We all gasped when we saw World of Warcraft’s 2024 roadmap. Sure, Cataclysm Classic and The War Within are great, but that little black flag with the ever-iconic skull and crossbones was what really got players’ attention. A pirate update?! Would we be sailing the seas of Azeroth Assassin’s Creed Black Flag style? Or searching for long-lost treasure while donning a snazzy hat? Well, that’s really not what World of Warcraft Plunderstom is – and people absolutely hate it.
If you’ve been out of the loop, the MMORPG‘s newest game mode dropped on Tuesday, March 19, and is effectively a pirate-themed battle royale. Yes, you read that correctly: World of Warcraft has a pirate PvP mode in the spirit of games like Apex Legends and Fortnite.
A quick glance at the official World of Warcraft forums is somewhat harrowing, calling the mode a “waste of dev time,” “awful and frustrating,” and “a complete mishandling of the game.” Not exactly the response Blizzard was hoping for, I’m sure.
The major pain point is the fact that the mode is, of course, PvP – something that attracts a comparatively smaller playerbase than the mainline PvE content. This means that, in order to get the mode’s rewards – the unique Polly Roger parrot mount and Bubbles the crab pet – you have to participate in a mode that clearly some don’t wish to play.
But Twitch streamer and former World First raider Caroline ‘Naguura’ Forer is very done with the community’s response to Plunderstorm, calling players “horrible” and urging them to “just be happy for once.”
“I’m trying to be very patient here, but [Blizzard] just released something really cool, and everyone is fucking being a Debbie Downer, and it’s annoying me so much,” she says during a March 19 stream. “Can’t you just be happy for one fucking second?!
“Fucking World of Warcraft players, you’re horrible. Go out, touch some fucking grass, look at the sun – just be happy for once. Take a deep breath, drink a glass of milk, and stop being so fucking negative. This is cool!” I did say she was over it, didn’t I?
As someone who’s firmly waiting for the WoW The War Within release date to roll around, I am inclined to agree with Naguura. Sure, it’s a very different look for WoW, but it’s a limited-time mode that really is just a bit of fun. Blizzard isn’t going to transform WoW into a battle royale game off of the back of it – it’s a minor timesink, and that’s about it.
If it really just isn’t for you, though, we have a list of other free MMORPGs you can play while you wait for the next chapter of Azeroth’s ongoing story. Or, if it’s that swashbuckling, rum-drinking, seafaring fantasy you’re looking for, we have a rundown of all the best pirate games, too.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.