BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Elias01]

Ahhh I see, didn't realize that. I'm just excited to get 8.2.5 on PTR. I wanna see all the new goblin and worgen models cmonnnn

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Really? Raid gear found in the raid can drop from killing 12 pigs? Please show me.

I have 3 chars at 400+ itemlvl. Thats heroic raid level gear without doing single dungeon or raid. And it took me about 2-3 weeks. It depends in which period of patch you play becouse of constant itemlvl catch up increases.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Regarding the dates, this would be my ideal schedule:

- July 2019: 8.2.5 PTR
- October 2019: 8.2.5 release
- November 2019: 8.3 reveal and PTR at Blizzcon, quick look at 8.3.5 and teaser for 9.0.
- January 2020: 8.3 release
- February 2020: 8.3.5 PTR
- April 2020: 8.3.5 release
- November 2020: 9.0 release

As for the content, I'm expecting 8.2.5 to put the emphasis on Sylvanas plan or endgame as they like to call it, 8.3 to focus on stopping or hunting down Sylvanas only for us to get screwed over by N'zoth in the end, 8.3.5 to be the aftermath of this and finally 9.0 to be the Return of the Black Empire.

[Nathanyel]

Also it's only true if you include Uldir. Or get insanely lucky.

Nono, didn't you hear? If you're a scrub who never set foot into a normal or higher raid, you're guaranteed at least +20 iLvl procs on every item from a world quest! +30 if you didn't even do LFR!

[Nyel]

We will see once Blizzcon rolls around in a few months, but until then i will sustain myself on hte knowledge that 9.0 might potentially have a pretty drastic shakeup when it comes to classes and levelling.

I hope so! They had the chance to do something great after artifact weapons by building up on that feature instead of entirely removing it - they failed. I have high hopes for their class changes in 9.0 because they must be drastic. Classes are the biggest construction site at the moment. Important is that they add several layers of progression to this: basic class design, spec design, talents and another new feature replacing artifact weapons/azerite that will be kept for all upcoming expansions.

I hope 8.2.5 comes before Classic.

No way.

Blizzard could scale the Azeroth zones in a way they could use them as endgame zones as well as leveling zones for people to start at lv1. Or they throw leveling up each expansion and replace it with something like teso got.

This is quite a horrible thing for the long run. ESO is doing this and it doesn't work out well as it halts character progression in some way and totally destroys the progression you experience towards max level zones / new expansion zones.

The Old World needs a revamp but a meaningful one, scaling zones to your level isn't the solution. "Alternative" zones once you reach max level would be a solution, with world quests and other storylines than the low level zones have to offer.

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- November 2020: 9.0 release

You really want to wait so long for the new expansion? :/

This would make BfA the longest running expansion, too.

[Fahrad Wagner]

See, teaser for 9.0 does not work for me. What I'd hope is
Q&A on July 11-12 for 8.2.5.PTR
8.2.5 PTR by July 20
8.2.5 Release in September
8.3.0 PTR in Octomber so we can have at least 2 builds before Blizzcon

Then we can have a proper expansion announcement in Blizzcon since the story of 8.3 will be largely spoiled already.

This would work even better, so yes!

You really want to wait so long for the new expansion? :/

This would make BfA the longest running expansion, too.

If it means the next expansion delivers in terms of gameplay mechanics and doesn't reproduce the mistakes of BfA, then yes, I wouldn't mind waiting that long. Patches 8.3 and 8.3.5 would have to deliver in terms of content though, it goes without saying.

[Nyel]

If it means the next expansion delivers in terms of gameplay mechanics and doesn't reproduce the mistakes of BfA, then yes, I wouldn't mind waiting that long. Patches 8.3 and 8.3.5 would have to deliver in terms of content though, it goes without saying.

I agree on this! If the new expansion is feature packed, offers fresh design ideas and new kinds of content I'm up for it. And I always prefer expansion releases outside of Summer. Always favored the November/December releases.

Wouldn't put to much emphasis on 8.3 though, everything regarding game design they put into that should be put into 9.0 instead (unless 8.3 introduces major gameplay changes or adds an entirely new progression system / first iterations of class design).

[Fahrad Wagner]

I agree on this! If the new expansion is feature packed, offers fresh design ideas and new kinds of content I'm up for it. And I always prefer expansion releases outside of Summer. Always favored the November/December releases.

Wouldn't put to much emphasis on 8.3 though, everything regarding game design they put into that should be put into 9.0 instead (unless 8.3 introduces major gameplay changes or adds an entirely new progression system / first iterations of class design).

Same, I prefer when expansions release during late Fall! Anyway, I guess we'll know what to expect pretty soon.

[Dracullus]

Regarding the dates, this would be my ideal schedule:

- July 2019: 8.2.5 PTR
- October 2019: 8.2.5 release
- November 2019: 8.3 reveal and PTR at Blizzcon, quick look at 8.3.5 and teaser for 9.0.
- January 2020: 8.3 release
- February 2020: 8.3.5 PTR
- April 2020: 8.3.5 release
- November 2020: 9.0 release

As for the content, I'm expecting 8.2.5 to put the emphasis on Sylvanas plan or endgame as they like to call it, 8.3 to focus on stopping or hunting down Sylvanas only for us to get screwed over by N'zoth in the end, 8.3.5 to be the aftermath of this and finally 9.0 to be the Return of the Black Empire.

I would LOVE expansion around November, but I'm afraid that Blizz want to release expansion every Summer (or even every August). Who the hell cares how long BfA would last? Everyone needs break between expansion anyway, otherwise they will quickly burn out like, you know, with BfA.

Of course people would bitch (Nyel already started, heh), but I think it's better to hear bitching about delayed expansion (because eventually it's replaced with hype) than about rushed expac (because first impression are everything, 8.2/8.3 could elevate BfA above Legion, but people still will view it as failed expansion).

And yeah, I expect The Black Empire as new title (ok, I would accept cool Scourge 2.0 theme).

[Prophet June Bug]

Ì'm leaning towards a september release for 8.2.5 as well. 8.3 announcement in october, 8.3 release in december/january. 9.0 at Blizzcon.

Thinking 8.3 will be Ny'alotha, Dragon Isles could be an xpac landmass.

I say this because Blizz tends to use undefined landmasses like Broken Isles to make sure there's a variety of landscapes. Zones that are environmentally the same throughout like Argus and Nazjatar end up as patch zones. We know next to nothing of the Dragon Isles environmentally speaking and Ny'alotha is probably mostly tentacle Black Empire stuff.

[infinitemeridian]

Given the rate of content releases this expac, I very much doubt we'll get 8.3 before the new year.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Ì'm leaning towards a september release for 8.2.5 as well. 8.3 announcement in october, 8.3 release in december/january. 9.0 at Blizzcon.

Thinking 8.3 will be Ny'alotha, Dragon Isles could be an xpac landmass.

I say this because Blizz tends to use undefined landmasses like Broken Isles to make sure there's a variety of landscapes. Zones that are environmentally the same throughout like Argus and Nazjatar end up as patch zones. We know next to nothing of the Dragon Isles environmentally speaking and Ny'alotha is probably mostly tentacle Black Empire stuff.

With zones inspired by the theme of each dragonflight, Dragon Isles could indeed become diverse enough to support an expansion!

[Nyel]

Do we really want another island chain poppin out of nowhere? I‘m not sure about that. Would be the same as in MoP, Legion and BfA just a third time (3/4 expansions in a row would have done this then). It worked for MoP and it did even work for Legion but the explanation for BfA was very weak and I don’t know how it could be not exactly the same for Dragon Isles as it was for Pandaria (a magical mist protected them...).

The new Bellular video is interesting yet not very indicative of anything for the future what we already don’t know. The similarity between Heart of Azeroth and the Dragon Soul is very interesting though. But all of that to just release N‘zoth and finish him in 8.3? Sounds very unlikely. And even Azshara talking about the Rise of the Black Empire makes it much more interesting.

[Sondrelk]

Do we really want another island chain poppin out of nowhere? I‘m not sure about that. Would be the same as in MoP, Legion and BfA just a third time (3/4 expansions in a row would have done this then). It worked for MoP and it did even work for Legion but the explanation for BfA was very weak and I don’t know how it could be not exactly the same for Dragon Isles as it was for Pandaria (a magical mist protected them...).

The new Bellular video is interesting yet not very indicative of anything for the future what we already don’t know. The similarity between Heart of Azeroth and the Dragon Soul is very interesting though. But all of that to just release N‘zoth and finish him in 8.3? Sounds very unlikely. And even Azshara talking about the Rise of the Black Empire makes it much more interesting.

To be fair, dragon isles north of EK is not completely out of left field, it having been shown on several old maps. I get your point though, personally want a world revamp so we can sidestep that issue completely.


I am not really sure why some people seem to hung up on the HoA being the dragon soul, sure, they are both golden colored and discs, but that seems to be about it. The dragon soul was a featureless disc, and the HoA is a necklace with a gem in the middle.

[TaliaKirana]

To me, the fact they made a big deal about showing N'zoth in Azshara's Warbringer short was them starting to lay the trail to the finale of BfA. It feels thematically that they're building up to us realizing he's been pulling our strings and laughing at us while we kill each other over the Azerite. That realization will come when he slips his chains at the end of the Azshara raid. (Because of course he's going to escape.)

[Sondrelk]

I am starting to wonder how Sylvanas is going to be connected to the other warbringers in 8.3.
Jaina was the final boss of 8.1, Azshara the final boss of 8.2.

It would be pretty weird if Sylvanas somehow gets a complete pass on being a raid boss, even if she is not the final raid boss. Just because people like her, seems like it would not gel with the foreshadowing inherent in crowbaring in Jaina as a raid boss to make 2/3 of the trifecta.

[Verdugo]

I am starting to wonder how Sylvanas is going to be connected to the other warbringers in 8.3.
Jaina was the final boss of 8.1, Azshara the final boss of 8.2.

It would be pretty weird if Sylvanas somehow gets a complete pass on being a raid boss, even if she is not the final raid boss. Just because people like her, seems like it would not gel with the foreshadowing inherent in crowbaring in Jaina as a raid boss to make 2/3 of the trifecta.

Why not, Jaina was a raid boss for one reason only. So that we can see how stronk she is and we should like her. Then we are cooperating with her next patch because she is so amazing.

[Drekmar]

Nice, mechagon comic.

[Alga]

I think blizz will cut 8.3 and work on 9.0 asap. Bfa won't get any better unless they go back to the drawing board on class design. It doesn't matter how good the raids or content is when the classes feel like garbage.

Sometimes I grow the feeling that you plox are just deaf and cannot read. There won't be anything done for class design and balancing in BFA and this should be well known.

Next xpac is the your very wll next station to moan.

[FlubberPuddy]

Nice, mechagon comic.

Some parts of the comic with King Mechagon make it look like they used his head in-game model and just copy/pasted it into the comic. It's fucken weird.

[Drekmar]

Some parts of the comic with King Mechagon make it look like they used his head in-game model and just copy/pasted it into the comic. It's fucken weird.

Thats just you imagining. They probably just wanted to be accurate as much as possible, otherwise someone would again complain that he doesnt look like his ingame model.