WoW Reaches 9 Million Subscribers

I don't care what anyone else says, I think Blizzard has done an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC job with this game! They have tons of content for the casual gamer (I'm in what we term a "casual raiding guild". We don't have DKP, we're more than happy to sit out and let new people in. We're here just to have fun! We started raiding Kara about 3 weeks ago and have already cleared Attune, Moroes, Maiden, and Big Bad Wolf.). Aside from that example, there's tons and tons of daily quests, constant addition of new quest lines and reputations to look into. You can PuG anything in this game short of high-end heroics (even Kara sometimes, though it's risky with the saved instance issue) and even those sometimes, as the people looking to run them often know how to play their characters.

Yes this game is a grind. That is the definition of this style of MMORPG. If you don't like it, find a different style game. The thing is, it's a constantly rewarding grind that has so many different things to grind that it often doesn't feel like one at all! If you are singly-dedicated to getting to the big stuff first, and concentrate on a single rep till it's done, it's no wonder you hate it, as that gets old quickly. The key is variety!

As to new content, expansions and the like, Blizzard has released new content in about every 3rd or 4th patch, which usually comes to about once per 3-4 months something big comes out. This is insane, and we don't even need to pay for it!! As for expansions, no past Blizzard game has had more than one expansion. It's unusual enough that they would release multiple for a game at all, much less one every year. If they stopped making content patches and pulled an EQ, releasing a new X-pac every year or less, that'd be a huge turn for the worse.

So please please people, stop thinking only about what sucks in this game and concentrate on why your playing it in the first place: Because it's by far the best one out there of this style and because it's FUN!!

I already have cleared it, so I know full well the difficulty of the place.

No matter what you try and claim, you cannot objectively claim that khara is the same as ubrs simply because the mechanics for a raid instance (kharazan) are different to a regulard instance (ubrs).

Going with random 9 idiots to UBRS won't prevent you from getting anything done in UBRS that week, nor will you suddenly find some of the bosses already dead cause you don't have a shared raid-ID with some random git that decided to go to the place without bothering asking the same 9 people he was there with last time.

Khara is not PuGable in the real meaning of the word, UBRS was. The only block to ubrs, was the key, but usually someone could be found with it. The block to Khara are atunement, raid-IDs, an instance length that you cannot complete in an average instance session and encounters that require alot more attention than regular instance encounters.

The only difference between UBRS and Stratholme, was the number of people in the raid. Heck, untill they patched the change, strat was considered a 10 man place by most too. Both places played out timewise, encounterwise and gamemechanical in the background like regular instances.

Khara is a world apart from the regular level 70 instances like SL,SV,SH and so on.

You might as well claim an apple is a vegtable as claim Khara is akin to ubrs.

You can compare Kharazan to ZG or AQ20, as these too were introduction level raids with everything that follows with such a thing.

Spounting off nonsense that Khara is UBRS is just plain silly; Or being extremely ignorant of the mechanics in the game.

"Karazhan is the new UBRS."

oh, but it is, anyone can go to karazhan, the attument is nothing special. Karazhan isn't MC, its not WOW, its not hard. Its nothing special.

If you think Karazhan is hard and requires time and dedication, good luck clearing it. ¬_¬

"Karazhan is the new UBRS."

The sheer size of the place and the fact that you're saved to the instance disagrees with you.

UBRS was a regular instance just designed for 10 man that could be completed in a night without trouble in most PuGs. It was not a raid instance as such in anything but the number of 10 people needed.

Kharazan is a far cry from a regular instance with beefed up player number, and is a raid instance in every aspect of it.

You're gonna claim that SSC/TK is the new ZG/AQ20 too, while you're at it? That would at least have some credit to the underlying mechanics of the game, which your other assumption did not.

What's that fajita thing about? it's hilarious, wanna know lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBtpyeLxVkI

this should answer your question

The fact that WoW has 9million subscribes tells you they have to be doing something right? I mean, do we play WoW because its crap? or for the right to whine to blizzard not doing what we want.

Blizzard appeals to all who play WoW, Casual content is great, there is loads to do when you're leveling and after you've peaked at 70. Instances, quests, new items to obtain!

For the raiders, there is a total of 7 raid instances! 7! in TBC alone, and soon to be 8 when Zul'aman is released.

You can't complain if your a raider, raiding is a hardcore past time (except Karazhan anyone can run it) raiding needs dedication, it needs you to spend. Don't complain about raiding, its not meant to be log on, 4 hours work, and hey you got an epic. TBC raiding is as close to perfect as you would want, no bosses are real blocks, or require insane amounts of pots anymore, with the right group setup and good players theres no reason not to progress.

I don't care if anyone is going to "kill" WoW, I just want someone to finally make a fun and good MMO

MrYinx, you forgot the part where you need to be exalted with 3 different factions just to be able to turn in a token as we are starting to experience in my guild now, after we made our first steps in The Eye.

Sure, we don't 'need' to be able to turn in the tokens, but the tokens were there to make less farming required, and demanding exalted with 3 factions, one of which is a decisive AH faction to grind rep with, seems slightly over the top, don't you think?

I don't really see WAR as a threat to WoW, maybe I'm being ignorant, but I do think it comes out at a bad time, has too strong focus on hardcore PvP(which while some people think otherwise, in my experience is not what the vast majority of MMO players seeks) and lack polishing at it's current state(I know it is in Beta but EA doesn't have a tremendous history of listening to customer feedback), to beat WoW. It'll certainly be successful, but I don't see it as a "WoW killer".

As many people said, I think having TBC come out in China will help to easily surpass 10 million customers.

All you people whine about those 5k. And those heroics keys, that you need to be a hardcore gamer for Kara and such.

ALL BUT THAT IS TRUE!

Because you dont need to have that epic mount do you? there is a 60% mount that does just fine for my, while im questing my way up with daily's to get some gold every day, while im leveling my alt too.

And you dont need those heroic keys, because why would you want to do heroics? for the improved gear maybe yes, but hey then you need to put some time in. And to be honest, if you do some instance runs for the quest, you are near revered before you know it.

And about the hardcore gaming, thats more untrue than anything. Im a tank, lvl 70 ofc, MT or OT since me and the other tank exchange rolls. both around 12k unbuffed and 490 defense. we dont have epic gear or shiny swords to kill that other, but our whole party has a relaxt aura. we dont do /cry if we dont make it to Netherbane or whatever his name may be, even if we wipe 3 times on Moroes we dont care.

Because the game is designed to have FUN.

Yes fun is what its ment to be, and if you wanna be a hardcore gamer, freak out in heroics about noobs, or keep doing daily's and shitloads of heroics for you gear and whatever those hardcore gamers do, sure do it. but dont forget you need to have FUN.

Yinx.

PS. invite me to a party any time, ill show u fun. /dance ftw.

EDIT: And fyi, they are constant working on new features, like BT, Hyjal, ZUl'Aman, the whole daily system, see about that and think again! you think blizzard can pull extention packs out of thin air? they are humans too!

EDIT2: Good Job Blizzard!

But not in Germany. The localisation here is aweful, many people quit just because of this.

Can you imagine, someone renames everything while you are playing? It is not acceptable!

9 million, thats amazing.

To the insistent crying about how "so many people are leaving" etc, please. I'm glad to see the old horses go and get some new blood in here. Keeps things fresh and keeps the people entertaining.

The whole Blizzard rep grind takes 40 hours a week, etc, etc. I'm calling shenanigans all around. I am the 'casual' raider. I play when I want and have a life outside of WoW, even playing other games *shock*. I have all the heroic keys now and have raided most of Kara (taking our sweet at our own pace, the way we like it). There is no 40 hours a week, maybe 11 hours on weeks I play a ton (yeah I said it, 11 hours ton of playing time). I did it through helping friends when I was on, to trying once in a while just to do an instance I had not done yet down to just doing some solo quests once in a while. I will add one more time, at the pace I am more than HAPPY with.

Now I diverge a bit and will agree to the 5K being a bit high. It should be around 2.5K - 3K for the mount. The numbers just even out much smoother at that point, 5K is arbitrary and just a random line in the mud.

In closing I will say the most important thing I can say about WoW, "You don't like it? Play another game." There are a ton of them out there and they will gladly take your money. Heck they WANT to take it. Just please stop crying about how horrid the game is while you play, all it does is make my ignore list longer. Finally as always, PEACE!

If Blizz would keep to their word...which they never do....we would have a new xpac every year....don't have the link but thats what they said....i know alot of ppl who recently quit because of the ridiculous amount of grindng rep and gold u need to do any thing...5k gold for and epic mount. Jeez thats a lil much. i been playin over 2 years with alota of high lvl toons and all of them together havent seen 5k. but if blizz keeps fresh stuff movin in...which they don't...more ppl would be less likely to quit and that 10 million ppl playing would probly happen fast. Looking forward to Zul'Aman but that in its self is not enough for others. Basically blizz has crushed the "casual" player title. If you can't dedicate 40 hrs a week to rep grinding and raiding (which is damn near impossible on some servers ::cough::BaelgunUS::cough::) you are going nowhere ingame there for you quit..but anyways i know i just QQ all over this..sry...gratz blizz on brain washing a million more of us

Expansion in China should bring the number higher than 10M for sure. Keep in mind that a success in the MMO history usually represent 200-300k user max. That mean unless a game is really more than other MMO, nothing will cause a great hit in the WoW player base.

AoC and WAR, unless they are major breakdown by being 5 or 10 time the size any MMO success generaly attain, won't kill WoW for sure.

Many other MMO are coming, but I really don't see a game that can GET over a few millions really quick. Keep in mind it took time for WoW to become that big, and player base doesn't switch on a dime.

@ Intangiblepho208 If not earlier!

Since the number is raw number of active paid accounts, you must also remember that there must be a huge number of bots among those as well. After all, they need a paid accounts for farming and even for some of the advertising (due to limitations in trial accounts).

Only releasing the expansion in China should do the trick

i play in a NA server and we do have new people all the time and the server has been running since may 06 i think