Mega continent expansion?

[Thrif]

I think we could probably do with a little more "out there" stuff like Netherstorm or Zangarmarsh, but we need to have stuff that is more relatable to go along with it.

Yes please. I always loved Outlands because it was such a HUGE turn zone- and style-wise to what Azeroth was. If Azeroth was pure fantasy, Outlands added scifi elements while still being fantasy in the core, it was awesome.

Every single expansion after that has failed very much in giving me that "oh shit, this place really is new and cool" feeling, because every zone to come out after Outlands has been the same boring standard zones that is either forest or snow or grass or ordinary stuff I get enough of irl.

I had my hopes up for Draenor, because in the War2 version of Draenor it's a very different place, there are mushrooms instead of trees, black water, weird ground, I can't remember it exactly but it could, and should have been a wayyyy cooler world than what we were given in wow.

[Darknessvamp]

This. It's also a very exciting prospect -- just imagine a new side to Azeroth, completely unaffected by anything to do with existing lore. No ancient night elf mumbo jumbo, no troll tribes, no Pandaren or vrykul, no Burning Legion. Just something completely new. Azeroth, but not Azeroth, as it were. For all we know, there could be adventures happening on the other side of the planet right now, with heir own villains and heroes, and completely disconnected from existing lore.

Isn't this literally what Pandaria was? A whole new continent and some Isles completely separated from everything that has happened on Azeroth because Mists that had it's own heroes and villains and stories all disconnected from us until the Alliance and Horde bumble-fucked an expedition into their lands. I'm pretty sure that can be taken as a test case if Blizzard did another "unknown continent".

Plus after Legion's "global invasion" by the Burning Legion, it will be hard pressed to make up an excuse as to why the Legion never bothered with this 'largely unexplored super-continent which we didn't know about till now' considering they could use it to build a big enough stronghold away from the Alliance and Horde and screw us over majorly especially when the inhabitants of said continent have not encountered the Legion before as per your example.

[Deleted]

Isn't this literally what Pandaria was? A whole new continent and some Isles completely separated from everything that has happened on Azeroth because Mists that had it's own heroes and villains and stories all disconnected from us until the Alliance and Horde bumble-fucked an expedition into their lands. I'm pretty sure that can be taken as a test case if Blizzard did another "unknown continent".

Plus after Legion's "global invasion" by the Burning Legion, it will be hard pressed to make up an excuse as to why the Legion never bothered with this 'largely unexplored super-continent which we didn't know about till now' considering they could use it to build a big enough stronghold away from the Alliance and Horde and screw us over majorly especially when the inhabitants of said continent have not encountered the Legion before as per your example.

Not really. Pandaria was part of ancient Kalimdor, and also experienced the Sundering. So while it was separated for milennia (to my great satisfaction), we still had some intertwined lore. With regards to the hypothetical new continent, I want it to be a complete tabula rasa. No references to old lore what so ever. Beyond, perhaps, a few shipwrecked sailors who landed on its shores. I want it to be a pristine land that was never part of classic Azeroth lore.

[want my Slimjim]

Isn't this literally what Pandaria was? A whole new continent and some Isles completely separated from everything that has happened on Azeroth because Mists that had it's own heroes and villains and stories all disconnected from us until the Alliance and Horde bumble-fucked an expedition into their lands. I'm pretty sure that can be taken as a test case if Blizzard did another "unknown continent".

Plus after Legion's "global invasion" by the Burning Legion, it will be hard pressed to make up an excuse as to why the Legion never bothered with this 'largely unexplored super-continent which we didn't know about till now' considering they could use it to build a big enough stronghold away from the Alliance and Horde and screw us over majorly especially when the inhabitants of said continent have not encountered the Legion before as per your example.

No pandaria looks more like an island, along with broken isles very underwhelming. Even Northrend though not as bad, but still felt like half the size of kalimdor.

[Deleted]

No pandaria looks more like an island, along with broken isles very underwhelming. Even Northrend though not as bad, but still felt like half the size of kalimdor.

So does Australia and Antarctica.

[TheFirstOnes]

Do you think it's due that we get an expansion that gas continents the size of kalimdor an eastern kingdoms? There's perhaps some places that this could be set in

Draenor
The other side of azeroth
Or a huge chunk of outland that's been lost until now.
In Another dimension
Another planet say argus.
Or a pangea continent in the emerald dream.
Or an abandoned titan spaceship.

Now the difference between a mega continent and any continent is not just the size.
The idea is instead of having an expansion wrapped around an entire content like northrend, draenor, pandaria, and lost isles you can have an expansion take place on part of this mega continent as well as exploring part of it. That way you'd have say 5 expansions take place on the entire mega continent. just make a part of it for the relevant expansion but put up barriers to other parts of the mega continent so like gated lands until the next expansion comes. The partial landmasses would still be just as big and any other continent.

Just seems it would be more efficient and not burn through as many enemies as we have. Except for the trolls.

It could also give you that awe feeling for landmasses and zones.

Draenor- NO! FUCK NO!

Other side of azeroth- ....meh.....idk....maybe.....nah

Huge chunks of outland- seems more patch like for one, also....there is no reason to go back...right? The legion seems to not care for it

Another dimension- I'm just gonna say this here....*Cough* Warlords of draenor *Cough*

Argus- last expansion...i know it

A continent in the Emerald dream- Ummm....never...Blizzard themselves have stated that it'll never be it's own expansion...i mean...that's why we have a raid

An abandoned titan ship- ummm....NO! Why would that be an expansion if the legion has millions of Seemed to be corrupted titan spaceships during the broken shore prelaunch.

[want my Slimjim]

Draenor- NO! FUCK NO!

Other side of azeroth- ....meh.....idk....maybe.....nah

Huge chunks of outland- seems more patch like for one, also....there is no reason to go back...right? The legion seems to not care for it

Another dimension- I'm just gonna say this here....*Cough* Warlords of draenor *Cough*

Argus- last expansion...i know it

A continent in the Emerald dream- Ummm....never...Blizzard themselves have stated that it'll never be it's own expansion...i mean...that's why we have a raid

An abandoned titan ship- ummm....NO! Why would that be an expansion if the legion has millions of Seemed to be corrupted titan spaceships during the broken shore prelaunch.

What do you suggest then?

[Xkiller9000]

Theres no need for a supercontinent cause itd only be for a new expansion, not 1-60. But if there were, and im not against it, itd have to be on like argus or on the other side of Azeroth the map doesnt already cover all the way around.

EDIT: Pretty sure on the map, the ocean to the left of Kalimdor is a different name than the one to the right of Eastern Kingdoms, so does that mean the map doesnt cover Azeroth all the way around? is there a landmass dividing those two oceans? Id think so

[Florena]

No need for that. EK and Kalimdor are so big because they had 60 levels of content and it was a base game. Expansions have only 5 to 10 levels to cover, so all that space would end up being wasted unless they really stretch out the leveling process.

[want my Slimjim]

So does Australia and Antarctica.

Try madagascar, Iceland and papua new guinea for size comparements.

[Deleted]

Try madagascar, Iceland and papua new guinea for size comparements.

No, they're far bigger.

[want my Slimjim]

No need for that. EK and Kalimdor are so big because they had 60 levels of content and it was a base game. Expansions have only 5 to 10 levels to cover, so all that space would end up being wasted unless they really stretch out the leveling process.

That's why you make parts of it through the coarse of several expansion instead of making it all in one get go

- - - Updated - - -

No, they're far bigger.

Are they cause it sure doesn't.

[Darknessvamp]

I should probably write something about the main point of the thread. No, I think Azeroth is pretty much done in terms of what it has to offer aside from a south seas and subterrain expansion. Slipping in another large mega continent that just so happened to have never been visited smack dab on the back of Azeroth because no one tried sailing/flying to the left or right of the edges of the Map for commerce/travel/resource reasons sounds far too contrived. Personally after Legion I think WoW should take a more of an offense tone. We are likely not going to beat the Burning Legion and will probably just repel them once again in the next expansion and as such I think the game should evolve from this "Defense of Azeroth/Save the World Scenario" to finally pushing back against this huge threat. In other words, the invasion and freeing of Legion dominated worlds growing our strength, pushing the Legion to up it's game and become even more monstrous of a threat whilst also allowing the possibility of new major continents that are not just shoe horned in.

Not really. Pandaria was part of ancient Kalimdor, and also experienced the Sundering. So while it was separated for milennia (to my great satisfaction), we still had some intertwined lore. With regards to the hypothetical new continent, I want it to be a complete tabula rasa. No references to old lore what so ever. Beyond, perhaps, a few shipwrecked sailors who landed on its shores. I want it to be a pristine land that was never part of classic Azeroth lore.

It's still pretty much what you suggested though even if it was originally part of the main landmass. It's been out of touch all events bar the sundering (although thinking about it this new unknown super continent may have also been affected by the global event of the sundering as well as Deathwing's Rip and Burn flight of Azeroth) and it developed it's stories, villains amongst the Mogu, Mantid and Saurok and heroes amongst the Pandarian, Jinyu and Hozen all uninfluenced by the rest of Azeroth. It literally is an example of Blizzard doing exactly what you suggested on a slightly smaller scale.

No pandaria looks more like an island, along with broken isles very underwhelming. Even Northrend though not as bad, but still felt like half the size of kalimdor.

You do know that Pandaria is probably about as big as Australia in terms of size right? Even if it looks like an island from the map it's still a separate continent even if it's not the size of Europe, Asia and Africa combined or the Americas shaped Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.

[want my Slimjim]

You do know that Pandaria is probably about as big as Australia in terms of size right? Even if it looks like an island from the map it's still a separate continent even if it's not the size of Europe, Asia and Africa combined or the Americas shaped Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.

I'll say it again it looks more like madagascar/iceland and papua new guinea for size. Not that it makes a bad expansion though. Just would like to see a new formula in making new lands.

[Deleted]

I'll say it again it looks more like madagascar/iceland and papua new guinea for size.

In that case, Kalimdor itself would only be the size of Greenland at most.

[want my Slimjim]

In that case, Kalimdor itself would only be the size of Greenland at most.

Greenland is actually pretty big. One third the size of austrialia. I'll take that. You can fit 3 texases in it. If we were comparia pandaria to madagascar then kalimdor would be India.

[SoulSoBreezy]

just make a part of it for the relevant expansion but put up barriers to other parts of the mega continent so like gated lands until the next expansion comes.

It could also give you that awe feeling for landmasses and zones.

This would be jarring.
Let's pretend that classic wow launched with all of its current landmasses there, and outland was like another continent on azeroth or something.
Want to fly through hyjal? Sorry, can't do that.
How come I can't fly over this water? That's Vashjir; it's there and it's done but you can't go in.
I want to see dragons! You can, but the zepplin is out of service and wont' be ready for a few years.

And this would be a development nightmare. Why have these giant areas of land that won't have any use for years? It's of a waste to have a huge landmass with no quests to do in them.

"They launched an MMO that's 1/5 done, gg Blizz"

[Darknessvamp]

I'll say it again it looks more like madagascar/iceland and papua new guinea for size. Not that it makes a bad expansion though. Just would like to see a new formula in making new lands.

Considering it's about a third of the size of Kalimdor and just over half the size of Northrend that's highly unlikely. Additionally as I said in my previous post they should be pushing for world and land building on new worlds. With portals that can apparently pass through time and large amount of space as well as a fuctioning Exodar as a platform or even as a blueprint for Goblin and Gnome engineers (who have also been dabbling in space travel since Netherstorm), we have the means to travel between worlds so that Blizzard doesn't have to shoehorn in continents on Azeroth or revisit locales in their past form.

[want my Slimjim]

This would be jarring.
Let's pretend that classic wow launched with all of its current landmasses there, and outland was like another continent on azeroth or something.
Want to fly through hyjal? Sorry, can't do that.
How come I can't fly over this water? That's Vashjir; it's there and it's done but you can't go in.
I want to see dragons! You can, but the zepplin is out of service and wont' be ready for a few years.

And this would be a development nightmare. Why have these giant areas of land that won't have any use for years? It's of a waste to have a huge landmass with no quests to do in them.

"They launched an MMO that's 1/5 done, gg Blizz"

Wasn't an issue before cataclysm launched. Hyjal was there but you couldn't access it.

[SoulSoBreezy]

Wasn't an issue before cataclysm launched. Hyjal was there but you couldn't access it.

We couldn't fly, either.