Micah Swanson

Generally I don't write extensive reviews on games. I just play them and if I don't like them I stop playing them. That will most likely be the case here, but given the history I have with this game I wanted to give my input. I've played the game to some extent since it launched 10 years ago, leaving off and on but I've always enjoyed playing it. I came back again a few months ago as a subscriber to play catch up on the expansions and updates I'd missed and patiently await the release of 7.0. The game has been absolutely amazing for the last few months. With some minor complaints, it had grown into what I've always wanted to see in an MMO. Most notably, the ability to play solo and get as much out of the game as people who raid consistently. I even started raiding with a guild during this latest return to the game, because I was able to get a character to a point where I was contributing to raid progress from the beginning, instead of having to be "carried" while I collected the gear needed to be relevant in a raid group. All that I found enjoyable about this game was effectively gutted from it in this latest "expansion". It forces you into group play or PvP to acquire gear, which then takes an exhaustive amount of time to upgrade. It has effectively made "Veteran" mode flashpoints (dungeons/instances) irrelevant, along with crafting and most of the other content players were able to solo previously in order to strengthen gear. Now you MUST group to progress. In addition to that, there were several bugs at launch that not only broke the lackluster story for most players (the final boss fight of the new story is un-finishable if you aren't a ranged class due to a bug present at launch), but also made the entire game unplayable for many people due to the fact that it wouldn't load. In addition, there were problems with "on use" items and the new "improved" UI resetting itself constantly. Given everything I've stated so far, I most likely will not be renewing my subscription or playing this game again until the next major update (which is what this should have been called instead of an expansion). To say that I'm disappointed with this most recent game update is a gross understatement, but given Bioware's recent track record with releasing abysmal games related to once-loved franchises, I can't say I'm surprised.