WoW Wrath Classic hopes to remaster arguably the best chapter of the MMO‘s ongoing saga, and the devs over at Blizzard know for a fact they have to get it right.
Speaking to principal technical designer Kris Zierhut (who worked on the original WoTLK) and game producer Joshua Greenfield, it’s clear just how important getting Wrath Classic right is for the dev team.
“We definitely do feel the pressure to make this as great as it can be,” Zierhut states, prompting a series of nods from Greenfield. “Remembering how much my fellow players and I loved it the first time around, I want it to be just as great this time.
“I have all these friends, guild mates, and raid members that I play with and I talk to on a daily basis, and I feel the pressure because they’re depending on this – they’re so excited, they want it to be so great.
“There’s pressure to make it great, but I also feel confident that, having worked on Wrath the first time, we have an understanding of what we want to do and how to make it work so we can make it great,” he continues. “While there’s pressure, I’m still very confident that what we’re releasing is an amazing game.”
Greenfield echoes this. “It helps a lot having a lot of folks like Kris and there’s other individuals on the World of Warcraft team that worked on it when it was current. Having that expertise means we can actually go to the source when we’re talking about design intent and direction, and it really helps a lot. It fills me with a lot more confidence for such a daunting task,” he concludes with a smile.
It’s no secret that, for many World of Warcraft players, Wrath was when WoW peaked. Characterised by a gripping storyline, stunning visuals and music, as well as the highly popular Death Knight class, the Lich King and the Scourge have etched themselves into history as some of WoW’s most infamous enemies.
While I joined the WoW community a lot later, Wrath was one of the first expansions I levelled through using Chromie Time when it was introduced in Shadowlands. I’d heard stories of just how good it was, and it didn’t disappoint. So, when the beta for WoTLK Classic came around, it was the perfect nostalgia trip and a much-needed return to form for WoW.
You’ll be able to dive back into Northrend as of September 26 in the US, and September 27 everywhere else. You can find all of the WoW Wrath of the Lich King Classic release times in our dedicated article, as well as a WoW Classic races guide to help you narrow down which of Azeroth’s different creatures you want to try out.