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Is World of Warcraft  nevertheless worth playing in 2021? Blizzard's long-running MMORPG has certainly gotten up in that location in historic period, but the commitment to making changes to improve the game's overall experience, including the approach of Patch 9.1.5 for Shadowlands, has meant playing the game in 2021 is still worthwhile. In fact, the MMORPG seems to keep getting ameliorate - and, because the last several years for context, it's definitely possible thatShadowlands is at least the game's all-time showing in its mod era, fifty-fifty with all the contempo controversies surrounding Blizzard.

Answering whether or notWorld of Warcraft is worth playing can exist hard since the respond varies then dramatically based on what players want. With that said, those looking for hyper-specific, niche benefits to playing may not e'er discover what they're looking for, even if the general consensus surrounding the MMO's overall gameplay is positive. There were plenty of players who enjoyedWarlords of Draenor, afterward all, despite that expansion's less-than-stellar reputation within the game's larger community. Ignoring the fact that there will inevitably be no unified opinion, however, the question of "isWorld of Warcraft worth playing in 2021?" can exist broken downwardly into two separate responses: 1 detailing whether new players will enjoy it, and i discussing the feel of returning veterans.

The respond to both those questions is yes, albeit each grouping may find World of Warcraftworth playing in 2021 for different reasons.World of Warcraft: Shadowlands reviews were positive, thespian engagement is waning but still strong, and the globe of Azeroth is still very much alive. Hither's whyWoW is worth playing in 2021, regardless of a player's previous involvement with the MMORPG.

Is WoW Worth Playing In 2021 For Newcomers To The MMORPG

For new players, "isWoWworth playing in 2021?" boils down to "how hard is it to get intoWorld of Warcraftin 2021?" The answer to that question has been "not very" for some time at present, as Blizzard consistently worked to make its MMORPG more accessible to newer players. However, the massive overhauls that came withShadowlands take set a high bar for the new player experience inWoW,making it easier than ever for beginners to start their adventures in Azeroth.

TheShadowlands release brought with it a completely revamped leveling system that makesEarth of Warcraft progression experience smoother and more meaningful. Blizzard reduced the inflated level cap to a much more reasonable 60, condensing the game'southward scattered abilities, talents, and upgrades into a much tighter path of progression. The issue is each level earned feeling like a meaningful improver to a larger experience, and the game'due south introductory levels have as well been streamlined, making what was in one case a daunting experience a much more digestible endeavor.

Finally - and perhaps virtually importantly -Shadowlands' level squish also fixed the game's story.World of Warcraft progression pre-Shadowlands wasn't necessarily a mess, but the event of years of expansions beingness stacked on top of each other (with tweaks that but directly considered whichever one was most recent) made for an uneven narrative. Players progressed through cool environments style too rapidly, often departing stories mid-manner through because they'd out-leveled the take a chance. Part of the reasonWoW has been so successful over the years is the way it marries its storyline concerns to the way players progress to its endgame, and emotional investment in characters like Thrall and Jaina is hard to build when they're jumping in and out of the player'due south arc at seemingly random times.

Thankfully,Shadowlands introduced a much tighter narrative progression arrangement, ane that sees newer players guided through the story content that'due south most relevant to the newWoW expansion prior to engaging with it. If new players determine to reroll a character subsequently, they'll exist able to choose a zone to brand their focus leveling, letting them stick to one story arc and see what it has to offer without feeling like their progression path is suboptimal or outright nonexistent. It's a welcome change and i that'due south likely had even veterans revisiting their favorite expansions with new characters merely to relive iconic story beats.

The WoW Shadowlands Endgame Is Genuinely Fun

For the most part, Blizzard hasWorld of Warcraft down to a scientific discipline, which is why WoWis still popular in 2021. Character arcs, class roles, itemization, and more have all been advisedly honed over the years and are now implemented with mostly minor hiccups. If there's ane thing that has seemed virtually unsolvable inWorld of Warcraft'southward long history, though, it's how to make theWoW endgame fun for the entirety of an expansion - if that's fifty-fifty possible. For veteran players, "isWoWworth playing in 2021?" is almost certainly a question that can merely be answered by an assessment of its electric current endgame design.

HowShadowlands endgame feels probably depends a lot on a given player'southward reception to the Cracking Vault mechanic, but it's got some strong characteristics going for it. The Slap-up Vault essentially provides a hub for endgame players that helps them sort out which content they're "meant" to exist doing in a given calendar week, giving players loot based on the content they did in the week prior. The Cracking Vault besides gives players choices - the more content they complete in a given week, the more than options they'll take with regards to the loot they acquire from the system, removing some of the frustration of reward gear not being a adept fit for a player's needs.

The Keen Vault also helpfully keeps rails of what a character has achieved that week, further reducing the frustration of missing out on one of WoW's endgame loot cycles. In that location are still some concerns over the Groovy Vault - similar whether or not it's enough of a reward for those sinking in the nearly fourth dimension - simply by and large, the organisation is a new thought from Blizzard that'southward helped make theShadowlands endgame more than attainable without making it feeltoo simplified or mundane.

There's also Torghast, theGlobe of Warcraft answer to rougelike dungeon exploration. Torghast mixes up the way endgame progression usually goes, randomizing more than just boodle drops while also offering Torghast-specific grapheme builds that grow more powerful the deeper a thespian gets in a run. Torghast hasn't been for everyone, and it tin can still exist a vexing element of the game whenever runs become awry, but it'due south however another addition to World of Warcraft's endgame content that has improved and diversified its experience.

Since Shadowlands launched terminal year, WoW has gotten bug fixes and balancing updates, including the most contempo fixes to the Sanctum of Domination on September 24. Of form, the recent lawsuits and controversies surrounding Activision-Blizzard have likely diminished some of the goodwill players felt after Shadowlands' release, just looking at the game solely as an MMO, WoW still holds up incredibly well. In the meantime, fans are eagerly awaiting Patch 9.1.5, which volition add a number of player-requested changes to WoW. For these reasons, Globe of Warcraftis even so very much worth playing in 2021.

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Well-nigh The Author

Cody Gravelle (1595 Manufactures Published)

Cody is Screen Rant's Game Reviews Editor. He joined the team in 2018 and has been reporting on games pretty well every 24-hour interval since - except on weekends, where he's typically playing them instead. Despite being in a field ostensibly about critiquing and enjoying quality games, his most played game of 2019 was Fate/Grand Club - something unlikely to change in 2020 and beyond.

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