The continuing benefit of private servers is that they offer specific, custom features for players with personal preferences. Some have their own seasonal events, like for Valentine’s Day. Some feature hardcore raiding experiences, while others are entirely player-versus-player (PvP), ditching the computer-controlled monsters that populate most versions of World of Warcraft.

Advertisement

Player WhiteKidney, who helped run Light’s Hope, says he’s received over 50 direct messages on Discord from players requesting they bring back the server. “They feel we provided a much better experience than Blizzard has with classic (harder content, no layering for example),” he said.

“I personally don’t think that there will ever be anything ever quite like Light’s Hope or Nostalrius ever again with the advent of WoW Classic,” said the player Skeith, who until recently also helped run Light’s Hope, “but I personally believe we both played an important role in showing Blizzard that going back to your roots is not necessarily a bad thing.”