Interview Dratnos: Questions

1. First of all: I am glad to have the opportunity to speak with you. Thanks! Would you like to introduce yourself to the people wo may not know you?

Hello, I'm Dratnos, I stream and make videos about WoW PVE and also cast events like the Race to World First and the Mythic Dungeon International. I raid with <poptart corndoG> on Tichondrius-US, currently World 29th.

2. You are producing a lot of videos about Mythic+ and Raids, are frequently used as a caster for PvE-events. Would you say that Raids and Mythic+ are the best content World of Warcraft has to offer right now?

For me yes - Raids and M+ are the best parts of the game and the other activities I only dabble in or do to gear up for Raid. That being said, I know there are a lot of people who enjoy PVP or legacy content or any of the other parts of the game and I don't think there's anything wrong with that!

3. After the recent MDI event is over: Do you think that there are thinks that Blizzard could improve in terms of viability and visualization of the event for better viewer experience?

There's always room for improvement yes, but there are also a lot of unique challenges that the MDI faces when compared to other esports. With invisible flying GMs serving as our observers rather than a dedicated spectator client, there are a lot of limitations in terms of what we can show because of all the invisible walls built into the dungeons, and because of the lack of replay/spectator client we also can't do what most other esports do which is cast from a 1-2 minute delay with forewarning of what is about to happen. That being said I think the UI has gotten so much better over the past few years, with relevant CDs, Brez and lust timers, and health bars all tracked off to the side and much more screen area freed for the camera.

4. And coming back to PvE: Do you think it would be a wise move for Blizzard to get more involved in the Race to World First broadcasts?

I think there are a few things Blizzard should do when it comes to Race to World First, chief among them a global release and promoting the events/players more. I don't think that they should get directly involved with the broadcasts or try to change the fundamentals of it (such as moving it to the Tournament Realm) - the current situation and the way it's a community run event are huge strengths and I wouldn't want to risk changing those.

5. Looking back at Shadowlands: Many of my viewers left WoW during 9.0 and 9.1. What do you think were the biggest mistakes Blizzard made in this expansion?

There was a lot of stubbornness with the covenant system that really hurt my experience during those patches - I wanted to experiment with different builds and play my character at a high level in both raid and mythic plus, but the rigidity of the systems forced me to make a choice. So I chose raid and then logged off outside of raid. If I weren't as invested in my raid team and WoW content in general I'm not sure I would have kept my sub active either.

6. It seems that 9.2 is enjoyed by much more players. Is Blizzard finally listening to what their players want?

Yes it seems like both 9.2 and (hopefully) 10.0 are being designed with a lot more humility and understanding of how their decisions will actually impact gameplay.

7. On you channel I watched a video with your personal wishlisht for 10.0. How satisfied are you, now that Dragonflight got revealed?

Very happy - of course not every feature I suggested is in the expansion but basically everything they've said about it and the parts of the game they seem to be focusing on are exactly right.

8. Which features do you think are missing so far? Was there a part of Dragonflight you did not like?

Pretty much no complaints so far. Hopefully dragonflying is fun and doesn't just feel like nerfed flying - we get nerfed flying in zones sometimes (big flying worms that stop you if you get near, for example) and I hate that, but if they do it right I think it can be a good system.

9. Blizzard said that there are probably only 4 new M+ dungeons in the first Dragonflight season, additionally we are able to play 4 older dungeons. Do you think this is the right way for the dungeon rotation?

I think it's a step in a good direction, although I think that this half current / half old dungeon plan would be better if it started in Season 2 rather than Season 1 - I really enjoy the feeling of huge amounts of new content at the start of the expansion and I wouldn't want to change that - it's 6 months or a year in that I think this rotation would help keep things fresh.

10. And finally: Do you think Dragonflight will bring World of Warcraft back „on the right path“?

Cautiously, yes. We have to be careful to not blindly accept promises and keep voicing our opinions - remember that 9.0 was also supposed to be the turning point where they would begin really listening to the community and that fell apart pretty quickly, but it does feel like this time is different.