After one of the smoothest launches in WoW and MMORPG history, we’ve been able to spend some quality time with Shadowlands and it’s filled with the darkest darks, the brightest lights and a simplified beauty that will be sure to please most while leaving others cold. If you are expecting a complex, stat driven MMORPG, you will be let down. If you want a gorgeous, simplified and spoon-fed type of experience, Shadowlands delivers in spades. After 15 (!) years, it’s still going strong, it’s just not your grandaddy’s WoW…

While some could debate if they prefer the older style of WoW or the modern, you still have choices between retail and Classic but for now, I’ll say that Shadowlands is a work of art. Through sights and sounds, it’s like a painting and symphony rolled into video game form. I was more interested in the art and landscapes themselves than the quests to be honest. Now, I am still leveling up to the new max, 60, so I know end game will be different but the early levels are extremely linear, almost like a single player game.

While I am anxious to see where the game goes at level 60, I do think the series as a whole is ripe for a reboot. I’d love to see the amazing art team take on a fresh vision and not be tired down to legacy areas and systems that are constantly at war with themselves. Regardless, Shadowlands is a sight to behold and I am enjoying the journey overall, especially beholding the amazing sights, sounds, and emotions of both longing and fresh new discoveries, even in simplified form.