Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Nymrohd]

Are they doing this? If so, why?

As far as terrain is concerned, we are getting more frozen zone assets. We are probably getting a full revamp of Tuskar assets and plenty of assets you could use for Coldarra.

That's still not nearly enough ofc. Northrend has tons of Titan assets that would need to be retextured, there isn't really anything equivalent to Zul'Drak either.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I genuinely don't really know what they are planning but a World Revamp is expensive and I feel only manageable by Microsofts' Management and Executives being onboard of a revitalization project of World of Warcraft.

Considering how empty Dragonflight is and how reliant Dragonflight is on the post-launch content schedule. They may need to consider that option even more when they've taken over though.

I do think it makes sense to be obsessed over World Revamp though. Dragonflight will leave us on a Island off the coast of Eastern Kingdoms for 2 years and a lot of people are definitely not in the camp who want to see us immediately move away from Azeroth again following Dragonflight.

[Lady Atia]

As far as terrain is concerned, we are getting more frozen zone assets. We are probably getting a full revamp of Tuskar assets and plenty of assets you could use for Coldarra.

That's still not nearly enough ofc. Northrend has tons of Titan assets that would need to be retextured, there isn't really anything equivalent to Zul'Drak either.

We know there will be some kind of I think proto trolls on the Dragon Isles, and their titan structures there (like tyrhold?) seem to be the same style as the ones seen in Ulduar.

[Marlamin]

Are they doing this? If so, why?

Check the Dragonflight trailer. The Dragon Isles are thematically very similar to various things from Northrend. There's new Tuskarr and Titan assets that can be seen as well as a zone that's, both visually and according to interviews, basically Grizzly Hills 2. That's Wintergrasp, part of Ulduar, part of Storm Peaks, the Tuskarr villages in Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills covered. Obviously it won't cover it all 1:1, but I'd say even if it does it partially, it is an indicator of a "two birds with one stone" situation possibly happening here.

I think it mostly has to do with: 3.0 version Northrend: No argent tournament. 3.1 Argent Tournament being built. 3.2+ (3.2 and onwards) Argent tournament fully built and available. Don't think there is anything special here.

Basically this.

[Lady Atia]

I genuinely don't really know what they are planning but a World Revamp is expensive and I feel only manageable by Microsofts' Management and Executives being onboard of a revitalization project of World of Warcraft.

Considering how empty Dragonflight is and how reliant Dragonflight is on the post-launch content schedule. They may need to consider that option even more when they've taken over though.

What? Dragonflight isn't empty at all. Just because we finally have no "borrowed power" crap doesn't mean the expansion is empty.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I mean they kind of tried to evaporate any storylines about Return to Northrend after Bolvar was turned into the Good guy and well the whole Lich King is now just Bolvar without a helm since the helm is on Pelagos's head.

They also kind of evaporated the storyline that the rebuilt helm was supposed to help against the rampaging of the scourge too. Well, at least that played out well with the San'layn return in the Blood Elf Quests in 9.2.5. So I guess that's a story tread?

[The Stormbringer]

Yeah, same here. I don't think there's an inherent need to actually go through the entire questing/story again. There was that questline that never made it off PTR where we show some Shadowlands denizens around Azeroth. Just sprinkling in some stuff like that would be a neat way to at least make things feel like they're still connected and part of a living world ( ).

I'd appreciate it if they also improved the landscapes, not just the buildings and various doodads. The Arathi Highlands we saw in the battlefront was WAAAAY better than the Arathi Highlands we have (had?) in-game. I'd love to see a similar upgrade for everywhere, really.

[Lady Atia]

I mean they kind of tried to evaporate any storylines about Return to Northrend after Bolvar was turned into the Good guy and well the whole Lich King is now just Bolvar without a helm since the helm is on Pelagos's head.

They also kind of evaporated the storyline that the rebuilt helm was supposed to help against the rampaging of the scourge too. Well, at least that played out well with the San'layn return in the Blood Elf Quests in 9.2.5.

They literally seeded a potential return to Northrend via 9.2.5:



And I think the blood knight heritage quest also mentions them contacting the ebon blade and warning them about scourge leaders being active and independent.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd appreciate it if they also improved the landscapes, not just the buildings and various doodads. The Arathi Highlands we saw in the battlefront was WAAAAY better than the Arathi Highlands we have (had?) in-game. I'd love to see a similar upgrade for everywhere, really.

Well, after Darkshore and Arathi I think that's a given. They already should have alot of the landscapes done between the last few expansions. For example Kun Lai / Drustvar could be used for Alterac, some of the firey maw assets can be used for Blackrock etc.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Honestly I worry a lot about all of the Azeroth story treads cause the mishmash clash of Dragonflight post-launch content being tied to Azeroth lore is a potential worry for me. Again, I just hope the story sticks to Dragonflight for the post-content and then move onto a cosmos story away from Azeroth as Ion told us with his "tick-tock" expansion plan for the team.

Again, I worry a lot about the potential of a Legion or BFA again where the Narrative Team turbos' through stories without care. Things need to take time and fully develop, it cannot continue like this.

[Lady Atia]

Honestly I worry a lot about all of the Azeroth story treads cause the mishmash clash of Dragonflight post-launch content being tied to Azeroth lore is a potential worry for me. Again, I just hope the story sticks to Dragonflight for the post-content and then move onto a cosmos story away from Azeroth as Ion told us with his "tick-tock" expansion plan for the team.

Again, I worry a lot about the potential of a Legion or BFA again where the Narrative Team turbos' through stories without care. Things need to take time and fully develop, it cannot continue like this.

Weren't both Legion and BFA done by Afrasiabi? I wouldn't worry about the upcoming lore if the 9.2.5. quests are anything to go by. <3

[micwini]

What are we thinking, more talent previews today?

[Lady Atia]

What are we thinking, more talent previews today?

I surely hope so! Give me mage, hunter and paladin. *drools*

[Gurahk]

Weren't both Legion and BFA done by Afrasiabi? I wouldn't worry about the upcoming lore if the 9.2.5. quests are anything to go by. <3

People like the lore of Legion, people don't like the lore of Shadowlands, even 9.2.5.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

People like the lore of Legion, people don't like the lore of Shadowlands, even 9.2.5.

Seems pretty skewed, people are more positive to 9.2.5 lore stuff then anything else so... yeah I dunno who you are looking at. Also people moaned about Legion to, same with BFA and SL and onwards what else is new.

[Blayze]

https://twitter.com/MrGMYT/status/1532112416028430336

I still wonder what the fuck is being planned out on the Classic side. Seems they are moving to offering a Classic WoW product that will start with Wrath and going on from there.

Apparently they are taking away TBC and perhaps Classic will go away too. Consolidation makes sense due to the Pandora's Box problem.

It is odd to have the coincidence of Northrend assets being altered though considering Wrath+.

Then again maybe the famous Northrend: Global Warming expansion is 11.0.

IDK I am definitely intensely curious on what is going on with the asset situation.

I hope at some point they sell an offline/official private server version of the game for one more payday from the nostalgia crowd.

[Raetary]

yeah I dunno who you are looking at.

The last 2 years.

[Gurahk]

Seems pretty skewed, people are more positive to 9.2.5 lore stuff then anything else so... yeah I dunno who you are looking at. Also people moaned about Legion to, same with BFA and SL and onwards what else is new.

No I'm pretty sure most people felt satisfied with Legion, yes there were complaints during that time, but not to the extent that we have now.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The last 2 years.

MMO-Champion isn't the entire playerbase.

No I'm pretty sure most people felt satisfied with Legion, yes there were complaints during that time, but not to the extent that we have now.

Fel fatigue, Artifact power whining so on and so forth.

[Lady Atia]

No I'm pretty sure most people felt satisfied with Legion, yes there were complaints during that time, but not to the extent that we have now.

Legion suffered the same problems Cataclysm did - both had a really good start but the end felt rushed. Whole Argus could have been it's own Expansion instead of the lame patch we got for it.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Weren't both Legion and BFA done by Afrasiabi? I wouldn't worry about the upcoming lore if the 9.2.5. quests are anything to go by. <3

I mean The Jailor was based on Thanos and they didn't execute on that idea. (Instead forced like 2 reset buttons for the narrative later down the line with the Galactus Villain, The Pattern possibly breaking apart.)

The upcoming long term villain The Jailor warned us about is a Galactus type villain.

The Narrative Team is hyper obsessed with Marvel just like the old devs were obsessed with The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I mean the entire 9.2 storyline was setting up a completely different cosmos lore structure than what people previously thought beyond the most crackpot lore theorists and us crackpot lore theorists never thought they would go in this direction due to the absurdity and how hard it is to explain to laymen.

Steve Danuser has already confirmed that the ending of Dragonflight will be epic and if "epic" relates to Murozond it could mean that something completely clusterfuck chaosy happens during the Murozond encounter adding another 3rd reset button if they want to.

But, again I think the most likeliest scenario for Dragonflight is Dragon Island for Base Product and then Dragon Island 10.1 which turns into going somewhere else in 10.2 due to the events of 10.1 and then in 10.3 it goes all whacko crazy NASCAR mode like usually where we're all wondering why this happened to us for the 3rd time.

I do not see this narrative team sitting stil on the Dragon Isles. They will try and run at the speed of light no matter the consequences for the product.