I’m not a lapsed World of Warcraft player; I’ve never had to pull myself out of the mud and forge a new life post-Azeroth. I’m maybe one of three people in the world who haven’t played WoW, but that could very well change with what I’m hearing about Forever. A hard level cap, some respect for my time, and something called horizontal progression – the siren call of the MMO might be hard to resist this time around.
Let’s talk about horizontal progression in World of Warcraft Forever and what that actually means. MMOs, generally, have to keep moving up. More content, more levels, always more – always bigger. It’s a form of artificial achievement, really. A way to gate content with big numbers. The challenge laid out in front of players is generally consistent with the level they’re at, making power an illusion.
Horizontal progression allows players to forget reaching up, and instead focus on reaching out. Rounding out job proficiencies and trying new things is the reward for hitting max level – once that’s done, you never have to worry about it again. There’s reportedly always something to aim for, whether that be new gear or new dungeons, but that number next to your name isn’t something to be concerned about.
The destination is the goal, or at least, it was. With a hard level cap, there’s going to be a point where players don’t have to grind for levels and don’t have to plot the shortest route for XP – in theory, level 60 is where the game begins in earnest. Luxuriating in a world where I don’t have to be reaching for the next big thing is appealing, and not feeling rushed to complete dailies or run that same dungeon for the 50th time sounds like a dream. It’s part of the reason I didn’t bother in the first place. That, and I was too poor for the subscription fee.
It remains to be seen how the wider community will take to WoW Forever, but impressions from the beta seem super positive. Positive enough that I’m seriously considering dipping my toe into the world of Azeroth.