This might be a longer post and in 1-2 years, I will refer to this post and I will say "Called it!".
I will first tell you some facts about the current state of the game, the past and what will happen in the future with WoW by refering to other games.
Fell free to post your opinion on my prediction and your point of view. I'm sorry, if the layout is a little bit chaotic.
Current State:
If you look in your inventory. What do you see? You see orange. ORANGE everywhere. I currently have 10 legendaries and after Blizzards addition of new legendaries in further patches and after getting offspec legendaries, I will end up having ALL legendaries for all specs (at some day). I'm pretty sure, everybody will. You will end up having ~30 legendaries. Ok, maybe not exactly 30, maybe 20 or 15, depending on the amout of time/luck, but certainly, you will have simply too many.
You can only use 2 out of your 30 legendaries. They fill up an entire Bag in your inventory. Imagine being into the next expansion, you will have 30 legendaries you want to keep simply for nostaliga. LUL DESIGN
Imagine you have 15 legendaries now and there is a new patch. You have to upgrade 15 legendaries. Imo, this is a pretty stupid grind which is also very repetitive and kinda unnecessary. LUL DESIGN
Than there is the "Let us use more than 2 legendaries at one time!"-wish. Well currently this is not possible, because of how legendaries work. (They are simply too strong and you can prohibit the core function of the game: Improving your character). Simply find the legendary. Done.
Prediction:
I personally think, the whole legendary system is pretty much bad thought out. The whole balancing, the Drop-RNG, the amout of legendaries you actually have. The problem with the bag space, the limitation to two legendaries, the BiS or worst- thing, the storing problem after legion, the "stupid" ilvl upgrade after every major patch. It's not fun. Its cancer.
This kinda works for the current state of the game, but what will happen in the next expansion. Do you honestly believe, Blizzard will send 10 Game Directors to the Blizzcon stage and they will tell you "Yea, you will be able to find legendaries again. As in Legion. Same System. Same amount of ledgys. Same Rng. Same Balancing-Problems." NO, THEY WON'T. Legendaries are boon and bane at the same time. Everybody loves them, but you hate getting the wrong one. You allow people to get 30 legendaries and they still complain? You did something wrong.
So there has to be a different way for the futue and after considering some other aspects (I tell you!), there can only be one way.
Other aspects:
1. We have artefacts. The first thing about artefacts is, that it was THE BAIT for legion. Have you every imagined, that you will get artefacts at all? That you will wear Ashbringers? That EVERYBODY will wear Ashbringers? That you will get it after 2 Minute playing? I bet not. But now thats common. That's important to realize, because thats the way of blizzards thinking and you have to expect this in the future to happen again.
2. Now, Artefacts will be gone after Legion and with it, the entire AP grinding and everything tied to it, mostly important the reward system of worldquests, PVE loot, PVP loot, Missions and anything else. If you don't know what to reward, you will get AP. But after legion? What do you get for doing Worldquests? Or PvE or PVP? Blizzard already said, they love the "AP system" and they try to find a way to keep it and they NEED IT. (I will refer to that). We need a reason to do something.
3. Another aspect I want to state here: Titanforge. Titanforge is kinda nice, but at the same time, it makes you feel salty. You hope to get your setitem procced to 920, but instead you get the LFR non-set cloak procced to 925. Go LFR Guldan and see the trinkets proccing to 900. You don't think thats happening? XD.
I myself, looted LFR guldan trinkets on Mythic Guldan level. This has to be gone in the future, OR limited to be not that crazy. LUL DESIGN
4. WoW is heavily influcend by D3 in the Expansion. Which is not that bad, because imo it works. In WoD, WoW was kinda influenced by the "Browser Game Type", which was way worse. But you have to expect, that the next expansion will be influenced by something, that is currently popular. Check Heroes of the Storm i.e. and you will see whats popular: Skins. (Oh, we already have Artefact skins and Wardrobe and Ensambles!!!). You can expect that, to be continued as a type of rewarding. BY A LOT.
Short Conclusion:
- Legendary system has to be reworked
- Artefact Reward System has to be replaced with a similar thing
- A new Bait has to be created.
How can this Bait look like?
We already have artefacts. We already have 30 legendaries. We pretty much have everything, expect: Full legendary Equipment. And this is what we will get in the next Expansion and I will tell you how it works. There is no other way. Blizzard would never take a step back.
You will be able to wear every single slotpiece with legendaries. But that doesn't mean you would use all your Legion legendaries at the same time. No. Different. Since the system will be reworked, you will have gear, which works the same as your current artefact weapon, but in a very slight version.
Example:
You go to a Vendor and buy your starting gear. This will be completly blue and lets say itemlevel 1000 in the next Expansion (Same as orderhallset). Now you start to progress on all this gear (one, by one) and you will increase its itemlevel to 1050 for example. After you reached itemlevel 1100 on one piece, i.e. the helmet, the helmet will turn into an epic helmet and this will allow the helmet to have another benefit. For example a socket. This will continue until itemlevel 1200. After 1200, your helmet will become legendary and will have a legendary effect. Let's say "You have blink as a Paladin" (ONLY EXAMPLE). This will work for every gear piece, and the leveling of every piece one by one, will allow you to choose which legendary you want. NO MORE RNG! The Itemlevel will be capped at 1300 i.e. and increased after futher patches.
So, you start leveling your helmet. It's getting legendary. Thx. Now you level your Pants. Legendary now. Thx. Now you have 2 legendary effects active. Now, you can level your third gear, make it legendary and get an legendary effect, but this effect will be inactive. You will only have 2 legendary effects active at one time. Same as in legion.
Leveling a gear-piece will be the same as leveling your artefact. You will loot some sort of Power-Token which you can use to upgrade your helmet by 0.1 ilvl for example. This tokens can be easily capped per week if needed. (Same gating mechanic as Artefact knowledge, just another way of implementation, so you won't be full legendary after 2mins)
You can easily create a mechanic: Power-Token from normal instances allows upgrading until 1050. Power-Token from Mythic+ 10 Bosses allow upgrading until 1150. Mythic+15 Bosses or Mythic Bosses allow upgrading until the limit. (Or something similar, else its MAW2018 again)
This will allow Blizzard to make a reward type, same as Artefact Power and they can place it everywhere they want to. Problem solved. They can create a "huge" bait to call it out on stage at blizzcond. Problem solved. They allow people to go the way they want to, no more RNG. Problem solved.
OH, and ofcourse they implement reforging again. Because everybody loves it and because BiS-Stats are cancer.
What about Sets?
Easy. Every Legendary Item will have a socket room for a rune. Sets will now be "runes" which are dropped by bosses, similar as tokens. Combine 4 runes to get a set-bonus. EASY. Hi, Diablo 2. So, a rune for the Helmet, Shoulder, Cloak, Chest, Gloves, Pants. Basically.
SO THERE WON'T BE ANY LOOT DROPS ANYMORE WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. My Mage has ~820 Chaoscrystals. Here are your lootdrops. Getting loot drops are funny and a core mechanic of the game, but because of the current state, there is no way around. Greens are already useless. Blues are useless. Epics are useless unless, they have BiS Stats, socket and warforged 500 levels. Oh, and they don't have to collide with Setslots or Bis legendary slots. LUUL
To be honest, the lootsystem has to change completly. And at this point, I want to cite me again and want to tell you what will replace that loot problem: Tokens, Tokens, Tokens. Oh, and Skins. Maybe Banners, Sprays, Toys, all that mainstream sh*t). Overall this is way better for us, but at the same time, it feels awkward and unbelievable. Just as unbelievable as getting ashbringers.
Some more facts to defend my post:
- You can't make a new expansion and remove artefacts and only allow us having or getting 2 legendaries and the other gear is epic.
- There are only two ways: Make Epics super rare again or go to the other extreme. Blizzard is cleary going the other extreme. ORANGE.
- It doesn't matter if I want this change to happen, but it's unavoidable.
- All Legendaries will become heirlooms without effects after the current expansion.
- Just read my post again and I think I have explained everything as good as I probably can.
- If you don't share my opinion, try to elaborate.
PS: MFW if this will actually be true, blizzard, send me a PM, wont tell.