• Video

Shadowlands lead game designer on Raid design & how much trash is too much

We recently got a chance to sit down with World of Warcraft Lead Game Designer Morgan Day about various aspects of design in expansions like Shadowlands.

TJ Denzer

March 2, 2021 6:03 PM

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With a game like World of Warcraft, so much is packed into years of content and expansions for the game that sometimes it can be shocking to think that where it began and where it is now are parts of the same game. A large part of that is the evolving design of every aspect of the game and how the team strives to create ongoing content that satisfies every type of player in the game. But how much is too much and where does Blizzard pull back and limit itself?

We recently got to sit down with World of Warcraft Lead Game Designer Morgan Day to talk about this very subject and several more, especially in consideration of the Shadowlands expansion. One of the matters that comes up in the conversation is the amount of things sitting between players and whatever goal they’re trying to achieve. Jokingly dubbed “trash”, we get into just how much trash between players in their goal is too much. It’s also about what it takes to keep a room from being strangely empty as opposed to making it feel too cluttered. You can check out the full video below.

We also got into the topic of Raid design in World of Warcraft. From the most casual of Raids all the way up to the Mythical difficulty, Morgan talks about the fine-tuning and adjustments that go into making sure Raids supply the proper amount of challenge for every level of player. It’s not just reaction time either, but also carefully looking at bosses, their placement, and how many various things they have going on. According to Morgan, it’s always about ensuring that you’re not going to be so overly punished at the level you desire that you don’t have any interest in moving forward.

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TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.