The Battle for Ashenvale continues to be a contentious topic for World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery players but some players think one change could solve the game’s broader difficulties with instanced PvP.
Season of Discovery added a lot of new elements to the original Vanilla World of Warcraft formula, but few were more significant than the new open-world PvP activity The Battle for Ashenvale. This event is triggered by engaging in PvP or PvE activity in the zone, spawning an enemy commander for your faction to kill.
Both sides have an associated reputation grind that they can work towards by participating alongside all of the pre-existing activities that Classic WoW players expect. At this point in the game’s cycle, that means Warsong Gulch, but it has not been an exceptionally smooth ride.
The gulf between premade and public groups in WSG is pronounced, and some are upset at the lack of response from Blizzard. Now, one player has suggested that a change to Ashenvale reputation could solve those matchmaking issues.
Player migration towards Ashenvale could move premade groups out of WSG
In a post on Reddit, one user suggested that increasing the Ashenvale reputation cap to Exalted could alleviate the pain for public groups in WSG.
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This theory relies on the idea that allowing players to earn Exalted rep via Ashenvale would stop most premade farming groups from queueing for WSG altogether. With most premades away in the new PvP activity, solo players would be able to queue for WSG more safely.
Many were quick to agree, with one saying: “Can confirm. I am revered going for exalted, and I would immediately stop queuing for premades if this change went through and do Ashenvale for exalted.”
Another added: “Yep, I think focusing on “premade vs not premade” just ignores the core of the issue which is : Reputation. Nobody is doing WSG because they enjoy it, they do it because come level 40 every class will have their BiS bracers locked behind it. Stop forcing people into WSG’s, leave it to the people who do it for fun.”
Blizzard’s plan for the future of the Battle for Ashenvale and other PvP activities remains unclear, with phase two likely to bring significant changes and incentives. What the landscape will look like in the meantime is considerably less certain.