Unfortunately, WoW Forever's first Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza on November 8 ended rather earlier than many competitors expected. Fishing schools disappeared, frustrated players were left holding unfinished catches, and some participants never had a realistic chance to complete the contest.
Now Blizzard is making changes. According to the official November 13 hotfixes, the number of players who can win the weekly tournament has been greatly increased for each ruleset. However, the developers acknowledge that technical problems remain and additional fixes are planned.
What Went Wrong With WoW Forever's First Fishing Tournament?
The trouble began on Sunday, November 8, when players gathered along Stranglethorn Vale's coastline to catch 40 Speckled Tastyfish and deliver them to Riggle Bassbait in Booty Bay.
Participants expected the competition's fishing schools to remain available throughout the scheduled 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. realm-time window. Instead, players reported on Blizzard's forums that the schools disappeared after approximately 20–30 minutes.
One participant claimed to have collected 39 fish when the schools vanished. Another reached Booty Bay with all 40 fish around 2:28 p.m., only to discover that the competition was no longer accepting winners. Similar complaints appeared from players on PvE, PvP and RP-PvP rulesets.
Some reported seeing only one or a handful of winners announced on their particular layer. That does not establish the total number of winners across the ruleset, but it explains why players were confused about how the competition was supposed to work.
It was a particularly frustrating experience for those who had spent time leveling Fishing and planning their routes. Our original Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza guide from 2016 demonstrates just how much preparation this supposedly relaxing activity can require, although that older guide describes a different version of the tournament.
Blizzard Increases Winners Ahead of November 15
Blizzard's latest hotfix greatly increases the number of possible winners per ruleset, giving more participants an opportunity to earn tournament rewards. The developers have not specified the new numerical limit, and the notes do not explain exactly what caused the previous competition's fishing schools to disappear.
More importantly, Blizzard has not declared the tournament fully repaired. Its developers explicitly acknowledge ongoing performance issues and say additional fixes will arrive in the coming weeks.
Forever's new server architecture and layering technology introduce additional complexity when large populations gather in the same area. However, Blizzard has not identified layering as the cause of the fishing problems, and there is no evidence that increasing the winner limit alone resolves every reported issue.
As we previously discussed in our coverage of Forever's launch problems, even a relatively smooth MMORPG launch can leave individual activities behaving unpredictably. A server does not need to crash for a player to have a thoroughly miserable afternoon.
Fishing also deserves attention beyond its entertainment value. Blizzard has made profession improvements an important part of Forever, while its expanded Classic experience places renewed emphasis on exploring and participating in Azeroth rather than concentrating exclusively on endgame progression.
The next tournament is scheduled for Sunday, November 15, with the regular competition window running from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. realm time. Players preparing to participate should remember that Blizzard's latest changes do not guarantee a trouble-free event.
For now, the increased number of winners is encouraging. Whether the fishing schools remain available throughout the competition is something Sunday's participants will discover for themselves.
And considering that this is Warcraft, where even fishing can turn into a competitive blood sport, perhaps the most dangerous creature in Stranglethorn Vale remains the player standing beside your favorite fishing pool.
Post a Comment