why blizzard abandon expansion in the middle

[Guildenstern]

Its amazing you can that you can face palm and laugh at the same time

- For the first time we're venturing into the afterlife, it's not just adding on an extra continent and going "surprise guys it was here all the time!"
- We get more Val'kyr law - a race which has been around for expansions with no meat on the bone lore wise. We also get to find out about all the spirit healers and their lore.
- Not to mention (apparently) its the source of all necromantic power, so we'll have a really good insight into that.
- We're getting a fuck ton of character customization, including ethnicity for humans and different skins for trolls and dwarfs
- Covenants sound odd, but its actually bringing choices with impact to our characters.
- We're having a new type of dungeon with has a changing layout, is endless and you can que for it solo or up to 5 man
- Updated starting zones to reflect the BFA story.

And you have the audacity to sit there and say bland.

So your first three points can be summarized with one word - "Lore". I knew people on the internet were dense, but are you really suggesting we should be pliable so much as to parade new "lore" as a great feature? Lore comes with every patch and expansion! Hello, are you really from this planet or you just haven't tasted anything more sophisticated than your mom's apple pie?

Character customization. Okay. It's always been there. I'm talking tatoos and stuff, most of the NPC already had them, they simply weren't available to players. It's 0,5 of a feature, but okay, we can call it a feature so you don't feel robbed of your money when you buy this bland expac.

Covenants. 4 factions with 2 abilities each is what you call choices and impact? 2 abilities each, Carl! And one of them is useless!

You know what, forget it, I just did a table of what a real expansion should look like vs what you're getting with shadowblands, but sure, keep drooling BECAUSE VALKYR! AND..AND OWL POEPLE!
Also for @Raisei

[Jester Joe]

Yup. There's nothing we can see that was cut here, unlike WoD where you can find entire raid portals that go unused.

I have to ask, where exactly? Just out of curiosity, I imagine it's probably Shattrath but I haven't seen it myself, that sounds interesting though to see.

And for BfA I'd have to agree, pretty sure it's just what it is, nothing was actually abandoned.

[rrayy]

Is it just me that's enjoyed BfA and thought it was a good expansion? I mean, I've taken large breaks throughout it, but that's not because of BfA, I've just been playing WoW since Vanilla and needed a break to play other games. When I have been playing though, I've enjoyed the content, the stories, the dungeons, hell I even enjoyed Warfronts and Islands (although both of those lack much replayability). While it's not one of my top expansions, it's definitely enjoyable to me and the stories have been interesting.

What exactly about it do people dislike so much?

A lot of epople enjoyed it. Do not let the entitled players here try to tell you otherwise.

[kansor]

If we don't get the last pair of allied races (since no 8.3.5.) that's one thing that was obviously cut or postponed.

[muto]

So your first three points can be summarized with one word - "Lore". I knew people on the internet were dense, but are you really suggesting we should be pliable so much as to parade new "lore" as a great feature? Lore comes with every patch and expansion! Hello, are you really from this planet or you just haven't tasted anything more sophisticated than your mom's apple pie?

Character customization. Okay. It's always been there. I'm talking tatoos and stuff, most of the NPC already had them, they simply weren't available to players. It's 0,5 of a feature, but okay, we can call it a feature so you don't feel robbed of your money when you buy this bland expac.

Covenants. 4 factions with 2 abilities each is what you call choices and impact? 2 abilities each, Carl! And one of them is useless!

You know what, forget it, I just did a table of what a real expansion should look like vs what you're getting with shadowblands, but sure, keep drooling BECAUSE VALKYR! AND..AND OWL POEPLE!
Also for @Raisei

Also forgot 1.

Wrath: There must always be a Lich King.

Shadowlands: LUL guess not


Wrath was the last expansion with good lore sadly.

[Merin]

Is it just me that's enjoyed BfA and thought it was a good expansion? I mean, I've taken large breaks throughout it, but that's not because of BfA, I've just been playing WoW since Vanilla and needed a break to play other games. When I have been playing though, I've enjoyed the content, the stories, the dungeons, hell I even enjoyed Warfronts and Islands (although both of those lack much replayability). While it's not one of my top expansions, it's definitely enjoyable to me and the stories have been interesting.

What exactly about it do people dislike so much?

Everything. Content sucks, story sucks, class design sucks, PvP sucks.

I’m a giant nerd who has been playing MMOs since UO and this is in the top three of worst I’ve played. An extreme feat if you take into mind the amount of post EQ cash grabs and Korean RO chasers.

I wasn’t a super cynical type until this expansion. But this is so beyond the pale terrible that I will never buy into this game again. It isn’t a feeling of passion for wanting the game to get better, I just have no interest anymore beyond scaring potential newcomers from ever touching this dog shit.

WoW is past the point of salvage and the next expansion somehow looks WORSE. How the FUCK is that even possible?

[mickybrighteyes]

Yup. There's nothing we can see that was cut here, unlike WoD where you can find entire raid portals that go unused.

what if they wised up and just turned the raid portals into instances?

[Biggles Worth]

WoD was abandoned.

BfA wasn't abandoned, it just sucks balls.

There was a lot of things they could've done to make the expansion more enjoyable but for some unknown reason like always after all these years they just are so stubborn and refuse to do the fun thing.

[Wyrt]

There was a lot of things they could've done to make the expansion more enjoyable but for some unknown reason like always after all these years they just are so stubborn and refuse to do the fun thing.

Could they have made BfA better? Yeah, probably.

Did they abandon it? Nope. They actively made it worse in 8.3

[Aristai1723]

There is only one solution: Kill Nzoth on the difficulty you care about, unsubscribe ASAP after.

Unless you really need that mouse.

If you already unsubbed, see you in Shadowlands or maybe not

[123youshowme]

Everything. Content sucks, story sucks, class design sucks, PvP sucks.

I’m a giant nerd who has been playing MMOs since UO and this is in the top three of worst I’ve played. An extreme feat if you take into mind the amount of post EQ cash grabs and Korean RO chasers.

I wasn’t a super cynical type until this expansion. But this is so beyond the pale terrible that I will never buy into this game again. It isn’t a feeling of passion for wanting the game to get better, I just have no interest anymore beyond scaring potential newcomers from ever touching this dog shit.

WoW is past the point of salvage and the next expansion somehow looks WORSE. How the FUCK is that even possible?

k hopefully you'll move on

[matrix123mko]

They don’t work an hourly job... if they’re at work it’s work.

That's freelancers.

[Syegfryed]

They saw how this bullshit story was not appealing players then they decide to cut things and go direct for n'zoth

the "end of the fourth war" was completely pointless, uninteresting and uninspiring, ti should be a memorable moment but was meh, if it was not by the cgi cinematic who had a shit end it could pass unnoticed

then suddenly n'zoth, and suddenly, n'zoth ends, how different things would be if it was n'zoth all the time and not this facade dumb mop 2.0 lore

i still remember they saying the goblin cannon in azshara would fire, that was the worst war ever

[Ardenaso]

Is it just me that's enjoyed BfA and thought it was a good expansion? I mean, I've taken large breaks throughout it, but that's not because of BfA, I've just been playing WoW since Vanilla and needed a break to play other games. When I have been playing though, I've enjoyed the content, the stories, the dungeons, hell I even enjoyed Warfronts and Islands (although both of those lack much replayability). While it's not one of my top expansions, it's definitely enjoyable to me and the stories have been interesting.

What exactly about it do people dislike so much?

It doesn't feel any Fourth War or an all out war that much. Cata-MoP was more of a "Fourth War" than this

Why didn't the Draenei help at the War of the Thorns and the Battle for Darkshore?

Where the hell was Velen in all of BFA?

Why did the Horde stop at Darkshore and Teldrassil? There's a whole mountain waiting to be conquered by the Horde and more Night Elves for them to slaughter.

Why is the Argent Dawn and Ebon Blade silent on Sylvanas' Arthas 2.0 schemes? And why didn't they help in the campaign against her?

Why the hell didn't Jaina use her ship to fire its magical cannons to the Horde's airship? And why didn't Alleria shoot them whem she was like the greatest High Elf archer to ever live. Why does everyone like to simply watch every fly/retreat away?

Why the hell the Cenarion Night Elves retaliate and just act chill with the Horde? "Hey I know you basically massacred my clan and practically ended my lineage but clean some Azerite mess here and I swear we friends again"

What the hell is the the pre-Battle for Darkshore questline? It's so cringe. "We will kill them all". "Take Blightcaller, the Val'kyr are mine", can't even beat a glorified zombie archer with the literal powers of a goddess, let's just watch them fly away and not shoot, "We will regroup and fight again another day". And where was Tyrande during the Darkshore Warfront?

[MrLachyG]

it's not the first time when blizz kick expansion in x.1
the story looks silly due to gaps. I think the story went wrong as originally conceived.
what do you think, what was abandoned?

except it wasn't abandoned in 8.1, what are you talking about?

[Jester Joe]

I disagree with people stating that nothing was abandoned this patch.

Of course it is hard to point out exactly what might've gotten axed, but it just does not feel as feature complete as Legion was + they are 'rushing' Shadowlands at the moment.

We know for a fact that 8.3.5 was axed at least.

Some Blizzard employees even reached out to Bellular and explained that their WoW team has no say over what content and what patches they get to deliver or not. People's sentiment that Activision decides those things seems to be more true than anyone woud've hoped... The loss of 800 members of staff last year is the main reason why 8.3 is such a bugged mess right now too despite having received an extended development cycle. The WoW Dev team literally is unable to deliver content at the same pace and scope of Legion anymore at this point. They just don't have the resources...

And it pisses me off.

For something that's a "fact", you seem to be missing proof that 8.3.5 ever existed.

Or why you're so hung up on something that would be a minor patch in the first place, along the lines of some random quality of life features.

The rest is just distortion of the truth, as the 800 staff laid off came from both Blizzard AND Activision.

https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/16/18...ive-pay-unions

You can look this stuff up.

One of Activision Blizzard’s problems is that the company is terrible at handling rebuilding years without firing people. When Bungie and Activision divorced, employees that had been working in public relations, communications, customer care, and other support services for Destiny 2 suddenly lacked a game to support.

There is no Skylanders team to move them to. Once-hot Activision properties like Guitar Hero are now dormant franchises. The publisher’s licensed game business is a dusty creekbed. High Moon Studios, which made two great Transformers titles, has been supporting Destiny 2. Vicarious Visions, one of two studios on Skylanders, has been working on Destiny 2, also. Toys for Bob, the studio that created Skylanders, developed the Spyro the Dragon trilogy that came out in 2018.

From the outside, Activision’s pipeline is a trickle. The earnings call this week backed that up, as sales estimates are significantly lower for 2019.

Notice all Activision related.The most we saw from Blizzard's end was stuff like the CMs.

[Roxinius]

i dont believe they abandoned anything i truly believe they are 100% running out of ideas and BFA as a whole shows this it was a horrible idea that they ran with

[Gorsameth]

BfA is so abanoned they developed a new system for the last patch (Corruption) to respond to player feedback.

Sure sounds like something you do when you abandon an expansion....

[Soon-TM]

i dont believe they abandoned anything i truly believe they are 100% running out of ideas and BFA as a whole shows this it was a horrible idea that they ran with

Well, the fact that they decided to go with a MoP 2.0: Morally Grey™ Edition is kind of telling. They quickly slapped Tentacle Boi as the end boss and gave the boot to Sylvie in a fancy cinematic in order to cover it up, but... it didn't work.

[123youshowme]

BfA is so abanoned they developed a new system for the last patch (Corruption) to respond to player feedback.

Sure sounds like something you do when you abandon an expansion....

how dare you bring sense into a mmo-c argument????

an expansion is dead the second someone with a following doesn't like something.