Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Catastrophy349]

I know you're not going to answer this but I actually, genuinely appreciate the developer insight. Thank you for the discussion!

I wish I were a developer.

[ro9ue]

I had a thought this morning, and I'm curious what others think.

What IF instead of adding 10 more levels in Dragonflight for current max level players to do (60), they:
1). Just had a campaign (story) that we had to follow through in each of the new zones in order to get to the end-game similar to how the linear story worked in Shadowlands. Sure, in Shadowlands we had 50-60; however, we also had to complete the campaign in order to unlock Covenants.
2). Alternatively, they could add Shadowlands to Chromie time (10-50), players can choose whatever version of WoW they wish to play through to go 50-60, then in Dragonflight, you would level 50-60 (current max level). In short, quests would give experience in Dragonflight for 50-60 players while level 60 players would just focus on the campaign. Doing so would allow players to skip Shadowlands 50-60 (if they wish), and level however they want 10-50 so that they could jump into Dragonflight with everyone else.

I'm not saying I like this, nor am I saying that I want this. I simply thought of this and figured I would bring up for discussion. Feel free to take this part, add additional context, or provide your perspective for how something like this could work.

Any expansion you play should take you to cap if you want to stay there.

Then for the end game Dragonflight experience, assuming we all start at level 60 and the cap isn't increased, players just hop right into the content they want to do. There will still be vertical progression in the form of gaining item level.

However I think filling bars is crucial to this game, it just needs to be done in a different way. I'd look at Destiny 2 or ESO for the models that are currently the best with a shared account-wide leveling system in the form of Seasons and Champion Points.

Destiny 2 uses the Seasons model. It's not unlike the Hearthstone seasonal reward track and it should be account wide in WoW. Dragonflight should launch with a fresh seasonal track that caps at 100 (most examples of this system have a smaller, repeatable reward for every 5 levels after cap - both HS and Destiny 2 do this). The track consists of transmog, goodies, titles, mounts etc - very similar to the existing WoW honor level system, but the rewards are far far more frequent in Destiny 2, like every level. So let's say I start Dragonflight at 60 with my Hunter. I play until about level 13 in the seasonal track when I realize I'm not feeling this class or just want to switch to an alt for a bit and play something. Well, I can just simply switch over to my Shaman or something and pick up exactly where I left off because the seasonal track is account wide.

ESO has Champion Points. Close relatives are D3 Paragon points and EQ alternate advancement where you're filling a bar for points to spend in a tree or something. D3's system wasn't as good because it was just raw stats and really there was no limiting factor to the grinding part. ESO cleverly uses slotting for certain things to make sure when they add more stuff, there's no bloat. So for example there are special nodes that you unlock with points, let's say there are 20 or something. You can only have 4 slotted at any time. This is nice because they can keep adding more and more each expansion and not worry about power bloat, there's only 4 you can slot, so the new ones they're providing are really just more options.

What's nice about both of these systems is playing a bunch of alts with a single shared end game progression track feels like you're getting cumulatively rewarded for having all of those characters, instead of having a bunch of alts that are unappealing to hop onto because they need to constantly be "caught up". I love both the ESO and Destiny 2 systems. They are a little different in their own way, but WoW could really, really use something like this.

[Revamp Man]

That wouldn't actually be cool. Maybe its kinda like the Ethereals were Homo-sapiens, and the Brokers were Homo-erectus. 2 species very similar, but opposed.

Ethereals are from cartel Ai that didn’t make it off the planet

[Zankai27]

I had a thought this morning, and I'm curious what others think.

What IF instead of adding 10 more levels in Dragonflight for current max level players to do (60), they:
1). Just had a campaign (story) that we had to follow through in each of the new zones in order to get to the end-game similar to how the linear story worked in Shadowlands. Sure, in Shadowlands we had 50-60; however, we also had to complete the campaign in order to unlock Covenants.
2). Alternatively, they could add Shadowlands to Chromie time (10-50), players can choose whatever version of WoW they wish to play through to go 50-60, then in Dragonflight, you would level 50-60 (current max level). In short, quests would give experience in Dragonflight for 50-60 players while level 60 players would just focus on the campaign. Doing so would allow players to skip Shadowlands 50-60 (if they wish), and level however they want 10-50 so that they could jump into Dragonflight with everyone else.

I'm not saying I like this, nor am I saying that I want this. I simply thought of this and figured I would bring up for discussion. Feel free to take this part, add additional context, or provide your perspective for how something like this could work.

This is sort of what the MMO-C Dragonflight leak is implying with no new level cap. It’s an interesting proposal that I’m all for. Being able to have all my alts and my main ready to progress toward end game right from the start is a really attractive idea (aside from any new classes we might have to level which would fit with your proposed idea.)

I really hope we get something like this instead of 10 more levels ad infinitum. It obviously won’t appeal to everyone but I think at least attempting it and leaving progression behind the story is a good idea.

[pacotaco]

Tbh, I am hoping for something rather "chill". Like, after three worldending threats directly assaulting the worldsoul, the dragonflights are stepping up their role as protectors of the world and trying to mend the WOONZ of Azeroth. Of course there has to be some villain/threat, but it really doesn't need to be "threatening reality itself tier". Every dragonflight has a story to tell, some about rebuilding (Green, Black) and some about impending threats (Bronze). Could also be the "seed" for a World revamp in 11.0.

I just had this train of though: we probably get a "chill" expansion like Pandaria. Pandaria's theme was about the consequences of war, how it destroyed a frail balance in the world and corrupted everything in its path.
What if the next expansion start with us looking to help the Aspect look for their immortality back, but along the way we discover that there's something wrong? Like now we "defeated" Death, Life somehow went out of control and we need stop it? But that creates a conflict with the Red Dragonflight, and we need to stop them.
Maybe that's why Nozdormu tried to change the future. Maybe we end killing Alextrasza, and then he's the only original Aspect alive, powerless and knowing that something is coming.

[D4NNYB0Y]

/snip

This is a really good idea. WoW's current system feels so stale. I would love if something like this were implemented. Having to redo everything on multiple characters just feels like they're milking the player base for MAUs diguised behind thinly veiled, sanctimonious design philosophy. It feels like working at a job that ignores all feedback "because we've always done it that way". I've been playing this game for 18 years, and it needs to adapt to the modern market.

[SniperCT]

I don't play ESO frequently, but I absolutely love the CP system. It would translate very well to WoW I think too.

[Chickat]

Ethereals are from cartel Ai that didn’t make it off the planet

Wait is that confirmed?

- - - Updated - - -

hey can anyone id this map in boralus? not matching with my current maps half tucked behind the zandalar map with all the dragon isles talk it would be kinda funny if they had left its map sitting in boralus

Thats WoD right?

[therumblings]

Wait is that confirmed?

No, there is no confirmed connection between the two.

[Chickat]

Shadowlands and Sylvanas was death, Dragonflight and Alexstrasza is life

Did you make that? Its sick.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

I think as long as you don't distribute it its fine. Id love for you to make some cool concepts and share them here.

I was mainly thinking of trying to make a mockup of what a reboot resetting all lore to WC3 would look like, so I was thinking first to try to make some snapshots of zones that follow the geography of WarCraft 3's maps, as well as screwing around with a few models for shits and giggles (I think texture replacements is within what I could do, for one, but I know generally nothing about the capabilities of private servers so I may be wrong). Aside from that, I've had a few expansion concepts I'd like to map out in-game to see how those ideas would generally look (including possibly my old, pre-reveal Shadowlands expansion concept).

[deviantcultist]

This is all I'm going to reveal. You'll have to wait until the 19th for the rest.

Dragon Isles are not in or around the Eastern Kingdoms. That's a long since scrapped idea from before the game launched. The Dragon Isles will be implemented north of Azshara, and east of Winterspring.

Parts of the world are being revamped, but not in the way you might think. Night Elves will gain a new capitol city in a preexisting zone. Tirisfal is being overhauled. The Undercity is being reconstructed, featuring a new layout and motif. Azuremyst, Bloodmyst, Eversong, Ghostlands, Gilneas, Kezan, and the Lost Isles will all be updated and rolled into their respective continents.

There are no plans to add any new classes to the game going forward at this point in time. New specializations are being experimented with, though. For now, class cosmetics are the focus. New customization options are coming for existing races, particularly the allied races. New potential allied races are also being evaluated, but nothing is concrete and there will be none at launch.

There will not be a level cap increase. This expansion is a trial run for the new "parallel content" model.

Turalyon and Calia were set up to become the stand-in faction leaders for the Humans and Forsaken, respectively. Their stories will be expanded upon in the future, but they are not the focus of 10.0. Anduin AND Sylvanas are currently planned to return in the future.

This is one of the most boring scenarios honestly. Same hollow vibes as when SL got announced. If this leak has any truth in it, we are definitely getting nothing close to Legion.

[delphiskye]

that's the weird bit its main line dranor pre shattter it has Farallon on it WoD does not have farahlon on it (was trying to repy to Chickat did not work for some reason)

[Zharikov]

This is one of the most boring scenarios honestly. Same hollow vibes as when SL got announced. If this leak has any truth in it, we are definitely getting nothing close to Legion.

idk why you assume burner account post # 1000 is real

like its fun to at least entertain some of them, but I find it weird to get like.... anti-hype about leaks? "ugh if its this one i'm QUITTING FOREVER" sort of stuff. its just working yourself into disappointment

[Catastrophy349]

April 19th can't come soon enough

[deviantcultist]

idk why you assume burner account post # 1000 is real

like its fun to at least entertain some of them, but I find it weird to get like.... anti-hype about leaks? "ugh if its this one i'm QUITTING FOREVER" sort of stuff. its just working yourself into disappointment

Was hyped about SL and starting from the announcement it just took a nose dive. At this point I'll either be indifferent or very pleasantly surprised. Everyone is doing it their own way.

At the very least I can say that the random "leaker's" link I reacted to had zero hype to it.

[heuristicpaladin]

It's so close yet it still feels so far away ugh

[SniperCT]

Was hyped about SL and starting from the announcement it just took a nose dive. At this point I'll either be indifferent or very pleasantly surprised. Everyone is doing it their own way.

At the very least I can say that the random "leaker's" link I reacted to had zero hype to it.

My expectations are below ground. There are some things on the 'ugh' list, as in make me way less likely to play, and other things on the 'if they do this they might get me back longer than a month' list.

But I'll be honest. Azeroth has gone from my digital home to a place I visit once in awhile for nostalgia and to check out where the story is at. So instead of going to other games and them coming 'home' to azeroth, I now consider another game my home and azeroth a place to visit.

Makes me a little sad. Met my wife in WoW, lol

[Khaza-R]

No, there is no confirmed connection between the two.

I feel like the Brokers were such a wasted opportunity. Especially Ve'nari.

[KayRule]

I would kill for Blizzard to add an expansion without levels. It's been a core issue of their expansion design philosophy since BC and getting rid of it would be monumental to fixing the game.