Every new World of Warcraft expansion brings with it a host of brand-new features for players to enjoy, but it also leaves behind many of the features from the previous expansion. Players are quickly whisked away to brand-new zones filled with new gameplay systems, and the game does not look back. This has been the case for years now, and it showcases a pretty big problem with World of Warcraft's current content model.
Blizzard likes to experiment with all sorts of new features, but it tends not to expand upon them past their basic form. Features like Warfronts, Artifact Weapons, Class Order Halls, and Torghast are expansion selling features that Blizzard builds a majority of the content around. Each of those are a major part of their expansion's lifespan, but they are quickly dropped by the next expansion in favor of whole new features. It is a constant cycle, and it prevents these features from reaching their full potential. This trend is continuing with Dragonflight, and there is a chance that this problematic trend will continue after.
So Many New World of Warcraft Features Are Left Behind
Each new World of Warcraft expansion has a couple expansion selling features that Blizzard heavily advertises. These features are supposed to be game changers, and are often a major part of the narrative. Warlords of Draenor put a heavy emphasis on Garrisons, Legion was built around Class Order Halls and Artifact Weapons, Battle for Azeroth brought Warfronts and Island Expeditions, and Shadowlands introduced the controversial Torghast. Players spent hours grinding out resources through these various features, and each was a major part of the gameplay loop. However, most of these features were forgotten about once the next expansion introduced its own expansion selling features.
Some of these features have lived on in new forms, but the majority have not. Artifact Weapons became the Heart of Azeroth, but both features have since been disabled. Many elements of the Garrisons carried over to the Class Order Halls and then the Covenants, but only the very basics of the original feature made the leap. The other features were forgotten in their respective expansions, and features like Warfronts and Island Expeditions were barely expanded upon even in their own expansion.
There Needs to be more Carryover Between WoW Expansions
The only two features that have seemingly carried over between expansions is the World Quest system and the Mission Table. These two systems have taken many forms over the course of many expansions, and they have been a part of the game ever since their introduction. The World Quests have become far more varied, and the system has even played a role in new systems like Legion Invasions and Covenant Assaults. The Mission Table has gone through immense growth since its inception, and has become a bit more strategic since Warlords of Draenor, The World Quest feature will continue to be expanded upon in Dragonflight, but the Mission Table has been laid to rest in Shadowlands after four expansions.
Blizzard seems to introduce a new idea, and then not expand upon it. Some of these features are left to collect dust, and others like Artifact Weapons are outright disabled when the new expansion rolls around. It makes it very hard for players to get invested in these systems as they will quickly be dropped, and it makes it feel like Blizzard spends a lot of resources working on completely unnecessary features when it could be improving the game in other ways.
Dragonflight will continue the trend of leaving behind old features in favor of new ones. Torghast and the Covenants will be left behind in Shadowlands in favor of Dragon Riding and a revamped profession system. If the trend continues, then those features may also be abandoned by the tenth expansion, and that should not happen. Players want to feel like the time they spent mattered, and they do not get that feeling if the system they spend months grinding resources for is switched off once the new features release. It leads to a game that has been bogged down by content that nobody can or does touch, and it ultimately feels like a waste of everyone's time.
World of Warcraft Dragonflight will launch November 28 on PC.