BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Ah you're right! I forgot about testing time for 8.3 PTR jeezus

Hmm, then it does seem like 8.3 won't hit until the new year. It's gonna carry the last raid of this expansion so for sure it'll be at least 2 months of testing. And that's not including when 8.3 PTR even goes live, which could take about 3-4 weeks from launch of 8.2.5.

Yeah, I take back what I said about 8.3 releasing this year. Still, from the rest of your post it sounds like there's going to be plenty to keep us busy without an Allied Race.

Especially if, the Anniversary raid is said to be LFR-able and they end up releasing 1 wing (3 bosses) per week. Give them 3-5 "extra weeks" to delay 8.3.

Yeah you're probably looking at January for 8.3. Reveal in October (I still don't believe that Blizz would go into Blizzcon without knowing who dies in BFA and who survives into 9.0) testing starts in November.

[DeicideUH]

Yeah you're probably looking at January for 8.3. Reveal in October (I still don't believe that Blizz would go into Blizzcon without knowing who dies in BFA and who survives into 9.0) testing starts in November.

Why not?
Blizzard does not like people datamining spoilers in PTR. It even made an effort to fight it in 8.2.5.

Leaving people in the dark until Blizzcon increases interest in the announcements and panels there.

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I think it's highly unlikely that a mage tower like scenario happens in BFA at all. Maybe in the next expansion though when class overhauls will supposedly happen.

Such type of content does not need to be linked to classes.

[Nagawithlegs]

Yeah you're probably looking at January for 8.3. Reveal in October (I still don't believe that Blizz would go into Blizzcon without knowing who dies in BFA and who survives into 9.0) testing starts in November.

Are we sure about that? Nazjatar from July till January sounds a bit excessive without a miniraid.

[KayRule]

Apologies if this is just a lot of repeated theories, I've been busy since 8.0 speculation wandering the lands of DMCAs Azeroth.

My speculation: Nyalotha and Plunder Isles in 8.3. And I think the Old God/N'zoth thread will pretty much be over and fade into the background with lingering implications, just like Bolvar and the Scourge.
Maybe they'll push Plunder Isle to 8.3.5 to give us something fun to cleanse our palettes from the horrors of war.

My prediction is 9.0 will have nothing to do with Shadowlands, Old Gods, Black Empire, etc.

I feel like there's a lot of small details pointing to the infamous archipelago, the Dragon Isles.

Random quest in Drustvar with the Red Dragon really reminded me of the shipwreck survivor quest in Azsuna in Legion. Then we have all the dragon focus and updates throughout the Essence system, which I think is interesting because the Essence system is a pretty recently developed band-aid made to fix the Heart of Azeroth system everyone despised, and wasn't really planned out from the beginning.

We've seen cash shop mounts be predicative of future expacs before, sometimes subtly, such as the Heart of the Aspects being the eastern dragon animation rig for the then in production Thunder Serpents, so a new dragon mount seems interesting when put in comparison to other little things mentioned above.

Then we had the Black Dragon Scale quest in the Island Expedition, with our first ever official mention of the Dragon Isles from the Blacktalon NPC. We already know Wrathion was up to something back in Legion with the Death of Chromie scenario, and then again the Blacktalon Watcher showing up in the Essence scenario with Ebonhorn and the several ones you can find in Nazjatar. And now the dragonman himself is showing up in 8.2.5.

And of course, the Void Dragon model.

Coming off of the 15th Anniversary and Classic and Reforged, I predict the Dragon Isles will be a concerted effort to return to the original mystique and "land of mystery" vibes the vanilla held, and will attempt to be evocative of that.


Of course, it can always just be coincidence, these are just my predictions

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Are we sure about that? Nazjatar from July till January sounds a bit excessive without a miniraid.

6 months, maybe edging toward 7, sounds honestly like the butter zone. Every tier should be about that long. Well that or Blizz make a 4th tier every expansion.

[Nagawithlegs]

My prediction is 9.0 will have nothing to do with Shadowlands, Old Gods, Black Empire, etc.

I feel like there's a lot of small details pointing to the infamous archipelago, the Dragon Isles.

Dragon Isles have always had to do with Old Gods though, from the very beginning.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Why not?
Blizzard does not like people datamining spoilers in PTR. It even made an effort to fight it in 8.2.5.

Leaving people in the dark until Blizzcon increases interest in the announcements and panels there.

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Such type of content does not need to be linked to classes.

Problem is it makes 8.3 irrelevant. Because either we're already talking 9.0, or we pivot about 5 minutes later ot talking about 9.0.

The only way they can do that and give 8.3 room to breathe is if they don't announce 9.0 at Blizzcon.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

8.3 will definitely drop in December-Janurary which spoils the ending of the expansion with the expansion announcement.

[KayRule]

Dragon Isles have always had to do with Old Gods though, from the very beginning.

In the Alpha, concept art depicted Old-God Themed temple where we were meant to fight Naga, yes, but there has never been any established lore or official transcription to what the islands are. They have not officially existed until mentioned by the Blacktalon Watcher.

You cannot expect the Dragon Isles to be beholden to concept from vanilla's development when locations such as the Broken Isles, which actually appeared in previous games are not. Ulduar was a gigantic continent south of Kalimdor in this same period of development and showed up quite different when it finally made it's appearance in Wrath.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

In the Alpha, concept art depicted Old-God Themed temple

Funny enough they reused that concept art for BfA in Stormsong Valley.

[Hitei]

Problem is it makes 8.3 irrelevant. Because either we're already talking 9.0, or we pivot about 5 minutes later ot talking about 9.0.

The only way they can do that and give 8.3 room to breathe is if they don't announce 9.0 at Blizzcon.

They will announce 9.0 at Blizzcon. It will not be the first time an expansion has been announced before the last content patch.

[Nagawithlegs]

They will announce 9.0 at Blizzcon. It will not be the first time an expansion has been announced before the last content patch.

I vaguely remember something like that happening recently.

[KayRule]

Maybe the Blizzcon rewards will offer a clue.

[Varolyn]

I think that 8.3 will be big in terms of systems and how it will pave the way for 9.0, but I don't expect another large landmass to come from it. Maybe something Timless isle size at best. Blizz has not made two large zones in the same expansion post launch.

[Nagawithlegs]

I think that 8.3 will be big in terms of systems and how it will pave the way for 9.0, but I don't expect another large landmass to come from it. Maybe something Timless isle size at best. Blizz has not made two large zones in the same expansion post launch.

I honestly think Plunder Isle as a filler/fun-only zone may be it along with a faction war themed raid. It will piss people off that its not Nyalotha or Dragon Isles, but those likely will be shown at Blizzcon as something to do with 9.0, which may temper expectations.

[MikeBogina]

this Ad right here got me so hype for WoW when I first played it. I thought that I could be a Demon Hunter and you could come across dragons in the wild. Also that one of the Dwarf riding the griffon, thought we'd be able to fly aswell :/

[Nyel]

Are we sure about that? Nazjatar from July till January sounds a bit excessive without a miniraid.

Not really, half a year is the usual lasting time of a mid expansion tier.

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I think that 8.3 will be big in terms of systems and how it will pave the way for 9.0, but I don't expect another large landmass to come from it. Maybe something Timless isle size at best. Blizz has not made two large zones in the same expansion post launch.

The Silithus leak makes sense in this case. Not necessarily the leak itself but that the final stage of the battle happens in Silithus. They could rework the zone a bit more and reuse many raid assets (AQ in HD, Heart Chamber, Titan vaults etc) and make it 8.3. End it where it began.

[Dracullus]

Oh . . . I mean it's possible the Blizzcon rewards are encrypted in 8.2.5! I mean, 8.3 might not land in time for Blizzcon after all.

If 8.3 is scheduled for December, PTR must be up in October. But 8.2.5 is almost 100% after Brewfest (they put Brewfest changes in 8.2), so it most likely launch mid October. In this case 8.3 is January-February.

And it's kinda my dream - 8.3 early 2020 and expansion launch in November. I hate that Legion, Bfa and now Classic start late Summer. WoD launch date was perfect (if only launch wasn't so broken...).

Who knows we may even could see 8.3 revealed alongside 9.0, but stream in October is more likely. It would shift interest from Classic to retail and increase hype for Blizzcon.

Btw, I don't remember that Blizzcon '17 mount were datamined in 7.3.2 PTR at all if I remember correctly.

[Marlamin]

Btw, I don't remember that Blizzcon '17 mount were datamined in 7.3.2 PTR at all if I remember correctly.

Those were added in 7.3.0 but were encrypted up to BlizzCon.

[benting]

If 8.3 is scheduled for December, PTR must be up in October. But 8.2.5 is almost 100% after Brewfest (they put Brewfest changes in 8.2), so it most likely launch mid October. In this case 8.3 is January-February.

And it's kinda my dream - 8.3 early 2020 and expansion launch in November. I hate that Legion, Bfa and now Classic start late Summer. WoD launch date was perfect (if only launch wasn't so broken...).

Who knows we may even could see 8.3 revealed alongside 9.0, but stream in October is more likely. It would shift interest from Classic to retail and increase hype for Blizzcon.

Btw, I don't remember that Blizzcon '17 mount were datamined in 7.3.2 PTR at all if I remember correctly.

Why is a later launch better for 9.0?