Reign of Azshara [Fan Expansion Concept]

[Lionwoman]

Very cool artwork

[Kelimbror]

I did not like your first concept, but this one is very appealing. Keep up the good work. We can only dream something so exciting will ever happen again, but it won't.

[Deleted]

I was amazed by the Art work. Really wish to see your map come to reality and actually play in it. ^_^

[Golden Yak]

Update! Patch X.2 has landed! Rising from the depths of the sea is Zandalar, the Shattered Kingdom of the trolls! What new evil is brewing on this blighted isle?

Reign of Azshara Patch X.2 - The Shattered Kingdom

The Shattered Kingdom is the second patch for the Reign of Azshara concept and the first raid content patch. It's primary features are:

• New Daily Quest zone unlocked - Zandalar, the Shattered Kingdom. Pluton, King of the Drowned, plans to turn the fallen troll empire into a new undead army.
• New raid zone unlocked - Zuldazar, the Shattered City. The great capitol city of the troll empire has become a tomb. The Drowned seek to exploit the powers of the city, but the raging spirits of Zandalar may be more dangerous than anyone realizes...
• The Legendary Warship questchain continues - Neptulon himself threatens to unleash devastation upon the mortal races of Azeroth. Journey into the Abyssal Maw to thwart him.
• New Feature - The World of Warcraft Smoke Signal Instant Messaging System - Subscribers will receive a Blizzard Smoke Signal kit in the mail. Follow the easy to understand instructions to set up your kit, and with a handy blanket you can communicate with other players using the patented Blizzard Smoke Signal Code IM service. Letting your friends know about your latest achievements or organizing group acivity is as easy as blowing clouds of hot cinders around at regular intervals. Works at any distance within human eye-sight, daylight and weather permitting.
• New World Boss - Tenspan.
• New raid zone to be unlocked at a later date - Kajaro Undervault. Dismantle the Legion Ex Machina and their leader, King Galvanus.

The Story So Far...

The Alliance and the Horde continue to strengthen their presence in Zin-Azshari, hunting down the last remnants of Azshara's forces and dealing with the other challenges of the new land. Azshara herself remains at large, but in hiding.

No sooner have the Alliance and the Horde secured Zin-Azshari when an envoy arrives from the zandalari trolls, seeking aid. The troll homeland of Zandalar sank during the Cataclysm, but was raised back to the surface by Azshara. Now, a dark power threatens the homeland of the trolls, one which could spell doom for the Alliance and the Horde it is not opposed.

Meanwhile, deep beneath Kezan, an ancient evil that has been imprisoned for over 20,000 years begins to stir...

Zuldazar, the Shattered City

When the Cataclysm ravaged the world, the trolls ancient homeland of Zandalar sank beneath the waves, swallowing the trolls who remained there and scattering the few who managed to escape. But when Azshara raised her new land, the ravaged Zandalar was affected by the spell, and rose up from the depths. No life remained on the blighted island - all had perished in the Cataclysm, and the spirits of the countless dead trolls and the outraged loa demigods they worshipped writhed with fury and hatred at their fate.

No sooner did the Zandalari return to attempt to rebuild their shattered kingdom, then a dire new menace appeared - the black ships of the stygians washed ashore, the remnants of the great armada that had been scattered by Azshara's tempest.

The stygians, led by their king Pluton, found the ravaged Zandalar an immense wealth of resources - countless corpses to raise as more undead, innumerable spirits to use as fuel for dark magic, and ancient powers to defile and turn to Pluton's dark designs. The stygians must be stopped before they can tap into the fathomless power of the troll homeland, lest they become more powerful than ever.

The Kajaro Undervault

The Legion Ex Machina have been pushed back from the Forbidden Vault of Kezan, but their leader King Galvanus hides within an even deep structure, the Kajaro Undervault. This raid contains challenges even greater than the Zuldazar raid.

The seal to the Kajaro Undervault will be opened at a later date (before May 1st).

________________________________
Thanks for the comments everyone, I'll have some more monsters up soon!

Hey Yak, there's one thing I hope to get some clarification on. There will still be numerous pockets of water in these areas, right? Lakes, ponds, rivers, subzones, etc.? Because while I do understand you're going for a very strong 'underwater brought to the surface' feeling, there would naturally be craters, valleys, and what have you that act as little water preserves.

Yep, every zone is meant to have an underwater region for Vashj'ir type gameplay. It's a bit like how in WoD every zone has one of those Zangarmarsh swamp-like areas, with giant mushrooms coming up out of the sea and changing the nature of the area around them. There's not one entire zone, but every zone has a few areas like that.

There'll be your coral forests, your underground treasure caves, your sunken ships, ancient night elf ruins, naga spawning pits, etc. etc. Little underwater set-pieces for adventure and exploration.

Less humanoid monsters. We need less humanoid monsters in this game for sure. And they don't need clothes. wtf

I would really like to see your creativity with non-humanoid monsters.

They're comin'. I do the sentient races first, but there's a number of less sapient beasties in that bestiary.

Maybe you can also add the scrapped Dragon Isles raid that was intended to be at vanilla launch. I was quite intrigued by the idea, and with the place being islands and possibly naga themed, it would very well fit your expansion.

I remember those. They're a little off the beaten track, though. An expansion like this would be a good time to finish that giant shell octopus temple-thing Blizz had going back in the day.

[Thirteen]

Sorry, I think you dropped the ball here. A patch all about trolls? Pfff. It's not even possible to contain all the Zul in one patch. Think about it. You can totally make a new class (Zuler), new raids (Zul'Zul, Zul'Again, Zul'ectric Boogaloo), new professions (Zuling, and new secondare profession - Zulagination), new races (Zulanders), pet types (Zul-lings), and so forth. They need a proper expansion imo. Or a trilogy. World of Zul'craft: Zul'zul Zulzilla

Overall rank: Not enough Zul/10

[Golden Yak]

Sorry, I think you dropped the ball here. A patch all about trolls? Pfff. It's not even possible to contain all the Zul in one patch. Think about it. You can totally make a new class (Zuler), new raids (Zul'Zul, Zul'Again, Zul'ectric Boogaloo), new professions (Zuling, and new secondare profession - Zulagination), new races (Zulanders), pet types (Zul-lings), and so forth. They need a proper expansion imo. Or a trilogy. World of Zul'craft: Zul'zul Zulzilla

Overall rank: Not enough Zul/10

Next fan expansion concept chosen.

[Deleted]

Epic. I love your work so much. I have never seen such a passionate concept for an expansion. (Well besides your spider kingdom which is also awesome) I always get so hyped. But then i realize it is all fan made and i will probably never see this in game. Hire him blizzard. For the love of god please.

[rasako]

Sorry, I think you dropped the ball here. A patch all about trolls? Pfff. It's not even possible to contain all the Zul in one patch. Think about it. You can totally make a new class (Zuler), new raids (Zul'Zul, Zul'Again, Zul'ectric Boogaloo), new professions (Zuling, and new secondare profession - Zulagination), new races (Zulanders), pet types (Zul-lings), and so forth. They need a proper expansion imo. Or a trilogy. World of Zul'craft: Zul'zul Zulzilla

Overall rank: Not enough Zul/10

I think Zulanders is the part where I'd just lost it, well played!

OP: Still pissed off that you went with the impossible to balance and extremely time consuming "4th spec" idea instead of PLAYABLE NAGA, THE MOST ASKED FOR RACE OF ANY RACE EVAR. The naga (since they're highborne elves) could even share with us the ancient secrets and training of the demon hunter!

[Lotharfox]

Is this really a patch to your xpac? Or an April Fool's prank?

Seriously, though, you're great at this and I'd happily play a game you designed.

[RH92]

*Post*

I love the quality of your post, especially the pictures.

As much as I would like to see an Azshara expansion, one this doesn't really make a sense. Why would she rise her kingdom on a surface? Wouldn't she have an major advantage fighting us under the water? The pelagic zones are very strong fortress on their own.

Then there is this problem. People would hate whole expansion like a Vashj'ir zone.

[McNeil]

Yeah expect a lot of people to go crazy for getting a full troll patch, but I wouldn't mind if its done well.

Damn your writing is so much better than what Blizzards is putting out.

[Kelimbror]

Why would she rise her kingdom on a surface? Wouldn't she have an major advantage fighting us under the water?

To reclaim the land as their own, since that's where they came from? It's not like they chose the sea and said omg guys, we love the water please make us fish snakes and banish us to the dark deeps. It's like a villain trope.

[RH92]

To reclaim the land as their own, since that's where they came from? It's not like they chose the sea and said omg guys, we love the water please make us fish snakes and banish us to the dark deeps. It's like a villain trope.

Think about it from a millitary perspective.

You are snake people who swim faster than any surface dweller, can breath under water and probably can also deal with a water pressure unlike your enemies. Why give up this advantage? Your enemy has to solve the massive environmental issue just as he need to deal with any twisted sorcery you throw at him. If they want to live under the stars again, then do it only after you conquer the world.

Iron Horde in WoD did the same strategic mistake, they invaded Azeroth before they actually conquered their own world. Draenei, rebellious Orc clans and Ogres are still there when we arrive on Draenor allowing us to create a footstep.

You can hate it, yes. However you can exploit the environment to your advantage. For example the Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä used to eat snow so his breath wouldn't be visible in the freezing cold. Did he enjoyed the winter? I don't think so, but he is the most successful sniper in history.

[Kelimbror]

Think about it from a millitary perspective.

No, because this isn't what fantasy villains do. See your example of the Iron Horde. No one wants to play a war simulator in a fantasy MMO. Besides, think about the cinematic where we raise Nagatlantis from the ocean floor and Naga start swarming the coasts. Imagine a giant nautilus emerging with the spray of 4K HD water. It would be glorious.

You are snake people who swim faster than any surface dweller, can breath under water and probably can also deal with a water pressure unlike your enemies. Why give up this advantage?

Because no one is willingly coming to your lair to kill themselves? How do you plan on conquering anything from down below? They don't have fish nukes. Magic isn't unlimited, they can't hurl spells thousands of miles from the ocean floor like homing bombs.

[RH92]

No, because this isn't what fantasy villains do. See your example of the Iron Horde. No one wants to play a war simulator in a fantasy MMO. Besides, think about the cinematic where we raise Nagatlantis from the ocean floor and Naga start swarming the coasts. Imagine a giant nautilus emerging with the spray of 4K HD water. It would be glorious.

I for once would like to have villains who make a little bit of sense. What is the fun of conquering a brainless villain?

Because no one is willingly coming to your lair to kill themselves? How do you plan on conquering anything from down below? They don't have fish nukes. Magic isn't unlimited, they can't hurl spells thousands of miles from the ocean floor like homing bombs.

What? Really...

They can launch invasion without making themselves vulnerable. Why would they rise the seafloor and THEN launch this same invasion?

[Kelimbror]

They can launch invasion without making themselves vulnerable. Why would they rise the seafloor and THEN launch this same invasion?

I'm not sure why you're trying to take a low fantasy MMO and hold it to rigid, 21st century military tactics (especially when this is just a fan concept and not even a real game with completely written lore)...but I'll offer this bit of information anyways:

Mobilizing troops is a lot less efficient when you have to travel potentially thousands of miles by swimming. It doesn't matter how great of a swimmer you are, it's just simple math. The alternative is rising your military base to sea level and being able to hop skip and jump to your unsuspecting enemy. Further, it would be some serious element of surprise. The idea would likely be that the initial assault would be unexpected and easily conquered. Obviously it wouldn't work so hot for them, otherwise we wouldn't have a game where we get to fight back.

And finally, why do you keep ignoring the historical and cultural implication I'm now stating for the third time? They want to rise up and take back the land. They don't want to keep stewing in the sea fighting a who knows how long military campaign. This is why I referenced fantasy villains. This isn't the Axis of Evil starting WWII, this is a fantasy realm where epic things must happen. Real war is boring in so much as strategy doesn't lend itself to fantasy settings. "Oh yeah, let's play that super awesome game where the sea witches hurl magic bombs out of the ocean and we just kinda put up our own magic shield and wait for something different to happen" said no one ever.

That's about as much effort as I can spend being both an armchair strategist and lore expert. The 'C' in this website has grown to mean 'circular' and I'm quite exhausted from it. I'll have to just leave you with that. Best of luck though. :-/ *shrug* Yak probably wants his thread back anyways.

I'll repeat what I said before for good measure. I really like your idea and I would be raving about playing it compared to anything I've seen in WoW for a long time.

[RH92]

And finally, why do you keep ignoring the historical and cultural implication I'm now stating for the third time?

Why are you ignoring what I stated three times already - If something you want to change is giving you an advantage, why not use it?

By the way, I aknowledged your "historical and cultural implication". However I still find it a bad reason to reveal yourself. It is just common sense to me. You have a stinky castle, yet you order your archers to come out and stand before the walls when enemy approeaches?

I don't want anybody to make any complicated strategic manouvers, but at least some common sense.

The 'C' in this website has grown to mean 'circular' and I'm quite exhausted from it. I'll have to just leave you with that.

Great you are accusing me of something you do as well.

I don't have anything else to say. Hell, I didn't even wanted to make a discussion about it. I just found it silly and that's it.

[Golden Yak]

As much as I would like to see an Azshara expansion, one this doesn't really make a sense. Why would she rise her kingdom on a surface? Wouldn't she have an major advantage fighting us under the water? The pelagic zones are very strong fortress on their own.

Then there is this problem. People would hate whole expansion like a Vashj'ir zone.

There's a couple reasons.

The one I started with was gameplay. As you said, an entire expansion with every zone like that would not likely go over well. I loved Vashj'ir personally, but even I don't want an entire expansion with every zone being underwater.

So having everything underwater was out - stuff had to come to the surface. There was precedent with Gul'dan raising the Broken Isles to get at the Tomb of Sargeras, and I liked the image of Azshara duplicating the spell but amplifying it a hundred fold to give us Zin-Azshari.

As for lore-based rationalizations for it? Yes, Azshara wanted to again rule under starlight. Unwise from a military perspective? Maybe - Azshara doesn't care. I'll go into this more in Patch X.4, but Azshara doesn't care about the naga, or even her enemies really. She wanted a bloodbath, it didn't matter on which side. She never planed to conquer the world with the naga. She plans to conquer it with N'Zoth.

[gwinbleid]

So nice , the only thing is that i hate wordls based on sea scenarios....Hate to play under water

[Deleted]

Unwise from a military perspective? Maybe - Azshara doesn't care. I'll go into this more in Patch X.4, but Azshara doesn't care about the naga, or even her enemies really. She wanted a bloodbath, it didn't matter on which side. She never planed to conquer the world with the naga. She plans to conquer it with N'Zoth.

Yeah that's what I thought aswell. I mean Azshara is pretty arrogant. She is power hungry and she uses her forces as tools and will throw them away if she has to. Thats why i could imagine some Naga to turn away from her once they realize that she is just using them. Making them potentially join the horde or alliance to take their former queen out.