Classic+ Players Want New Content — But Not at the Cost of Azeroth

The idea of Classic+ sounds simple: take vanilla World of Warcraft and add more of it.

In practice, that might be one of the hardest versions of WoW Blizzard could ever build.

Players interested in Classic+ aren’t necessarily asking for a modern expansion wearing vanilla armour. Much of Classic’s appeal comes from systems modern MMORPG design has deliberately moved away from.

Levelling takes time. Travel matters. Elite quests encourage grouping. Professions have a place in the economy. Even reaching a dungeon can become part of the adventure.

New content would therefore have to fit into Azeroth rather than simply sit on top of it.

A new level-40 dungeon, for example, could arguably be more valuable to Classic+ than another isolated max-level system. New profession recipes could send players back into existing zones. Additional quest chains could make forgotten settlements relevant again.

Classic+ has enormous potential precisely because Blizzard wouldn’t need to replace Azeroth.

It would need to give players more reasons to live in it.