Summary
World of Warcrafthas made the decision to not include the Raid Finder inMists of Pandaria Classic. This system was available in the original run of the expansion, but fans will not be able to use it in theWorld of Warcraft Classic– though the new Celestial Dungeons feature will help fill the gap LFR is leaving.
July is going to be a big month forWorld of Warcraft Classic, with theMists of PandariaPre-Patch starting on July 1, and the expansion itself launching on July 21. Even modernWoWplayers have a reason to be excited, as they can earn the new Shaohao’s Sage Serpent mount by completing the Pandaren starting experience inClassicbefore the end of the month.
However, fans should be aware that an important feature ofMists of Pandariawill not be returning inClassic. In arecent Blizzard forum post,WoWCommunity Manager Kaivax revealed thatMists of Pandaria Classicwould not have the Raid Finder tool, even though it was in the original version. They explained the system was first introduced forDragon Soul raid fromWoW: Cataclysmin 2011, when raiding was a niche activity, pick-up groups were rare, and organizing weekly schedules was challenging. Nowadays, mostClassicplayers do normal raids, leading Blizzard to make the difficult decision to Raid Finder from the second run ofMists of Pandaria.
No Raid Finder in WoW: Mists of Pandaria Classic
Of course, the lack of Raid Finder begs the question of how one will progress through the Legendary questline or earn LFR (Looking For Raid) tier gear. To fill this gap,World of Warcraft Classic: Mists of Pandariais introducing Celestial Dungeons. An evolution of theElemental Rune Dungeons fromWoW: Cataclysm Classic, and the Titan Rune Dungeons fromWrath of the Lich King Classicbefore them, fans will be able to queue into these high-difficulty instances to face raid-level challenges and mechanics, utilize buffs granted by the August Celestials, and earn LFR gear. The Legendary cloak quest will also be adjusted so that progress can be earned through either Celestial Dungeons or raids.
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Players are divided on this particular change inMists of Pandaria Classic. While reception to the Celestial Dungeons is mostly positive, many are disappointed in the removal of the Raid Finder, as it increases the barrier of entry to exciting content and major story moments for those who are not a part of raiding guilds, and makes raiding with alts more challenging as well. On the other hand, many career raiders are happy to see it gone, as they saw LFR as an extra “chore” they had to complete each week to earn gear. Regardless of one’s stance, Celestial Dungeons will officially go live two weeks after the release of theMogu’shan Vaults raid inWoW: Mists of Pandaria Classic, so likely some time in late August.
