Should Blizzard Skip 9.3?

[Hitei]

I think that 9.3 happening or not wouldn't have any impact on this, they're already late. The best-case scenario, in my opinion, is 9.2 being only one raid to wrap the Shadowlands lore, and then they focus all their resources on 10.0 for 12-14 months straight.

It 100% would, and thinking it wouldn't is just downright foolish. Expansions are developed side-by-side with the next one getting light development during the current expansion's patch cycle and then more serious development afterwards. What you're asking for is to cut basically a year of the light development and skip straight into a crunch attempting to get 10.0 out as quickly as possible after 9.2

[bledgor]

Still think we get 9.2 February 2022, 9.3 August 2022 and 10.0 in May 2023. It breaks the 2 year cycle, but think it gives them time to flush our Shadowlands while giving them a bit of extra time for the big 10.0 expansion.

Not to mention it gives time for all the shitshow that has been this year at blizzard time to blow over. Add in D4 will probably be close to release or released and you have hype(?) going back into blizzard (assuming D4 is successful).

I think you try to make 9.2 and 9.3 solid patches that can sustain the population and make the .5 big QoL patches so that when 10.0 hits you have solid previous systems to boost it.

For the big .5 QoL I'd like things like timewalking being every week along side another event, pet battle phone app, at least 1 raid per a timewalking expansion, a merc style system for cross faction raiding (and if it works nicely you can do actually factions in 10.0 that allow you to swap to ally/horde, with certain factions being friendly and certain factions being at war, think a Tyrande lead faction that allows Horde to join minus undead but you have to hunt horde to get rep/join it, a Cenaroin circle faction that has no pvp, etc), a new weekly event called "Bounty hunter" where you have to go to previous expansions and kill certain new rares/elites that have sprung up to protect the time line continuum, and the like so that you have those in place for 10.0 so that when people come back there is a lot of bonus activities you don't need to work on in place to keep retention.

[Gaidax]

What 9.3?

It is pretty clear that 9.2 is the endgame for the expansion, what 9.3 would even be?

[bledgor]

What 9.3?

It is pretty clear that 9.2 is the endgame for the expansion, what 9.3 would even be?

Eh you can work a 9.2 in that is the covenants dealing with various threats and strengthening themselves before they go into the final battle with the Jailer, think about a raid where we go to a portal nexus of the Brokers where we take these portals to go to various worlds/cosmic homes to get resources we need, with the portals acting in a similar faction to the Emerald Nightmare raid.

One of the "wings" could be the light realm where we get items to try and restore Anduin, a Life realm to get items to counter Zovaal/possibly heal Azeroth, a void Realm to deal with them enroaching on the weakened Shadowlands, an Arcane realm that is Agalon calling for aid now that the titans are out of the game.

[pinkz]

many WOW influencer's were selling no 9.3 after patch 9.05 when players questioned 9.1 still not being out. inside word? but even those not friendly to blizzard started saying the same thing, then came the California lawsuit and alleged debauchery, abuse, etc of employees

blizz flopped back and forth on the rip cord saying yes at first and later no, when asked about the problems identified in alpha, beta, PTR, and into live. now blizzard is working on 9.15. the supposed rip cord.

will SL be dumped like MOP and WOD? they have a history of dumping expacs creating huge droughts since WOTLK for the huge next expac cash grab.

9.3 content will be a wrap up announced to be included in 9.2

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Having to totally rewrite the story to make a shred of sense. You think the story is bad now? How about a rushed, even more half-assed story that has to gloss over a lot of events to somehow connect to the next expansion.

It's been quite apparent for the past 7 years that Blizzard is no longer capable of writing decent expansion storylines. At all. "Demons transcend all timelines! They can only be killed in the Twisting Nether! Archimonde and Mannoroth never died! Grom's and the Night Elves' sacrifice at the end of WC3 meant nothing!" and "Draenor is free! (said by a guy who committed a Draenei holocaust)", the bending over backwards to go "ackshually, Illidan was this super cool guy who was fighting against the true threat all along!" (the very same Illidan who had sex slaves in the Black Temple and was a tyrant. Yeah TBC was bad but two wrongs don't make a right). Or the demonization of the Light. Or Sadfang having a whole sob story about how sad he is for all the genociding he comitted... while still committing genocide. Or the Horde being let off the hook for the genocide they committed because Suevanas ran away. Or Suevanas' motivations being retconned 3 times within 2 years. Or the bending over backwards to let Arthas and Suevanas off the hook and make their detractors, Uther, Tyrande, and Genn look unreasonable for not liking the fan favorites. Or the Jailer's master plan. And so on.

Allowing 9.3 to play out isn't going to make the story better. By this point everyone who used to care about the story doesn't care anymore. Just finish Shadowlands ASAP so we can get to the new game changing features of 10.0 because at this point that's all that matters.

[Dracullus]

If they can make expac in 2022 (with full 7-8 month testing cycle) - obviously no 9.3.
If expac production is as fucked up as patches right now, they must fill our time with 9.3, even if it won't be as big as 8.2 or 7.3.

Personally I would prefer 9.3, cause I can't give pass Blizzard for not delivering full expansion I paid full price. I have suspicion that all these people who scream for abandoning SL and moving to 10.0 would be first to scream at Blizzard that they abandoned expansion.

And to be honest, I don't care when next expac launches at all. If I will be done with SL, I just take a break, it's not like there is lack of entertainment outside WoW.

What 9.3?

It is pretty clear that 9.2 is the endgame for the expansion, what 9.3 would even be?

9.2 Sepulcher (new zone), raid with Anduin
9.3 Azeroth invasion, Icecrown revamp, raid with Jailer

It's not that hard to imagine.

many WOW influencer's were selling no 9.3 after patch 9.05 when players questioned 9.1 still not being out. inside word? but even those not friendly to blizzard started saying the same thing, then came the California lawsuit and alleged debauchery, abuse, etc of employees

Same influencers who said 9.1 August release is earliest possibility? Hell, Preach even said he expect 9.1 PTR to arrive in August xD. They have no idea just like we have.

[Thestrawman]

Nope.

Shadowlands might even go on to 9.4. Its a good expansion so far, and it looks like its only getting better.

Why would you want to pay $60-$120 for another box expansion anyway? Just get more free content during this expansion

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Also, this 100% ^

Hi Jaylock

[darklogrus]

9.1.5 is usually what Blizzard does at the end of an expansion, to bump it this far forward means 9.2 will be generic on all levels so they can get the hell out of SL's.

[Lolites]

There simply wont be a 9.3, because every hint and sign under the sun says so.

and by "every hint and sign" you mean some youtuber or whoever with about as much insight as we have said so so it must be true right?
bcs there is literaly no other information than Ion saying this wont be another wod (which doesnt confirm 9.3, but definitely doesnt suggest there wont be 9.3)...

[Icelin]

I am not very interested in patch 9.1.5 currently. Would I be interested in patch 9.2? Depends what we are looking at.. if it is new content. Yes. I just hope it will not suffer.

Instead of patch 9.1.5 with barely addressing issues with the new customizations for certain races, a bad mount incentive (lightforged armor goat) and recycled content with only one reward for one spec/one class. I am just being honest here. (they can choose not to listen) I'm probably not going to be the only one that feels this way and not have much incentive to come check out the patch.

9.2? I would hope they would put a decent effort into. As I never seen a patch at that point in time in an expansion be weak. Someone could correct me if I am wrong. I would think it would be beneficial for them to tie up loose ends with SL. Anything beyond that I am fine with or without.

Let's just say if they do show they been listening on patch 9.2 Addressing the biggest concern of the community... again if BBC and news outlets know..then Blizzard Entertainment knows.Why has taken so long to address???*shrugs*.. I would figure the rest of the expansion wouldn't be as bad. They just have to make that change and I been saying a long time whatever it takes to make that change I am supportive of.That's honesty again.

[Gaidax]

Eh you can work a 9.2 in that is the covenants dealing with various threats and strengthening themselves before they go into the final battle with the Jailer, think about a raid where we go to a portal nexus of the Brokers where we take these portals to go to various worlds/cosmic homes to get resources we need, with the portals acting in a similar faction to the Emerald Nightmare raid.

One of the "wings" could be the light realm where we get items to try and restore Anduin, a Life realm to get items to counter Zovaal/possibly heal Azeroth, a void Realm to deal with them enroaching on the weakened Shadowlands, an Arcane realm that is Agalon calling for aid now that the titans are out of the game.

Nuh huh, world is about to end and covenants will go pound some drust or devourers, while we get another year of doing hell knows what instead of finally wrapping up the story. Totally makes sense.

Wake up. 9.2 is the end - it will be Zereth Mortis + Northrend BS + dealing with Mawduin and Jailer and finishing up this shitshow.

People that think that there will be 9.3 are as funny as people who think there won't be 9.2.

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9.2 Sepulcher (new zone), raid with Anduin
9.3 Azeroth invasion, Icecrown revamp, raid with Jailer

It's not that hard to imagine.

9.2 is the end - it is clear as day that either you stop Jailer now or it's done. And that now is 9.2, it won't be another shitshow of dealing with Mawduin and Jailer fucking off again, he has nowhere left to fuck off - he already has everything he needs and we will be busy stopping him once and for all before he pops us all.

[Lolites]

Same influencers who said 9.1 August release is earliest possibility? Hell, Preach even said he expect 9.1 PTR to arrive in August xD. They have no idea just like we have.

this, i love it how some people use influencers and when they are right use it as some sort of proof of their insight, while ignoring the previous 90times when they were completely wrong

[Kilpi]

Whether they should or shouldn't do a 9.3 is irrelevant. There simply wont be a 9.3, because every hint and sign under the sun says so.

Care to elaborate? I'm genuinely interested.

[Dracullus]

9.2 is the end - it is clear as day that either you stop Jailer now or it's done. And that now is 9.2, it won't be another shitshow of dealing with Mawduin and Jailer fucking off again, he has nowhere left to fuck off - he already has everything he needs and we will be busy stopping him once and for all before he pops us all.

Again, use your imagination. Looks like you're so fixed on 9.2 being the end that you can't see another possibility. Reminds me of people who were certain Legion will end in Tomb of Sargeras.

1) Primus clearly said Jailer is looking for KNOWLEDGE how to "undone" stuff in Sepulcher. It can be "this is button/spell to undone reality, break glass in emergency" or "to undone reality you must go there and do this".

2) On two occasions it was said he is "coming for soul of Azeroth". First on intro campaign from Jailer, second from Primus. It's Chekov's gun.

Of course, I'm not 100% sure and it's not "clear as day". But Sepulcher -> Azeroth and Anduin -> Jailer route is very likely to me, no matter if it will be done in single patch (let's say raid start on Sepulcher and end in Icecrown) or two patches.

[Gourbaak]

there will obviously be a 9.3 and no ones is thinking about canceling it at blizzard, it's an absolutely stupid idea.

[Rustykeyboard]

just have a enough devs for shadowlands that they can maintain it, while the rest of the devs work on the next expansion

[EntertainmentNihilist]

They shouldn't (so I voted no), but I think they will. They want that cash influx from the expansion release.

Skipping 9.3 to get 10.0 out before Q1 2023 is almost certainly the overwhelmingly correct business decision.

[mysticx]

What 9.3?

It is pretty clear that 9.2 is the endgame for the expansion, what 9.3 would even be?

This, pretty much.

The Jailer is underway to this sepulcher place, the supposed location of his triumph, that's his story heading to the climax already, so we'll have to stop him in the 9.2 raid (Otherwise any sense of urgency is lost, if we were to suddenly have a "Sidetrack"-raid instead), so then what? With the Jailer stopped, we're pretty much done in the Shadowlands.

9.3 or not, we're looking at a huge content lull anyway, that's just the way an expansion's final tier works these days, so i'd rather they just wrap this mess of an expansion up and move on sooner rather than later.

[Gaidax]

Again, use your imagination. Looks like you're so fixed on 9.2 being the end that you can't see another possibility.

There is no another possibility - everyone wants to move away from this shishow ASAP, Blizzard and players.

And unlike WOD, here 9.2 will be a completely logical end point for Shadowlands naturally, without any need to artificially bloat this expansion further. This expansion is on its last leg, the story, the theme, the systems - vast majority want to be done with this shit and Blizzard as well.

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This, pretty much.

The Jailer is underway to this sepulcher place, the supposed location of his triumph, that's his story heading to the climax already, so we'll have to stop him in the 9.2 raid (Otherwise any sense of urgency is lost, if we were to suddenly have a "Sidetrack"-raid instead), so then what? With the Jailer stopped, we're pretty much done in the Shadowlands.

9.3 or not, we're looking at a huge content lull anyway, that's just the way an expansion's final tier works these days, so i'd rather they just wrap this mess of an expansion up and move on sooner rather than later.

Pretty much. Any notion that Blizzard would want to further stall this whole shit is just laughable, they get hammered as it is with this shitty storytelling. Having another year of "muhahahaaaa this was all part of my master plan that I will not reveal now, but in half a year from now" will send playerbase packing.

At some point enough is enough and luckily 9.2 is a natural point where its all cards on the table and get this done.

It's not like WOD where Gul'dan suddenly took over in a single cutscene. Here - things are at their logical conclusion point.