Surely Cataclysm can't be the be all and end all

**orcshaman24** · 2010-11-24, 03:05 AM

Its something to think about how blizzard intends to progress WOW after cataclysm has run its course.

In the past, Azeroth has been our home in the game, from 1-60, it was the introduction to the lore and unlike outland and northrend, Azeorth wasn't set on one linear idea. You went from one area of azeroth to another, and discovered things very different and never overlapping each other, from the scourge in plaguelands, to the twilight cultists in silithus, or the elves in ashenvale or darkshore, to the trecks across the barrens. However you looked at it, azeroth was what brought us into wow, and it wasn't set on that linear pattern.

With TBC and WOTLK, well these newer places were linear, and had you travel from the start to the end, these new places, outland and northrend, were set on a path to whatever the conclusion was, the black temple, the sunwell, icecrown citadel, and all the other places to travelled though was a path that lead to the end of it all.
But, with this, there was also still azeroth, our none linear home, when the story in azeroth Wasn't based on one subject matter, such as the wotlk was the lich king, tbc was the legion or illidan/kil'jaeden. When our adventures in these new places were over, we returned home, leaving those troubles behind us and waiting for a new goal.

With cata though, its something else, the place we called home is now that linear walk, like instead of azeroth being about all different things, it is now about one thing, Deathwing, and the world destruction. Instead of going to fight whatever evil would come, this has come to us, and changed the world from its none linear story to just another one.

As the course of events have always run, to give something that can allow the story to progress, wow has, like say, had us go and fight these big evils elsewhere, and return home after, and that way it allows us to go to the next chapter.

So the real question is, how are they intending to push the story forward after cataclysm, when azeroth itself is now just like another linear front like outland and northrend. Will they reinvent all the zones after cata? Will they move us onto another planet and leave azeroth as 'deathwings' expansion?

**Dion04** · 2010-11-24, 03:09 AM

Never thought of it that way but you bring up a good point. I haven't been paying attention enough to beta and leaks on purpose to try and enjoy the full glory of the next expansion so I am not sure how linear this one will be, but you are right on the BC and WotLK.

**orcshaman24** · 2010-11-24, 03:12 AM

Its an intresting thought when you consider. Unless something happens at the end of the expansion, the terms of the story (say into the next expan) where the world is being either repaired or completely collapses, azeroth will be just another linear zone like the other two.

And neither of those two places (outland & northrend) will be changed as of cataclysm, so it makes you wonder what they intend to do.

**Precursor** · 2010-11-24, 03:52 AM

Wasnt that cataclysms intention, to hit our home to make us fell unsafe? really our cities are our homes and the zones we know which have really only seen threats from alien threats are now dieing and being harmed.
As for after cataclysm i think we are going to end up going to places which see threats and harms like wotlk and BC but i think after progressing through the cataclysm expansions story its a wake up call to get us to save our home, so at the end i think to some degree we should fell like we have saved our world but other threats are there too so we have to get to them this time before they come at us like deathwing!

**orcshaman24** · 2010-11-24, 03:57 AM

This is the thing though as the linear aspect worked with tbc and wotlk. when we travelled though those zones from the start and beat the big evil in it, we then moved on from those zone. We left outland and northrend, as if we had taken care of trouble there, and all was well and good so we returned home.
With cata, this linear plot is going from where we begin our adventure, and the conclusion will be deathwing. but unless the zones change somehow in a later expansion, we would basicly still be living in the cataclysm expansion as a result.

Ok, you could leave zones like the 5 new ones in place representing that, but like say, unless the zones effected by the cataclyms and deathwing change in the future, either good or bad, it doesn't leave much for the progressive plotline.

**Grantsdale** · 2010-11-24, 04:01 AM

Next expansion is the Emerald Dream/Nightmare. They said so without saying so at BlizzCon by saying the next Old God is Ni'zoth and he corrupted the Dream and is the one 'paying Deathwing's bills'.

The Cata expansion includes the world changes, yes. But the expansion itself is actually the 80-85 content. The world changes were just something that had to be done sooner or later.

**Rifter** · 2010-11-24, 04:07 AM