WoW Classic is set to bring one of the most requested features to smooth out its dungeon leveling experience. Intentionally excluded from the throwback MMORPG at launch by Blizzard, Random Dungeon Finder is now set to arrive in an upcoming WoW Wrath of the Lich King Classic update, along with a quest tracker.
Speaking during a WoW Community Council live chat, several Blizzard developers address common issues, taking questions from Community Council members about the current state of WoW Classic Hardcore and Classic in general. In particular, Council member ‘Safeguard’ raises the question of whether dungeon finder and LFG tools could come to Wrath of the Lich King Classic, and the answer is a resounding yes.
“We’ve seen that the community has been asking for Random Dungeon Finder, especially for finding groups while leveling,” lead WoW Classic engineer Nora Valletta says. “We agree that that experience in particular can be better, so we do think now’s the time. We will soon be bringing Random Dungeon Finder to Wrath of the Lich King Classic.”
Prior to the launch of Wrath Classic, Brian Birmingham (at the time the WoW Classic lead) remarked to IGN (via WoWhead) that the Dungeon Finder had been left out to keep the ‘spirit’ of Classic. He explained, “We know that the Classic audience is more interested in long-term social engagement, that feeling that comes from reaching out to people” to group up and coordinate your dungeon runs.
Ultimately, however, it feels like players still interested in that way of approaching their dungeons can still do it if they want. Meanwhile, the inclusion of a Random Dungeon Finder makes life a lot smoother for those who just want to revisit the heyday of World of Warcraft without getting bogged down by the awkwardness of trying to find dungeon companions, especially as the game has expanded in its scope. You can see the discussion beginning at the 38 minute mark in the video below.
Also set to make a return is the Default Quest Helper. Senior producer Josh Greenfield says, “The quest tracker will also likely come with the next patch as well,” remarking that “the PTR is something that will likely arrive soon.” This should help you more effectively organize and keep track of your quests, making sure you can complete them in a sensible and efficient order.
Additional quality-of-life improvements such as these are always welcome in my book. I appreciate the overall sentiment of wanting to preserve the ‘feel’ of World of Warcraft back in the day for WoW Classic – if you want a modern experience you can just play retail, after all. However, tools such as a Dungeon Finder are a nice addition that doesn’t feel like it detracts from the gameplay experience – rather, it lets people focus more on actually playing and enjoying the game.
The WoW Classic team also encourages you to try its newest mode regardless of your skill level, reminding you that everybody dies in WoW Classic Hardcore. Make sure you’re rocking the best WoW addons so you can survive for as long as possible in Azeroth, however.