Your Ideal Expansion Length

[Deleted]

Two years is perfect if the content is spaced out better
An october/november release (with Blizzcon right between pre-expansion patch and expansion release) would let people enjoy summer with the last tier of raiding almost done
1 expansion a year it's too much imho, 1 and half a year means a pre-summer release every other expansion...

[Dispersedshadow]

I don't feel like this would be the way they will ever handle things. So far, the first tier has been an introduction, so to say, to what we are going to face throughout the expansion - Naxxramas in Wotlk, Bastion of Twilight, Heart of Fear and Terrace with the whole sha theme that would corrupt Garrosh in the end. The second tier normally expanded on the lore/story behind the new continent/area - Ulduar for WotLK allowing us to see the epic Titan City and also a location of great interest for lore fans, Firelands - building on Ragnaros - a servant of the old gods, which relates to Deathwing, Throne of Thunder - further telling the story of the mogu and their empire thousands of years ago. The final tier would normally be the 'epic' conclusion to the expansion which culminates in us defeating the main antagonist of each expansion, which as of late is being received badly due to their long duration.

Is there anything that prevents them from telling that same type of story as three 1 act expansions, rather than one 3 act expansion?

[Deleted]

Would you pay for a new expansion each time a raid tier is to be released ? I certainly wouldn't.

[AbalDarkwind]

18 months with a MoP style patch cycle.

Release: Expansion + Raid Tier
Month 3: Small Content Patch (New zone and/or new dungeons and scenarios)
Month 6: Raid Tier 2
Month 9: Small Content Patch
Month 12: Raid Tier 3
Month 18: Next Expansion

I wouldn't mind a final Small Content Patch at Month 15, but that'd just be icing on the cake.

[Geckoo]

Truth is that any number is good as long as they have a good content release plan.
In my opinion raid tiers should never last longer than 6 months and never less than 4 months.
In my opinion the game should always have some kind of release at least every 3 months, even better if it's every 2 months.

So no matter how long a expansion lasts for me if have this:
- A new raid tier with 10+ bosses an good lore every 6 months.
- A new patch with features and other stuff, perfect place to fit dungeons, every 3 months.

But, just for the sake of keeping my answer within the poll options... 18 months would be perfect for me to transition to a whole different lore, mood, big novelties and even heavy system changes.

[Dispersedshadow]

Would you pay for a new expansion each time a raid tier is to be released ? I certainly wouldn't.

You wouldn't — or you wouldn't at the current price point? And if it's the latter, how much would you pay?

[owbu]

6 Month per raid tier seems to be about right. Little longer if its a bigger one

I also kinda like the lull time at the end of an expansion to get to some of the stuff you couldnt get to during the content was fresh (bg achievements, pets etc) or just play some other game for a while, so that you can come back to the new expansion without being all wow drained. Maybe 10 month instead of 14 would be better though

[Sildor]

I don't really mind the expansion length as long as we get content to support it.
About 18 months is fine if you assume a similar patch cycle to MoP, but if Blizz had thrown in another little raid and some outdoor stuff the 25 months would have been fine.

[Nize]

Tier 1 - 7-8 months Tier 2- 6 months Tier 3 - 7-8 months

First tier also includes a lot of content hence the extra months. Second tier is usually just a transitional point. There's the tier but not much else. Third is final tier, you want this one to simmer and be longer, also a good catch-up period for stuff you missed in earlier tiers. Thats' about a year and half to 2 years of entertainment.

Of course there should be other minor content in between the tiers.

[Krommm]

9 months to a year at most. Keeps the game fresh. People saying the game is too short within a year take way too many breaks and must love sitting in tiers for more than 5+ months at a time.

Ideally:
X-Pac Launch - 1st Raid Tier/General Expansion Content
3 Months - 2nd Raid Tier/Content Patch
6 Months - Final Raid Tier/Content Patch
8 Months - Pre-expansion Patch with class changes etc.
9 Months - Next expansion launch rinse and repeat

Not going to happen, but this is a thread about ideal expansion length. If you start right away anything more than 4 months gets extremely stale in a raid tier. I almost always show up for farm, but gladly let others take my spot if the possibility is there after content is cleared and it's been around 3 months +.

[Tziva]

I don't really have a preference on expansion length as long as it's not obscenely long. I have a preference on tier length. I would like a new tier every six months or so. Whether there are two tiers in an expansion or five, I don't even care.

[MetroStratics]

Doesn't matter to me in the slightest, as long as we aren't doing the same raid for a full year.
SoO is one of my favorites, but it being this long isn't healthy for the raiding populace.

[tobiashunter]

My personal opinion would be between 18 and 24 months. As someone mentioned earlier, the first tier needs to be longer to account for leveling/initial gearing. After that, Raid tiers should be 5-7 months in between (depending on # of bosses). Dungeon/Quest/Scenario content patches can have a much shorter duration and should NOT affect the release schedule of raid tiers. They should be independent of one another.

[Solarnova]

One expansion every 12-18 months is fine. It keeps the game moving and it keeps the game fresh. Content patches in between expansions need to be more frequent. One year of Siege of Orgrimmar is pretty stale.

[Kelimbror]

People saying the game is too short within a year take way too many breaks and must love sitting in tiers for more than 5+ months at a time.

Why do they have to care about raiding at all? Perhaps it's other content they enjoy. But *gasp* people are different than you? That's crazy. You should make overt generalizations about them. I can do it too...they likely have jobs and don't spend all day with a bucket playing Wow. They probably value their money and don't wish to spend 60-100 a year on boxes plus a subscription fee. These people likely have lots of common sense and fiscal responsibility. Shame on them.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

18-24 months.

An expansion needs at least 3 tiers to not feel like it's rushed through and inconsequential money grabbing.