@Blizzard: Please implement zone wide layers

[u/Dwarni]

The current server-wide layering system creates a frustrating imbalance across Azeroth. While leveling zones like The Barrens or Desolace are practically deserted (where even 3 layers feel excessive), end-game zones are severely overcrowded.

This overcrowding particularly impacts valuable resource farming:

• Winterfall Firewater farmers competing in Winterspring
• Rich Thorium Veins in zones like Un'Goro and Winterspring
• High-level herbs like Plaguebloom and Black Lotus
• Valuable mob grinding spots for Essence of Water/Fire/Air

With everyone packed into the same few profitable zones, what should be enjoyable farming sessions turn into frustrating competition. A zone-specific layering system (allowing 10+ layers in high-traffic areas while reducing layers in quieter zones) would help distribute the population more effectively, making the experience more reminiscent of original Vanilla WoW where you'd regularly encounter others during leveling, without the current extreme overcrowding in farming zones.

[u/soFFe51]

How far we've come. We traveled from barely accepting layers purely because Blizzard servers are unable to handle the load, to begging for sharding because layers are handling the load too well. Humanity is weird bro.

[u/casualJungler → u/soFFe51]

The issue is that layers fail to solve the issue they come to solve.

right now they decided on a magic number let's say x=500, each 500 players logged in spawn a new layer.

On paper this should work, but the problem is with how concentrated certain area's get, especially the 60 area's where the player pool just keeps getting bigger.

you do not need 6 layers for dustwallow for example, but you do need 30 layers for winterspring.

zone layering would actually be the solution to the problem they originally wanted to solve. but i understand why it's difficult to implement.

[u/Chronia82 → u/casualJungler]

Blizzard had that tech well before Classic launch, but Classic players advocated against it (part of the whole No Changes 'movement') and basically asked for no layers at all, but when it was explained that Classic realms would get way higher population limits than was the case in actual Vanilla in 2004-2006 the vocal part of the playerbase begrudingly accepted layering (serverwide) as intermediate solution as they deemed sharding on the zone level not acceptable for gameplay reasons.

And now the playerbase seemingly is turned around on it, and is now asking for the exact the thing that was rejected 6 years ago.

[u/PK_Dreadlord → u/Chronia82]

The way I see it is Vanilla WoW is not evolving any further yet the players are becoming even better and better at playing it. The 2019 classic launch was the first time many played the game at a higher level , not being a clueless kid. And if they're still playing, they've gotten even better at min-maxing.

The way the playerbase plays in 2025 & amount of players is now getting to the point of requiring changes.

NoChanges worked for awhile but as players get better at the game (not to mention botting/gold selling tools improving), this is the conclusion

The way the playerbase actually PLAYS has #YesChanged A LOT from 2004 to 2019 to 2025. It is not absurd for people to want changes now that they have previously denounced now that a large amount of players have an increased +6 years of gameplay experience/Addon's