Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Nymrohd]

Honestly from the many speculations we have had I think the most intense system the game could add would be a more permanent change to the leveling with something akin to paragon levels.
At the same time, I dread that happening in WoW because it would completely mess up the tuning and would likely be designed in such a way that in order to keep up you'd have to log every single day, if only for a while, just to keep up with chores

[Polybius]

It hasn't been done before though, so it's really impossible to say whether it would be worse than what we usually get.
There are several ways to go about it as well. Maybe we get told only the bare minimum for each individual feature, with a more comprehensive one coming at later dates.

Usually what we get is everything worth telling at that point, which is both not that comprehensive, or necessarily correct by the time the expansion comes out.
This version would instead give us better understanding of each feature, while only really coming at the cost of a less than ideal initial presentatio. Which given those presentations tend to be mostly irrelevant by the time the alpha opens might be in need of a better approach.

It’s been done in game x_x

Jokes aside. Not necessarily a bad approach but the audience needs to have the core features lined out. it works best with interviews attached and consistent posting. It helps bring confidence in their work.

[NikolaiShade]

Honestly from the many speculations we have had I think the most intense system the game could add would be a more permanent change to the leveling with something akin to paragon levels.
At the same time, I dread that happening in WoW because it would completely mess up the tuning and would likely be designed in such a way that in order to keep up you'd have to log every single day, if only for a while, just to keep up with chores

It could work with a weekly cap and a catch-up system

[Nymrohd]

- heroic version of world
- official support for organizing groups similar to old openraid

Those two are probably on the top of my dream list but I don't even mention them anymore because I've seen no movement from Blizzard that would suggest either would be likely. A system that would let them scale up the world and make it much more challenging, perhaps with a sister talent system that helps round up all specs so they can close in power in solo content (Because let's face it, some specs are VASTLY more capable in dealing with world content fast or doing world content intended for groups solo) would be amazing and offer a completely new way to play the game were what are now chores would suddenly be engaging.
And I loved Open Raid.

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It could work with a weekly cap and a catch-up system

True. Add making it either account wide or at least having a strong catch up system for alts (think MoP Valor)

[Wangming]

I wouldn't know how they reveal them as I've never played FF.

Edit- tell a lie, I tried the trial. Wasn't for me. Never looked into anything about the game.

Well the fanfest (their BlizzCon) is across three events. Japan, North America and Europe. They space out content. And even the CGI trailer. Mostly two versions, but for Shadowbringers, it was three. Events are cut out, sometimes scenes are rearranged and the music is muffled. For the first time anyway. Usually the first event doesn't reveal the new jobs and just provides hints. All info gets revealed in a space of three months, with the final story patch between them.

[NikolaiShade]

True. Add making it either account wide or at least having a strong catch up system for alts (think MoP Valor)

And crazy idea: add a "point storage system" so any point earned beyond the weekly cap is automatically spent the next week

[Nymrohd]

And crazy idea: add a "point storage system" so any point earned beyond the weekly cap is automatically spent the next week

That's how ESO works. When they raised the cap, any XP you had earned past the cap was automatically awarded so some people would just end up in the new cap instantly.

[Alanar]

So far the only things that intrigued me are; Lorderean, scarlets and maybe even san'layn/dark ranger stuff.

Dragons don't excite me in general, so idk what to think of that. Never cared for Chromatus or Galagrond persee, curious if his will peak my interest, tbd.

I hope for some new races and new class as big features, any new system they throw at us, needs to add something and not timegate something as feature such as cypher system. It's smoke and mirrors, I am done with that stuff. So I will be skeptical.

I think many will be skeptical, I can't bare another Sl.

[Vakir]

Let's ignore that WoW was fresh game back then and most people tried and quit (in 2013 they revealed that 100 million accounts were made since 2004). Wrath good, retail bad.

To say nothing of how much the industry has changed since then in terms of scope and expectations.

Near fucking everything short of indie titles are all going for cramming an asinine amount of content for the value and has some "live service" element expectations even if it isn't an explicit GaaS.

[The Stormbringer]

Nozdormu: This Garrosh was merely the worst of all possible timelimes..... which means all iterations are going to be tortured forever *jerma sus face*

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either. The only explanation I have is that all the timeline crap is nonsense, and only the "main timeline" matters. Souls from other ones are basically just bonus anima or something.

[Nymrohd]

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either. The only explanation I have is that all the timeline crap is nonsense, and only the "main timeline" matters. Souls from other ones are basically just bonus anima or something.

I think it can be that there are many timelines but there is a PRIME timeline (ours) and everything else is just a shade. The less likely a timeline the less formed it is. By tying the Draenor AU to our timeline, Kairoz effectively "reinforced" that one.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

I've believed class skins were coming for a while. I honestly think it's one of the reasons why they stopped class sets. I think they only brought them back for 9.2 because so many people complained, but having class sets every tier make class skins unmanageable so I imagine they won't have them in 10.0 if class skins come.

I do think that Class Skins don't counter-interact with class sets tbh. If anything, it allows adding new tier sets based on those class skins were it fits, instead of trying to come up with something for that class in more generic terms; overall, more room to add something specific or apropos to the tier.

So if class skins do come, I'd spec the first class tier set to be based on them. Wouldn't be the first time Warriors get dragon themed armor, or the first time Hunters get Ranger armor either.

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I agree with this, Warlock being turned into a Necromancer for example is too far for me.

I think that's an important aspect of the Class Skins idea. Overall I do see widespread acceptance for it, it only comes to the details of where it takes things too far or doesn't.

Personally I would take it as far as possible if anything because since 2004, only 3 new classes have been added to the game, and I'd rather have a "Necromancer" that plays like a Demonology Warlock than no Necromancer at all given the track record.

[Lady Atia]

I do think that Class Skins don't counter-interact with class sets tbh. If anything, it allows adding new tier sets based on those class skins were it fits, instead of trying to come up with something for that class in more generic terms; overall, more room to add something specific or apropos to the tier.

So if class skins do come, I'd spec the first class tier set to be based on them. Wouldn't be the first time Warriors get dragon themed armor, or the first time Hunters get Ranger armor either.

Or the first time Warlocks get Necromancer inspired armour!

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

I think it can be that there are many timelines but there is a PRIME timeline (ours) and everything else is just a shade. The less likely a timeline the less formed it is. By tying the Draenor AU to our timeline, Kairoz effectively "reinforced" that one.

The only way it doesn't feel as messed up for me is if all the AU timelines are reflections of the main one, and thus every alternate version is metaphysically, akin to a soul shard rather than their own entity. A single thread of a rope.

So the Garrosh thing is that, statistically, going the worst path was the least plausible future for him, yet he did so nonetheless.

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Or the first time Warlocks get Necromancer inspired armour!

*finger guns* Exactly.

[Nymrohd]

Personally I would take it as far as possible if anything because since 2004, only 3 new classes have been added to the game, and I'd rather have a "Necromancer" that plays like a Demonology Warlock than no Necromancer at all given the track record.

YEah this is my main argument as well. Would I love new classes? Absolutely. But they are not making new classes at any reasonable pace and I'd love to play them now, not when I'm 50 if WoW still exists. Class skins lets them add a lot more.

[kansor]

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either. The only explanation I have is that all the timeline crap is nonsense, and only the "main timeline" matters. Souls from other ones are basically just bonus anima or something.

The other timelines don't actually exist, they're just potentials. What Kairoz did was use the clock artifact to make the alt-Draenor timeline real. This wasn't communicated clearly but WOD actually makes sense.

But that should still leave 2 souls of everyone who existed on both real-Draenor and alt-Draenor. Danuser said the souls merge into a single soul in the afterlife, which doesn't make a ton of sense since they would die at different points in time and be sent to the afterlife independently, and they might have acted very differently during their lives. But it's not the worst lorehole ever.

[Dracullus]

Those two are probably on the top of my dream list but I don't even mention them anymore because I've seen no movement from Blizzard that would suggest either would be likely. A system that would let them scale up the world and make it much more challenging, perhaps with a sister talent system that helps round up all specs so they can close in power in solo content (Because let's face it, some specs are VASTLY more capable in dealing with world content fast or doing world content intended for groups solo) would be amazing and offer a completely new way to play the game were what are now chores would suddenly be engaging.
And I loved Open Raid.

My idea would be something like this:

- heroic world would be revamp of War Mode, name could stay (so maybe better moment to introduce this would be few patches after cross faction, so population will even out among 'invested' people)
- no flying
- not just extra XP/gold/reputation, unique cosmetic rewards for participating in different activities, both PVE and PVP ones
- special challenge for leveling - if you won't turn if off, on max level you get unique rewards and some entry epic gear (blue in X.0)
- full cross faction in war mode off (grouping, taging, etc.), flying dealt same way as Zereth Mortis for main continent, in general it would become mode for casuals or doing content like treasures, mount farming, etc.

We got taste of it while doing Alliance/Horde Slayer achievement. Easily my best memory of BfA.

[Wangming]

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either. The only explanation I have is that all the timeline crap is nonsense, and only the "main timeline" matters. Souls from other ones are basically just bonus anima or something.

Which is why it was a mistake to expand the setting so much. Multiple timelines that you can travel to, multiple Doomhammers (that we won't let you dual wield for some reason) but only one Legion (that other timelines can't really fight against) and only one Shadowlands where we oddly enough only meet from our timeline.
Imagine Jaina seeing her mother there and freak out, till she realizes that is not MU Katherine.

The whole thing makes no bloody sense.

[Sondrelk]

My idea would be something like this:

- heroic world would be revamp of War Mode, name could stay (so maybe better moment to introduce this would be few patches after cross faction, so population will even out among 'invested' people)
- no flying
- not just extra XP/gold/reputation, unique cosmetic rewards for participating in different activities, both PVE and PVP ones
- special challenge for leveling - if you won't turn if off, on max level you get unique rewards and some entry epic gear (blue in X.0)
- full cross faction in war mode off (grouping, taging, etc.), flying dealt same way as Zereth Mortis for main continent, in general it would become mode for casuals or doing content like treasures, mount farming, etc.

We got taste of it while doing Alliance/Horde Slayer achievement. Easily my best memory of BfA.

The issue here are the players like me who want a more involed open world experience, but also don't want WPvP.
One option would be to split it further into regular, HC, and WPvP. But then again that might be a step too far in spreading players out. Especially when regular or HC open world inevitably becomes significantly larger than the others.



And I also don't want Blizzard to regress back to the MoP and prior model of open world where flying was everywhere, and basically the only mechanic open world quests could give were pick up a thing, or kill a thing.

[Wangming]

Those two are probably on the top of my dream list but I don't even mention them anymore because I've seen no movement from Blizzard that would suggest either would be likely. A system that would let them scale up the world and make it much more challenging, perhaps with a sister talent system that helps round up all specs so they can close in power in solo content (Because let's face it, some specs are VASTLY more capable in dealing with world content fast or doing world content intended for groups solo) would be amazing and offer a completely new way to play the game were what are now chores would suddenly be engaging.
And I loved Open Raid.

Genshin Impact does a rudimentary version of this with World Levels. If Blizzard can make it scale properly it could be great. Especially if it comes with reward interesting enough to pursue.