Beloved World of Warcraft Classic Feature Returns After 10 Years

Beloved World of Warcraft Classic Feature Returns After 10 Years



Key Takeaways

  • WoW Classic Fresh realms feature physical in-game moderators after over a decade’s absence.
  • Game masters were likely last seen in WoW between Wrath of the Lich King and Mists of Pandaria.
  • Players excitedly welcome the return of GMs, hoping they stay in the game.



World of Warcraft Classic GMs have shown up in the new fresh realms, marking the first reported instance of physical in-game moderators in over a decade. Though World of Warcraft has moved away from the old game master model, Blizzard has finally brought them back to Classic for the MMO’s 20th anniversary.

On November 21, World of Warcraft kicked off Classic all over again with its 20th Anniversary Realms. This fresh take on Classic spun things back to the beginning on a handful of brand-new World of Warcraft realms, but with a few quality-of-life changes to make the game more enjoyable.

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However, World of Warcraft took the opportunity given by Classic Fresh to bring back something that hasn’t been seen in the game for more than 10 years. While revisiting Azeroth as it was back in 2004, some World of Warcraft players have encountered game masters, complete with their iconic black and blue robes. On the Thunderstrike EU realm, WoW fan and Twitter user Valaeryon had one such encounter with the GM Eovissar, even going so far as to take a screenshot of him with their Paladin character, Aethorien.



WoW Game Masters in Fresh Anniversary Realms

When World of Warcraft first started, game masters would appear in the game when answering tickets or dolling out punishments to troublesome players. Sporting matching black robes with blue stripes, the appearances of these figures became the stuff of local legends. Many stories of encounters with GMs and their mysterious island in World of Warcraft have circulated over the years. Unfortunately, the advent of remote technology, automation for answering tickets, and recent layoffs have led to game masters no longer appearing directly in WoW. The exact timeline isn’t known, but it is believed that Blizzard moved away from GM avatars between Wrath of the Lich King and Mists of Pandaria, between 10 and 15 years ago.


If there was any doubt about the authenticity of the screenshot, the official World of Warcraft account reposted Valaeryon’s image. What’s more, World of Warcraft executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale confirmed the in-game GMs were composed of people from WoW and its sister teams. She was excited to share the info, making the love she and her fellow developers have for their community known.


Needless to say, fans were delighted to see GMs make their triumphant return to the game. Players have been excitedly sharing their own encounters, begging Blizzard to bring them back full time to both Classic and modern WoW. It remains to be seen if the Classic Fresh GMs are here to stay, or just as a fun way to celebrate the realms’ release, but either way, it ensured the launch of these fresh World of Warcraft servers would be all the more memorable.

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