I'm replaying Wynncraft (yet AGAIN), here's my thoughts

Hello everyone. I'm a long time Wynncraft player who's logging in for the first time since Rekindled World dropped, and I decided to do a new 1-106 playthrough. I found out that I have a LOT to say about this game, so I'm going to share my feedback as I progress through this journey. Given that Wynncraft is this weird hybrid between a minecraft creation and a full-fledged game, I'll try and critique it as such.

Keep in mind that while I do have many hours in this server, meaning I don't have the true new player perspective, I'm out of the loop on anything post-2024, so I don't know what "Burger" is or what the community loves/hates. I do want to try and replicate the new player experience to the best of my ability though.

[LATEST FEEDBACK]

Class Selection:
I love the class selection screen. Amazing first impression with visuals and music.

People don’t give this part of a game enough credit. As a new player, you get a glimpse into the game’s setting, and each archetype has an enticing description (shadestepper can oneshot? riftwalker controls time?) I can absolutely see a player easily picking a class/archetype based on what sounds coolest, rather than going off of stats/name like in 2015.

Tutorial & First Impressions:
King's Recruit was fine. I feel like it will teach new players all the basic mechanics. But that's it. It's just... fine.

First, I don't think the quest actually gives an impression of how Wynncraft plays. There's no exploration, minimal loot collection, a loot cave that gives off the wrong impression, and not enough combat. I've played a few other minecraft MMORPGs, and their first slice of gameplay perfectly showcased how the rest of the server would play.

This could theoretically be alright; lots of games don't focus too much on core gameplay in their first fifteen minutes. The difference is that those games have some sort of a different hook to get the player invested, such as worldbuilding or interesting characters. Wynncraft has even less of that. The world it presents at the start is generic, and honestly too similar to vanilla Minecraft in terms of the mobs it has. Aledar and Tasim both talk like stereotypical AAA characters ("ok w, amadel has the elemental crystals and you KNOW what that means")

For a server that cares so much about player retention, it's crazy how bland the tutorial feels. Yes, the models and builds are amazing, especially that zombie miniboss, but they can't carry the introduction alone. Any minecraft server can look nice. I want to see standout writing and gameplay; something that truly sets Wynncraft apart within the first 5 minutes.

At the end of the day though, this isn't the biggest issue, since king's recruit is only like 5-10 minutes long. And it's still leagues better than that profession-centric tutorial we had once.

The king giving me a teleport scroll was nice. The king telling me to visit the shitty website map if I'm lost was not.

Crate Advertisement in Ragni:
I despise the crate/store advertisement in Ragni. Breaks immersion, and how many new players are gonna want to immediately buy something? Would they even know or care what a silverbull share is? Kinda funny how the advertisement feels as prominent as the bank across the street.

While in Ragni, I encountered a bunch of players with pets and cosmetics, one even opened a crate. New players seeing people with cool stuff, and then asking them how to get it, feels like a way more natural way of introducing them to the store. There’s already an advertisement in the character info menu too!

Keep in mind, this is the first thing you'll probably notice once you leave the throne room and talk to Tasim: an advertisement for a store of a game you've barely played. What impression would that give new players? That Wynncraft cares about money above all else? I just can't think of anything this advertisement accomplishes, but maybe there's internal data I'm just missing.

Enzan's Brother:
I’ll always be a fan of the concept behind Enzan’s brother. The Emerald Trail is a great tutorial for what Wynncraft is actually like as a game, and this quest gives every new player an excuse to travel through it.

The mushroom miniboss was a playsession highlight. It growing took me by surprise and I loved its kick attack animation. Made up for Therck's overly quirky dialogue.

I love how the end of Enzan’s Brother organically leads you to more content. The NPC tells you to return to Ragni, and the ring tells you to seek out a cook… but he also tells you to climb the stairs, where I found a mysterious key, which I really hope leads to something cool. If you want guidance, you have that with the first option (Cook Assistant does this too!). If you want a mystery, you can try to find out what this key does, and why it was here (hopefully).

Cook Assistant:
Cook Assistant is so much better now. I’m not kidding; the replacement of that fetch quest has probably increased player retention by 10%. Now it’s a funny 1-minute quest that highlights the importance of teleportation scrolls. It’s also a good showcase of the Katoa Ranch surroundings, and it made me want to check out what that structure [decrepit sewers] was sometime in the future.

Champion Rank Experience:
Holy shit, thank you so much for not spamming my chat with the “you have 4 unspent ability points!” message if I choose not to spend my champion-exclusive bonus points. I want to see what the server is like unmodded before I download wynntils or anything similar, and I was worried I’d have to break that rule to get rid of annoying spam.

Misc. Complaints:

• There’s a cave in front of Ragni that’s supposed to be blocked according to the npc and a sign, but you can just walk in until the npc tps you back out. Might be more immersive to have a boulder blocking it until you beat Tunnel Trouble.
• In the time it took the reward chest cutscene to play in the Pigman Barbecue loot cave, every mob respawned and immediately killed me in a swarm.
• The ring you get from Pigman’s Barbecue should be called something other than “Blank”. That name makes it feel like a bug prevents an actual name from showing up lol.

[CONTINUED]

 

that tutorial almost got me to quit wynn permanently within five minutes of logging on for the first time.
the thing I miss was that cutting down the tree caused it to fall, which I thought was really immersive

yeah that needs to change. that dialogue hasn't been updated since 2020. the nice thing about it now is that the teleport scroll sticks around (which I thought it would when i started playing, only to lose it and be like, seriously, i gotta buy a new one every time?!), so it makes more sense.

yep

the stairs gimmick makes it so much better than it was. The concept was implemented a lot worse back when i started playing. I kept dying and losing my stuff trying to find therck (i hadn't figured out how to attack properly yet, left-clicking wasn't introduced as a feature in the tutorial back then), and he was alllll the way back at the nivla gate. And he just gave me some powder. First Steps, the key, it's so much better now.

yep
grooks are such pesky birds

 

Builds:
The world looks beautiful while at the same time not distracting. I love all the waterfalls and ruins in the background of the emerald trail. I felt the same way about the tutorial area too; its models add a lot to the ambience.

Ternaves is probably my favorite town/city so far. It is brimming with detail and personality thanks to not only custom models, but the builds themselves. Something like a central church and market suggest a tight-knit religious community, while the courier office shows how they contribute to the war.

My favorite build (so far) is a ruined church right next to the “Scorched Trail” guild banner. It lacks any loot or xp sources, yet serves a vital purpose in making you think about the wider world your character inhabits, as well as serving as a respite from Wynn’s dangers. The pews have custom models and a dove spawns on the altar. Beautiful.

Infested Plants:
Pretty fun little quest! Ope seeming shady came off as authentic here and got some chuckles out of me, and Tasim’s dialogue felt more natural as well. Hey, wait, maybe this should’ve been the quest that introduces Loot Caves rather than King’s Recruit!

It turns out you can talk to Mayor Alvin after the quest, and you get to ask him stuff! Including what Ope’s deal was, which definitely made me rethink what he was like as a character. Cool bit of worldbuilding!

Nivla Woods & Alekin:
I forgot how great this area is. It contrasts perfectly with the Emerald Trail, and not just because it has a bunch of trees. The area just feels way more hostile. Spiders can swarm you if you aren’t careful, and an infested pit guardian spawning will force you into flight or fight mode; I actually like that they spawn here because of this.

This all leads to Alekin feeling like the perfect safe haven. I like how it incorporates custom blocks and models into its build. It’s also conveniently close to Infested Pit. A shame that there’s another store advertisement here, come on! Detlas is the only city that should have this.

Mushroom Man:
Does a decent job of incorporating a world event tutorial and an excuse to visit Detlas. I liked the miniboss fight and how it’s balanced around you now having a movement ability. Introduces a story arc too, and I’m interested to see how it plays out. Aledar returning at the end makes the world feel more connected.

Potion Making:
The first quest I found to be mediocre. I’m not a fan of quests making you farm items, we already have slaying posts for those. There’s a good chance that this is the first quest outside of the “spider storyline” (enzan’s bro, cook, infested plants, yahya, etc.) that new players will do, and it could give them a poor impression. The Essren boss was fun. Other parts of the quest are a bit clunky; it’s unclear at first why you get mushrooms, and Essren just respawns right after you beat him.

Stable Story:
I wasn't expecting to get my first death here! In my defense, it’s pretty frustrating how the duo boss will charge at you right as you enter their arena. It’s a fun and solid fight otherwise! I’m completely fine with this quest being above-average in difficulty (compared to what you’ve done so far), considering it has a well above-average reward.

Horses:
Yeah, I know Horses are useless in the endgame. So Wynncraft should lean into this, and make them more accessible in the level 15-95 range. Make it much easier to breed a black and chestnut horse, with a white horse remaining as a vanity item. New players should be able to realistically have a 35/35 chestnut horse by the time they reach Cinfras, without wasting a ton of money on gambling. An unleveled horse should also be faster.

Also, unless I’m blind, there’s no explanation ingame on how you breed horses??

Supply and Delivery:
It’s great that we get a tutorial for the trade market, and the dialogue was good, but the rest of the quest feels incomplete. I don’t mind a 2-minute trip to Alekin, but the fact that it’s 60% of the quest’s playtime sticks out. There should’ve been an ambush on the road, or Ope comes with you, or something like that.

I honestly just want more Ope. He’s my favorite character so far, and I think a man who lost family to the Corruption would contrast well with the not-yet battle hardened soldiers (you Aledar and Tasim). He’s shady, but he’s by no means malicious either. Ope vanished from Detlas after doing the quest, and I wonder if he shows up somewhere else.

Other Quests:
Tunnel Trouble was good, a lot less vital for new players with the TP scroll changes. The cow segment feels disjointed but it is the most fun part. Absurd to the point it was kinda funny. I assume this quest is the setup for Cowfusion’s punchline?

Sewers of Ragni was great. The creepy atmosphere was enhanced by the new witherhead model, and the sewer minidungeon itself was enjoyable. Thank you for removing the “did you just open THAT?!” dialogue at the end.

Taking the Tower, Elemental Exercise, & Arachnid’s Ascent were good quests.

Infested Pit:
The non-boss section felt like a loot cave with One Piece pacing. I did not enjoy it, and was terrified of dying to the boss because it meant that I’d have to play it again. There should be mobs with unique abilities and ambushes and stuff. Fighting here should feel like a fight for survival, not killing a checklist of opponents to open a door.

But the boss was excellent enough for me to do the dungeon twice. She was tough, even on Shaman I had some close calls. You really need to have a grasp of how your spells work to survive. The boss model and animations were great, resulting in well-telegraphed attacks.

Decrepit Sewers:
Played this after Infested Pit. The pre-boss half was mediocre, and the boss was good, especially in terms of animations. The fact that it’s the “first dungeon” is no excuse for the first half’s mediocrity, considering the Sewers of Ragni sewers were more elaborate than this. If I’m entering a dungeon with a unique key I want a unique experience in the entire dungeon.

Early-Game Leveling Speed:
You gain XP pretty fast at the level 1-15 range, and I don’t have an issue with this. It’s just a symptom of low-level players actually having more content to do than just killing zombies outside Ragni, which you can still do if you want to! Yes, most people will probably be overleveled for some content as a result of gaining too much XP, but you can always start a new class if you want to do something at-level.

If the devs did want to nerf just one source of XP, the “Objectives” you get in the early game (ex. kill 80 lvl 10+ mobs) feel redundant and don’t need to give that much xp.

Misc positives:

• Whoever came up with the teal color for legendaries back in 2013 deserves more credit. As soon as you see that first blue box pop up you realize you’ve found something special.
• The spider death animations feel appropriately creepy! Mooshrooms look adorable!
• I like how I can delete low-level potions from my potion stack. Was this always a feature?
• One cool thing I noticed: after completing the barracks quests, Ragon said to return later and the Admiral would be waiting for me. I assumed that meant I’d have to seek him out upstairs when I was the right level, but no, he actually spawns in the lobby when you reach level 14! Cool detail.
• You can talk to Aledar and Tasim in the barracks after Infested Pit, and you even get drunk with them lol.
• Super convenient how you can change just a few of your skills points at any time in a town, no item needed.

Misc Complaints:

• There’s no indication that you can use the Corroded Key to access the Corrupted Passageway. New players won’t think to randomly click on an iron door.
• The game should make it more clear that you can do /toggle beacon. They’re helpful, but there are moments like the journey to Detlas where they don’t feel too necessary, and mostly just ruin the pretty views. Definitely not something for everyone.
• I still think it is crazy that mob eledefs are a flat value rather than a percent. The latter seems like it would be much easier to balance.

 

believe it or not, the tutorial is actually focused on player retention, and is designed meticulously around the attention spans of new players (which is in fact the most vital factor, depressingly). i agree that it doesn't present an interesting story hook, but there's not really an opportunity to in the current lore, so it's difficult to change. i also agree that it isn't really a good introduction to wynn's exploration gameplay, but consider this: the tutorial to wynncraft is not just this one quest, rather, it comes in two parts: King's Recruit, and the earlygame. King's Recruit introduces you to some must-know gameplay systems like item identification, spellcasting, and the ability tree, and is designed to be fairly quick so you can get to the real map. once you leave ragni, the tutorial is still ongoing, it's just somewhat invisible. you're free to do whatever you want, and most of what you can do at that stage is designed to teach you things about the game, for instance, various secret discoveries around the earlygame are deliberately easy to find and feature systems to guide the player in their direction to encourage and reward exploration, and many of the quests feature simple introductions to basic quest mechanics. this is even done in subtle ways, for instance, when you mention that cook assistant showcased Katoa and its surroundings to you, and made you want to check out Decrepit Sewers, you might have figured it out, but this was very intentional on our part. think of the earlygame as an "open tutorial" similar to the one from Breath of the Wild. it's still a tutorial, but it doesn't feel like it, and you have fun doing it. that's the best kind of tutorial, especially for an open-world game.

if you're wondering, in this case, why king's recruit is necessary at all, it's because it's really hard to find ways to teach players certain core systems by just letting them explore themself. the earlygame story quests teach some core systems, but even this is imperfect, because said quests are totally optional, and perhaps even burdened by the fact that they are a linked questline, meaning you can't do the later parts without first completing its earlier steps. in the breath of the wild example, wynn's tutorial is the bit where you go through the shrine of rejuvenation, meet the old man, and then activate the shiekah tower. a fairly short section that you are required to do, which introduces essential gameplay mechanics to the player.

i don't love podiums personally myself, and agree there should not be one in ragni, however i would like to explain the reasoning for their existence. wynn's lobby is kind of.. deprecated. the only role it plays now is for world switching, as you are always automatically put in a world when you join wynn. other servers usually use their lobbies as a space to do advertising in the same way that podiums do, and wynn also did this, but now with lobbies being relatively unused by players, it was not very effective. the philosophy behind podiums was to re-introduce this type of design but fit it into the game's closest equivalent of lobbies: towns.

podium ads are determined depending on the level of your highest level class, with the system tailoring the little ads on it to fit your specific point in progression. since you have multiple endgame classes already, it is showing you shares, but a completely new player would not be shown those.

if this is referring to the goliath, then to be honest, i think this part could use improvements, as the one who made it. it used to be completely decoupled from the quest and existed as a separate little thing, but we noticed a lot of new players were getting killed by it while trying to do Mushroom Man, because they didn't know how to use their movement spell. instead of actually addressing that issue and adding a bit that tells the player to unlock and use their movement spell, we just integrated it into the quest and had tasim assist you against the goliath to give the player some help, with a special respawn in Detlas if you die to the boss. while this is fine, i think it should focus more on telling the player to use their movement spell, and i may go back and make this change at some point

love the idea of having infested pit feel super dangerous