9.0 General Discussion

[Gamespud]

Oh god I can see it now, "Infinite Possibilities" being an extremely overused tagline just like "Savage!™"

[Nyel]

I don't know where the obsession in this forum with Dragon Isles comes from. Besides being mentioned once or twice during BfA there was nothing hinting towards it being the new expansion' region. Wrathion was off to it to find something to tackle N'zoth's influence, if so it's pretty much resolved in 8.3.

[Teriz]

I don't know where the obsession in this forum with Dragon Isles comes from. Besides being mentioned once or twice during BfA there was nothing hinting towards it being the new expansion' region. Wrathion was off to it to find something to tackle N'zoth's influence, if so it's pretty much resolved in 8.3.

Meh, my money is still on Undermine.

[Gamespud]

I don't know where the obsession in this forum with Dragon Isles comes from. Besides being mentioned once or twice during BfA there was nothing hinting towards it being the new expansion' region. Wrathion was off to it to find something to tackle N'zoth's influence, if so it's pretty much resolved in 8.3.

The excitement mostly comes from the fact that the Dragons have been much MUCH more active lately and the Ilgynoth whispers which some may be referring to the Dragons seeking to regain their power. Also it's just a natural idea for an expansion as we've now had 2 expansions in a row that deal with what were previously tiny insignificant islands being turned into full continents so there's precedent and having the islands split between the dragonflights would make the dragon isles a natural choice for a new expansion. That and someone said it so we all parrot it forever.

[Polybius]

Ah yeah now when I read it it makes sense, too...

I really don't care about Tinker or Necromancer or whatever.

Takeaway from that, assuming it is true, is that Tinker would be a class and Necromancer a cosmetic option (or classes would get decent reworks).

[FlemmMinis]

Now what did I miss?

Team Wrath of THE bolvar btw...

[Polybius]

you know, saying "nice try ion" isnt an actual argument. its just deflecting away from what he said by making accusations

That line keeps being repeated. It's an awful lot like the poster who "leaked" the xpac in the 4chan forums. A great part of it has come true, so far...

True or troll, leaks can result in being partially fake because development is known to change a lot. It's like the WoD leak where Shattrath was eventually scrapped. Dialogue and broadcasts have also been changed on PTR like the War of Thorns pre patch. Most leaks are fair game, and leakers and their sources (assuming it's legitimate) only get tidbit peeks of current developmemt.

[razorpax]

That line keeps being repeated. It's an awful lot like the poster who "leaked" the xpac in the 4chan forums. A great part of it has come true, so far...

True or troll, leaks can result in being partially fake because development is known to change a lot. It's like the WoD leak where Shattrath was eventually scrapped. Dialogue and broadcasts have also been changed on PTR like the War of Thorns pre patch. Most leaks are fair game, and leakers and their sources (assuming it's legitimate) only get tidbit peeks of current developmemt.

dragonheart for new "artifact item"
guild halls
dragon isles
reveal that sylvie is just an avatar of muehzala who has gotten more powerful through the wars
reveal taht n'zoth planned his defeat so he could hide in the dagger
moment of moruzond being born as part of either a raid or a dungeon
new dragon knight like class
spec reworks and new specs
guild rework
leveling redesign
more world content to use the wonderful world of azeroth that we already have
more allied races that already have hints throughout the game like the jinyu
the whispers from illgynoth in nyalotha slowly happening similar to how the whispers in legion happened in bfa
returning players like vol jin after his journey for the truth of his current situation
alliance having inner turmoil

- - - Updated - - -

Going to an alternate reality to defeat an excess of light?

What's next, you gonna tell me a Void Lord helps us?

thats literally what is happening on draenor

light nazi army

[ercarp]

Guys, my friend who works for Blizzard just sent me this 100% real logo for the next expansion. I could get in a lot of trouble for posting this so please appreciate the sacrifice that I'm making.

[razorpax]

He's got more credibility than a 1 post account that manages to step on a land mine by saying Bolvar is evil, or flat-out missing a key feature that's all but confirmed.

I will say though you put his stuff together and I have some questions about where he gets "Dragon Expansion" without pairing it up with something else.

dragon expansion hints because

azerite questline
island expeditions
wrathion quest line
illgynoth whispers (five torches being the dragonflights)

[Pheraz]

What we know so far:

1. Some stuff relating to Bolvar, Ebon Blade, and the Death Knights was datamined. It seems liked Allied Races will be able to roll Death Knights. We don't know if this is a clue for 9.0 or something else entirely.

2. There have been several leaks posted all over the internet. Most leaks seem to lean on the recent DK stuff by doubling down on a Scourge/Death themed expansion. Dragon Isles have also been mentioned several times. Almost every leak mentions either Necromancers or Tinkers as a class. As always, we can't say which leak is the real one, but some sound more believable than others.

3. @Jericho21 (the guy who leaked Legion) posted some "hints" regarding 9.0. From what I could decipher, it seems like he's saying the expansion will not be Death-themed. Dragon Isles will play a part though. Apparently.

I hope so. Because IMHO a death theme is to weak and too little to carry an expansion.

[ercarp]

I hope so. Because IMHO a death theme is to weak and too little to carry an expansion.

I mean, it worked for Wrath. I think it has potential, and Death in the WoW universe has been fleshed out far more than the "Void Lords" so... there's that.

[ExiHext]

Funny, how literally every leak since the datamining of the 4 DK blades contains that fourth spec shenanigans now...before nobody even mentioned that.

[Pheraz]

I mean, it worked for Wrath. I think it has potential, and Death in the WoW universe has been fleshed out far more than the "Void Lords" so... there's that.

Okay I have to include that I was never a big fan of wotlk. I loved that fallen Knight story of arthas in wc3 and apart from the face roll dungeons I thought they failed to deliver icecrown/ICC/arthas as I imagined it. I think everything looked so empty and without much detail and not evil at all. Not even sceletons looked evil. But yeah that's a very personal impression ofc.
Also wotlk also had ice vikings, old gods and ulduar/titan stuff.

That's why i think there must be more than just death/undeath

[Gamespud]

Guys, my friend who works for Blizzard just sent me this 100% real logo for the next expansion. I could get in a lot of trouble for posting this so please appreciate the sacrifice that I'm making.

It's Happening! /s

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

where's the link and leak saying
sylvanas is the anti-hero/main villain of the expansion?
kel thuzad being relevant
bolvar
medan being introduced in WoW
arthas coming back but as himself
tyrande being the alliance sylvanas
nathanos being the last raid boss of the first raid?
sylvanas waging war against alextrasza and stuff

[plz delete account]

I hope so. Because IMHO a death theme is to weak and too little to carry an expansion.

Wrath says hello.

[ercarp]

where's the link and leak saying
sylvanas is the anti-hero/main villain of the expansion?
kel thuzad being relevant
bolvar
medan being introduced in WoW
arthas coming back but as himself
tyrande being the alliance sylvanas
nathanos being the last raid boss of the first raid?
sylvanas waging war against alextrasza and stuff

The debunked Shadowlands leak is the only one I can find that mentions Nathanos as a raid boss. Nothing about Med'an though, unless that's in the 4chan thread.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

The debunked Shadowlands leak is the only one I can find that mentions Nathanos as a raid boss. Nothing about Med'an though, unless that's in the 4chan thread.

no not that one. it's a different one. they were saying how sylvanas was waging war against everything that was of life and hope and how alex and bolvar were gonna work together

[DeicideUH]

Someone asked for predictions elsewhere and I wrote my own "leak". It's more wishful thinking than prediction, but here it goes:

- Sylvanas is dealt with in 8.3.5. We ally with the Death entities to stop her. She's not killed, but her plans are revealed and we set them back for now.
- "New" Continents: Revamped Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, 10 years timeskip.
- Level squish. Levels are divided by three. 120 becomes 40. New max level: 60.
- Can level up from 1 to 60 in the new continents. Zones divided between 1-40, 20-40 and 40-60 brackets (1/3 of the zones are in last bracket).
- Old versions of Kalimdor/EK still available and optional, ranging from 1-40. All old expansions range 20-40.
- Classes keep somewhat like now, but added back lots of utility and skill-based abilities. Several talents become baseline. Six talent rows, one every 10 levels. Every spec has at least one talent row that is about choosing your playstyle (like between Frost DK with one 2h or two 1h weapons). Skills are not auto-learned anymore, instead you have a skill tree that you gain points as you level up and is maxed at 60.
- Allied races now start at level 6.
- Both hero classes start at level 18.
- New class: tinker. Specs are tank that rides a mech, ranged DPS using guns and explosives, chemist healer. For gnomes, goblins, dark irons, mag'har, mechagnomes and vulpera.
- Tons of customization options added for all races. Most of them are unlocked through gameplay. Includes scars, tatoos and even alternate visuals for some races (wildhammer dwarf, highborne night elf, clan skins for normal orcs and more).
- New class combos. Worgen shaman, night elf paladin, void elf paladin, mechagnome shaman, goblin monk, lightforged monk, tauren rogue, highmountain rogue, undead paladin, nightborne paladin and pandaren druid (yeah).
- You can now collect alternate visuals for skills (through glyphs, questing, achievements, and so on). You can change them in a class trainer. Includes undead/void monsters in place of demons for warlocks, holy visuals for Shadow Priest, void versions of paladin spells and so on. Some race/class combos start with different visuals as default (like the void elf paladin or night elf priest).
- Kalimdor themed on exploration and wonder. Also night elf/Horde conflict, and Draenor fauna and flora has spread over the continent.
- Eastern Kingdoms themed on politics and border conflicts between the many kingdoms and city-states.
- Old allied races incorporated into the zones. Can now be unlocked easilly by doing local questlines centered on them.
- Many threats: Amani Covenant, return of Hakkar, botani expansion, Sylvanas' death cultists, the Black Empress (the entity formerly known as Xal'atath) building her own empire on the Wounded Lands (former Silithus/Ahn'Qiraj).
- Many heroes retired, lots of former child/teenage characters getting bigger roles (Galadin and Giramar, Dagran Thaurissan, Arator, Zekhan, Durak)