Battle for Azeroth: The second filler expansion

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Note I'm not taking ANY stance here. Just pointing things out.

Today I will comparing the filler expansion above to Battle for Azeroth.

Why it may be a filler expansion:

• Less art time spending [Tier sets being removed. PvP and Raids now even sharing the same looks but with less looks, less pieces, more colors, more unaccessible colors of that set.]
• No depth in the story from what we've seen, no real threat from either the Horde or Alliance since we know what will most likely happen to them both. (A truce)
• Story is bridging into the next one for a full Old God themed expansion as WoD did with Legion. You can even see two Old God tentacles in the logo.
• Missed opportunity to introduce a sea system in an ocean themed expansion.
• Horde vs Alliance expansion is happening at a time when it doesn't make sense to happen.
• Warfronts will be predictable system to be farmed over and over again with no real threat of losing since we will know which specific buildings to build in what situation.
• Allied Races locked behind a rep grind is not fun for most people.
• Reintroducing another, alt-killing and similar grind: Heart of Azeroth
• Forcing people to level to 110 at a much slower rate seems very forebolding.
• Locking armor behind leveling slowly to 110 despite boosting a character to 110 with the expac or $60 and being able to obtain money and the player gets the armor is a bit forebolding.
• We don't know where or what the capitals are in Tiragarde Sound or Zuldazar. Wasn't clarified. Could be Alliance and Horde uninspired make-shift-cities like Stormshield and Warspear.
• There is nothing significantly different as far as end game content goes from BFA and Legion except Allied Races and Warfronts.
• Classes won't be changing much. "Sandbox-Scenarios" from 7.3 are being continued. Reintroducing Artifact Grind as a necklace with similar netherlight crucible baked in. Etc.

Why it may not be a filler expansion:

• Introduction cinematic already in game.
• Art team in full swing with the base game. Music and art looks wonderfully done.
• Story seems to be thought out and they know where to go from which point to the next unlike Warlords of Draenor.
• Reducing a grind. [Artifacts to Heart of Azeroth]
• Garrison/Order Hall table system discontinued in BFA.
• Garrison/Order Hall upgrade system discontinued in BFA.
• Reintroducing and improving on group scenario system.
• Continuing the Legion system of World Quests and Emisarries
• Continuing and improving the Legion system of Mythic +
• Introducing playable races people have long waited to play is good.

[Aeula]

Hype for allied races and the awesome theme aside, BfA sounds like a watered-down version of Legion. Nothing is really being changed and some things are being removed.

Maybe they'll announce more as time goes on but I seriously doubt it.

[Soulwind]

Story is bridging into the next one for a full Old God themed expansion as WoD did with Legion. You can even see two Old God tentacles in the logo.

Where? And even it had them, wouldn't that mean that the Old God expansion is BfA (just disguised as a different expansion, like MoP)?

WoD didn't have any Burning Legion details on its logo.

[Siglius]

Uhh. They told us at Blizzcon that the capitals are Beralus and Zuldazar City.

[Zyky]

We don't know where or what the capitals are in Tiragarde Sound or Zuldazar. Wasn't clarified. Could be Alliance and Horde uninspired make-shift-cities like Stormshield and Warspear.

I just want to emphasize more on this point, they're holding back on a lot of details(until WoD) because they don't want to overpromise(like they did in WoD) and then get that kind of backlash. What they don't realize is that there will still be heavy backlash wither its content they said would be there or just a garbage expansion. If they pull another WoD, they will lose a lot of their fanbase and a lot of the trust of the players, not that they have a lot of trust left right now.

- - - Updated - - -

Uhh. They told us at Blizzcon that the capitals are Beralus and Zuldazar City.

No they didn't, they said they were central hubs for Zandalari and the Humans of Kul'Tiras. The phrasing does not imply that they will be central hubs for the players.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Uhh. They told us at Blizzcon that the capitals are Beralus and Zuldazar City.

No they didn't. They said this is where your city is. https://youtu.be/-DrQJtUTf3I?t=463

[Maduk]

And nobody cares because it will be played regardless.
New content is new content.

[Elyiandris]

Mists of pandaria also looked like a filler expansion when it was announced.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

And nobody cares because it will be played regardless.
New content is new content.

those 7.4 million people cared.

[Raetary]

No they didn't. They said this is where your city is. https://youtu.be/-DrQJtUTf3I?t=463

Boralus IS the capital of kul'tiras.

And both the zone and the city are called zuldazar, just like suramar.
And lordaeron (to a degree)

[My User Name]

Depends. I tend to use the term "filler" for WoD because of how extremely irrelevant it was lorewise. There weren't any major or impactful moments throughout the expansion that comes to mind. The antagonists were fucking jokes, they weren't threatening at all they showed zero effort to make you care about them. The fact that the story was set in an alternative universe world we will never go back to is another major point of why it sounds so irrelevant and fillery.

Battle for Azeroth seems like it will move the story forward with two factions being directly involved, and Old Gods being continiously teased. It seems like we'll continue our fight against REAL villains like Queen Azshara (and possibly N'Zoth), instead of space-time traveling orcs who are unnecessarily shoved down to the story.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

Good to know the resident cringe RPer is telling us what's what.

[TheProphetLord]

I remember when people said MoP was the filler for WoD.

Don’t assume an expansion is a filler because you don’t like the setting.

[Kynario]

I remember when people said MoP was the filler for WoD.

Don’t assume an expansion is a filler because you don’t like the setting.

I think relative to Legion’s features it appears to be a filler expansion. Obviously doesn’t mean it will be, agreed.

Re-skinned existing models dubbed as “new races”, no major class/talent additions, rehashed MoP scenarios (Warfronts), Heart of Azeroth or Artifact 2.0 with Azerite which’ll be Artifact Power 2.0 doesn’t seem very convincing thus far. But who knows.

The zones do look awesome as always though. The world/level design team always do a stellar job.

[huth]

Why it isn't a filler expansion: Because those don't actually exist.

[Tyron]

Re-skinned existing models dubbed as “new races”

But they are new playable races.

rehashed MoP scenarios (Warfronts)

I think you are confusing expeditions with warfronts. Warfronts will probably take much longer than MoP scenarios if they are like old RTS warcraft.

[Kynario]

But they are new playable races.



I think you are confusing expeditions with warfronts. Warfronts will probably take much longer than MoP scenarios if they are like old RTS warcraft.

Fair enough, I mean, if the people who will be buying the expansion are happy with these features then awesome. Relative to Legion, none of these feautures seem original or fun to me, but who cares. Again, if people are hyped for this, good for them.

[Orange Joe]

snip

No such thing as a filler expansion in wow.

[Darktbs]

Interesting...you give reasons as to why the exp. will be filler but counter your own argumments with the why they wouldn't be a filler.

[Zka]

The expression "filler expansion" is still totally meaningless, there is no such thing.