that Icecrown Citadel is to bring. What better way to gear them up than with quick and easy runs through TotC?
What will it be raid leaders? Are you planning on abandoning TotC as soon as possible, or are you going to farm it as long as a respectable portion of the guild needs the upgrades?
Reader Comments