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WoW: Forever’s Divisive Layering Will See Major Improvements For Launch, Blizzard Says
World of Warcraft: Forever's layering system will receive some significant improvements for launch, according to a statement provided to GameSpot from Blizzard.
Layering, for the uninitiated, is a behind-the-scenes system in WoW: Forever that essentially creates and runs new versions (or layers) of the world as needed, all running simultaneously on top of one another. According to Blizzard, players in WoW: Forever are assigned a layer based on various criteria, like familiar players and friends, language, and PvP balance. Grouping up with a player or friend who is on another layer will transport you to the same layer so you can interact.
There are some pros to this system. It makes completing quests easier (since there's less competition for quests items and enemies) and the world far less crowded. It also helps performance, as anytime there are thousands of players in a concentrated area, like a capital city, the game can struggle to handle the load. Layering spreads those players out. It works wonders in modern WoW and has also been used to different degrees in various versions of WoW Classic in the past.
Unfortunately, there are also some huge downsides that have repeatedly surfaced over the course of the WoW: Forever beta. It doesn't take much searching on YouTube or Reddit to find countless instances of players complaining about layering. Leaving a group, crossing into a different zone, or traveling on a zeppelin or boat causes players to abruptly switch layers. The layering changes feel far more frequent and noticeable than in the past, ruining some of the charm that comes from having a persistent world filled with the same people.
Thankfully, changes are on the way. When asked if Blizzard would be making improvements to how it handles layering for launch and what players should expect, GameSpot received the following statement attributed to WoW: Forever associate production director Clay Stone:
"Bringing all players together within each ruleset, while also recreating some of the original WoW's 'small-realm-feel' social experiences such as repeat encounters with other recently met players in the game, is an important part of protecting and nurturing social experiences in WoW: Forever.
"However, as we've been playing the beta alongside players, we too have recognized areas where we need to make improvements, particularly when players may be unexpectedly separated from each other (both in terms of specific locations and in terms of frequency), and we absolutely are making improvements. Some examples of this are making sure players don't get decoupled from other players they see on transports (i.e. boats and zeppelins) after loading screens, as well as large groups of players getting layered when they enter or leave capital cities.
"Although there will always be some amount of layering that occurs within our high-capacity infrastructure, we're working on these improvements now ahead of launch, and players should expect that we'll consistently be making more improvements, as necessary, through launch and beyond, with the goal always being to make the world feel as seamless as possible."
That sounds like it will solve many of the instances players have complained about, including the scenario shown in a recent clip posted to the WoW Classic subreddit. It shows a group of players riding the boat from Kalimdor to Eastern Kingdoms, only to abruptly change layers. Suddenly, the entire boat is filled with hostile players from the opposing faction killing everyone on board. User Kippzo's post is simply titled "I can't believe the game is launching like this."
Another Reddit user highlighted how they went to join a large group of players dueling outside of a capital city, only to change layers when stepping outside to find a ghost town. Stone's statement specifically says Blizzard will make it so large groups of players will no longer change layers when exiting capital cities.
What Stone's statement doesn't address is laye