I’ve been thinking a lot about raid design, as my guild has finally hit the raiding game.

About a month ago, I almost posted that WoW Raids are too hard. But that didn’t feel right.

About two weeks ago, I almost posted that WoW Raids are too easy. That didn’t feel right either.

Brandon makes the argument that it is both simultaneously. The whole thing is good, but one thing I agree with the most vociferously is something that he seems hesitant to state himself:

It (weakly*) seems to me that some amount of communal anxiety travels from high end players down to the more casual players. If high end players begin to question and/or leave the game (for any reason), mid range players who aspire to be high end players will begin to question the value of their goals. “If these guys are leaving, what is there for me? Won’t I just end up frustrated as well?”

And this is one of the reasons that end game content, and enough end game content, is so important. Your hardcore players, the truly devoted ones, are a social bedrock in your space. They are Norm and Cliff Claven. It is reassuring when they are there, and troubling when they get bored and leave.

Incidentally, Brandon’s discussion started with a thread on Elitist Jerks, which continually has some of the best discussion of high-level MMO endgame design (with a focus on WoW) I’ve seen on the internet in quite some time.

Original comments thread is here.