BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Keltas]

Eh, people would still moan that "Horde" racials are better (0.1% in sims) so they're forced to play Horde races

It's not even racials forcing you to play horde anymore.

It's that 90% of raiding guilds are horde at this point. Good luck getting recruits as alliance. We get a lot of people interested who end up saying "oh you're alliance sorry" right at the end of recruiting them. It's a struggle that the alliance guilds are losing more each tier.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

It's not even racials forcing you to play horde anymore.

It's that 90% of raiding guilds are horde at this point. Good luck getting recruits as alliance. We get a lot of people interested who end up saying "oh you're alliance sorry" right at the end of recruiting them. It's a struggle that the alliance guilds are losing more each tier.

Because....................

There is a more complex reason other then just cuz.

[Hugnomo]

I can already tell this is going to be the longest month ever ...

[DeicideUH]

About the faction system, what I see as possible:

Probable:
- Cross-faction parties
- Cross-faction PvE instances
- Cross-faction comunication

Maybe:
- Mercenary Mode no longer changing your race.
- Cross-faction guilds.

Very unlikely:
- A way or questline to switch sides permanently.

Really really unlikely:
- You can play any race in any faction from the start.

Not going to happen:
- Factions being dissolved/merged.

[Khaza-R]

About the faction system, what I see as possible:

Probable:
- Cross-faction parties
- Cross-faction PvE instances
- Cross-faction comunication

Maybe:
- Mercenary Mode no longer changing your race.
- Cross-faction guilds.

Very unlikely:
- A way or questline to switch sides permanently.

Really really unlikely:
- You can play any race in any faction from the start.

Not going to happen:
- Factions being dissolved/merged.

Pretty much agree with this 100%

I am curious how they could make co-faction guilds work. Maybe there will be a way to link 1 or more guilds together. They maintain their own independent guild chat but also get a meta cofaction channel too. I'd be interested if they would let them share mats, gold etc.

[Voidism]

Has Blizzard mentioned 8.3 at all btw?

[huth]

Has Blizzard mentioned 8.3 at all btw?

Why would that matter?

[FlubberPuddy]

Because....................

There is a more complex reason other then just cuz.

Problem is a lot of little issues that snowballed and now it's a stark issue in where the above poster said, almost assuredly people go Horde because they hear that's where the majority of raiders are and this forms a positive feedback loop making it more and more an issue.

The top 100 mythic leaderboards pretty much show the problem itself.

I don't believe it's some case like "many alliance players are more into other forms of content that don't involve mythic raiding".

Since you can play all forms of content regardless of which faction you're on.

[huth]

Problem is a lot of little issues that snowballed and now it's a stark issue in where the above poster said, almost assuredly people go Horde because they hear that's where the majority of raiders are and this forms a positive feedback loop making it more and more an issue.

The top 100 mythic leaderboards pretty much show the problem itself.

I don't believe it's some case like "many alliance players are more into other forms of content that don't involve mythic raiding".

Since you can play all forms of content regardless of which faction you're on.

Well, technically they are now, but that's largely because all the raiders went Horde.

But there's no real way of fixing that without cross-faction grouping, since even if you manage to get them back to Alliance, you'd just be shifting the problem around, not solving it.

[FlubberPuddy]

Well, technically they are now, but that's largely because all the raiders went Horde.

But there's no real way of fixing that without cross-faction grouping, since even if you manage to get them back to Alliance, you'd just be shifting the problem around, not solving it.

Yes, I was agreeing that it's an issue built up over years and is a complex one at that.

Not sure how else they will "solve it" other than being able to group with whoever going forward.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Yes, I was agreeing that it's an issue built up over years and is a complex one at that.

Not sure how else they will "solve it" other than being able to group with whoever going forward.

Sure but a lot of people seem to really be doomsaying :/

[FlubberPuddy]

Sure but a lot of people seem to really be doomsaying :/

I mean people will usually use hyperbole online. But we don't really have information on whether the situation is "getting worse" or "getting better". Our only metric as players is the top 100 mythic clears and how long they take. As well as I guess hearsay from other people's experiences such as the poster about guild applicant later declining the offer after finding out they weren't horde raiders.

I mean, it's pretty well known nowadays that the raiding community is bigger on the Horde side on average. Most people use that information though and follow the crowd. It's kinda like right now in Classic WoW how AoE dungeon mages are a big FOTM right now and so many are doing. There's also wayyyy more Warriors/Priests/Mages that people rolled because they read all the information online about how people considered those the "top/best classes" for Classic.

Point is, the majority follow what news they find online and that only creates a positive feedback loop. More people are going Horde to raid because they're shown "that's what most people do" and so they actually add to the problem because most go with the flow than against the grain.

I don't mythic raid so I don't know how that scene is, but the likely scenario is since a lot of people are talking about many have gone Horde this has led people who search up "Raiding" to see those same people talking and then decide to go Horde.

It's kinda like when picking servers originally, I'd search up "popular Horde realm" or "popular Alliance realm" cuz I wanted to be where most people were on the faction characters I made.

There's probably truth to the "doomsaying", and as said before, we don't really know if it's getting better or worse.

[Nathanyel]

It's not even racials forcing you to play horde anymore.

It's that 90% of raiding guilds are horde at this point. Good luck getting recruits as alliance. We get a lot of people interested who end up saying "oh you're alliance sorry" right at the end of recruiting them. It's a struggle that the alliance guilds are losing more each tier.

Because....................

There is a more complex reason other then just cuz.

Nah it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. People believed that Horde racials would give them a genuine advantage, so at first the minmaxers changed, and then the less hardcore people followed suit because "it was the thing to do", and eventually, you just went Horde because you wanted to raid. Something that will get alleviated, although obviously not immediately, if you can raid with other-faction players like you can with other-realm players, anything but the current Mythic raid.

[Hugnomo]

I was thinking about the significance of "nothing" in the cinematic. "The Horde is nothing", "Nothing lasts." and then in the loyalist cinematic, she repeats the latter.
I was reminded of a previous cinematic, the Azshara warbringer. What did Azshara call N'zoth when bargaining and describing him locked up? "The God ... of nothing".
Even Sylvanas in the Lordaeron one, she gets closer to Anduin and says "You've won ... nothing!".
I am most definitely sure that "nothing" is referring to something bigger and important to the story. To me, nothing seems most connected to the idea of death. And we've had every hint towards something death related. I'm very excited to figure out where the story goes.

[Chain Chungus]

With the addition of classic, they don't have to cling to old concepts from many expansions ago (including factions). This was also the only reason they thought they could start pruning cities.

PvP and warmode can become a free-for-all or better yet, a guild vs. guild, party vs. party, and raid vs. raid type of system. One guild would strive to be the king of the server, dominating all of the other guilds in PvP combat.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

If you take it to the logical extreme death leaves nothing behind. plants, fauna even the land will look dead(Sorta like Argus...minus the Fel). Not sure thats what actually going on though.

ith the addition of classic, they don't have to cling to old concepts from many expansions ago (including factions). This was also the only reason they thought they could start pruning cities.

PvP and warmode can become a free-for-all or better yet, a guild vs. guild, party vs. party, and raid vs. raid type of system. One guild would strive to be the king of the server, dominating all of the other guilds in PvP combat.

Factions aren't going anywhere and nor should they, they should be left alone.

[tmamass]

nice photoshop "skills"...

- - - Updated - - -

Has Blizzard mentioned 8.3 at all btw?

no and they wont before blizzcon

[Aeluron Lightsong]

nice photoshop "skills"...

... It wasn't photoshopped..even MMO-Champion acknowledged it.

[Marlamin]

So that patch just now updates files for these keys:

Key 252 - 2 baby Murlocs
Key 255 - Lots of models, maybe item set or cosmetic item? BlizzCon?

VT release tonight?

[Vasoka]

So that patch just now updates files for these keys:



VT release tonight?

My wallet is ready.