World of Warcraft: Conclave

[Blayze]

Champion. Hero. Commander. You were once all of those things and more. Your name carried weight in courts worldwide, and your fame earned you as many allies as it did enemies. Now one of those enemies has found a way to hurt you that for once, you cannot fight against, no matter how hard you swing your sword arm or how expertly you craft your spell. Who it was, you do not know, but you woke up one morning bereft of everything you held dear.

The citizens of Dalaran no longer raise their mugs in greeting when they see you enter the Lounge. Your precious artefacts have vanished, their whereabouts a mystery and their recovery unlikely. You find yourself barred from entry to your own order's hall. Even Khadgar is distant; he acts as though the two of you are strangers, though he should certainly know you at sight by now. Nobody seems to remember who you are, what you've accomplished. They cheer a name you have never heard before, praise deeds that were once yours and yours alone... and more besides.

You turned to any source you could find in search of answers, but without fame or fortune, your concerns fell on deaf ears. With only a hunch to guide you based on past experiences, you travelled to Tanaris, only to be turned away from the Caverns by a blast of golden dragonbreath. Even your skills and training failed you; you made it past the guardians by sheer tenacity alone, only to trip and fall down a hole that wasn't there a moment ago and vanished just as fast.

You weren't sure when you passed out, but when you awoke you were not alone. There were others there with you--not dragon, but mortal, dressed like they had as little to their name as you did.

And that was when your story truly began...

A MYSTERY TO BE SOLVED

Your very identity has been stolen from you by an unknown agent, and with it you have lost both your past and your present. The enemies you've slain, the accolades you've received, the triumphs and losses you've earned and endured... none of those are yours now, instead belonging to someone you don't recognise. You suspect time travel was the key, but who and why? Your new allies might just help you uncover the truth behind the mysterious figure they call the Usurper, but first you have to survive in a world far harsher than you recall it being.

A CHALLENGE JUST TO LIVE

Without the equipment, skills and reputation you're used to relying on, survival on Azeroth will require allying yourself with those more powerful and influential than yourself and scavenging what petty advantages you can keep for yourself. Don't expect to complete a few quests and have people singing your praises, however; the Usurper hoards wealth and fame jealously, and can seemingly be everywhere at once to perform every task offered, no matter how trivial.

A CAUSE TO NOT DIE FOR

With the Usurper somehow doing everything that even smells like a quest, you'll have to do things you never would've dreamed of if you want to grow strong and prepared enough to take them down. Side with factions such as the Defias, Syndicate and Twilight's Hammer to hound your old allies and earn yourself the things you need to keep pushing forward and solve the mystery of just who the Usurper is and what they want.

A JOURNEY OF IDENTITY

Whatever your race, your story will be completely different and take you to different places, providing vastly increased replayability and keeping specific content fresh for longer. The lands and regions you've long been familiar with seem vastly different once you start experiencing them from the other side.

A FOE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

The Usurper will hound you throughout the story, providing a unique insight into just what it must feel like to be on an adventurer's kill-list. Subvert their acquisition of power and glory and be prepared to flee for the hills as they receive tasks to hunt down you and yours to end the threat you pose to peace and stability.

Thought I'd get in on the obviously fake expansion 'leak' action. I've wanted to see something like this for ages--an expansion that lets WoW get back to the things it did great before the concept of the 'raid tier' took over the entire game's design and turned it from a world to explore into a theme park with more instanced content than non-instanced.

The idea behind the Usurper is that they're representative of us (the players) doing all the content we can find to earn every achievement and max out every reputation. The titular Conclave (the group of people who found you in the Caverns of Time) are other playable character races; the Usurper stole their places in history along with your own, out of a desire to become the greatest champion and Mary Sue the Light has ever seen, the ultimate Chosen One of every prophecy they can get their sweaty little mitts on.

The gameplay is all about fleshing out the existing zones from another angle, and allowing factions that were left by the wayside (The Syndicate, etc) to have a lot more meaning now that players have to take every advantage they can get just to survive long enough to escape the Usurper and their devoted allies once they start the killing us 'adventurers' are known for. There's a heavy focus on solo and small-group world content, as well as level-scaled PvP with low-level players yet to reach Conclave content able to fight players doing Conclave content alongside the Usurper.

And, y'know, doing something for legacy players on retail without sucking the Nostalrius e-peen.

[Hitei]

Did this really need it's own thread? It's more of a vague plot than anything else. I mean you don't even describe what this actually entails beyond scaling PvP and group quests. Am I helping out the syndicate because I've now decided to be a scumbag thief and ambush people along a roadside?

[Camthur]

I would totally play an expansion based on an idea like that. (as long as the content was solid obviously) I have no problem being a hero and being THE guy, but I'd give it up for a while if the reason was entertaining enough.

[George Costanza]

This is actually more interesting than all other expansion leaks/speculation.

[Azalar]

That sounds like something coming out of Torment: Tides of Numenera, which I like.

[DelusionalBear]

Funny, I had somewhat similar idea not so long ago, but more along the lines of being trapped in some kind of 'mind palace' which shows you different reality, maybe even different time, like War of the Ancients, or something pre-Scourge. Something like that trope they use in TV shows about superheroes, when they place them in psychiatric wards and start telling that they have no superpower and its all in their head lol

Nobody knows who you really are, doesn't acknowledge as a hero and perhaps even expect you to behave certain way, then goes like WTF? when you start doing hero stuff.

But yeah, I like this one, kinda surprised me. Too bad Blizz would never do anything like this. I can imagine outcry on the forums about taking all their titles and shit, even for a time.