Patch 5.5 - The Skysunder

[Talzz]

"The Skysunder" sounds terrible too. Not just for how cheesy it sounds, but that such a name is describing an event, a major game and lore-changing event by the sounds of it and we don't even get those in major content patches.

So siege of orgrimmar isn't a major game and lore changing event?
Landfall wasn't major game and lore changing event? Landfall was an odd patch AND had a logo.

[Netherspark]

So siege of orgrimmar isn't a major game and lore changing event?
Landfall wasn't major game and lore changing event? Landfall was an odd patch AND had a logo.

No. They didn't do anything, they were just places to go. They aren't an event, which is what the name "Skysunder" describes.

[Talzz]

No. They didn't do anything, they were just places to go. They aren't an event, which is what the name "Skysunder" describes.

What.

I'm not sure if I'm understanding your logic. Can someone explain? Or am I that dumb?

[xinjun]

It doesn't make any sense to me for us to have an xpac based on the Burning Legion to (presumably?) defeat them for good while we still have home-grown evils under our feet to deal with. Unless N'Zoth is actually more powerful than Sargeras and will be the final boss of all WoW?

[Lazy Gecko]

What is it with this notion that creating a fake, blurry photograph of a computer screen somehow makes it appear more believable than just a direct screenshot.

[metzger84]

Looks legit, and if it isn't, hats down to the artist.

[angryplateguy]

Its more than just the title though. Not only does Ozamut fit the Naga/Azshara/N'Zoth themed expansion, it also continues the storyline we never finished in Cataclysm where Ozamut kidnapped Neptulon. Also, Ozamut's title is the ONLY reference to "The Dark Below" in World of Warcraft. Not to mention the very term "The Dark Below" fits with the ocean depths.

Additionally, Wrathion's prediction (the one Burning Legion fans hang upon) is supposedly not going to occur for at least another year or so. Giving this expansion plenty of time to run its course.

Your last sentence is simply hilarious. Was Cataclysm also a "Filler Xpac"? If not, then neither would this, because it completes a storyline that began during Cataclysm, and deals with two of the major villains in Warcraft.

Cataclysm was a filler expansion. We literally had RABID DOG THE WORLD ENDER as a saturday-morning cartoon villain. It felt like I was in STATIC SHOCK or something. Seriously, Wrath was the last decent expansion as far as hype goes. Who was ITCHIN to take down deathwing, or Garrosh? Like, I look at taking Garrosh down, like I would putting old yeller down after the dog went and got rabies and bit my aging mother, or something. I liked him before mop, then they wrote him into a corner of raping and pillaging.

Here though? The dark below, ozumat? One minor quest chain a TON of people never followed, because underwater questing SUCKED? Especially the part where you turn into a naga. Yeah all that gear you had, all that PLAYING YOUR CHARACTER, you were doing? Means squat, you're an ugly fish lady, slap shit with a broken trident. I really could go forever never having to see naga again. Maybe we'll get Alleria and Turalyon to help fight them, though since papa metzen fan-serviced them when mop launched.

- - - Updated - - -

No. They didn't do anything, they were just places to go. They aren't an event, which is what the name "Skysunder" describes.

LANDFALL isn't an event? Seriously buddy? Do you know what that term even means? That was 5.1, where Garrosh made LANDFALL on pandaria, and we got that whole krasarang wilds pvp daily hub. It was an event, and it had a logo.

Also, SIEGE of Orgrimmar, that's an event whether or not you want to admit it.

[Xilurm]

Cataclysm was a filler expansion. We literally had RABID DOG THE WORLD ENDER as a saturday-morning cartoon villain. It felt like I was in STATIC SHOCK or something. Seriously, Wrath was the last decent expansion as far as hype goes. Who was ITCHIN to take down deathwing, or Garrosh? Like, I look at taking Garrosh down, like I would putting old yeller down after the dog went and got rabies and bit my aging mother, or something. I liked him before mop, then they wrote him into a corner of raping and pillaging.

Here though? The dark below, ozumat? One minor quest chain a TON of people never followed, because underwater questing SUCKED? Especially the part where you turn into a naga. Yeah all that gear you had, all that PLAYING YOUR CHARACTER, you were doing? Means squat, you're an ugly fish lady, slap shit with a broken trident. I really could go forever never having to see naga again. Maybe we'll get Alleria and Turalyon to help fight them, though since papa metzen fan-serviced them when mop launched.

So by your logic WotLK was also a filler expansion. We didn't fight the Legion, we fought a rogue agent of the Legion, kinda like in TBC. This means that each expansion was actually a filler expansion.

[angryplateguy]

So by your logic WotLK was also a filler expansion. We didn't fight the Legion, we fought a rogue agent of the Legion, kinda like in TBC. This means that each expansion was actually a filler expansion.

No, we fought Arthas, who even though his plan wasn't quite the best and was in fact super Narakku-esque, it was a plan he came up with himself. We dealt with YOGGSARON not just his minions. We killed the lich king, in his own CITADEL. We didn't wait for him to take a walk and have him turn into sparkles.

Deathwing was minion, a GUARD DOG, he had no actual goal of his own. Garrosh I guess is more in line with Lich king, but he wasn't really built up as a bad guy before the expansion came out, they started to but it never really felt like he was a true bad guy. Cata really and truly was filler.

[Carlosdanger]

MoP has been a letdown for Activision with plummeting subscription numbers. Diablo 3 won't rake in cash to make up for it. Titan blew up in their face and had most of its staff yanked.

My guess? That staff was put to work on fast tracking the next WoW expansion and making sure it's not another bust like MoP. I expect the beta to start right after Blizzcon, 5.5 to be released shortly afterwards and the next expansion in stores before Christmas.

[Xilurm]

No, we fought Arthas, who even though his plan wasn't quite the best and was in fact super Narakku-esque, it was a plan he came up with himself. We dealt with YOGGSARON not just his minions. We killed the lich king, in his own CITADEL. We didn't wait for him to take a walk and have him turn into sparkles.

Deathwing was minion, a GUARD DOG, he had no actual goal of his own. Garrosh I guess is more in line with Lich king, but he wasn't really built up as a bad guy before the expansion came out, they started to but it never really felt like he was a true bad guy. Cata really and truly was filler.

Arthas offered absolutely nothing to the main plot of the game. Which is the Burning Legion and the Old Gods. Wrath offered a conclusion to Arthas's story. Nothing more than that.

Deathwing as you say was a minion of the Old Gods. By defeating him we are one step closser to the Old Gods. Kinda like if we kill Kil'jaeden we will be one step closser to defeating the Burning Legion and Sargeras.

However I don't think any of them are filler expansions. Each of the expansions has prepared us for the final goal.

[angryplateguy]

Arthas offered absolutely nothing to the main plot of the game. Which is the Burning Legion and the Old Gods. Wrath offered a conclusion to Arthas's story. Nothing more than that.

Deathwing as you say was a minion of the Old Gods. By defeating him we are one step closser to the Old Gods. Kinda like if we kill Kil'jaeden we will be one step closser to defeating the Burning Legion and Sargeras.

However I don't any of them are filler expansions. Each of the expansions has prepared us for the final goal.

But, we fought YOGG-SARON in wrath, which by your definition means we're one step closer to taking out the old gods. That literally means, main-quest complete, right? Deathwing was a simple minion, a guard-dog set loose by them. His defeat means nothing to them, they corrupt people willy-nilly left and right. He had no actual story, or what he HAD HAD meant nothing because he wasn't Neltharion anymore. He was just an old-god tentacle monster.

Defeating the lich king took out a major threat, much more major than Garrosh or any Y'shaarj after-taint. I mean, we could ignore pandaria forever and they'd have just sat there twiddling their thumbs for another what, 10k years? I guess we gained them as an ally, which is nice. We got wrathion as a major player from both expansions. I guess that alone is enough to write them off as "acceptable filler." Or even, "Approved by the author."

I just can't take a villain like deathwing seriously. He's like a literal suicide-bomber, but he's not going to get rewarded with anything. Just die, and kill everyone else for no reason. Arthas was at least going to live through the death and devastation.

[Carlosdanger]

you know, after the Skysunder we'll have the Dark Below all over Azeroth. Just saying...

[Deleted]

It's probably fake, but some of the reasons previously mentioned in this thread are completely ridiculous. IF it is legit – and it probably isn't – but if it is, the reason to why it's a picture from a phone is because the computer obviously didn't belong to him/her. This is how most leaks happen. Stop calling people stupid or naive, as your own arguments are completely unfounded as well.

The only valid argument here is that the patch itself is extremely unlikely to happen. There's not much else to go on.

Also, I don't see why someone just doesn't ask a Blizzard employee about it. I'd ask Ghostcrawler, but he's been dead quiet on twitter for more than 18 hours.

[Mawnix]

you know, after the Skysunder we'll have the Dark Below all over Azeroth. Just saying...

All Azeroth continents cave in and go underground.

Complete rehall of all zones.

The Dark Below aka Cataclysm 2.0 aka the Best Expansion EVAR!

[mistahwilshire]

We should all definitely bandwagon fake artwork because it's not a common trend for tons of fake stuff to come out when all the forums are at the height of new expansion speculation. Obviously Blizzard content leaks on Youtube all the time specifically when forums want more info on this sort of thing.

[Ragnarocket]

I don't see why people are thinking that the Burning Legion and the Azshara story lines HAVE to be separate things. Azshara was in cahoots with the Burning Legion when they entered Azeroth the first time...is it really that much of a stretch that she might once again be working with them?

Perhaps what happens is that in 5.5 the Burning Legion starts an invasion of Azeroth while Azshara simultaneously launches an attack from the seas. Once we beat that back, Azshara goes all "I'll summon reinforcements from the Well of Eternity! Nyuck nyuck nyuck!" And that leads us to the bottoms of the ocean where the shenanigans happen and we have to fight the Naga and the Burning Legion she's summoning.

[Carlosdanger]

viral marketing? with WoW in a slump they can't do enough to drum up interest

[mistahwilshire]

viral marketing? with WoW in a slump they can't do enough to drum up interest

Yes that's it. Random internet trolls have definitely never pushed out insanely fake looking stuff like this during speculation periods for every major game ever. Really, that's never happened. It's not an extremely common trend or anything.

[Wazooty]

I do have to wonder...why wouldn't the legion have a connection with the old gods?

I mean, sargeras abandoned the idea of order and actively works to undo the work of "order", the work of the titans. The titans fight against the forces of chaos (old gods). Isn't sargeras' end goal to let the old golds be free to wreak havok on the universe then?

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if there was an old god on the nathrezim homeworld that is the source of fel magic and ultimately responsible for sargeras' current state.

Fel magic is described as corrupted, evil magic. The same way old gods corrupt things.