Are we expecting TO MUCH from 8.0?

[Hyperia]

Sphene must be such a good air freshener that I didn't even notice the crap still there.

If Sphene does not join us in 8.0, there will be many sad players.

[antiabz]

Not me.

I don't want a single thing from Dawntrail following us like a nasty smell.

[FeyFavilla]

Just picked up WoW again on Saturday after years of break because I was so upset with FFXIV between the disappointing story, awful instance designs and unplayable server performance. Spent a few minutes yesterday with my face in my hands having to come to terms with the fact that the current state of this game is just not it. It is so depressing, stuck in the past, taking tiny baby steps in directions instead of actually innovating. And the worst part is that it is so very upsetting because I am deeply attached to the game, the world and the characters.

I know there is also nostalgia here but WoWs overall systems just work better. They even took FFXIV's UI management system and just implemented it themselves. The input for spells and movement is fast and responsive where FFXIV feels like it is kinda floaty due to both the long cast delay and the terrible server performance (i play on US on both, that is not the issue here). The talent tree is big but easy to understand. They have a ton of systems in place to guide people through the game and give them the choice to take the scenic route or catch up fast.
The flying. Oh my god the new flying. I could spend hours while waiting for spawns just zipping around the sky.
Then the housing. I don't think I have to say much to it. It's just objectively better than FFXIV in any sense.
The recent animations from Dragonflight onwards and the voice acting have taken such a massive leap in quality it took me by surprise.

Constant updates regarding newly implemented systems from the dev team. Open communication on stuff they admit had to be cut but was moved to a slightly later date and was promised with great confidence.
And the world is so alive.
You find people talking in chat and moving about the world alongside you at any hour of the day. People actually stop and help each other. There's a living community outside of the guilds. Even on the small pop RP server I play on atm.
There is actually so much to do it is slightly overwhelming. Having to temper myself for the sake of my buddy but man. It's sad. I don't even have enough letters available to list all the things that stood out to me.

Yeah... 8.0 has big shoes to fill. It was a truly eye opening experience. Depressing but eye opening. I desperately hope they are looking at the PC competition, not just the mobile market.

[Carin-Eri]

If Sphene does not join us in 8.0, there will be many sad players.

Sadly, I can't see that she will. The narrative seems to be leaning heavily toward her 'new' role as the reinstated Queen of Alexandria. I doubt that she could decide to leave and go Adventuring with us even if she wanted to.
I mean, to be fair, the reasons she probably wouldn't join us are the very same reasons Wuk Lamat won't either (and not going to state the obvious regarding her here!).

[Shistar]

It's a shame it's pretty much confirmed Sphene won't join us past this expansion. But I also think it is best to not allow her to follow us if they're setting up a new start point for players. A brand new cast would be good too.

[Miguel85NYC]

If Sphene does not join us in 8.0, there will be many sad players.

I really dont care for Sphene... Plus she'll be way to busy fixing the mess they left behind

[Deejudanne]

I don't think anyones expecting much from 8.0....

They might be demanding changes, but I don't think they actually expect them.

will just be the same release template as the previous 4 expansions

[Heavenchild]

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t really expect much anymore. A big reason why I’m still here has more to do with nostalgia, sunk cost, and my in-game house than with genuine enjoyment.

After so many years, I recently reached a point where I seriously considered letting the house go and canceling my subscription. The simple truth is that the game hasn’t been truly fun for me in a long time. It often feels like the same cycle over and over again, and the character options in particular feel very outdated; more like something from decades ago than from a modern MMO.

This isn’t a sudden mood or a reaction to one patch. It’s a feeling that has built up gradually over the years. That’s why I don’t really have any expectations left anymore.

[TheRealQuah]

Take the story out and Dawntrail has been the best expansion so far. I agree the story was poor, and forked tower fell flat as it really needed a normal mode. Other than that the rest of the content has been incredible.

Anyone trying to say WoW is better in the story is acting in bad faith. As a long term WoW player myself, sure it's improved a lot, but even the latest WoW expansion makes ARR look like a masterpiece in VA and storytelling.

If the game isn't fun to you anymore then that's fine, people move on, people get bored after all this time, it's okay and in life it happens. But if you say it's because of a decline in quality of the content then that's just a straight up lie.

[Kaurhz]

Personally? No.

I am expecting it to be mostly the same template with platitudes about "things will get better, it's a new arc".

I suspect most of my remaining friends (that I 'actively' play with will unsubscribe)

If this is the case, I will either unsubscribe, and outright play something else, e.g., invest in Runescape again, leaving this behind... Or I will just unsubscribe and continue with a free trial account, playing whenever I have nothing better to do or play.