Developers for World of Warcraft: Forever, the new 'Classic+' iteration of the long-running MMO, have stated their intention to keep gear upgrades relevant for extended periods. Unlike the rapid obsolescence and power creep seen in modern World of Warcraft expansions, Forever aims to maintain the value of previously acquired gear.
Vice president and senior game director Ion Hazzikostas explained in a PC Gamer interview that the approach mirrors that of earlier iterations of Classic. "Going from [Classic raids] Blackwing Lair to Ahn'Qiraj that's actually only a couple of item levels higher. Those two largely coexist," he said. "This is a system that can last for a long, long time."
Associate production director Clay Stone elaborated that this design choice makes gear progression more meaningful. "Your best-in-slot that you pick up from a previous raid tier may continue to be your best in slot for a long time. It's very much our intention to try wherever we can to not invalidate old content."
Hazzikostas clarified that while gear will retain relevance, it won't be infinitely so. "At some point, if you're running the Barrow Deeps raid that's coming out in December, you're going to have all the items that you want. That's fine. You're done with it."
Players in Forever can expect to find gear progression at level 60 through modest item level increases and specialized 'chase' items that may be exceptionally powerful in specific niche situations, such as against certain enemy types or in particular environments. Principal designer Kris Zierhut acknowledged this focus on gear variety could lead to increased demand for inventory space, noting that the team is already considering solutions like additional bank space or specialized bags.
Un-Solving the Game
World of Warcraft: Forever is set to launch on November 4. To preserve the sense of discovery and prevent players from immediately optimizing their characters, developers have implemented a system to hide item statistics and properties until they are discovered in-game. "We resurrected some old tech that keeps item stats and properties and tooltips secret, unknown to the client, until the item has actually been obtained by someone on the server," Hazzikostas stated. This measure extends to the absence of an Adventure Guide for dungeons, further encouraging players to uncover game mechanics through exploration.
Zierhut noted that each raid boss will feature rare, low-percentage drop items that could significantly alter the game's meta. "It might be three weeks, four weeks before somebody sees that item drop, and the whole meta is torn up again." The objective is to foster an environment where players must actively figure out optimal strategies and gear choices, recapturing the mystery of the game's original 2004 launch.
Hand-Crafted Power
In Forever, items are intentionally designed to be less optimized for specific classes and stats. "Our items are much more idiosyncratic, and you don't get exactly what you want," Hazzikostas said. This approach requires players to leverage their knowledge of their class and make deliberate gear choices, as "none of the gear is perfect." This contrasts with modern WoW, where gear is typically tailored to specific class and specialization needs.
Developers are also emphasizing the power of crafted items and lower-level drops. Tradeskills, which were often considered secondary in Classic, have been rebalanced to be more relevant during the leveling process. "The typical item from tailoring, leatherworking, blacksmithing requires 25 fewer skill points than it used to," Zierhut explained. "So you'll be able to craft that item right around the time it's your best-in-slot at that level and get the real value out of doing it."
Lead game designer Tim Jones indicated that this careful tuning of gear progression aims to create a "slightly different gradient in terms of power level" throughout the leveling experience, ensuring a more consistent sense of advancement for players.