8 Exciting Insights About World of Warcraft: Forever from the Lead Designers

One of the standout features of Season of Discovery was the introduction of runes, which allowed classes to take on roles they typically couldn’t, like shaman tanks and mage healers. As a shaman player, I was hoping for a repeat of that innovation. Over the weekend, I noticed various abilities like Spirit Weapons and Molten Blast popping up on different gaming sites, hinting that something similar might be on the horizon. However, when I dove into Forever, I didn’t find any of those abilities in the revamped Shaman skill tree. It felt more aligned with Classic than what I had seen online.

I reached out to Jones and Nuthals for clarification, and unfortunately, Jones mentioned that while there are plenty of exciting elements in Season of Discovery, the design choices made there don’t align with the foundational principles for Forever. He emphasized that the team is aiming for a simplicity that’s closer to Classic than to Season of Discovery. This suggests that shaman tanks, or at least viable ones, are unlikely to make a comeback. However, Jones did express a desire to keep the dialogue open with players, encouraging those passionate about unconventional class roles to voice their thoughts.

I also inquired about the absence of flex raiding, which raised concerns about potential barriers for groups wanting to play together. In Season of Discovery, many raid groups left when the player requirement jumped from ten to 25. Nuthals confirmed that flex raiding won’t be included, but assured that every tier will feature at least one 10-player and one 20-player option, along with the occasional 40-player raid. This means if your group is too small for the larger raids, you can still tackle a 10-player raid. Jones stated, “If you’re a 10-man group and you don’t have interest in doing 20-man content, that is perfectly fine. We want to ensure that there is challenge and rewards in the 10-player content, and there will always be a 10-player raid for groups every single tier forever.”

I also asked about the Skyborne elves being locked behind a $30 purchase and whether we should expect more gameplay-related content to be paywalled in the future. They refrained from commenting, stating that they focus on game design rather than monetization decisions. However, Jones did mention that they want players’ efforts in the game to be meaningful, noting that they’ve adjusted design elements to ensure that obtaining things like mounts still requires effort. “You still have to, we’ve readjusted the gold cost to not be on the mount itself, but on the training so that we’re not giving someone free training for a mount when they hit level 40. If you see someone on a mount, it reflects that they have spent time and effort into the game.”

Meeting Stones are still present at dungeon entrances, but they no longer allow player summoning. Instead, they introduce a new Looking for Group feature, making it easier to find and join groups for desired activities. However, players will still need to travel across the continent to meet up unless they have a Warlock in the party to facilitate summoning.

While Jones and Nuthals didn’t provide specific details on how add-ons will function, Nuthals did mention that they plan to limit in-game or in-combat add-ons that automate tasks like marking or communicating for players, ensuring a more balanced experience.

This feature, however, won’t be making a return.

Jones explained the PvP system: “When you engage in Battlegrounds and complete PvP-related content, you’ll earn honor. This honor will help you progress through a ranking system, allowing you to reach rank 14 within a patch cycle, with rewards including cosmetic items and PvP armor with stats. We’re excited for players to explore new battlegrounds like the Darkspear Islands alongside the original Vanilla battlegrounds. We want PvP players to feel rewarded and to have a clear progression path.”

I also asked Jones and Nuthals about the significance of the name “Forever.” Is there something more enduring about this game compared to the current retail version of WoW? Here’s how Jones responded:

“When you look at how players have engaged with Classic versions of our game, there’s always the question of what happens to my character. Why invest time in a character when the experience feels temporary? The beauty of World of Warcraft: Forever is that we have a level 60 cap and will continue to create horizontal content for players. We have systems in place that encourage players to create alternate characters. We’re committed to building content for every aspect of this game. The ‘forever’ signifies a promise that this is a safe space to develop a character where everything you invest your time in will matter indefinitely.”