9.X Patches & 10.0 Speculation Thread

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The 'dual team' thing was discussed extensively during the transition from MoP to WoD. It's the reason so much of WoD was unfinished. The old team training the new team was a massive drain on productivity and the Devs talked quite a bit about the challenges during that time.

No there is no team 1 and team 2 for wow. What you describe are basically people who are training new people that are getting hired, not the same thing you are implying.

[Nyel]

That's just copium speaking. Next expansion pre-production should only take minority of the dev team. Most of them should keep the current expansion content pace on track.

And this is completely unfounded guesswork. We don't know how they're working, if they do it simultaenously, if they alternate between retail content patches and expansion content etc.

Assuming how little they did with Shadowlands and how much they were able to do with Legion and BfA, one must assume that they shifted workpower towards 10.0 very early during the Shadowlands-cycle. Because there were no official major layoffs when it comes to developers and creative staff.

[Relapses]

And this is completely unfounded guesswork. We don't know how they're working, if they do it simultaenously, if they alternate between retail content patches and expansion content etc.

Assuming how little they did with Shadowlands and how much they were able to do with Legion and BfA, one must assume that they shifted workpower towards 10.0 very early during the Shadowlands-cycle. Because there were no official major layoffs when it comes to developers and creative staff.

I mean, isn't this all unsubstantiated guesswork? I only asked for confirmation of the two teams thing because I haven't really kept up with the behind the scenes stuff and was wondering if they'd dropped that in one of their infodumps.

[Luck4]

So, after reading both this and another thread, I got some conclusions:

A. 10.0 is a World Revamp.
- And this means that Blizzard still loves WoW, and was working on 10.0 since BFA/Legion era.

B. 10.0 isn't a World Revamp but still a lot bigger than Shadowlands.
- And this means Blizzard still wanna put effort into WoW, and will try to give the game a comeback.

C. 10.0 isn't a World Revamp, comes only in 2023, and is smaller than any previous expansion.
- And this means...

[Varodoc]

Option D: Dragon Isles expansion, N'Zoth was alive all along, the Ren'dorei emerge to oppose him and help the dragons, is announced at Game Awards 2021 (December 9, 2021), comes out on or before December 31, 2022.

[Lahis]

Option D: Dragon Isles expansion, N'Zoth was alive all along, the Ren'dorei emerge to oppose him and help the dragons, is announced at Game Awards 2021 (December 9, 2021), comes out on or before December 31, 2022.

I doubt Geoff wants ActiBlizz spoiling the image of his show unless absolutely necessary.

[Varodoc]

I doubt Geoff wants ActiBlizz spoiling the image of his show unless absolutely necessary.

I'll admit that I'm somewhat smoking copium.

Still I hope 10.0 is revealed reasonably early into the next year, because I truly, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, don't want FillerLands to last until 2023.

[Chickat]

Raids are made from patch to patch and expansion is just another season. Especially since BfA where they didn't test at all second big raid during Beta. But zones/dungeons/new features must be made through whole expansion, it's not like team is working on patch zone for 6 months and then BAM whole continent is ready for Alpha few months after last patch.

Clear example why some things are made very early is Anima. It works exactly like AP and I bet it supposed to be artifact 3.0. But they saw people are sick of this and repurpose Anima into cosmetic territory.

Team A/team B thing is obviously bullshit. Some expansions are more popular than others (usually when stars align and good theme is combined with good patch support, new feature that clicks and new class on top of that), but everyone had different flaws. There are things that SL or BfA did better than Legion, WoD did better than MoP, Cata better than Wrath. A lot of things actually.

Our theory about 10.0 revamp is different thing. Shadowlands is clearly smaller by design (nothing to do with covid, reveal was 2019), especially compared to massive BfA. It really feels like some people are doing other things. And remember that second revamp would require much more resources than first one, Cata was just 5 years after Vanilla.

Btw, anyone counted how many quests has SL compared to BfA? I think difference is most noticeable in that field.

When shadowlands alpha started most zones were nearly complete art wise if I'm remembering correctly. We barely got anything bfor 9.1 and 9.2 is big but not 1.5 years to develop big. Either they are working on a revamp for 10.0 or the future, or the next expansion is far on along in the art department already. What have the artists and world designers been working on for the last year and a half other than the small 9.1 or 9.2?

Next xpac is either massive without a revamp or has a revamp. Nothing else makes sense to me.

- - - Updated - - -

That's just copium speaking. Next expansion pre-production should only take minority of the dev team. Most of them should keep the current expansion content pace on track.

Which is why they have to have either 10.0 art almost done by this point, or a big project aka world revamp.

[Resheph]

Next xpac is either massive without a revamp or has a revamp. Nothing else makes sense to me.

You heard it here first folks, it has or hasn't a revamp!

[Luck4]

Next xpac is either massive without a revamp or has a revamp. Nothing else makes sense to me.

That's what I think as well, but there's also the grim possibility of Blizzard not putting enough resources in WoW anymore.

[Chickat]

You heard it here first folks, it has or hasn't a revamp!

Either way the next expansion has to be big. There's no other explanation for why the art team has produced so little on a year and a half.

- - - Updated - - -

That's what I think as well, but there's also the grim possibility of Blizzard not putting enough resources in WoW anymore.

Last we heard the wow team is growing and bigger than it was during WoD and Legion. Either 90% of the dev team is lazy and incompetent, or they are working on something big. Doesn't have to be a revamp, but it's something.

[maxje98]

Some spoilers about after the raid:

https://twitter.com/Stiven_SRB/statu...91434933624835

Dont know if anyone has posted this, but it appears that Sylvanas will be a person of importance after the raid?

[Luck4]

You heard it here first folks, it has or hasn't a revamp!

He's making a good point, I mean if it's not a revamp then it's a big expansion, like Legion, otherwise, Blizzard isn't putting resources in WoW as they did in the past, doing only the bare minimum to milk the community as much as possible before the game becomes a ghost town.

[Makorus]

Some spoilers about after the raid:

https://twitter.com/Stiven_SRB/statu...91434933624835

Dont know if anyone has posted this, but it appears that Sylvanas will be a person of importance after the raid?

I don't know about this.

Maiev, Alleria and Vereesa being there is weird. So is Lillian Voss, but she is involved in some way.

[Divada]

Dont know if anyone has posted this, but it appears that Sylvanas will be a person of importance after the raid?

The new arbiter is probably deciding/has decided her fate. The guards between her and the rest are for Sylvanas's protection, I'm guessing. It's probably the 'big moment' that was hinted at earlier, probably involving Tyrande.

[Sondrelk]

The new arbiter is probably deciding/has decided her fate. The guards between her and the rest are for Sylvanas's protection, I'm guessing. It's probably the 'big moment' that was hinted at earlier, probably involving Tyrande.

The last questline in 9.2 that is datamined is called "Judgment", so most likely it is where we learn what happens to Sylvanas.
Given the harsh connotations of the word I have to assume that the game at least makes an attempt to not brush her actions under the rug. Even if she left the Jailer and helped fight him, she still played a massive role in him actually getting that close to winning. If it wasnt for Sylvanas then none of this would have happened.

[Varodoc]

It was kind of Blizzard to remember that Alleria exists.

Unfortunately, it's far too late at this stage of the game

[Arafal]

Alleria and Vereesa being there is weird.

How are they weird? It'd be weird if they DIDN'T show up to watch Sylvanas be judged.

[Sondrelk]

How are they weird? It'd be weird if they DIDN'T show up to watch Sylvanas be judged.

No weirder than them being absent in the entire expansion at large.
Alleria even literally said she intended to be there when Sylvanas was defeated, and despite this being a certainty once we went into the Shadowlands she didnt follow after, nor when we assaulted the Sanctum of Domination.

[Makorus]

How are they weird? It'd be weird if they DIDN'T show up to watch Sylvanas be judged.

Because Alleria was absent this entire expansion? And suddenly she is here?

When we had randos like Taelia and Calia pop up in Oribos during the Torghast quest chain