Over the years, World of Warcraft has slowly but steadily transformed the way players interact with one another in the open world, shifting from a highly competitive experience to something far more cooperative and community-oriented. This change hasn’t been abrupt, but rather a series of thoughtful adjustments that have accumulated over time, making open-world gameplay much more accessible and enjoyable for a wider variety of players. One of the earliest changes in this direction was the revision of the “tapping” rules, which govern who gets credit for defeating enemies in the game world.
In the early days of WoW, tapping an enemy—essentially being the first to tag it with damage—meant that only you (or your group) would receive credit for the kill, including quest progress and loot. This mechanic often led to tension between players, particularly during peak hours or in zones where quest objectives required killing a limited number of specific enemies. It created a cutthroat atmosphere where players were constantly racing each other to land the first blow, sometimes even going so far as to grief others by repeatedly killing needed targets before others could tag them.
Today, that system has been softened considerably. In modern WoW, if you contribute meaningful damage or assist a player with healing or other utility, you’re eligible for credit and loot. While the system isn’t without its occasional quirks—sometimes, credit doesn’t correctly distribute, especially in more chaotic zones or during events—it has improved the experience tremendously. Players no longer see one another as obstacles in their path. Instead, there’s often a mutual benefit to working together, though it may be momentary, before going on one’s way.
A similar philosophy has been applied to gathering professions like Herbalism, Mining, and Skinning. Where once there was fierce competition to be the first to reach a resource node, WoW now allows for shared gathering windows. That means if two players spot a herb spawn at the same time, both can gather it within a certain timeframe, rather than one locking the other out. This change is huge, not just from a practical standpoint but also in community morale. It fosters a more inclusive environment where seeing another player doesn’t immediately trigger annoyance or anxiety over losing out on materials. It’s much more pleasant to run into fellow adventurers and work side-by-side instead of racing each other to beat the spawn timers.
Honestly, I never thought we’d see such a change to gathering. I had hoped for this kind of system for years, but based on past developer comments, it seemed unlikely. I distinctly remember a developer once saying that they believed resource competition added excitement to the game—the thrill of swooping in and nabbing that herb or ore before someone else could. And sure, there’s some adrenaline in that, but it’s a one-sided experience. For every person who feels that thrill, another person just got sniped and is now frustrated. That kind of high-stakes competition doesn’t necessarily enhance the gameplay, especially in a world meant to feel expansive and shared.
This is one of the reasons I always appreciated Guild Wars 2, where shared resource nodes and enemy tagging were standard from day one. You were never upset to see other players in the world—in fact, their presence often made things easier and more fun. Given that WoW is, at its core, an MMORPG (a genre built around interaction and community), it’s only natural that shared experiences should be enjoyable rather than frustrating. Today, with the various changes Blizzard has implemented, WoW has finally reached that sweet spot. The open world feels alive and populated in the best possible way, making running around and doing world content fun again.
One of the most innovative and successful implementations of this new, more collaborative mindset is the farm in Hallowfall, introduced in The War Within expansion. This farm, located just southeast of Mereldar, represents a meaningful step forward in reducing player competition and actively promoting cooperation. If you’ve worked on the Sorjoiner achievement, you’ve probably encountered this area through some associated questlines. It’s not just a quest hub, though—it’s a living, breathing part of the world with ongoing relevance thanks to its ties to Herbalism and seed planting.
Here’s how it works: while gathering herbs, Herbalists may occasionally loot verdant seeds. These seeds can then be planted in rich soil plots at the Hallowfall farm. There are around a dozen of these rich soil patches, though not all are available simultaniously, presumably to keep the cycle of planting and harvesting active and balanced. When a verdant seed is planted, a random herb instantly grows and becomes harvestable by other Herbalists who visit the farm.
The genius of this system lies in its design. Multiple players can harvest the same herb without locking each other out. That makes the farm a gathering hotspot—not just because of the efficiency but because of the social experience it enables. Even if you don’t have any seeds of your own, you can still benefit simply by being there when others are planting. During peak hours, there’s almost always activity happening, and chances are high that someone will be contributing seeds.
This setup becomes even more powerful when you coordinate with friends or guildmates. Pooling resources, planting seeds, and harvesting together makes for a highly efficient and enjoyable gathering session. It’s one of the rare times in WoW’s long history where a profession-based activity feels like a proper group activity without being a forced or mandatory group grind. This kind of organic collaboration feels deeply rewarding and refreshingly low-pressure.
It also stands in stark contrast to some earlier attempts at collaborative content. For example, back in Shadowlands, Blizzard introduced a group event in Maldraxxus that aimed to promote teamwork—but it ultimately fell flat. The event allowed for multiple completion methods, each resulting in a different outcome. While variety in approach might seem like a good idea on paper, in practice it often led to player frustration. Conflicts would arise over which method to use, and newer players unfamiliar with the “correct” approach might inadvertently mess up the event for others. It bred division rather than unity, as players felt punished for deviating from a perceived optimal path.
The Hallowfall farm, by contrast, is elegantly simple. There is no wrong way to participate, no fail state, and no way to ruin the experience for others. All that’s required is for players to be Herbalists and for at least one person to have verdant seeds. The herbs harvested here behave exactly like the ones found in the wild: they can be overloaded for extra effects, may drop items that boost profession skill, and can even reward more seeds. It’s a sustainable loop, encouraging ongoing participation without ever turning toxic or overly competitive. In short, it’s the perfect model for open-world, profession-based group content.
This farm concept also brings to mind the upcoming housing system, particularly the talk around “neighborhoods” and shared spaces. If Blizzard were to incorporate a communal farming area within these neighborhoods (mirroring the mechanics of the Hallowfall farm), it could be a huge win. Imagine private neighborhood instances where guildmates or friends collaborate on maintaining a farm, planting seeds, sharing harvests, and enhancing their homes with items grown together. Even in public neighborhoods, such a space could foster casual social interaction in a natural, non-intrusive way. There are certainly challenges to consider, especially as the game’s story progresses beyond the World Soul Saga. However, if housing is meant to be a long-term, evergreen feature, then incorporating systems like this should be a serious consideration.
All of this speaks to a broader, encouraging trend in World of Warcraft’s design philosophy: creating more opportunities for players to meaningfully engage with each other in the open world, outside of instanced content like dungeons or raids. The Hallowfall farm isn’t just a cool feature—it’s a template for the kind of player interaction that can redefine what the open world means in a modern MMORPG.
At the end of the day, WoW is at its best when players are brought together in rewarding ways, not punishing. The evolution of systems like open-world tagging, shared gathering, and now the Hallowfall farm, shows that Blizzard is beginning to truly understand how to nurture that kind of gameplay. Here’s hoping the trend continues.
