A new patch for World of Warcraft has been released, and it’s a doozy. Players will now have to wait until they’re seated at the train station before being able to start playing.
The the woman on the train is a poem about a woman who is late for her train. She has been waiting for hours and she realizes that she will never make it in time.
According to Blizzard, the devs met at the end of the summer to go through all of the user input and see what changes they might make to improve the game. I’m not going to go into detail about what prompted them to do so – clearly, reputation losses and the overall player bleeding process were factors. 9.1.5 is the “Stop Crawling Out of the Windows” patch, as expressed brilliantly on Facebook. The issue is, how are they doing with putting those much-needed reforms in place?
The issue is that we are now four months into the patch. This is the point at which serious players have completed all of the raid/dungeon challenges they set out to do. Casuals have seen the narrative, completed the LFR version of the raid, acquired transmogs, and are nearing the end of the content, looking for the last of the new achievements, reputations, cosmetics, and other goodies. We’ve completed the Renown grind and have virtually nothing to play for at this point.
In summary, November seems to be the final “active” month in the patch cycle, and this is when the patch will most likely be removed. When the bulk of gamers have well-trodden, chewed, digested, and in general – obsolete material, they’re improving.
True, there will always be returning players and alts to level and equip up, but the patch wave has essentially passed.
Of course, better late than never, but I can’t help but get angry every time I see a piece of news about 9.1.5. Most of the modifications are minor, quality-of-life enhancements that do not need calculating balance and character strength, all of which might possibly “destroy the game.” My annoyance stems from one simple fact: I don’t want to read about those modifications “making it to PTR” for three months of my most active patching efforts; instead, I want to read the same news labeled “installed with the next reset.” Because I’m currently playing and will have no need for these changes once the patch is out.
I understand the motivation for making the patch sound more “important,” rather like the notorious 6.1, with new blood elf models and a selfie camera, which they failed to achieve upon release. However, making adjustments – quality of life enhancements – over the course of three months, every week, will more successfully entice players back, as they read the news and see the game improving week by week, rather than waiting until November? Christmas? When the game eventually implements all of the improvements, there will be no motivation or purpose to appreciate them.
Personally, I consider 9.1.5 to be my lull. I’ll be finishing covenant cosmetics – essentially 9.0 content – and I won’t need the promised QoL enhancements for that. 9.1. content is almost complete for me; it will conclude with Renown 80 and Death’s Advance Exalted, after which I will be able to buy the last items from quartermaster. The raid is nearly over, and it will be decreased to a few of hours each week. So far, nothing they’ve thrown at me regarding Shadowlands has been of any use to me.
I have no cause or want to do Mage Tower, and heaven forbid, Legion dungeons, therefore Legion raid sets will be the only content left. And that’s the one thing I’m thrilled about in this patch: solo legacy raid encounters will be streamlined.
9.1.5 is not insufficient, but it is much too late.
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- the train movie
