Why are World of Warcraft graphics so dated, and can you improve them?

World of Warcraft War Within has been made official, giving the iconic massively multiplayer online RPG a new wave of players. If you are one of the new players who is joining the world of WOW for the first time, the first question you may have is, why is everything so outdated? And you won’t be wrong to think like that because even the veteran player will accept that WOW’s graphics aren’t its strongest point.

World of Warcraft has been around for decades. It is the game that revolutionized the genre and established it as one of the most popular and profitable video game categories in the world. Over the years the game has gone through a lot of changes, updates, and more, but not much has changed when it comes to the graphics. But why is it? let‘s find out and see what you can do to improve it.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.

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Why are World of Warcraft graphics so dated?

Why does the graphics of WOW look so old? (Image via Blizzard/Force Gaming)

World of Warcraft was released in 2004. Back then gaming technology wasn’t nearly as advanced as today. The character models and 3D assets that WOW used during its original launch, were the best that the era had to offer. But as time went on, the best became obsolete. WOW went through a lot of change, but never strayed too far from its original aesthetics.

A decision like this may confuse new players, but the answer is incredibly simple. WOW was never too advanced with the graphics, because it never wanted to ruin its accessibility and nostalgia elements. Due to the rough graphics, this game can be run on almost every system with ease, making it accessible to a much wider audience.

On the other hand, the classic graphics give the game a distinct identity. An aesthetic that the gamers who have been immersed in this world for years, feel comfortable in. The nostalgia factor of World of Warcraft is so strong that in 2019, Blizzard released a new version of the game called, World of Warcraft: Classic that featured graphics identical to the original release.

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How improve the graphics of World of Warcraft?

Ways to improve graphics in WOW (Image via Blizzard/Force Gaming)

The visuals in WOW may be outdated but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. There are always options for using third-party software to improve visual fidelity, but we recommend against it because it can break your game. Instead, we recommend using these in-game settings to polish the game’s visuals:

• Use maximum resolution: In the resolution setting, use the maximum resolution of your device then, at drop "one tick" from the "Resolution Scale"—that is, 1%, 4%, or even 6% of your real resolution. This can boost performance significantly.
• Use MSAA x2/4/8: Based on your device, use the MSAA option in Anti-Aliasing setting, x8 being the best and x2 being the standard. This makes the models much sharper compared to CMAA.
• Projected Textures: You should always have this set to "Enabled". it will affect performance, however, some hitbox ground markers won't be visible.
• View Distance: This one is very simple: the more you can load, the more you can view. The optimal ratio of performance to accessibility is "7".
• Shadow Quality: You can adjust this further, but setting it lower than "High" will result in many shadows appearing overly pixelated. It’s optional as it only has a greater on your GPU.
• Use Ambient Occlusion: Not a popular setting option but it greatly improves the visual fidelity.
• FidelityFX: The main setting that you need. Enabling it drastically changes the visual, adding minute details and contrasts that “pop out” the visuals.

Well, that’s it for the in-game settings that can improve your game. The improvements may be subjective, we shared these settings based on our personal opinion.