Would you like the next expansion to be lore-significant or a "break" expansion?

[Deleted]

So lore significant expansion would be an expansion like TBC, WotLK, Cata and Legion where stuff happens that effects the Warcraft lore heavily and changes the very world we play in.

A break expansion would be like MoP and WoD where the goings on doesn't really impact the Warcraft lore as much. It's more of an intermission expansion. It's not bad, it helps to world build lore and make new good guys and bad guys for the actual lore-significant expansions.

I'd like both-a lore-heavy expansion which isn't of huge global or interplanetary significance.

I'd like to see lots of character development and story without their constantly being the distraction of an apocalypse. Like vanilla with more of a plot.

[Dawon]

Dont care shit about lore so might as well skip that crap!

[Aeula]

One last expansion where we kill all the big bads. Then all future expansions can be about more interesting plot lines than generic evil dudes.

[SL1200]

They can't tell the lore fast enough as it is. A "break" expansion? Why would anyone want that?

[Nyel]

Except WoD every expansion has been developing Warcraft lore much, even MoP. MoP was no "break" expansion.

I want an expansion exactly like MoP - at first some lighter tones and then increasing in intensity and threat level. Pretty sure we'll either get MoP 2.0 (I hope for that) or WoD 2.0 (god no).

[Deleted]

BOTH! Lore heavy but focusing on something else than universe threats.

[Count Zero]

MoP was one of the most lore-heavy xpacs ...

[Deleted]

"Break" expansions, whatever that means, would also be lore significant. An expansion where you would visit Zandalar and learn about troll culture without bringing in any Void/Legion/Light stuff would be just as Lore significant as an expansion like Legion. A better way to word it would be an expansion facing a main threat vs a small threat.

OT: Break expansion, but aslong as they stop trying to make it "Epic" I'm ok with whatever. However; The Legion, Void and Light are just not that enjoyable to explore anymore.

The light has become very boring, the naaru just aren't interesting even if some of them can be antagonists, they are still weak and boring looking. The light is better explored with the scarlet crusade and such. Which would fit better as side stories.

The Legion has been reduced to a pathetic group of idiots that can't be taken serious anymore.

The void, while interesting, will most likely suffer the same fate as the Legion, and thus I hope we never face them as anything more than performing pest control on Old gods and other creatures they may send, which would mostly be conscidered smaller threats.

[Mekkle]

I would kill for another MoP-like break. One that does not make WoD though

[Chemical Ellis]

It's hard to say from those examples, when the 'break' expansions are both the best and worst in the game's history.

More than anything else, I'd like the next expac to take a completely new visual and narrative palette. I suppose a 'break' would be the best way to do that.

[Saverem]

MoP felt pretty significant as did WoD (mostly the Ending) to me they did anyways.

Not really. MoP was mostly a comedy spin-off with big fat Pandas doing kung-fu and the main bad guy being an emo Orc empowered with the heart of a dead Old God.

WoD especially was an even bigger break. We basically beat the expansion in the intro scenario we did. When we destroyed the dark portal connecting both worlds we pretty much beat the expansion, the threat to Azeroth was over... After that it was just a matter of dealing with the Orcs there. It was mostly just letting us interact with dead lore-significant Orcs. The ending was significant because it was an intro to the Legion expansion... The final boss of the expansion (Grom) basically became our ally to defeat the actual threat, the Legion, which was the intro to 7.0.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

It can be lore significant and a break from the massive end of the world stuff.

Just look at every expansion besides Wrath, Cata, and Legion.

- - - Updated - - -

Not really. MoP was mostly a comedy spin-off with big fat Pandas doing kung-fu and the main bad guy being an emo Orc empowered with the heart of a dead Old God.

And now I know your argument isn't worth listening to. You did not understand MoP in the slightest.

[CreatureLives]

I'd like to have lore but new lore. Not going after the same things over and over or finally going after something that has been around for a long time now that for some reason we just ignored. Give us something new.

I'd like to see them get back to the Horde and the Alliance and update it a bit.

How about some new leaders in the Horde and the Alliance and focus on some of the already existing ones that don't normally get focused on?
How about we focus more on the internal conflict and politics inside of the Alliance and inside of the Horde? It doesn't always have to be Alliance vs Horde sometimes it can be Alliance vs Alliance and Horde vs Horde.
What if someone had someone assassinate/try to assassinate Anduin so they could move in and take his place as leader of the Alliance?
What if one day Sylvanas just decided to take her Undead and abandon the Horde so then there is a fight over who will take over as Warchief and then we have a civil war?
How about for once we have a character turn evil on their own and be a big bad instead of being corrupted and essentially a stronger person's puppet? What if for once that character is the strongest person at the time and they are the one calling the shots?

I'd like to see more of the good and bad in both the Horde and Alliance and I'd also like to see major lore characters not agreeing on everything and seeing what happens when they can't find common ground. To me that is Warcraft. All these different tribes/factions trying to work together and sometimes being put against each other just because they don't see eye to eye but not because they've turned bad and sometimes they do end up turning bad and doing questionable things like with Garrosh but I'd like to see all things explored.

Obviously I'd like to see other things happen outside of the major factions too but I'd really like to expand on the stuff within the factions as well. I know people will use MoP as an example but that's not really what i mean when I say I'd like to get back Horde and Alliance. I mean to focus on them separately and develop them better. The Horde and Alliance will always be at war so I'm not saying to end it. I'm just kinda tired of all of the people in the factions being good and getting together to take down the one bad guy that was corrupted by another bad guy.

I think it would cool if the entire questing experience from 110 to 120 in the next expansion was done in already existing areas based around and within capital cities. Like the Worgan starting zone how you start in Gilneas City and then quest around Gilneas and then finally end up in Gilneas City again. It could be done like that with Stormwind/Elwynn forest for example through phasing. Every capital city/surrounding area is a quest zone and like Legion you get to choose which one you wanna do first. That way we really get to explore what is going on with all the factions these days. Also, it'd be really awesome to see what these new zones have been up to all these years and maybe some new enemies that have moved in and be at the same level as us. I know what some will say, they'll call it lazy because Blizzard doesn't have to create zones but I have an answer to that: 1. through phasing they can modify some zones like lets say Goldshire ends up getting burned down in one of the quests and not only that, they could do what they did with Argus/Suramar/Broken Shore and have new zones designed for end game so we aren't losing out on seeing pretty new places. And yes, if you want to see your low level friends in the old zones you could right click your portrait and turn phasing off as simply as you can do with PVP. Capital cities will not be phased but if a major thing happens storywise it would be done in a scenario. That way capital cities will have everyone included so the game won't feel empty at a low level.

It's just a little upsetting that Blizz spends so much time focusing on everything else but the most important thing - Us. Not us as in you and I but us as in the Alliance and the Horde. They spend all their time focusing on the same enemies over and over or creating new characters that will be ignored after the expansion is over instead of sticking with them and building them up. If you are going to introduce some new characters keep them around. I want everything that happens in every expansion to matter and have a lasting impact on the world going forward. Not to only matter for that time being. Like in Legion we've just spent all this time on the people of Suramar and we are probably never going to see them again. I'm not saying that we should be going back to Suramar but what I'm saying is why isn't some of those characters joining the Alliance or Horde? I'm not even talking playable (but that would be nice) I'm just talking about working together against outside threats. After all, we do all live in Azeroth so shouldn't all Azerothians be working together to fight things that threaten Azeroth? When something like the legion invades Azeroth where the hell is everyone? Remember Jinyu and Hozen? Why weren't they helping us against the people that threaten their home? This is what I mean. In a game that's story is all about factions working together it'd be nice to actually see these factions working together. I'd like to see Alliance and Horde be more than just your favorite sports team that you cheer for. Being Alliance and Horde should be much deeper than that.

TLDR.

[Saverem]

And now I know your argument isn't worth listening to. You did not understand MoP in the slightest.

"I disagree with that guy, so I'm just going to call him wrong without giving any actual facts to prove my point" ~you

[TheWorkingTitle]

I don't want any filler like MoP or WoD until all the established enemies are defeated. So we've still got N'Zoth, Azshara, Cult of the Damned, and whatever else left to go.

[willtron]

Break.

Cataclysm 2.0, just all out Horde vs Alliance war.

Zones become hotly contested. More quest hubs like Halaa back in TBC.

There's a real opportunity for some race story structure and some interesting conflicts and mechanics without eye rolling lore.

[Thrif]

Break, easily. It'd be pretty stupid to follow up the greatest threat we've ever faced, the Burning Legion in all its glory, by upping the ante with another, bigger threat right off. I'm really hoping that we'll get to be pirates and explorers and just have fun with new content for a while before we start going up against void lords and whatnot. Sure, N'zoth and Aszhara can be big lore bosses, but let the tone be fun exploration over world ending baddies.

[Lord Pebbleton]

MoP felt pretty significant as did WoD (mostly the Ending) to me they did anyways.

If we assume every expansion needs a decent villain, of course every expansion is important and full of lore. I think the distinction lies in the general tone of the expansion.
I think we can all agree Pandaria was a pretty goofy and relaxed place (apart from a few zones), and that WoD felt like a joke with those iron guys not standing a chance right off the bat (apart from the ending).

[Constraint]

Not sure why people say MoP's a "lore heavy expansion". Sure, I guess it does have lots of fluff, but to me it was fairly meaningless. If we'd never heard about Pandaria, I don't think anyone on our main continents would have particularly cared. It just wasn't relevant.

Sure, Blizzard can make up thousands of new continents, and add as many races and history of said races as they want, but does that really add much to the Warcraft we know? In my opinion, not really. Do I give a fuck about Mogu and their long and brutal past? Not in the slightest. Do I care about Hozen threatening to ook me in the dook upon every opportunity? No. Am I interested in Jazz Jackrabbit and his brood stealing not one but many turnips from a few farmers? YES. YES I AM.

Contrarily, do I care about the history and future of the Dragonflights, of the High Elves etc? Fuck yes, I do. Give us more lore etc of the races we know and love.

I know every thinks differently on the matter, so it's all opinion, but that's how I see it, anyway.

[MatadorMedia]

It can be both, and it should be. I've been waiting patiently for a fun South Seas adventure, but they can pull the Azshara and N'Zoth storylines into the expansion easily which gives it some weight.