World of Warcraft Classic has been a nostalgic ride for many Blizzard fans. Also known as Vanilla, the old game was recreated and re-released, and it's been quite a year for WoW Classic. But now players are inching closer and closer to what would have been patch 2.0, bringing an end to Classic.
Released in September 2019, World of Warcraft Classic was an almost 100% accurate recreation of the original WoW as it was 16 years ago. The patches were re-released in order, starting with MC, sliding through Ahn'Qiraj and the war effort coupled with the Scarab Lord grind, and is now getting closer and closer to the release of the final major content patch of Vanilla.
Naxxramas is on its way in, set to release on December 3rd, 2020. Back in 2004, this was the final big patch for OG World of Warcraft, bringing with it a massive raid ending in a battle with the Lich King's right-hand man, Archlich Kel'Thuzad, an undead necromancer that drops some of the best loot that players had ever seen (at the time). But most importantly, the appearance of the floating citadel ushered in a new era for WoW players back in the day: Burning Crusade.
For those who have been loving the re-released content and have been leveling, raiding, and stockpiling gear, the unknown is what comes after Naxxramas. While there have been some rumors of Burning Crusade servers heading to Classic, many are beginning to wonder what will be next for the game. It is possible that Blizzard could choose to continue into BC with patch 2.0, just as it did more than a decade ago. But where to after that?
If BC is next on the menu, will players no longer be able to play Vanilla at all, or will Vanilla servers run alongside BC servers, allowing players to experience both at the same time? If that occurs, it begs the question of what Blizzard's end point would be. If it becomes popular enough, and goes on long enough, players could just choose which one of the eight expansions that they wish to play. While Burning Crusade in itself would most likely be a great move for Blizzard, the future after BC looks hazy.
A possibility that could be the future of World of Warcraft Classic after Phase 6 would be for Blizzard to move into Burning Crusade, which is arguably the best of the early expansions, and then make new content for Classic. It would build out the fanbase both in Retail WoW while keeping Classic fresh for those who like the old-school style of WoW. But whatever Blizzard has in store, hopefully Classic won't be completely abandoned after Naxx.
World of Warcraft Classic is available for PC.
Source: Destructoid