World of Warcraft
EXPANSION 5
The Ultimate Speculation Thread
OVERVIEW
Now is the perfect time to start the speculation and information gathering on World of Warcraft's fifth expansion.
Whenever there is a rumour, a suspicious tweet, a bold statement or a breach of the NDA by an insider source, I will do my best to list it in this post. Join in and report everything you spot across the internet, and I will do my best to include it.
Furthermore, I will keep our current theory up to date at the end of this post.
Note - this thread is open to discussion of all kinds relating to the next expansion(s) of WoW. Try to stay on topic, but do feel free to post anything on your mind to do with the upcoming expansion.
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Black Temple Scenario [Added on 12th Oct 2012]
Like the post on MMO-Champion's front page suggests, there is a new scenario being implemented which takes us back to the Black Temple in Outland, famous lair of Illidan the demon hunter and various scumbags over the years. This further suggests that Blizzard is building up towards something, most likely involving the Burning Legion - or, though very unlikely at this point, a demon hunter class.
Live events:
Metzen at MoP Launch Q&A [Added on 26th Sep 2012]
At 2:11:11 he responds to my tweet about Turalyon and Alleria, and says 'Uh, what can I say out loud? In terms of what's coming next, you're gonna need their help.'
Other:
Wrathion MoP Quest [Added on 10th Oct 2012]
When you begin Wrathion's legendary quest line in Mists of Pandaria, he projects a vision of Azeroth being attacked by what looks like the falling infernals from Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. He proceeds to inform us that the Alliance and Horde must stand united, soon, if they are to survive this new threat. He also emphasises how Azeroth is a small beacon of light in the universe full of darkness, and that our fragile home is to be invaded, which is an indicator that the threat is external. The only real external threat we know of is Sargeras and his Burning Legion.
Blizzplanet speculates on dialogue about Sargeras [Added on 28th Oct 2012] [Credit to Melak for link]
Like Blizzplanet reports in a blog post, there is an NPC called Zoltan recently added in Felwood who has a few interesting things to say about Sargeras. Random cultists like these are not uncommon in Azeroth, all preaching about their masters and all the naughty things they would do. The fact that this guy was recently added in MoP may give him extra credibility, however. Excerpts below:
'Are you ready to accept the Master’s gift? Will you be blessed by his loving wrath, or consumed by it like all of the others?'
'Demons are the future of this world. The sooner you embrace that, the sooner you join the winning team.'
'Sargeras will live once more!'
'All of you must work to aid the great revival of our Master. Only through Him may we usher in eternal peace for all!'
CURRENT SITUATION
It's just after the release of Mists of Pandaria, and the rumour season has just begun. So far, our clues (as found above) seem to indicate that the next expansion will revolve around the Burning Legion, which sought to destroy Azeroth in Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos.
However, we are yet to deal with Queen Azshara and her naga, so it is too early to say whether the expansion will be all about the Legion. It could just as well be about the naga, building up towards a Legion expansion later on. Or it could be both.
LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN!