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WoW: Forever’s new Riverglades zone feels more like The Burning Crusade+ than Classic+, and you know what, I’m absolutely okay with that
WoW: Forever’s new Riverglades zone feels closer to The Burning Crusade than to the original World of Warcraft, and the writer welcomes that resemblance. The zone combines Classic’s scale and exploratory feel with denser quests, branching paths and hidden discoveries, offering a nostalgic experience that sits between the two eras.
Available from about level 38, Riverglades was added in November and was not part of the original game. The writer compares its swampy flats to Nagrand and says its quests also help fill gaps in levelling areas. They hope future additions retain some of Vanilla’s open-ended adventure while borrowing The Burning Crusade’s more engaging quest design.
In short
- Riverglades feels more like The Burning Crusade than Vanilla.
- Its dense quests include hidden areas and branching chains.
- The writer is happy with this blend of eras.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Riverglades shows how a fan-made zone can preserve Classic’s sense of scale and discovery while making levelling more engaging through denser quests, branching routes and hidden finds. Borrowing from The Burning Crusade’s stronger quest design can fill gaps in progression without losing the open-ended adventure that makes Vanilla appealing.
The case against
A zone that feels closer to The Burning Crusade may weaken the distinct pacing and exploratory freedom that define Classic, especially if denser questing turns discovery into a more directed experience. Additions outside the original game can also shift the character of a nostalgic project, so preserving Vanilla’s looseness may matter more than improving convenience or levelling flow.