Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Cheezits]

https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1537852576321835008

Mike Ybarra mentioned Blizzard wants to do more content roadmaps like the Overwatch 2 one.

Maybe the delay in WoW news has to do with them locking in dates for a roadmap? That, and dedicating the summer reveals to first be D4 and OW2

[Lorgar Aurelian]

The "only Dragonflight" thing is just bet hedging. They don't want to say "this is how flying pre-pathfinder will work from now on" because people will lose their shit as always. Instead they present it as an expansion feature and then will gauge how people like it and decide to either leave it in Dragonflight or continue to apply it to every expansion.

The way that it's set up allows easy expandability: More base models and customization options, additional Dragonriding "talents" or "skills" or whatever the tree/progression is called, etc.

Even if they decide against carrying it forward, it's likely the parts of it will be cannabalized into other things, similar to how scenarios etc. were reused. I could see them making future dangerous max-level zones like the Maw, but allowing the dragonriding style flight with a specific customizable mount.

Ya I can absolutely see them trying to avoid definitive statements like Wod’s “flying is gone from now on” as that blew up in there face and they had to back track on it which cost them a lot of dev time.

[Berkilak]

https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1537852576321835008

Mike Ybarra mentioned Blizzard wants to do more content roadmaps like the Overwatch 2 one.

Maybe the delay in WoW news has to do with them locking in dates for a roadmap? That, and dedicating the summer reveals to first be D4 and OW2

Roadmaps are absolutely terrific for controlling player expectations and boosting morale in general (both in-house and externally) - especially when they hit those windows.

[Cheezits]

Roadmaps are absolutely terrific for controlling player expectations and boosting morale in general (both in-house and externally) - especially when they hit those windows.

The only problem is that WoW has forever had a "surprise reveal" culture. For better AND for worse.

I will be shocked if they go through with saying what will be in each patch (maybe hiding themes and story of course) but it would be great to see in WoW. Finally.

[Dracullus]

https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1537852576321835008

Mike Ybarra mentioned Blizzard wants to do more content roadmaps like the Overwatch 2 one.

Maybe the delay in WoW news has to do with them locking in dates for a roadmap? That, and dedicating the summer reveals to first be D4 and OW2

Roadmap would be massive step up. They were almost always really incompetent on this field. Beside Legion + smaller windows (for example.. now, since 9.1.5 was put on PTR all the way to 9.2.5 launch we have stable patch cycle - and if Alpha will start within month, continuity will be maintainted), almost every time patch schedule is very chaotic.

[Nyel]

The only problem is that WoW has forever had a "surprise reveal" culture. For better AND for worse.

I will be shocked if they go through with saying what will be in each patch (maybe hiding themes and story of course) but it would be great to see in WoW. Finally.

I mean we can already predict that pretty much, can’t we?

10.1 New raid
10.2 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon
10.3 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon

We already know their roadmap for patches and it’s been like this forever. Sometimes we got stuff in a .5 patch instead of the major content patch, so that’s just a matter of time - but in the end? There’s nothing surprising they could release or anything new they can tell us with a roadmap because we know how the game works.

[Cheezits]

I mean we can already predict that pretty much, can’t we?

10.1 New raid
10.2 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon
10.3 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon

We already know their roadmap for patches and it’s been like this forever. Sometimes we got stuff in a .5 patch instead of the major content patch, so that’s just a matter of time - but in the end? There’s nothing surprising they could release or anything new they can tell us with a roadmap because we know how the game works.

I mean, Legion and BFA were rather surprising in what was included in each patch. Only SL had static additions each major patch (one raid, one zone).

A roadmap could also include things like new heritage armor, customizations, etc. Also what is included in the .5 patches.

[Dracullus]

The only problem is that WoW has forever had a "surprise reveal" culture. For better AND for worse.

I will be shocked if they go through with saying what will be in each patch (maybe hiding themes and story of course) but it would be great to see in WoW. Finally.

Roadmap don't ruin surprise. Did you get spoiled by fact that Overwatch season 2 will have new hero and season 3 PVE? Same with WoW, giving release windows for every patch and for start confirming how many patches/raid tiers they plan before you buy cat in the bag would be giving more respect to players, not spoiling them.

You see nowadays they say they always "planned to do 3 tiers". SL had same price as Legion and BfA that both had 3 patches and 4 big raids. So why they kept this information until very end? And Ion even gave vague "this won't be another WoD". It wasn't WoD 2.0 from world content perspective, but definitely was from raid perspective.

[Ersula]

The only problem is that WoW has forever had a "surprise reveal" culture. For better AND for worse.

It's not really a surprise when fans go "Its about time for news of a new patch in the next couple weeks" and then they reveal a new patch.

More like this new development will be after a WoW expansion comes out they'll tell us how many major patches there will be because by release, they know. This makes sense considering how people responded to them saying 9.2 would be the final major patch of Shadowlands with sheer disbelief, when that was set in stone as soon as the expansion was delayed.

Dragonflight:
-New Class
-New Race
-Talent revamp
-Dragonriding and its progression system
-Profession update and new gearing/progression system
-Reputation-Faction campaigns

Bringing back something old.
Gliding.
Stealing FFXIV's profession system.
Quests.

You're sincerely listing these things as Expansion features? Cope. I think them going back to wrath's model & a spending less time on gimmicks is a really good idea but let's not pretend that's not what they're doing: If they're correctly focusing on *doing less* as a smart choice to catch up for how far they've been delayed lets all be honest about that.

[Berkilak]

I mean we can already predict that pretty much, can’t we?

10.1 New raid
10.2 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon
10.3 New zone + new raid + possibly a new dungeon

We already know their roadmap for patches and it’s been like this forever. Sometimes we got stuff in a .5 patch instead of the major content patch, so that’s just a matter of time - but in the end? There’s nothing surprising they could release or anything new they can tell us with a roadmap because we know how the game works.

It would be nice to have this on paper. Then when they decide to cut content, as they flagrantly did with Shadowlands, maybe they can own up to that decision immediately and not outright lie to their playerbase until they make a joke about it years after the fact.

And the "surprises" are bad for hype. I have several guildmates that would have come back for a Dark Ranger skin, but no one that isn't playing WoW or coming to this site on a daily basis knows that this option now exists. The same can be said of a lot of recent releases.

[Kiivar86]

From the preview of the talent trees:

These and all the other trees still have a lot of work to be done, but we want to share what we can to start collecting detailed feedback at this early stage.

So yeah it was an unfair assumption on many of our parts (myself included) that it would be cyclical in some capacity, but at the same time I think you can take from that blurb that they intend to preview the others too.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

It would be nice to have this on paper. Then when they decide to cut content, as they flagrantly did with Shadowlands, maybe they can own up to that decision immediately and not outright lie to their playerbase until they make a joke about it years after the fact.

There's still a shot that we get some Warcraft Team video or something in the next few weeks with a Roadmap due to the Overwatch roadmap. But, I mean traditionally WoW just has never done this and again fundamentally I think theres' enough hubris surrounding the weight of traditionalism in the WoW Community to defend the decision of not providing players with the set in stone statement that 3 major patches will take place in Dragonflight.

Again, there's just a lot of resistance to break traditions about being communicated this info to the consumer since it has never been necessary before.

[Hitei]

Bringing back something old.
Gliding.
Stealing FFXIV's profession system.
Quests.

If you're at such wit's end that you're just disingenuously shitposting instead of even bothering to come up with an actual argument, I'm not going to seriously respond.

[rhorle]

But, I mean traditionally WoW just has never done this and again fundamentally I think theres' enough hubris surrounding the weight of traditionalism in the WoW Community to defend the decision of not providing players with the set in stone statement that 3 major patches will take place in Dragonflight.

You don't know Blizzard as well as you think if you believe anything they say is set in stone. You also don't know the community as well as you think if you believe they won't flip out over non-set-in-stone things being cut or otherwise changed. If there are two things that are for certain with WoW it is that stated things can change (even when printed on the box) and part of the community loves to flip out over anything.

[Vexilius]

where the fuck is some news about anything, this is getting fucking obnoxious

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

where the fuck is some news about anything, this is getting fucking obnoxious

Maybe next week, maybe next month. I mean, we'll see. They did a reverse news cycle right now akin to the May Cycle except WoW is last. So I guess we'll see in the coming weeks or maybe just coincidence. I don't know, who knows.

[Valysar]

At this rate DF will release in November 2023

[Chickat]

I think Dragonflight will be a hit because it focuses on much needed stuff like a Talent tree revamp. A flying Revamp. A more grounded, personal story. A better approach to instanced PvE content than before. A general approach to designing the game that focuses on evergreen improvements rather than temporary bandaids or gimmicks etc.

And even with the less thing. How do you even know that for certain? Sure we don't have a big setpiece piece of content like Torghast, but that doesnt mean the developers are leaving a black hole of content where it used to be, it more likely means they spread that effort into other bits of the game, like Dragonriding mecahnics and challenges.

And of course. The developers specifically stated endgame specific content being available in one of the zones. It's not like the Suramar illusion mechanic, or the accompanying withered training was showcased front and center on the gameplay trailer.

I think Dragonflight will be a hit with the core WoW player base. As in it wont bring as many people in day one, but it will retain more long term subs. Because the core gameplay loop looks to be fixed "hopefully".

So maybe only 7m subs, but it only falls down to 5m and holds strong? Thats estimating 2-3m subs now. Idk which makes them more money long term though. 2m less box sales, but 2m more subs for a few months? Simple math that I don't feel like doing.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

At this rate DF will release in November 2023

No, people need to relax and be patient. Information will come, we just have to wait and besides its the end of the week.

[Chickat]

So Legion had Artifacts, DHs, Order Halls, Profession Revamp, kinda and a new Honor System. Mythic+ and World Quests, but they were not mentioned until well into the Alpha cycle.

Was it really that content-heavy? Comparing the two Feature Trailers, there's not a lot of difference. The biggest thing missing is a borrowed power system.

DF is probably a similar amount of work as Legion in most ways, but since the talent and prof revamp are so massive (bigger than ever before) it doesn't appear like they are doing as much. Its a take a hit now to make the game better long term kind of thing I guess. Im also pretty sure there is at least 1 feature not mentioned like M+ or Worldquests were in Legion. They just wont show it cause they arent sure it will make it. Copium I know.

- - - Updated - - -

I really fail to see how people can claim that DF will be light on content when we actually know as good as nothing about the expac. It's the same doom and gloom cycle we have every expac.

The only think I can be certain of is that it will have more content than WoD, and be more alt friendly. Without borrowed power it should already be better than WoD.

- - - Updated - - -

Don't worry. This is from the same person that claims that "GW2 Perfected flight" when he got proven wrong time and again. Don't take it to seriously.

Well that's a dumb statement to make, but GW2 did improve flight mechanics and gameplay over most MMOs. It wasn't invented, but it was an innovation for the MMO genre. Wthether it existed outside the MMO genre is meaningless. Still its not perfected in any way IMO. And it can be annoying at times. Id like the option for both. Maybe regular flying goes at 320% speed but the Dragon riding can get up to like 5 or 600% with perfect flying. Plus maybe you cant get certain places with a regular flying mount.

So like if all you want to do is gather ore and herbs, a regular flying mount might be a better option in a lot of scenarios. But you need dragonriding to access certain content. Maybe there are heavy winds at certain altitutdes that a normal flying mount has trouble reaching. Maybe there is a cave on a mountain side and you need to use a dragon bash ability to bash through. Sure it doesn't make much sense lore wise, but I like unique things like that.