Patch 6.2.2 arrived near the end of Warlords of Draenor. With it came a slew of long-requested features, catch-up mechanics, and minor quality-of-life improvements. But underneath the surface, the patch reveals a larger issue: Blizzard’s struggle to maintain long-term player engagement in expansions. Players lose enthusiasm before the next expansion is released.
Let’s break down the key features and what they really say about the state of WoW.
Flying in Draenor: The Achievement No One Asked to Earn
The main feature of Patch 6.2.2: the long-awaited ability to fly in Draenor. Unfortunately, it came with a catch. Players first had to complete the Draenor Pathfinder meta-achievement which involved exploration, questing, treasure hunting, and a painful reputation grind.
Yes, the achievement is account-wide. Yes, it made flying feel rewarding. But the real question was: Why did it take so long? By the time flying was finally enabled, many players had already emotionally checked out of Draenor.
The effort required also sparked debate. Some loved the challenge. Others, like me, felt it was unnecessary gatekeeping. For players who hadn’t kept up, the patch felt like Blizzard dangling a carrot just out of reach. Especially if you were missing the more tedious parts like treasure hunting or reputation. (Pro tip: the Medallion of the Legion grants 1000 rep to all Draenor factions, if you can afford it.)
Mercenary Mode: A Clever Fix or a Sign of Deeper PvP Problems?
Faction imbalance had been a longstanding issue in PvP, and Warlords made it worse. Mercenary Mode, introduced in this patch, let players queue as the opposite faction when queue times became too long. It was a smart, player-friendly solution. It’s also an indirect admission that faction balance is broken.
In practice, you’d meet a sneaky agent from the enemy faction in Ashran, accept their offer, and fight disguised as your foes. You still earned all your usual rewards, minus faction-specific achievements. But what Mercenary Mode didn’t fix was why Horde dominance in PvP existed in the first place.
Horde Racial Buffs: Attempting to Rebalance an Old Problem
To tackle this imbalance more directly, Blizzard also buffed several Horde racial abilities:
- Blood Elves got a stronger Arcane Torrent.
- Orcs, Trolls, and Tauren saw improved crowd control resistance.
- Goblins and Undead received cooldown reductions and scaling improvements.
These were solid changes, but again, the bigger issue was timing. The PvP population was already skewed. Would these buffs be enough to convince players to reroll Horde before Legion launched? Probably not. But it set the stage for a more balanced experience in the next expansion.
Timewalking Expansions and Rewards: Finally, a Reason to Run Old Dungeons
One of the patch’s most popular features was the expanded Timewalking system. This allowed players to run old dungeons scaled to their level and earn Timewarped Badges. These badges could be exchanged for:
- Mounts like the Ironbound Wraithcharger and Eclipse Dragonhawk
- Toys, reputation tokens, heirloom upgrades
- Gear scaled to the player’s level at time of purchase
This was more than just a nostalgia trip. It gave players real incentives to revisit older content. It was also the start of what would eventually become one of WoW’s most successful evergreen features.
Bonus: Weekly events now started on Wednesdays, giving players more time to participate. A small change, but a welcome one.
Legendary Ring Catch-Up: Better Late Than Never
Falling behind on the legendary ring questline? Patch 6.2.2 has your back. You can now use Apexis Crystals to purchase key quest items like Abrogator Stones, making it easier for alts or returning players to catch up.
It was a smart change, but like flying, it came late in the expansion. These catch-up mechanics were helpful but underscored a larger issue: Blizzard waits too long to ease up on grind-heavy systems.
World Events, Garrison Décor, and Rare Spawns: Polishing the Edges
Several smaller but appreciated updates rounded out the patch:
- Holiday events (Hallow’s End, Winter Veil) received updates, including garrison decorations which, frustratingly, arrived just as players were preparing to abandon garrisons entirely.
- Darkmoon Faire added new toys and vanity items like the Darkmoon Seesaw and Safari Hat.
- New rare spawns in Draenor offered new loot and challenges for completionists.
There were also undocumented tweaks: stack sizes increased (hello, Battle Pet Bandages), tooltip fixes were made, and Aviana’s Feather was disabled in certain zones.
Last-Minute Fixes Can’t Carry an Expansion
Patch 6.2.2 was full of great changes, but many of them came too late to revive an expansion that had already lost player trust. From flying and PvP fixes to collectible rewards and alt catch-up mechanics, the patch felt like Blizzard trying to tie a bow on Warlords of Draenor before moving on to Legion.
And maybe that’s the real takeaway: Warlords had the bones of a great expansion, but not the staying power. Patch 6.2.2 was a patch full of promises kept but kept too late to matter.
📌 Changelog
- May 17, 2025: Article re-written to add additional information. Changed image.
- Aug 30, 2015: Original article posted.
