I know a lot of people (specifically warlocks) are opposed to having meeting stones act like TBC Summoning Stones.
However, I propose allowing Warlocks to use Meeting Stones as an "extra" person, so that instead of waiting for the majority of the group to form at the instance to begin summoning, warlocks would only require 1 other group member + the meeting stone to begin summoning the group.
This change is a carefully calibrated quality-of-life improvement that respects Vanilla/Classic+ design philosophy, preserves (and in some ways elevates) Warlock identity, and meaningfully reduces one of the most common sources of friction in group content without turning Meeting Stones into full TBC-style summoning stones.Core Strengths of the Idea
1. It solves the real bottleneck without erasing Warlock utility
The biggest practical pain point in forming dungeon groups is the “last mile”: getting the second helper to the instance entrance so the Warlock can even begin Ritual of Summoning. By letting the Meeting Stone count as one of the two required participants, a Warlock only needs one other player already present. This lets summoning start as soon as the first two people arrive (Warlock + one friend/alt/early arriver). The remaining party members can then be pulled in sequentially. Warlocks remain the only class that can initiate and control the process; the stone is merely an assistant, not a replacement.
2: It keeps Warlocks relevant and desirable
Full TBC Meeting Stones make Warlocks optional for summons. This hybrid does the opposite: it makes bringing a Warlock more attractive because the group can start summoning earlier and more reliably. A group with a Warlock becomes strictly more efficient than one without, while groups without a Warlock still have to form the old-fashioned way. Warlock players keep their signature social utility and the feeling of being the “portal guy,” but without the frequent experience of standing around for 10–20 minutes waiting for a second clicker.
It respects the “world feels alive” argument
3. Travel and world presence remain important.
Players still have to reach the stone in the first place, and the stone only helps once someone is already there with the Warlock. It does not enable remote or effortless group formation the way a pure summoning-stone system would. The design still rewards players who travel, use flight paths, or coordinate meets, while removing the most frustrating artificial delay once the core duo is in place.
4. It is elegant, low-risk, and thematically coherent
Mechanically it is simple: the Meeting Stone acts as a permanent, location-bound “ritual participant” exclusively when a Warlock is channeling Ritual of Summoning near it. This feels like a natural extension of the existing ritual system rather than a wholesale import of a later-expansion feature. It also sidesteps the common complaint that full summoning stones “imprison Warlocks in stones” or make the class feel less special.
Practical benefits for the player base and server health:
Faster dungeon starts → higher group completion rates and less abandoned groups.
Reduced frustration for those with limited play time.
Encourages more pickup groups and less reliance on fixed friends-lists or multiboxing solely for the second clicker.
Still leaves room for pure “form up and run” groups or non-Warlock groups, so multiple playstyles coexist.