World of Warcraft Forever has sent shockwaves through the gaming community with its staggering player count, and now a death metal guitarist is taking it to the stage, playing the game on a Steam Deck while his band's opener plays. Archspire, the death metal group in question, shared a video on Instagram that shows their member immersed in the game, with an undead Warlock and his Voidwalker pet-tanking their way through Fenris Isle. The guitarist's love for World of Warcraft is not unique among heavy metal musicians; back in 2008, Cannibal Corpse vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher shared his obsession with the game, boasting about his 70 level 70 characters and exclusive Horde allegiance.
World of Warcraft Forever's newfound controller support and lightweight system requirements make it a perfect fit for handheld gaming PCs. IGN's Senior Tech Editor Jackie Thomas has tested the game on both the Xbox Alloy X and the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, with both devices handling the game at high settings without any noticeable frame rate drops. While Thomas hasn't played World of Warcraft Forever on a Steam Deck yet, Archspire's Instagram post suggests that it runs smoothly on Valve's handheld console as well.
WoW Forever's popularity has been met with some hurdles, such as issues with gold rewards and dungeon experience. However, Blizzard seems to have managed to recapture some of the old-school WoW magic that drew players like Archspire's guitarist and Cannibal Corpse's Corpsegrinder in the first place. As Jackie Thomas, the PC components queen, notes, World of Warcraft Forever is off to a monumental start, with more players wandering Azeroth than ever before.
[Rephrased by Mistral AI]