Classic+ community worried WoW’s “original spirit” is lost in Season of Discovery

After the announcement of Season of Discovery, Blizzard’s take on the highly requested Classic+ expansion, the World of Warcraft community was split on one major feature.

Overall, Blizzcon looks to have been a significant success for the developer. The announcement of a major three-part series of expansions entitled The Worldsoul Saga was official confirmation that Blizzard is spectacularly altering course after the disappointment of Dragonflight.

Additionally, the Classic formula is being extended into the Cataclysm expansion, with the controversial era of the game set for a rerelease in the first half of 2023. The other significant addition to this area is the Season of Discovery, a new offshoot that looks set to be Blizzard’s version of the Classic+ game that players have long called for.

Though the gathered crowd reacted immensely positively in the moment, many have since taken to social media to express their concern about one particular aspect of the game.

The class system in Season of Discovery is causing a huge debate

In a post on Reddit entitled “People are gaslighting me, I swear,” one user shared a meme that the new class system in Season of Discovery does not stick to the “original spirit” of Vanilla WoW.

[deleted by user]
by inclassicwow

The premise of the meme caused instant debate among a community that has been waiting for confirmation of Classic+ for years. One user was quick to chime in with their agreement, saying: “It makes more sense when you realize it is driven by people that have utter disdain for vanilla. Just read the comments.”

Many others, however, took the polar opposite view and wanted to express their excitement at the prospect, with one saying: “Probably should do something about that guy putting a gun to your head making you play an optional version of a side project game. Seems like a more pressing issue than arguing semantics.”

The main issue with this Classic+ announcement is that it was bound to be poorly received by some, as there is no consensus on what the game is supposed to look like.

Some picked up on this, saying: “I feel like there’s not a lot of constructive discussion to be had here primarily because you would first have to define what WOULD count as new content ‘In the spirit of vanilla,’ without resorting to vague metaphor. Which I’ve unironically never seen anyone do.”

In any case, fans and potential players won’t have long to wait before they can try out Season of Discovery. With no beta or PTR, Blizzard is instead launching Classic+ in full on November 30, and it should become immediately apparent how broad the appeal of the game is.