How does WoTLK World Phasing work?

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Oh, like instancing?

It's not really instancing. A good example of phasing that's currently in The Burning Crusade is the mana cells daily quest in Blade's Edge. When you use the phase device you are able to see creatures and objects you could not before. Just the same, other players who do not have the phase device buff cannot see you, nor can you see them.

We took this functionality and really ran with it in Wrath of the Lich King. It's really cool. :)

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You might not know the answer to this but is it related to the way instances keep groups from seeing each other or is this a completely separate mechanic?

Not that it matters either way, mostly just curiosity on my part.

It's a separate mechanic.

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I dislike this world phasing idea, sure it sounds fun and interesting at first but as much immersion as it can bring in it will also take back out. Knowing that the person standing next to me sees a different world than I do, just makes it lose its MMO quality of being inside another world.

Phasing is not being used in such a way I see a lot of people theorizing it does in this thread. Using the Death Knight starting area as an example of how phasing works isn't really a good idea. That's a one-time storyline to affiliate a player with the class and move on, so the phasing done in that sub zone is rather extreme.

Phasing techniques used in the rest of the world are mostly very subtle and non-intrusive. While I can appreciate skepticism, I can assure you this isn't a mechanic overhauling the entire quest system to make it feel like a completely different game. The large majority of the time questing works much in the same way it always has and can easily be done solo or in a group. Phasing is only used here and there to give a little more polish to the world, and give you the feeling you have more control over what is going on around you.

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Appreciate the response Zarhym, but it still doesn't address what I consider the main issue: At certain phases, you will not be able to group with friends unless they are on the exact same stage, and you can't help them reach that stage faster. So, you are quite literally removing a very common form of gameplay options for some players on some quests.

I really feel like you're overestimating how often phasing is used, and how intrusive it is on the questing experience. Once you come across some quests where phasing is used in Northrend, I trust you'll see that it's a very seamless process and not entirely different from current questing functionality and restrictions.

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How do you think the general population will deal with this and understand this? And by general population, I mean people that don't come to the forums.

I think it will be received very well. I didn't personally notice much phasing until I was level 73 or 74, and it might have been for a quest here and there. That said, quests like the ones I came across don't permanently put you in a different phase from other players. You might end up using some form of temporary mount to complete a single quest in a chain that will be done in a different phase from those around you. You complete the quest, turn it in, go back to the normal phase, and you're done.

There's not much more I can say on the subject until constructive criticism comes from those who have experienced many different aspects of phasing in Wrath of the Lich King and feel restricted by its functionality. I can assure you we've given a lot of consideration for the areas where phasing might feel intrusive on the questing and grouping experience, and we've worked to implement a feature that doesn't hinder the experience players come to expect while questing out in the world.

You said you're in Beta so I encourage you to go try out some quests in Northrend and let us know how phasing might be hindering your experience. If not, perhaps we can continue this conversation when your criticisms and concerns are more based on your experiences rather than your theories.

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ok, lets explain, some dude wants you to go kill some dudes over in a place, you go there and kill the dudes and go back. He goes "Dude" and you are like "Dude!" and you go back and you see everything has changed and you are like "Duuuuuude."

Very well put. :)