BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Drekmar]

How are you not excited for that sweet purple recolor of the hearthstone card back?

Not interested into any of the rewards other than wow's.

[Hitei]

BlizzCon key art should be appearing sometime soon, predictions?

As much as I'd like to see Xal'atath, it's chiefly there to represent world of warcraft and so tends to be a main character and immediately recognizable, I don't think it will be Sylvanas or Anduin, who largely represent the faction conflict which is ending. It's usually someone ambiguous which makes me doubt we'll get Bolvar if it's a shadowlands/northrend 2.0 expansion.

My guess is they go with whoever is going to be big on the player's side, as a friendly NPC/guide in the next expansion. So like Alleria if it's a void expansion, Magni if it's Black Empire thing, or Bwonsamdi if it's death related and he's involved. Leaning towards Bwonsamdi, just because he is the one who'd easily look great on key art and death seems imminent. Wrathion is a distant possibility, but I doubt it, just because that'd basically be revealing the expansion before announcement.

[bleak19]

Not interested into any of the rewards other than wow's.

How are you not excited for that sweet gray recolor of that existing pet from WoD?

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I don't think it will be Sylvanas

Going with the BfA-is-MoP-again theme, that would mean that since Garrosh was key art for WoD, Sylvanas is key art for XXX.

Note: he was.

[FlubberPuddy]

BlizzCon key art should be appearing sometime soon, predictions?

Honestly was gonna joke BOLVAR, but Hitei makes a good point about it being a character that'll most likely be on the character's side.

Although I do think my 2nd choice would go to Wrathion. Just because we understand he's had some growth but idk, I still think Wrathion's help will continue to end up being in some unexpected ways.

For instance we learn from his journals that he's been exploring and learning etc and he'll be there for the "true Battle of Azeroth" which means he honestly doesn't care about the factions being at each other throats (like its the usual - which technically it is, but even characters like Kadgar are 'y'all dumb af to fight each other right now' and doing who knows what).

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Not interested into any of the rewards other than wow's.

Just hoping it's better than toy flags. They probably did that because last time they included the Classic Demo with the VT. This time they don't gotta worry about that so hopefully the VT WoW reward is super cool!

It may not matter, but I'm hoping it's especially cool because of 15th anniversary being this year (should be like a commemorative Murloc or something imo).

[Hitei]

Going with the BfA-is-MoP-again theme, that would mean that since Garrosh was key art for WoD, Sylvanas is key art for XXX.

Note: he was.

He was key art for WoD because he was a central figure of MoP where he represented a return to the Orcish Horde's fundamental values of war and conquest, and the expansion being announced was an expansion about the Orcish Horde and their fundamental values of war and conquest.

Sylvanas represents the malicious nature of the Horde in the Horde vs Alliance conflict. Everything we have seen and been told indicated that the Horde vs Alliance conflict is a feature of this expansion that is also going to see a fairly permanent resolution soon. So it makes no sense for her to be the key art for an expansion that has nothing to do with what she represents.

[AngerFork]

BlizzCon key art should be appearing sometime soon, predictions?

My guess is Wrathion. As I suspect that next expansion will have something to do with the dragon flights and the Dragon Isles (perhaps mixed in with some Black Empire), Wrathion is IMO probably the strongest character Blizz could choose for their key art if 9.0 has anything to do with dragons.

- Faction Neutral
- Constant plot driver whenever he shows up
- Recently updated model & look
- Clothing that doesn't play a ton off of fan service, so safer for advertising all over
- Seems to be both hero & villain, so his appearance doesn't necessarily tell everything

If not him, then the art figure changes pending where we're going. An Old God expansion might speak to perhaps a Titan figure like Aman'thul, or perhaps Xalatath in Void Elf form if the Titans aren't really involved. A Void Expansion might be an Ethereal. If we're bringing in Elune, than it has to be Tyrande for the key art. Light vs. Void could have a few interesting light figures, like Yrel or Turalyon.

[KayRule]

BlizzCon key art should be appearing sometime soon, predictions?

Wrathion and the N'zoth fish

[DeicideUH]

Blizzcon art, I'd say it will be Wrathion if we go Dragon Isles, Alleria if we go Void, or either Tyrande or Baine if we go world revamp.

[Drekmar]

How are you not excited for that sweet gray recolor of that existing pet from WoD?

Which VT had recolor of a WoD pet?

[Nathanyel]

Just hoping it's better than toy flags. They probably did that because last time they included the Classic Demo with the VT. This time they don't gotta worry about that so hopefully the VT WoW reward is super cool!

It could include a level 60 boost for Classic!

I jest, I jest

Which VT had recolor of a WoD pet?

They're likely referencing the Alabaster mounts from the Anniversary Box/Store.
I don't like the mounts per se, but if you think those are simply untextured grey models, think again.

[Hellspawn]

Blizzcon art, I'd say it will be Wrathion if we go Dragon Isles, Alleria if we go Void, or either Tyrande or Baine if we go world revamp.

Revamp... Dragon Isle as endgame zone... Shadowlands as patch content.

[Talrath]

I wish they hadn't pissed away Fandral; a war hawk druid sounds pretty fucking boss, especially since he didn't give a fuck who we were.

He was actually the only guy in the alliance i liked. Malfurion always seemed too big of a coward, tyrande couldnt lead.

Fandral quotes were quite nice:

-Speak quickly, young one. I have urgent matters to attend.
-Tyrande has no idea how to lead our people.
-I have vision that she lacks

He was definitely not a coward and was a great general. A pity that blizzard suddenly made him a old god puppet.

[huth]

He was actually the only guy in the alliance i liked. Malfurion always seemed too big of a coward, tyrande couldnt lead.

Fandral quotes were quite nice:

-Speak quickly, young one. I have urgent matters to attend.
-Tyrande has no idea how to lead our people.
-I have vision that she lacks

He was definitely not a coward and was a great general. A pity that blizzard suddenly made him a old god puppet.

The guy who had been involved in shady deals pretty much since day one? Who sounds like a self-absorbed narcissist? Yeah, how dare they.

[Drekmar]

They're likely referencing the Alabaster mounts from the Anniversary Box/Store.
I don't like the mounts per se, but if you think those are simply untextured grey models, think again.

So it's neither VT thing, nor a pet.

[DeicideUH]

Virtual Ticket will include early access to Vulpera/Mechagnomes, which will be in 8.2.5 files yet to be revealed. If you pay the ticket, you can create them as soon as the patch is out. If not, they'll be available during the anniversary event.

Or high elves.

I jest, of course.

[Atticon]

I really want to see where the Calia stuff is going. Mostly I just want to know if I'll be playing Horde or Alliance when the inevitable undead paladins drop. All signs so far are pointing towards Alliance but then if they're just going to remove the faction divide it won't even matter.

[Yelmurc]

My guess is Dragon Isles as 8.3 with a new Warfronts and maybe a raid focused on the war. Dragon isles will have a dungeon setting p shadow lands for 9.0. 10.0 will have a time skip and world revamp. Look for more art to be used in world revamp, like BE building and dwarf stuff.

[Hellspawn]

Not sure if someone created this already...

[Nathanyel]

So it's neither VT thing, nor a pet.

Whiners don't care about context *shrug*

[Talrath]

The guy who had been involved in shady deals pretty much since day one? Who sounds like a self-absorbed narcissist? Yeah, how dare they.

Like i said old god puppet, they could have done a small retcon that instead him being the guy responsible for all the emerald dream things, that he was not helping malfurion either. That he didnt cared about malfurion but did care about night elfs. Try to look at him then. If they retconned the old god puppet he would have been a great character in the alliance, always going against the humans until varian came along and in bfa he could go against anduin.

I really dont know why people hate him that much, he is a really great character if you disregard the old god puppet thingy.