Shadowlands Developer Update - Closed Alpha Invitations

[Unholyground]

If I had to guess, they're mainly referring to streamers at the moment. It's doubtful they'll let regular players in until the beta. Streamers and media personalities always get in first.

Not true, I was in the BfA Alpha the same week the streamers were invited, my account was created in 2005.

[toffmcsoft]

Honestly, zero faith in Shadowlands being anything different then BFA.
Blizzard has drifted too far away from an MMORPG and hasn't shown any signs of getting back to it's grassroots.

Blizzard would have to do a full 180 on retail, maybe get back to Wotlk philosophies.

Hopefully the Classic timeline isn't accelerated to push the Shadowlands agenda.

It would be ideal for Classic to have AQ released in August 2020, Naxx Released in Feb 2021 and TBC released in Aug 2021.

[Unholyground]

Oh my, that line about who gets in first. I can already see the confused and bitter tears of people that feel they got wronged here and they'd have deserved it more than the other guy, I better get my rubber boots and safety west ready, we will be drowing in tears.

Funnily enough I didn't want the Legion or BfA Alpha/Beta but I got both.

[skumnasty]

Trinkets will always be an iffy one in that regard. Can't control if a random PvE trinket just ends up being stupidly good in PvP.

Sure you can: "all PVE trinkets proc at x% reduced effectiveness in instanced PVP." Tune x (50%, 75%, 90% if needed) and done.

[Palapop]

They don't want you to have an "end" they want you to be subbed forever.

Sadly, I am aware of that. But those f*ckers don't realize that they had WAAAAAAAY, WAY more subs once they had "the end" (of current end-game patch).

[Unholyground]

Honestly, zero faith in Shadowlands being anything different then BFA.
Blizzard has drifted too far away from an MMORPG and hasn't shown any signs of getting back to it's grassroots.

Blizzard would have to do a full 180 on retail, maybe get back to Wotlk philosophies.

Hopefully the Classic timeline isn't accelerated to push the Shadowlands agenda.

It would be ideal for Classic to have AQ released in August 2020, Naxx Released in Feb 2021 and TBC released in Aug 2021.

The timing of Hearthstone's addition of Illidan and Ashes of Outlands leads me to believe TBC may be coming a lot sooner as Blizzard likes to keep things thematic, and I think most people who prefer TBC were going to jump ship wither way. You also only need a few thousand per faction on a classic server for the population to be fine, private servers have proven this. I would say TBC probably by XMAS.

[Kodek]

"and in some cases even their resources."

Please no more Holy Power, please no more Holy Power, please please please!

Please return Holy Power to all specs and return Word of Glory! Please!! Make HPal great again!

[Halfaheart]

Hyped? For what? PvP vendors and a lackluster story arc? Recycled graphics and no tier sets?

You literally havent seen anything yet lol just let the people who are actually excited enjoy the news

[leviathonlx]

If I had to guess, they're mainly referring to streamers at the moment. It's doubtful they'll let regular players in until the beta. Streamers and media personalities always get in first.

I'm just a 'regular player' with a account that's been active sine the 04 release and was in the initial BFA and Legion waves as well.

[Razorice]

Where's my No Beta Club signature...

[themaster24]

Sure you can: "all PVE trinkets proc at x% reduced effectiveness in instanced PVP." Tune x (50%, 75%, 90% if needed) and done.

That would be an extremely unpopular approach. Pretty much every trinket that received that kind of nerf in BfA were trinkets with absorbs. I don't believe any others (if so, it was very few), were nerfed in PvP. DPS shouldn't be running a tank trinket, makes sense. But to say, reduce something like a normal PvE trinket in PvP by blanket nerfs, is silly. If the reverse was done, and Medallion/Badge received a 75% nerf in non-PvP content, PvPers would rage.

A better approach would be to try and make good PvP trinkets, instead of all these fancy, janky ones they keep making.

[Sanguinerd]

Conquest is once again a spendable currency earned through Shadowlands Rated PvP.

I do hope that's a typo and conquest will be earned by NON-rated actvity as well, just like it always did.

[Aerisot]

I have been playing WoW since vanilla beta, My account got hacked and it lapsed for 1 week, while blizzard worked to get my account back, had to change my account email/password ect...the last time they did something for "outstanding" accounts I was excluded because of that one week I couldn't access my account to pay, I wonder if it will be the same here.

[Bane-Thunder-God]

Get your "no-beta-club badges" ready.

This made me laugh almost uncontrollably DDD

Though i did get invited to the early BFA alpha surprisingly! Before some streamers that i watch *cough* Savix

[JacobMarley]

Trinkets will always be an iffy one in that regard. Can't control if a random PvE trinket just ends up being stupidly good in PvP. Regardless, this is a fantastic change. More agency for PvPers to choose their gear path, no longer totally at the whim of random drops and what Blizz has deemed your gear to be. Plus, upgrading PvP gear directly with Conquest?! That's a great step forward.

Trinkets and legendary weapons have always been the outliers and I think most people are okay with that. Honestly this was the one change I was looking for in Shadowlands and I did not expect to find out so soon. Really haven’t been interested in PVP for Legion / BFA because of this but I’m really looking forward to Shadowlands now.

[themaster24]

Trinkets and legendary weapons have always been the outliers and I think most people are okay with that. Honestly this was the one change I was looking for in Shadowlands and I did not expect to find out so soon. Really haven’t been interested in PVP for Legion / BFA because of this but I’m really looking forward to Shadowlands now.

Ya, trinkets have been kind of extra weird this xpac, so I understand people's frustrations. I agree though, this makes me much more interested in doing PvP on my toons which I used to do it a lot on. I despise the current gear acquisition in PvP.

[Bomba the Shaman]

Please make frost dk be good again.

[FelPlague]

Hyped? For what? PvP vendors and a lackluster story arc? Recycled graphics and no tier sets?

1. "Lackluster story" didnt know you got early alpha
2. "Recycled graphics" what? can you show me the recycled graphics?
3. "No tier sets" that is actually not confirmed yet.

[Asotcha]

This was a great letter! Excellent communication and very reassuring that there will be lots of time and space for feedback of all the things that can make Shadowlands great. And how nice for PVP vendors to make a comeback too! I have a very good feeling about this whole thing, and look forward to hearing/seeing more

I wonder if Rakeesh will make a comeback during Revendreth quests; when he died he said he'd make a special point to remember Velen after that last big fight, and it may have been some foreshadowing. There could be a really great quest chain there if Rakeesh is about to try and attack him or something then learns that he went all the way to Argus to try and get some justice for him. If that happened, imagine if he turned from being red to blue again to show that he took a step on the road to getting out of Revendreth. Even if Velen never knew about it.

[themaster24]

1. "Lackluster story" didnt know you got early alpha
2. "Recycled graphics" what? can you show me the recycled graphics?
3. "No tier sets" that is actually not confirmed yet.

I think the only thing we heard about tier sets is that they are likely not to be any in the first tier, but that it was quite possible beyond the first tier.