8.3 soon™

[bloodwulf]

This is a totally new situation. You dont know how this expansion will be ended and you are also ready to know what happen next. So in the very moment Blizzard will show the next expansion, no one cares about 8.3...

K, considering that 9.0 will be like 9 months away at Blizzcon minimum, plenty of people will care about 8.3. Also there is no real argument to say they can't do a big patch content and announce the expack at the same. Do you think the same team works on live content versus future content? We can have a raid (likely a smaller 5-6 boss raid due to anniversary raid at the same time) and an expansion announcement. Announcing MOP did not ruin the enthusiasm for Dragonsoul, the duration of dragonsoul did. I think you fundamentally don't understand the playerbase if you think people will ignore 8.3 if 9.0 is announced....like what the hell are they going to do until it releases???

Timeline, 8.3 and 9.0 announced at Blizzcon to make a big WOW presentation. 8.3 live by January, 9.0 live by July, expansion Aug/Sept.

- - - Updated - - -

IMO 8.3 PTR will be up before Blizzcon but heavily encrypted with most content hidden. After they reveal the next expansion they will obviously talk about what is in 8.3 and give us the release date and access to the hidden content on the PTR. Its what id do.

Still, if the shadowlands leak is real, expect 8.3 to have the much vaunted siege of stormwind. The fact that 8.3 is already up and encrypted to me pretty much confirms the leak

While i have mixed feelings on the Shadowlands leak, the fact that they proved they can encrypt stuff and it not get spoiled prior to launch definitely tells me 8.3 is going to have a lot of major bridges to the expansion. Regardless of which expansion we get, 8.3 is going to push us to it.

[Darknessvamp]

I literally just showed you that both Cata and MoP were announced before their conclusions.

Ah you're right, I wasn't aware of that as I stopped playing in TBC and started again in MoP so I just assumed it had been done the same as the last three expansions. Sorry about that.

You realize, MOP was announced (Oct '11) BEFORE Dragonsoul went live (Nov '11). So the Cata story was far from finished when the next expansion was announced. So there is not necessarily a precedent as to what you say.

Yes I wasn't aware of that or what the trailers @Hitei posted before meant as they're listed on Youtube as coming after the end patch content for Wrath and Cata was announced alongside the Expansion. I was mostly basing it on the last three expansions transitions which I had been playing for rather than the five year gap I wasn't.

[kaid]

It won't be weird, if anything I can bet they will release 8.3 to PTR before Blizzcon. They WANT new expansion to overshadow 8.3, because new WoW expansion is a star of the show, not some patch of controversial old expansion.

Of course they will hype up 8.3 too, after all it's the long awaited chief tentacleboi getting blasted, but expansion will be the big one they will focus on.


Heck, they need this expansion to carry this Blizzcon. Starcraft is dead, another HS expansion is snoreee and the only other exciting thing they can reveal is D4 and it's like 50/50 chance.

I would also expect 8.3 to be pretty well established on PTR before blizzcon. At this point they probably are going to want at least a fair bit of 8.3 info out so they can talk more about an expansion at blizzcon. Be hard to talk about an expansion before knowing what is in the final patch of the current expansion.

[unbound]

Only the haters imho was thinking that.

In fairness, I do think many were legitimately questioning whether BfA would go the way of WoD and skip 8.3. Keep in mind that the patch cycle for this expansion is more than 3 months behind where it should be (compared to Legion), so it isn't unreasonable of them to question.

[Lochton]

Clearly the story is continuing after BFA, so why wouldn't there be an expansion announcement at BlizzCon? If they aren't announcing it at BlizzCon, when would they conceivably announce it?

I would say GamesCon but they've said 'no thanks' to that the past 2-3 years? And they don't announce much at Pax. We know 8.3 is coming, so we will most likely see a cinematic starting the new 'campaign' at BlizzCon. If they don't reveal the Expansion then, then I don't believe we'll have one for another 1½-2 years.

[Nyel]

It will be funny to see justifications when next pre-order will sell 3.X millions again. For BfA it was "it's all because Allied Races!" or "it's reaction after Legion" (nvm same people tell us for two years how Legion is garbage) and priceless "lolwutomegalul BfA has only 3 million subs".

Expansions will always have big initial sales. The decline afterwards is the interesting thing and for BfA it's been way worse than for any expansion before, even WoD subs weren't plummeting as much. So yes, the next expansion will sell like hot cakes before release / during release week/month, no doubt about that. What Legion achieved was to keep players subbed for quite a long time. That's what they should aim for with 9.0.

[Ealyssa]

"I'm so hyped about whatever I am fed next even if it's shit"

Capitalism at it's best.

"My life is so pathetic I feel the urge to be on the internet and tell everyone I hate what they like. It doesn't makes me feel better tho"

I'm really sorry for you.

[Dracullus]

While i have mixed feelings on the Shadowlands leak, the fact that they proved they can encrypt stuff and it not get spoiled prior to launch definitely tells me 8.3 is going to have a lot of major bridges to the expansion. Regardless of which expansion we get, 8.3 is going to push us to it.

Where do you get idea that 8.3 PTR will be encrypted? They manage to hide 8.2.5 story, but it was like 2 quests and cinematics are always encrypted anyway. Any noticeable piece of content need to be tested.

[pewpmeiser]

"I'm so hyped about whatever I am fed next even if it's shit"

Capitalism at it's best.

Not everyone is a member of the cesspool that is the vocal minority on these forums. Some people still love the game, always have, and always will. It could just be possible that the story isn't garbage, the game is still fun, and the potential to where we are heading is genuinely exciting for some people.

[Tartys]

K, considering that 9.0 will be like 9 months away at Blizzcon minimum, plenty of people will care about 8.3. Also there is no real argument to say they can't do a big patch content and announce the expack at the same. Do you think the same team works on live content versus future content? We can have a raid (likely a smaller 5-6 boss raid due to anniversary raid at the same time) and an expansion announcement. Announcing MOP did not ruin the enthusiasm for Dragonsoul, the duration of dragonsoul did. I think you fundamentally don't understand the playerbase if you think people will ignore 8.3 if 9.0 is announced....like what the hell are they going to do until it releases???

Timeline, 8.3 and 9.0 announced at Blizzcon to make a big WOW presentation. 8.3 live by January, 9.0 live by July, expansion Aug/Sept.

Dude you have forget about Cataclysm.

But, dont forget that the new expansion will be on Alpha too... around January/February so, the very same people that will care about 8.3, will beg for an alpha key... So, you are playing something that you feel finish, while youtuber will show you how is "amazing" the new expansion.

If there is a person that know how a Game Studios works, its me! Infact, my argument is not about Blizzard cant do that... it's about how this situation its different from the past! As you have quoted. There is no way to avoid the new expansion will cannibalize the attention from the 8.3 patch.


Also, if you think 8.3 will be in January and 9.0 in July, this means the pre-patch will avaiable in June.
So, the 8.3 patch will be up for less than the other patchs with Allied races used to catch up subscriptions...

what the hell are they going to do until it releases???

Second phase of WoW Classic, begging for an alpha key... raise a new allied races... You know, just like in the past, except for that WoW Classic thing.
But the good new is... the new expansion will be available soon. Its a new situation... I told you!



I have a mixed feeling about Shadowlands too... expecially if during the Blizzcon it will be revealed that we go with Wration to the dragon island and in tour on Northrend to secure same Titan facilities in order to find a way to use the N'zoth power against him... and a minute later Blizzard we show us death in the new expansion: Shadowlands. Never happen...

[Epoxe]

"I'm so hyped about whatever I am fed next even if it's shit"

Capitalism at it's best.

Compared to socialism which is known for its amazingly creative and diverse game industries....

[Kumorii]

There is no patch 8.3. Wake up!

[THEORACLE64]

There is no patch 8.3. Wake up!

https://www.mmo-champion.com/content...ayering-Update

[Kumorii]

https://www.mmo-champion.com/content...ayering-update

waaaake uuuup!

[Super Black Man of Steal]

Eh . . . yes it can. That's what it has always been.
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Patch_2.0.1 Before the Storm. TBC release is 2.0.3
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Patch_3.0.2 Echoes of Doom. WotlK release is 3.0.3

And?

Patch 2.0.1 isn't the pre-2.0.1 patch. That was the one before that. That is what pre means. It means before.

[tmamass]

its a lfr styled raid full of old raid bosses. its for the holiday. its not going to run indefinately. people are dumb.

yes, you ARE dumb cant deny that ! the wow birthday raid is in the 8.2.5 patch ........

[bullseyed]

Was this really big shocking news for everyone though?
As if we are sitting on this patch until earliest August 2020.

What would be cooler if they would tease us 8.3 before BlizzCon, but I guess the Saurvanas is probably ment to be that.

Some of the blizzard hating trolls who post frequently in MMO-Champ claimed there would be no 8.3 because BFA is so bad, despite higher guild completion numbers in raiding than Legion, because BFA is actually quite successful and popular.

[tmamass]

Their revenue drastically decreased this year. Blizzard isn't making "billions" in non-expansion / no-new-game years.
And 9.0 will undoubtly NOT be part of Blizzcon.

fixed your flaw there. but then again for you ONLY wow is a Blizzcon game right....

- - - Updated - - -

I think there's no way they don't announce the new expansion this blizzcon. They're certainly not going to wait until NEXT blizzcon to do it.

it isnt like there is a GAMESCON between 2 blizzcons which can be used to announce stuff...

[ConstantinetheGreat]

"I'm so hyped about whatever I am fed next even if it's shit"

Capitalism at it's best.

Go outside. Go have a drink with some people you like talking to. The world isn’t as horrible as you’ve come to believe.

[bullseyed]

The only thing they could add before blizzcon for 8.3 would be general system upgrades. Stuff like party sync or dx12 support etc. No story or anything at all. Just like with 8.2.5 although months on ptr nobody had a single clue about the war campaign finale.

Agree that no story and no new raid until January, probably. Unless they can squeeze it out before Thanksgiving. Maybe they could fit it the week after Thanksgiving and still let people take time off for Christmas, but probably not.

Given that N'zoth is probably free and is going to "pave our streets with bones" or whatever, I'd expect we'll see "N'zoth invasions" starting between now and end of year. Probably near capital cities, in addition to BFA zones.



Edit: Oh yeah, I forgot about the anniversary content. That will definitely eat up the fall months and keep everything pushed to January-February.