Blizzard has stated that World of Warcraft: Forever will avoid repeating the mistakes of WoW Classic by implementing tools designed to prevent "dead" or unsustainable server rulesets. In previous iterations, various servers suffered massive population drops as players left or transferred, leading to difficulties in forming groups for raids and dungeons while also damaging the server economy and auction house. In extreme cases during those past launches, Blizzard was forced to offer free character transfers to help players escape these dying environments.
Although Forever utilizes a mega-server structure tailored to specific rulesets, some players remain anxious about selecting a community that will remain healthy long-term. During the latest episode of the WoW: Forever podcast, Senior Game Designer Josh Greenfield addressed these concerns regarding the separate Role-Playing (RP) and newly added RP-PvP rulesets. While there were initial fears that splitting the RP community might cause one or both groups to fail over time, Blizzard now believes the split will succeed but retains options should the worst happen.
Greenfield explained that if a population becomes unsustainable in the future, the team has the ability to link auction houses between rulesets or allow players from different communities to group for instanced content. He emphasized that these measures are not something Blizzard will implement unless absolutely necessary, as the company remains committed to its current path of maintaining separate rulesets. The decision to keep communities distinct was made after debating the idea during development, largely due to the economic differences between PvE and PvP environments.
The team noted that farming gold and items is generally easier on PvE servers, which would complicate cross-ruleset trading and require additional restrictions. Greenfield stated that because these represent different mindsets and rulesets, the decision was made to keep them separate to preserve aspects of the original WoW experience. However, the underlying technology is designed to allow for changes if the situation demands it, providing flexibility without compromising the initial vision.
As the launch approaches on November 4, Blizzard continues to finalize preparations, including improvements to the divisive layering system and major changes to racial abilities. In a first for the franchise, Forever will be fully playable with a controller, a move Executive Producer Holly Longdale described as a step toward making WoW playable anywhere and on any device. Players wishing to prepare for launch day can currently create up to three characters in advance.
Sources: GameSpot.