Blizzard has been offering players within their flagship MMO World of Warcraft plenty of bonuses to keep people logged in. As of this week, something new has been added to make the grind less annoying. The buffs offered throughout the month of March have been extended until the start of the Shadowlands pre-patch. And yes, this stacks with buffs from Heirloom gear which makes this a huge boon for hardcore players looking to grind out some new characters. And that’s not all, starting April 20, Blizzard is also adding a new 100% reputation buff for all Legion and Battle for Azeroth factions to the game.
Both the old buff and the new one are added to the MMO to account for the increased isolation and boredom due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions around the globe. Blizzard has joined many different companies and developers as offering gamers something to do while they’re stuck at home practicing social distancing. After all, playing games is much better than dying from COVID-19.
And with Shadowlands introducing a full level squish, there’s about to be some pretty big shakeups within World of Warcraft. Gamers at the old level cap of 120 will now find these characters bumped down to the level of 50, with the new level cap being set once more at 60. This will mean the full grind of getting back to cap will be a new challenge for hardcore players. This should give the developers more control over the balance within the game at all points, making it easier to control the power curve. The grind is also being reduced in other areas though.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is also removing the reputation restrictions that Allied races are locked behind. Shadowlands will change the old system of requiring players to reach Exalted with a particular race to unlock that race as a character choice, and will replace it with a series of Achievment-based progress. Most of these will now be unlocked by progressing through the story and other content within the Legion and Battle for Azeroth expansions.
So while these buffs will be helpful for new and old players alike, they will eventually be going away. So it’s a very good idea to take advantage of them while they are active to prepare for the new expansion.
