Which actually brings us to the new Artifact WOTLK Classic Gold Weapons. Can you tell us a little something about what they are and how they function? What happens if all Artifact Weapons disappear completely before the next expansion even if players have invested time into leveling them?
Barriga: For players that completed the process of leveling up their Artifact Weapons, and also unlocked the special looks and all that were able to earn those transmogs. They can make future weapons almost like an emblem of status. Say, "Hey, I was part of Legion and unlocked the prestige skin."
What was the reasoning behind the decision to remove stat bonuses from gear when playersPvP arenas?
Nervig: To remove the barrier of entry to PvP so that you don't have to feel as if you're in a bind when you're not up to current on the latest PvP gear. We wanted to get more players to be PvP'ing. Also , to be more fair to adjust and balance classes according to the stats of their gear we assigned them. For example If [Warlock's] Destruction mastery is not enough in PvPbattles, we'll offer them less power on their set of PvP stats.
We'll be very adamant in ensuring that there is enough content available, and we should not suffer from a content deficiency like the one we had before.
Now that Legion's almost here I'm wondering regarding the long-term prospects of World of Warcraft . Do you believe there's going to be a time where the team decides "We're going to do another expansion, we're going to wrap everything up in a way in order to put an end cap on this rather than let it fade out the way most MMOs do"?
Barriga Barriga: It's a difficult question to answer. There are generations of players who mostly have played World of Warcraft . It's a great idea to imagine how one of them gets to be a teenager and continues to work on the game, bringing an entirely new perspective to things. There will surely come the time that we must pass the torch, but this is a game that instils such passion in people that, at a minimum, in the near the future, I'm not convinced the point in calling it quits.
In regards to momentum--and also in terms of the energy the community and we have for the game -- this is the game that I'm most enthusiastic about. It's an update where we've had the opportunity to do almost everything we've ever wanted to do, from the new class to the various new features. We've had systems in the past that we weren't happy with. We just said, "Our players deserve better." So long as we continue doing so, we hope that our players will continue to buy WOTLK Gold give us a reward for playing their game.
