One word shot straight into my mind when Blizzard introduced the Prey System: Nemesis (System). Blizzard’s feature likely won’t be as groundbreaking as Monolith’s legendary design, but the foundation for creating memorable stories is definitely there.
The First Announcement of the Prey System: Underwhelming
In Blizzard’s Midnight announcement, the new Prey System came across as… well, a bit unspectacular:
The Prey system introduces an exciting new layer of gameplay where players can track powerful targets throughout the Midnight expansion. You’ll choose between three difficulty levels: Normal, Hard, and Nightmare, each presenting unique challenges and rewards. As you hunt your target, be prepared, as they will also be hunting you. Successfully corner and defeat your prey to earn valuable rewards and progress through the system. The Prey system adds a thrilling challenge-based dynamic to the game, encouraging players to engage with powerful foes and take on contracts for higher risks and greater rewards.
Blizzard didn’t even share a single screenshot of the new mechanic in their announcement, and in the gameplay trailer it only flashed by briefly. This fits the general mood many players had when Midnight was revealed, not outright disappointing, but far from sparking real hype.
Comparisons to the Nemesis System
At first glance, you might think Blizzard is positioning the Prey System as their take on Monolith’s Nemesis System. I say “take”, because Monolith patented the original system, which is why players only ever experienced it in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel.
What the Nemesis System did so brilliantly was create stories players remembered. An orc captain might kill you by chance, rise in power within Sauron’s army, and then you’d hunt him across Mordor, tracking, ambushing, wounding, chasing again, until you finally brought him down. Almost everyone who played remembers moments like that.
More Details From the Gamescom Panel
We did get a few extra insights after all: at a gamescom panel, Senior Game Director Ion Hazzikostas and Associate Game Director Paul Kubit talked about the system starting around the 9:30 mark.
Diablo Instead of Nemesis?
With what we know so far, I’m pretty confident the Prey System won’t reach the narrative depth of Nemesis. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be good. Creating memories in an MMO doesn’t always require massive complexity—especially when features like this are optional.
Rather than comparing it to Nemesis, I think a Diablo perspective fits better, much like the new Heroic World Tier system in Legion: Remix. The Prey System reminds me of the Butcher in Diablo 4, who can randomly show up in dungeons to jump players unexpectedly. Near escapes and brutal fights with him have been filling player stories since Diablo 4’s beta. WoW’s Prey System could hit that same note, if the encounters are as intense as the Butcher’s, and not just loot piñatas that run willingly into your blade.
I’m excited about the new feature, not because it’s “WoW’s Nemesis System”, but because it has the potential to create its own stories and memories: close calls, surprises, and extended hunts that play out over multiple encounters. That’s exactly the kind of thing that could make Midnight and its open world feel richer.
Sources:
- World of Warcraft: Midnight Revealed!
- Google Patents: Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games
Note: This article was first published in German and has been translated into English with the help of AI. I’ve done my best to capture the original meaning and tone, but a few nuances may differ from the original text.