World of Warcraft debuted two decades ago and is still going strong in terms of active player base. While the game’s popularity might have dropped a little, it still gets millions of players to log in every month. WoW is without a doubt the most successful MMORPG in the world right now despite the competition from the likes of Final Fantasy XIV Online, Destiny 2, and other big titles in the genre.
WoW is also very popular on the streaming platform, Twitch – where thousands of viewers tune in to watch their favorite streamers play the game every day. Out of so many World of Warcraft streamers, there are a few that stand out due to their established following and impressive content creation skills. Here is a list of the top 3 WoW streamers on Twitch that pull thousands of viewers at any given time.
What Makes WoW Popular on Twitch?
While it’s no secret that the glory days of WoW are behind it, the game is far from dead. As stated earlier, in comparison to other MMORPGs in the space, it has the highest estimated total player count. WoW subscription numbers have continued to rise throughout Dragonflight, IGN estimated that over 7 million are currently subbed to the game.
WoW is set in a fantasy world with the elements of science fiction and steampunk, a unique combination that remains the main theme for all its expansions. Aside from the PVP (player vs player modes), the game has a very comprehensive world design for its PVE mode where players can cooperate to achieve a common goal or just for the sake of helping others. One of the many engaging mechanics in the game is its roll system, akin to rolling dice in a gambling game.
By simply typing /roll command, players can roll any number usually between 1 and 100 to determine which party member will get the loot or resource items. Similar to the video poker game, Jacks or Better, the player aims to create the best possible hand which decides how much they will be paid. In Jacks or Better, players are dealt five cards and can choose which to hold and which to discard. The goal is to make a poker hand of at least a pair of Jacks or better, hence the name. The payout is determined by the strength of the hand at the end of the round, with higher payouts for rarer hands like a royal flush or four of a kind.
In World of Warcraft, similarly, the player who rolls the highest number is the winner of the loot. The game also features manual rolls for distributing loot among players and the game’s Need Before Greed system is very much like variants of video poker games found in casinos. Just as Jacks or Better has a hierarchy of winning hands, WoW’s loot system has a hierarchy of item rarities and qualities that affect their desirability and distribution.
The detailed world design like this and engaging quest designs have kept WoW relevant through all these years. Also, the regular updates and the new expansions keep fueling the player’s interest.
Asmongold/Zackrawrr
Zackrawrr also known as Asmongold began his content creation career by creating videos of World of Warcraft for YouTube and eventually moved to Twitch as a regular streamer of the game. Today, he might not be an exclusive WoW streamer, but he still plays the game and variety for a sizeable audience. His Zackrawrr Twitch account averages over 100k views per stream.
Asmongold has a huge following across various online platforms where he is very outspoken and vocal about his thoughts on various topics. His rise in popularity can be definitively attributed to WoW content, but nowadays he isn’t limiting his brand to this one game alone. This is the primary reason why Asmongold pulls more viewers than any other dedicated WoW streamers.
Xaryu
Josh “Xaryu” Lujan is one of the top-ranked World of Warcraft pros, he streams Blizzard’s MMORPG on Twitch for thousands of viewers. Unlike Asmongold, Xaryu’s content is more focused and dedicated to the high-rank PVP aspects of the game. He has been Rank 1 several times in the game’s PVP seasons and is regarded as one of the highest-skilled players in the world. His mastery of the game is praised by both hardcore and casual gamers.
Xaryu began playing World of Warcraft at the young age of 12, captivated by the game he made it a part of his life, playing almost every day. It wasn’t until he was 18 years old that he started streaming on Twitch. He shares his knowledge of the game with his audiences and broadcasts his top-level gameplay on the streaming platform. He is also known for being a huge fitness enthusiast. Xaryu boasts 586K Twitch followers as of today.
Bajheera
Bajheera is a well-known streamer in the World of Warcraft community, his PVP videos of the game have millions of views across YouTube and Twitch. He is one of the very few dedicated WoW streamers in the world, and his content much like Xaryu revolves around both gaming and fitness. He has close to 600,000 followers on Twitch.
Bajheera was voted the #1 WoW PvP streamer on Twitch in 2014. He is 34 years old. Bajheera considers himself a positive streamer, as he never misses a chance to share fitness advice with fans – a rare sport in the gaming world.