Yet another World of Warcraft private server taken out as Blizzard cracks down on Classic competitors

World of Warcraft private servers are slowly dwindling in numbers as Blizzard continues to pressure them with cease-and-desist letters. Stormforge is the latest case and will shut down on May 14, with new account creation already disabled.

This was confirmed by Stormforge operators last night in a post on the server’s website, which claimed that Blizzard sent them a cease-and-desist letter, prompting a discussion and the eventual decision to shut the whole thing down. “We have agreed to cease all operations, development, and distribution of content related to World of Warcraft,” Stormforge operators said, adding that the private server will be going offline on May 14 but is to remain playable up to that point.

New accounts cannot be created nor will any updates be released.

The website and the Stormforge Discord server are also going to be shut down, and, though this is all unfortunate news, the team has kindly asked everyone not to hop on the hate train or conduct any activity that would potentially harm Stormforge or its community in these last few weeks it has left. “Let’s keep the atmosphere positive and make these last moments something we can all remember in a good way.”

Blizzard seems to have given the team a bit of a grace period to “transition” its community away from the private server, with operators saying they had a “positive discussion” with the company prior to making the decision to take Stormforge offline. Either way, yet another private server, one that apparently had hundreds of thousands of players, is no longer going to be available for those seeking alternative ways to play Blizzard’s biggest MMO.

Stormforge offered free-to-play World of Warcraft clients for three versions: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Mists of Pandaria. Two out of these are currently available through WoW Classic servers, though the Mists of Pandaria one will most likely progress to Warlords of Draenor Classic at some point, rendering it unplayable. TBC currently only has an anniversary server running, whereas Wrath of the Lich King Classic is no longer available since it progressed to the mentioned MoP.

Though piracy in essence and a system that offered paid services to its players, Stormforge allowed folks to return to their desired stage in WoW‘s decades-long lifespan, enjoying those aspects of the game they adored the most. While World of Warcraft Classic and its many modes and servers are a gateway to exactly that, Blizzard’s strange way of handling things hasn’t helped in the slightest. In an effort to keep player populations as united as possible, folks don’t have too many options to choose from when it comes to older WoW experiences, forcing them into the wide open arms of private servers.

At any rate, World of Warcraft would probably also curb a lot of private server needs if it ditched the subscription model entirely, though I know that’s almost impossible at this point. Private servers’ free offers are very enticing for those who do not have the dosh to pay every month on top of buying the latest expansion every time.

I find it saddening every time I see private servers go down, as those were my own first exposure to World of Warcraft as a less-than-well-off kid back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. It transformed my perspectives on Warcraft as a world, which stands to this day as one of my favorite settings of all time. I can still remember watching my brother play Wrath of the Lich King and standing next to the man himself, who I could only watch from a bird’s-eye perspective in Warcraft 3 up to that point.

There are kids going through the same, and it’d be a crying shame to deny them the ability to experience one of the greatest fantasy worlds of all time from up close.

But that’s just me.

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The key to winning auctions and building your empire in BidKing is often hidden behind the collectors you choose. While several options are available for you to use, you need to select carefully. Each collector has a unique skill, and some are better than the rest.

This guide will help you figure out the best collectors you can unlock and use.

Best collector skills in BidKing

The table below has a list of what I consider the best collectors in BidKing. Their skills will help you have some big advantages over your competitors before you lodge your next bid.

Collector	Skill
Aisha	Relic’s Insight	One of the very best skills to have if you can go past the first round. The skill reveals the outline based on the item’s rarity after each round. If you can enter Round 3, you’ll know how many White, Green, and Blue items are located in the lot. This is amazing information to have before you place your next bid.
Ivan	Arms Instinct	Weapons sell for higher prices, which will be highlighted by the skill. All Gear, Energy, and Transportation collectibles will also be highlighted, but I love this skill for finding out hidden weapons.
Isabella	Rare Valuation	She can immediately reveal the rarity of the highest-rarity collectible that you can find. This will immediately give you a good idea of how much profit you can possibly make from your purchase. Her skill also highlights outlines of four Gems and Minerals collectibles at random. Gems typically fetch good prices, so it’s a nice bit of information to have.
Raven	Endgame Insight	This collector is amazing if you can bid your way to the fifth round. The rarity of every collectible will be disclosed before you land in the final bid. Having that information will help you decide if you should put in a final bid or abstain from spending extra.
Victor	Value Insight	This skill will show the total number of Purple, Gold, and Red rarity collectibles. In short, you’ll have a precise idea of whether the purchase you’re about to make has anything of substantial value.
Ethan	Spatial Awareness	Ethan can reveal the outlines of five random collectible types. In the subsequent rounds, he will reveal the outlines of all known-rarity collectibles. If you reach the final round, he will reveal the outlines of every available collectible you can find.

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While every collector has unique use-case scenarios for their skills, you’ll need to predict accurately. Overbidding too much can make you take a loss and erase your credits. Unfortunately, none of the collectors mentioned on the table above are available for free, but you can unlock them for free using the in-game goodies that you’ll get at launch.

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