Could there ever be a giant leap in time between two expansions?

[Deleted]

Something like 20 to 30 years? Every time there's a new expansion, it's "this threat arrives, shortly after we just dealt with that other threat". After MoP, I assume that the worst of the conflict between the Alliance and the Horde will be over for now, that we will have reached a climax after which it will subside a lot and the time after that will be more peaceful. I also think, like many other people, that there will be another legion invasion soon and it looks as if there's going to be a big "uniting of forces" again. It looks like the story might reach a climax after the next fight against the Legion. Is it possible that they will at some point make a bigger jump in time between two expansions? That there is a long peace between Alliance and Horde for decades after that next fight against the legion. So that we might play in an expansion where Anduin is older and is king, where Thralls son is grown up and where Moira's son is grown up and rules Ironforge. Technically that sounds a bit like a WoW2, and it would require a remodelling of the whole world, again, to have it make sense, but it also presents a lot of possibilites in terms of storytelling. So do you think something like that could happen?

[TJ]

Well, yeah. But they'd have to implement a lot of changes to represent a 20-30 year change, I imagine it would be a hell of a lot of work. They'd have to completely finish off building the cities, for example.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

How would that work for our characters?

[Deleted]

20 or 30 is a bit too much, in my opinion. But I think a bigger time leap should happen, as all expansions so far have occurred pretty much straight after another, the time between Cata and MoP was about one year for example.

I think a leap of 5-10 years would be more appropriate.

[SpaceDuck]

there are time leaps between expansions, they just cant really implement it in the game without having to redesign everything all over again

if i can recall, cata to mists was something like a thousand years apart? could be less :P

[TJ]

How would that work for our characters?

Doubt they'd do anything to that, in the lore we aren't actually there name by name, it's just "a group of heroes" or whatever when we are mentioned.

[Faroth]

It could, but not likely to be anytime soon. However, I think even a small jump of 5-10 years in lore could have a huge impact on story options.

A 20-30 year jump would pose the question; how are all the characters still alive (perhaps including player characters), what's happened in the last 5 years, what caused x, y, z.

You'd get a lot of complaints of lore having to be filled in with outside sources.

[Deleted]

How would that work for our characters?

I honestly don't know right now. Maybe similar to Cataclysm, your characters stay the same, and only the world changes. New players level up in the remodelled zones, while your character is level 100 or so and can go right to the new continent/world.

[Constellation]

there are time leaps between expansions, they just cant really implement it in the game without having to redesign everything all over again

if i can recall, cata to mists was something like a thousand years apart? could be less :P

A thousand year? In what universe of internet did you read this? Its the events of Cataclysm that revealed Pandaria...

[isuridedes]

Cataclysm probably had the largest time-lapse. The storyline 'starts' shortly after Wrath, but then shifts immediately after Deathwing emerges and radically reshapes Azeroth. As much as 3 years pass between Deathwing's actual emergence from Deepholm and the primary storyline. I want to say Mists takes place a few months after the Fall of Deathwing.

But as others have stated; 20-30 years is too much to excuse. How do you account for what your Hero has been off doing. Did you retire? Did you start a family? Did you just sit there 'paused' until the storyline picked back up? How do you account for 30 years of time passing... buildings changing, people aging, etc. Just look at the Anduin changes... he went from toddler to young adult in a very stupid manner and in terms of telling a story it's came off as really lazy.

[Maxilian]

there are time leaps between expansions, they just cant really implement it in the game without having to redesign everything all over again

if i can recall, cata to mists was something like a thousand years apart? could be less :P

Is just 1 year men....

[SpaceDuck]

*shrug* i dont remember the time zone exactly but im sure blizzard mentioned something about what time it was set at blizzcon. maybe i'm thinking of wotlk -> cata

[Miralynn]

*shrug* i dont remember the time zone exactly but im sure blizzard mentioned something about what time it was set at blizzcon. maybe i'm thinking of wotlk -> cata

Nope. There has been, at most, a few months to a year between each expansion, from a lore perspective. No huge time gaps so far. As of the present time, according to Blizz, it has only been 10 years since the events of WCIII.

[apepi]

I feel like every expansion is a leap in time....>.>

[Xene]

wasnt there a mention from a quest, that it was 7 years from BC>Cata. Malfurion says it i think, either in darkshore or in hyjal.

[wariofan1]

How would that work for our characters?

Just make all black/blond/blue/whatever haired texture become gray, problem solved!

[Deleted]

How about a leap in 10 years and to find out what happens in those 10 years we get Warcraft 4, can we....please? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease

[Slummish]

there are time leaps between expansions, they just cant really implement it in the game without having to redesign everything all over again

if i can recall, cata to mists was something like a thousand years apart? could be less :P

The growth of Anduin can be used a yardstick for this bit of misinformation. He was 8 years-old when we met him and now he's just barely becoming a man...

[Miralynn]

Just make all black/blond/blue/whatever haired texture become gray, problem solved!

You have earned the achievement [Get Off My Lawn!]

[iamthedevil]

20-30 years and you'd force some RPers to kill of their characters of old age.

Or it would get RPers to start complaining that they need the wheelchair model Drek'thar had as a mount.