The newest version of WoW Classic to arrive is the long-awaited self-found mode, which restricts players from trading with each other and exchanging items in any way. This ruleset makes the Hardcore experience even tougher than it already is by removing many elements of communication and player-assisted gameplay.
Many World of Warcraft Classic players, however, are unimpressed with the timing of the solo self-found (SSF) mode’s release, especially with Classic Hardcore falling to the backdrop after the widespread focus on the Season of Discovery. It should go without saying that much of the WoW Classic community has rooted itself in the Season of Discovery between the launch of Hardcore and solo self-found, and Hardcore only had about three months in the spotlight as the go-to game mode for WoW Classic players.
“This would’ve been massive on [the] launch of Hardcore,” one WoW player said on the Classic WoW subreddit. “It’s going to be lost in background noise with SoD.”
A major sentiment throughout the community is that the introduction of self-found mode would’ve made more sense if it had come alongside the launch of Hardcore mode last summer. With six months having passed between the introduction of the Hardcore servers and the slight expansion of the SSF rules, it’s not enough for many players to move the needle and create a fresh Hardcore character.
Additionally, the fact that there are no fresh servers for SSF mode is a definite disappointment. One of the most fun aspects of a new WoW expansion or game mode is the introduction of a fresh server for the entire community to experience the launch together. With an intermittent split of incoming players into the Hardcore SSF experience, most players remain relatively unfazed.
“Me and the three other people playing are going to enjoy this,” one Hardcore enthusiast sarcastically quipped on Reddit. “Least exciting official gamemode ever,” said another.
It remains to be seen whether Hardcore’s self-found mode will cause the WoW Classic population to migrate over from SoD temporarily, but we expect much of the player base to remain entrenched in the far-more-enticing twist on WoW rather than go back to last summer’s, way-more-grueling version of the game.
Still, the fact there are even more ways to play Classic WoW now shouldn’t go unnoticed, regardless of the belief that this addition to the Hardcore experience probably would’ve made more sense when Hardcore was the go-to alternate game mode for Classic players instead of SoD. And from Blizzard’s point of view, it doesn’t really matter either way, considering players are still engaging with some version of the product at the end of the day, anyway.
