Blizzard has revealed that a new ping system will be added toWorld of Warcraftin Patch 10.1.7 later this year. Blizzard also explained the inspirations behind this new system, and how it could be applied toWorld of Warcraft.However, some players expressed their concerns over how the ping system could be abused by griefers and toxic players in general.
While the ping system is slated for Patch 10.1.7, next week’sWorld of Warcraftupdate will be Patch 10.1.5, Fractures in Time. With a bevy of new content such as the Dawn of the Infinite megadungeon, the Augmentation Evoker specialization, updates to class balance, and some quality-of-life changes to the game’s systems, Fractures in Time can hardly be considered a minor patch forWorld of Warcraft. As the development team looks toward the launch of Fractures in Time, they are looking to improve the wayWorld of Warcraftplayers can play the game.
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In an interview with Maximum from Team Liquid, who was a member ofthe World First Mythic Abberus raidteam,World of Warcraftassociate game director Morgan Day revealed that the contextual ping system coming in Patch 10.1.7 would be a way for guilds and raid groups to have on-the-fly methods of alerting team members where to stand and where to avoid going in the middle of a fight. This system would be different from the minimap pings already in the game. Day also said the contextual pings could be placed on friendly and enemy players, as well as the world itself, with different options available for players to use. Day cited the ping systems ofLeague of Legends, Dota 2,andApex Legendsas the technical inspirations behind the upcoming ping system.
While Blizzard has experience withthe contextual ping system ofOverwatch 2, someWorld of Warcraftplayers were concerned that the contextual ping system could be spammed and abused by toxic players. However, a few players remained hopeful that there will be options to turn off the contextual ping system or to limit its use to raid or group leaders in instanced content. Patch 10.1.7 will be available for testing on the public test realm (PTR) shortly after Fractures in Time goes live, where players can offer their feedback on the contextual ping system.
According tothe roadmap forWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight,Patch 10.1.7 is slated for a fall release window. It remains to be seen if Blizzard will continue to listen to player feedback to address any concerns they have with the upcoming ping system.
