Blizzcon 2013 and next expansion

[Xilurm]

Next expansion is 100% going to be at Blizzcon 2013.

5.4 is going to come out around September 10th. Give or take a week.
Blizzcon is will start on November 8th, Announcing the new expansion. (Roughly 2 months after 5.4).
Beta will most likely begin very soon after. They will probably tell us friends and family testing has already begun at Blizzcon.
June 10th, 2014 will be the release date for World of Warcraft's 5th expansion.



Just my guess based off what we know (Blizzcon date), Blizzard's track record for raid tiers (almost 6 months apart exactly), and what Blizzard's stated goal is (not wanting the last tier to drag on like ICC and Dragon Soul).

You say they don't want to drag it like ICC and Dragon Soul. June 10th is 9 months after the release of 5.4 as you said. So how is that not draging it?

---------- Post added 2013-05-04 at 02:30 PM ----------

When can we buy virtual tickets n will we get the pet? Don't see a reason to get virtual ticket if not...why pay to see something that will be up on youtube minutes later anyways for FREE ?

To support Blizzard I guess?

[TJ]

I think the beta will probably start soon after Blizzcon, but that's just conjecture.

Agree, they're likely doing an internal alpha and have nearly all of the details completed. Might even have some gameplay or something at Blizzcon.

[Flatspriest]

With the current speed at which Blizzard is churning out new patches, I wouldn't put it past them to have a closed beta with an NDA already going prior to Blizzcon and then have the NDA removed after they announce the new title. Then open the beta to more participants for the last little bit of it before release of the expac early next year.

[Deleted]

They would have to release new expansion somewhere around March to keep roughly 6 months between raids. (if 5.4 Comes August/September), that would be almsot half year after Blizzcon, plenty of time for Beta imo.

[Kilpi]

Here, the schedule to pretty much exact quarterly timing.

http://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/screen...mal/193766.jpg

Oh, this shit again.

[huth]

Oh, this shit again.

Well, luckily it ends in less than 2 years, with little to no info for most of that time, so we won't have to deal with it for much longer.

[Deleted]

I can't remember where I read it, but it said that Blizzard was already finished with a certain part of the next xpac, but then they decided that they wanted to do MoP first. If this is true, it can't be that long for the beta to release after/at Blizzcon.

[Poochy]

With the current speed at which Blizzard is churning out new patches, I wouldn't put it past them to have a closed beta with an NDA already going prior to Blizzcon and then have the NDA removed after they announce the new title. Then open the beta to more participants for the last little bit of it before release of the expac early next year.

That's sounds right. Blizz needs to keep with up with the current pace to get people to believe they've changed to faster patches/content. Just depends if they can keep details of the next expac under wraps till Blizzcon, then they'd have a big reveal at Blizzcon. That'd be interesting.

Blizz said they're working on a lot right now that people would find interesting, and that's why they don't have any new dungeons out in 5.3. 5.4 will probably be out in Aug. or so with a 5.5 content patch around 5.5, maybe soon after Blizzcon. I can see information of the closed Beta being revealed soon after Blizzcon. People who paid for Blizzcon tickets would probably get beta keys. I can see an early 2014 release, maybe February at the earliest March at the latest. Just a guess. Either way, I'd love to see the next expac being close to finished by the time Blizzcon happens, maybe even a playable version of the expac there. At the previous blizzcon they had the pandaren starting area and little bits of the next expac finished, they'll probably have more at this one.

[Deleted]

Devs said PLENTY of times they liked the actual speed of new patchs ( one major patch every 5 months ), and that they wanted to make new xpac faster, and finally that the 1 year last patch of an xpac like Dragon soul would not happen again.

So i think

either they announce next xpac long time before blizzcon, before this summer
OR they announce xpac at blizzcon but beta starts one day after blizzcon, so that the expansion relase is beetween march and may

We could see another raid tier after 5.4, but very unlikely, as they said several times it would be the last.

With 5.2 release in march, 5.4 should occur in july-august, but with hollidays, more likely at the end of august . This raid tier should last until january-february, then 1 month pre-next expansion, leading us to march - april.

I really hope they won't commit, again and again, the same mistake with a 1 year raid tier patch, when in fact most of people play beta because they are totally borred on live

[Kharli]

Considering they addressed nearly everything that went wrong in Cataclysm - I'm more than certain we'll see tweaks via the expansion.

I have to locate my post prior - but I already said WAAY before MoP was released they're probably going to be making the next expansion extremely dark and VERY serious situations/monsters based on the insane forum/blizzcon reaction the Pandaren reveal had, just to offset the tone. :P ((BTW: I have no problem with the Pandaren... I'm just speculating on what Blizz is thinking based on what they've heard and what they've seen people say/do))

i honestly agree with you mvallas, i really hope they are going dark and serious next exp, then again.. it's blizzard.

[Glaziola]

I've never been wrong with speculating release dates.

I'm pretty certain Blizzcon will announce the new expansion and a new annual pass. Beta will start just after Blizzcon ends, with guaranteed access if you sign up for the pass. Then we'll see an Easter release for the next expansion.

For those wanting the expansion this year, I'm pretty sure we won't see it. Personally I'd love to get it this year because my end game is soloing, so vastly outgearing content is a plus for me.

No we wont get a new annual pass simply because mop is good so far. Cataclysm sucked and it was pure marketing strategy to save the subscriptions.
While I'm all in and would be the first person to get it, I just dont see it happening.

---------- Post added 2013-05-04 at 02:35 PM ----------

To support Blizzard I guess?

I think our subscriptions faction changes transfers blizz store pets/mounts are enough to do so without the blizzcon virtual ticket. The pet is the only reason anyone would actually buy it. Within hours people will upload it on youtube anyway.

[rcshaggy]

(\

And.. What? O_O Where did you see an Azshara Crater area? :S

http://www.wowpedia.org/Azshara_Crater
Here is the link.

[huth]

i honestly agree with you mvallas, i really hope they are going dark and serious next exp, then again.. it's blizzard.

MoP is pretty dark already... just in themes that apparently go over most peoples heads. Serious ones, as well.

[shise]

I believe that we'll have some hints about it at least.

However, it's quite easy to know when it's going to start. Whenever they save a new name we'l leven know the name of the Xp ack like the last times

[rowaasr13]

i honestly agree with you mvallas, i really hope they are going dark and serious next exp, then again.. it's blizzard.

Because continent responding with mind rape to dark emotions is white and fluffy? Because forgotten titan constructs turned oppressor is all rainbow and giggles? Because emotionally unstable adolescent warmonger turned maniac just reeks of sweetness?

Or is it because 90% of audience won't recognize dark theme unless it bites them in the ass with big neon signs flashing with words EMO, GRIMDARK and DEATH?

[ro9ue]

I want dark like Kara dark, but still have that Warcraft-charm. My account is inactive, I'm one of those long time Warcraft guys patiently awaiting the Legion expansion. WTB more dreadlords please:

[Tziva]

Agree, they're likely doing an internal alpha and have nearly all of the details completed. Might even have some gameplay or something at Blizzcon.

They've always had computers for gameplay so that is one thing I am very confident on: we will have some variety of demo.

No we wont get a new annual pass simply because mop is good so far. Cataclysm sucked and it was pure marketing strategy to save the subscriptions.

I honestly don't see why they wouldn't, regardless of the expansion quality. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. I think it's great marketing.

[Duridi]

I'm waiting to see what Blizz does in response to the complaints of MoP. See if they actually change what went wrong, or hunker down on what went wrong being right.

I hate to tell you, but every time they fix one thing, they break another.

[Neotokyo]

annual pass mark 2 announced at blizzcon, gives beta access which starts within a week of it being announced

[Yuuki Asuna]

i figure the new xpac will launch this december or januaryish.

This could be the case as well as a 5.5 patch. Don't know how much testing would have to be done for the Beta. Some take 2 months, others take around 5 or 6. It's also a fact that Blizzard has bigger teams working a head..so it could possibly be...