1. #1

    Lightbulb A story too big for the end of an expansion, must be for the next expansion!

    Mists of Pandaria
    A true enigma, the Timeless Isle, has drifted in and out of Pandaria's mists for thousands of years. Here, time has no meaning, and the sun neither rises nor sets. Its unique characteristics have brought the Isle under the scrutiny of the bronze dragonflight, pandaren explorers, and the black dragon Wrathion.

    (my own words) I find it interesting that something completly new pops up at the end of an expansion, which seems like the beginning of something else. The story has no real conclusion at the moment. Then to have the bronze dragonflight and the black dragon Wrathion, in hope of finding something. It must be bound to something bigger than just a legendary cloak and loot stories.


    Also in Mists of Pandaria
    Following the Cataclysm and the loss of Nozdormu's Aspect powers, the bronze dragons still can travel between time, but they no longer have control over timelines. Some bronze dragons also retain enough power to send mortals back into the past, as Zidormi demonstrates when she allows players to re-visit Theramore before its untimely devastation.

    A time anomaly has been discovered on a mysterious isle off the eastern coast of Pandaria, referred to as the Timeless Isle. The Bronze Dragonflight has sent Kairodormu and the Timewalkers to investigate the nature of the isle's behavior and why it became lost in time - literally disappearing and appearing in different periods of time, while the time itself holds no matter on the isle itself. It is mentioned by Kairoz that the bronze flight's powers have "diminished greatly" and that they can "now only catch furtive glimpses through time".

    *Spoiler* Vision of Time chain quest: 'Hidden Threads'
    You have kept our mission a secret, and for that I thank you. Knowledge of the timeways, when in the wrong hands, can cause catastrophic devastation. My flight has little power to repair it, now. We must be careful.

    (note) There is also a mention of a traitor within the Bronze Dragonflight.


    The Future
    (my own words) All that I have described above is from Mists of Pandaria, but why does it feel like it's from another expansion about something else than what Mists of Pandaria has been all about! It feels like it has such great potential to be a huge storyline. As I do not believe they would create these stories out of the blue. I think they will be going somewhere with this very soon.

    (my conclusion) One of the villains in the next expansion will be the traitor within the Bronze Dragonflight. I believe that the timeways, will be in his\her hands, and cause catastrophic devastation.

    This can also be why Blizzard ask about what we like about Stormwind City and which NPC's, as they may create one of many catastropic devastation within Stormwind City.

    Don't imagine explosive catastropic devastation like with Deathwing, but more like rifts in the timeways, so where the Park in Stormwind City used to be, would likely be there now if that was a location for catastropic devastation, a rift. Try imagine a frightening lightning round ball around a location, that you could imagine to be a time rift, so within that rift, there is either the past or the future.

    Then the Bronze Dragonflight would send their Timewalker to repair damage to the timeways and other such task but it would be far from that easy as the enemy will not be making it easy for you.

    - - - Updated - - -

    ... No?

  2. #2
    Deleted
    I don't think we'll get an entirely time travel based expansion yet (eventually though), but I do think that something will be done with the Bronze traitor next xpac. I think they might be setting up the long talked about Cavern's of Time questline to explain why we're going back in time to Northrend (and possibly Outland though I prefer to think it'll be revamped.). So at level 68, you're contacted by the Nozdormu/Chromie/Kairoz or whoever and sent back in time to prevent the Bronze Traitor altering history. You quest as normally through Northrend except at levels 72, 76, and 80 you're given new quests dealing with the time-lines. Hence the timelines would be sorted out and alongside the leveling process would go like this:

    > Cataclysm era Azeroth (Including revamped Belf/Draenei zones, set within the timeframe of Cataclysm, but with lore connected to the new xpac): 1-70
    > Go back in time to Northrend: 70-80
    > High Level Cataclysm zones: 80-85
    > Pandaria: 85-90
    > Revamped Outland: 90-95
    > Brand New Zones (Great Sea?): 95-100

  3. #3
    Titan Wildberry's Avatar
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    I hope not....

    Time Travel is rarely done well, and is usually used to allow "lazy" story-telling, I'll be honest, I don't have faith in Blizzard to do time travel right.

    Not to mention, compared to other threats (The Legion, Azshara, etc.) Time Travel doesn't seem very compelling (And by very, I mean not at all.)

    Also take in to account that:
    -One of Cataclysm's (MANY) weak points, was that the story felt very disconnected. Even though Deathwing was the "Big Bad" Going from Hyjal to Uldum felt jarring for many.

    -One of the criticisms of Mists, is that the story feels out of place (That viewpoint is taking into account only Pandaria's lore, not the lore for Garrosh's War.)

    Making an expansion that would, most likely, heavily involve two of the weaker points from the previous expansions doesn't seem like a sound idea. Especially when you factor in WoW's Sub Bleed, and the fact that Mists, while generally recieved as a good expansion, still didn't "Fix" WoW's reputation after Cata had tarnished it.

  4. #4
    What if the rifts in the timeway is only a pre-expansion event.

    And that the content is not back in time, but a new dark place somewhere..
    Or perhaps the content could take place like in Outland in the past, when it was different.. from level 90 to 95
    And Northrend from level 95 to 100.. :P (Also past).

    Then you could like have these places "updated" and be quite different in term of being way in the past, before the plague in Northrend there was?
    I don't know.. Now I'm just rambling Nevermind!

  5. #5
    1 thing is for sure , its not gonna be anything with underwater zones. blizzard already saw the hate from cata . They are not going to do that again. People hated that zone soo much

  6. #6
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    I'd like to see an expasion like that IF and thats a big if.. done right, it could actually be fun imo

  7. #7
    Brewmaster Travio's Avatar
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    I've been tooting this horn a lot lately, but the Timeways are being set up for, at least, another revisit.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dawn of the Aspects
    But others did. Growing more visibly impatient than even Kalec felt, Chromie broke the silence. "If I may be permitted, there is a matter of concern. The timeways appear to be in flux! It may have to do with when the Dragon Soul was seized-"

    Nozdormu cut her off. "The timeways are no longer our concern! They are beyond my ability to control. From here on, the younger races and the younger races alone will deal with both them and whatever paths to the future they lead to."
    Alongside the Emerald Dream and rumours of the Nightmare stirring again (mentioned in the next paragraph after that), both are plotlines specifically mentioned by the dragons as pressing issues that, no doubt, will be left to the mortals to solve (meaning us).

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Xeroz View Post
    1 thing is for sure , its not gonna be anything with underwater zones. blizzard already saw the hate from cata . They are not going to do that again. People hated that zone soo much
    According to polls 50% liked them and 50% didn't. So stop talking for "people".
    Quote Originally Posted by kbarh View Post
    may i suggest you check out wowwiki or any similar site, it's Grom that orders the murder of Cairne

  9. #9
    The Undying Slowpoke is a Gamer's Avatar
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    Time travel carries too much risk to do it any time in the near future. It will only be doable once sub numbers stabalize. It's a risk on-par with Cataclysm, because you're massively shaking up the traditional MMO.

    If done wrong, it could be a disaster. It carries the potential to be awesome, but the risk to become little more than a desperate revival of dead lore characters and reliving of old content to attempt to bait back subs.
    FFXIV - Maduin (Dynamis DC)

  10. #10
    Brewmaster Travio's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slowpoke is a Gamer View Post
    Time travel carries too much risk to do it any time in the near future. It will only be doable once sub numbers stabalize. It's a risk on-par with Cataclysm, because you're massively shaking up the traditional MMO.

    If done wrong, it could be a disaster. It carries the potential to be awesome, but the risk to become little more than a desperate revival of dead lore characters and reliving of old content to attempt to bait back subs.
    You already do it, from an IC perspective, every time you step through the Dark Portal or go to Northrend. 1 to 60, you're hearing about how Deathwing rocked the world and tore it all up, then suddenly spending 20 levels dealing with threats that, from the character's perspective, don't exist anymore. And then back to hearing about how Deathwing rocked the world and tore it all up and hey, have you heard about this island that popped out of the Mists?

  11. #11
    The Undying Slowpoke is a Gamer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travio View Post
    You already do it, from an IC perspective, every time you step through the Dark Portal or go to Northrend. 1 to 60, you're hearing about how Deathwing rocked the world and tore it all up, then suddenly spending 20 levels dealing with threats that, from the character's perspective, don't exist anymore. And then back to hearing about how Deathwing rocked the world and tore it all up and hey, have you heard about this island that popped out of the Mists?
    Yes you do it from an IC perspective.

    But this is different.

    This is leveling to 91 in Warcraft 1 as a grunt in the Horde Army, then leveling to 93 in the War of the Ancients alongside Broxigar and Illidan, then at the cap having a raid where you escort Aegewynn to Sargeras.

    It risks being way too spread out, way too random, and without a coherent storyline. It risks being another Cataclysm.
    FFXIV - Maduin (Dynamis DC)

  12. #12
    Brewmaster Travio's Avatar
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    Cataclysm kind of had a coherent storyline - it's just each zone is a chapter of the greater whole. People see it less because the zones aren't directly connected, but it's more of a cliche "take care of each threat before you can face the final boss" RPG storyline.

    Hyjal - Deathwing has the allegiance of one of the Elemental Lords. Stop that Elemental Lord's invasion, thereby hindering Deathwing's plans.
    Vash'jir - This is the only zone that, really, doesn't fit into the overall plan because... well, it's not really related to Deathwing's plans (that I can think of).
    Deepholme - Deathwing screwed the place up when he escaped. It risks collapse, which would cause disaster. Fix it before Azeroth goes down with it.
    Uldum - Deathwing wants the Orgination Device. Keep it out of his hands.
    Twilight Highlands - Deal with Deathwing's mortal wing, the Twilight Cult.

    And the raids lead to taking care of each of these problems that're introduced.

    Blackwing Descent - kill Deathwing's song and probably most loyal lieutenant.
    Bastion of Twilight - cut off one of the heads of the Twilight Cult (little did we know another would grow back in its place), wrapping up the Twilight Highlands
    Throne of the Four Winds - take care of one of the Elemental Lords who sided with Deathwing, wrapping up Uldum
    Firelands - take of one of the Elemental Lords who sided with Deathwing, wrapping up Hyjal
    Dragon Soul - finally get to the big bad's citadel, break down the door, and kill him, wrapping up the expansion

    There's clearly a piece of the puzzle missing - wrapping up Vash'jir's story, which sucks that it got cut - and Deepholme really didn't need anything as we concluded all the problems there.

    All the zones were about dealing with part of Deathwing's attempts on the world. I actually think, on a whole, Cataclysm's zones built more towards the end goal of the expansion than most other expansion packs zones did. TBC's zones were more separated - one zone didn't really relate to the others in any way and there really wasn't a coherent storyline going on. Wrath's had a general progression towards the end goal, and did a fairly good job of a lot of zones building towards going after Arthas, but weren't focused on him as a goal so much, because of the other threats in Northrend (the Blue Dragonflight and Yogg-Saron) needing their time in the limelight as well. Mists was very, very good at introducing us to an idealized landscape for us to trounce all over and mess up, and was very narrowly confined in that the storylines were, for the most part, self contained, but linked at the same time in that we were exploring a new continent as the first ambassadors of our faction and trying to lay claim to the place (and unleashing the Sha in the process, which we decided to clean up).

    ... to shorten my rambling before I go on, there's less issues with Cataclysm's storyline coherency than people think in comparison to other expansions. It just wasn't a very good story, which is another problem entirely.

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