WoW’s easy-mode is what makes the new LFG system win.

In a reply to SynCaine over at Hardcore Casual, commenter Mig borrows from Palahniuk’s Fight Club by acutely noting how World of Warcraft’s (WoW’s) glorified new looking-for-group (LFG) system does little more than create “single-serving friends.” The lack of difficulty in most instance encounters, combined with the ease of being able to quickly enter such content with strangers, means that in many ways, WoW’s guild system is deprecated. Whereas in the past, guilds served primarily as a way for like-minded gamers to approach content together, guilds are now left to serious raiders and socializing.

Interestingly, the gear creep isn’t even a staple of just end-game characters anymore. Old content is now routinely attempted by under-leveled characters who happen to have comparatively awesome gear. Combined with class changes like dual-specs, more crowd-control, and other evolutions that have occurred during WoW’s lifetime, there’s definitely little argument left for WoW being anything more than a casual game. A time-sink, still, but not a gaming pursuit appropriate for someone who wants a real, concerted challenge.

As we’ve said before, this is rather discouraging as a former player who looks back on the early days of WoW with adoration. Sure, there were class balance issues and other areas that needed fixing, but being able to form a group and reach the end of an instance was gratifying. Now, it’s just part of the perpetual grind. It’s a design evolution that has done Blizzard well financially, but one that has also alienated former players, who might have returned to the game if it offered anything more than a casual, Farmville-esque experience.

Tagged as: design, gaming, mendax.org, mmogs, warcraft