WoW needs a time skip expansion (10, 100, 1000 years?) to make the story fresh again

[Richardbro]

Honestly, facing constant threats is getting old and is bad writing. We need peace in Azeroth for an extended period of time. We need a time skip expansion with brand new characters and maybe older versions of the current characters with a fresh new enemy.

How many years would you prefer for a time skip?

[Relapses]

Anywhere between 6 months and 1,000,000 years would be fine with me.

[Thes]

10,000 years for Illidan to make a comeback ?

[Kathranis]

The fact that so many people got excited for the idea that we'd return from the Shadowlands to find that 40~ years had passed in Azeroth really highlights the desire players have to move the story forward into a new era with new stories.

[VinceVega]

WHile i deifnetly support timejumps...

that would mean they would have to redo EVERYTHING!

I don't think they are willing to put in that huge of an investment. That would basically be wow2.
And that would take considerably longer than an expansion.

I would still support it. Take 3 years time. Make the world new. Don't open everything and keep most zones/continents for further expansions locked off.

[Kokolums]

It only makes sense if they make WoW 2 with a modern engine. No sign of that.

[BrintoSFJ]

No, it really doesn't need a time skip.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

You can do a lot just with 3-5 years and some elbow grease. You don't need to suddenly turn into Warcraft 40k to do it.

[Cæli]

if it's not a new game that allows many more possibilities (wow 2) there is no point, because it will be exactly the same
shadowlands could have been "1000 years in the future", that doesn't make it some kind of bfa 2
wow 2 is needed and yes it will probably need to be a time skip... or a new world, a new azeroth with its own stories but not azeroth

[MoanaLisa]

Well, there was an alternate universe and timeline with Warlords. What makes you think that a timeskip would solve anything? The yearning for some soft of fresh start in which the writers and developers would suddenly make a game that everyone loves is real but probably not realistic.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

WHile i deifnetly support timejumps...

that would mean they would have to redo EVERYTHING!

I don't think they are willing to put in that huge of an investment. That would basically be wow2.
And that would take considerably longer than an expansion.

I would still support it. Take 3 years time. Make the world new. Don't open everything and keep most zones/continents for further expansions locked off.

I mean that's the thing, all expansions now work on Chromie time; so all that's really needed is a "present" time leveling experience, and right now that one is Exiles Reach + Latest Expansion. I think an alternative, present set leveling experience set on the EK and Kalimdor would be better, so we can see how the world has changed, but does it mean all the zones should be revamped?

Or would a system like Threads of Fate, where the "story" quests are removed, and the more self contained stories left in place, for zones outside the scope of the time jump revamp so they don't feel like they are in the past?

I would love if they would redo the whole world, but with the level squish, players are not expected to run through all of the EK or Kalimdor zones in order to reach max level.

Maybe a targeted revamp, with a limited number of zones, would be more efficient, with the rest of the zones receiving minor updates in the meantime and being left more as exploration zones; with time, those zones could be updated to serve the current narrative, or revamped as alternative leveling areas, with self contained, evergreen stories that can be easily updated.

The biggest issue of the Cata revamp is that it dated pretty much every zone on the EK and Kalimdor to that era, and what we need is to world to feel evergreen, yet at the same time, with so. much. content. to update EVERY area to be part of the leveling experience isn't feasible.

[SunspotAnims]

I don't think a time skip is necessary, just something more like MoP where a big threat is absent and instead smaller threats crop up trying to become a big threat. Literally all it takes is "...and then someone didn't show up to destroy the world" and, narratively, the power vacuum will naturally fill with new baddies.

I've been thinking that it's kinda crazy how we're at a point where the most shocking thing the writers could do is just take their foot off the gas for an expac or two and focus on the small stuff. BfA was almost that until it wasn't.

[Lochton]

Honestly, facing constant threats is getting old and is bad writing. We need peace in Azeroth for an extended period of time. We need a time skip expansion with brand new characters and maybe older versions of the current characters with a fresh new enemy.

How many years would you prefer for a time skip?

If a skip, I'd rather it be 10-20 years tops and then update the whole of Azeroth and Outland, that should stew and create A LOT of new things to explore in the world.

[Asrialol]

I think the self acclaimed writer-experts of MMOC would have a lot of fun complaining about any sort of writing Blizzard does with a time skip in mind.

[VinceVega]

I mean that's the thing, all expansions now work on Chromie time; so all that's really needed is a "present" time leveling experience, and right now that one is Exiles Reach + Latest Expansion. I think an alternative, present set leveling experience set on the EK and Kalimdor would be better, so we can see how the world has changed, but does it mean all the zones should be revamped?

Or would a system like Threads of Fate, where the "story" quests are removed, and the more self contained stories left in place, for zones outside the scope of the time jump revamp so they don't feel like they are in the past?

I would love if they would redo the whole world, but with the level squish, players are not expected to run through all of the EK or Kalimdor zones in order to reach max level.

Maybe a targeted revamp, with a limited number of zones, would be more efficient, with the rest of the zones receiving minor updates in the meantime and being left more as exploration zones; with time, those zones could be updated to serve the current narrative, or revamped as alternative leveling areas, with self contained, evergreen stories that can be easily updated.

The biggest issue of the Cata revamp is that it dated pretty much every zone on the EK and Kalimdor to that era, and what we need is to world to feel evergreen, yet at the same time, with so. much. content. to update EVERY area to be part of the leveling experience isn't feasible.

Yeah that is why i think they should NOT open up every zone, but keep most zones for further patches/expansions.
Basically 10 zones or so in EK and Kalimdor each. Rest locked off untill further notice. Gives space for future developmetn without needing to shit out new planes of existence left and right^^
Chromie time for older zones would be fine. But only for max level characters, imho.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

Yeah that is why i think they should NOT open up every zone, but keep most zones for further patches/expansions.
Basically 10 zones or so in EK and Kalimdor each. Rest locked off untill further notice. Gives space for future developmetn without needing to shit out new planes of existence left and right^^
Chromie time for older zones would be fine. But only for max level characters, imho.

Basically something like that; I wouldn't lock zones tho, just downplay them as "free adventure" zones. Mostly I don't like the idea of locking zones out, so mostly just try to make the player to follow the leveling narrative, but with those zones still open to explore, with those "atemporal" quests, and maybe some World Quest type events.

Like I think it's important to portray that the world is still out there, even if it's not important *right now". So yes, those zones could be updated and used for content later, but still to keep them open with some small rewards for exploration should people want to. Not a full revamp, but how the SL areas are treated when you choose threads of fate.

[garicasha]

I wrote this post a while ago, basically the same thing:

https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...n-too-powerful

[Mendzia]

10000 years please so we can finally become Terran and fight Zerg in Koprulu Sector.

[VinceVega]

Basically something like that; I wouldn't lock zones tho, just downplay them as "free adventure" zones. Mostly I don't like the idea of locking zones out, so mostly just try to make the player to follow the leveling narrative, but with those zones still open to explore, with those "atemporal" quests, and maybe some World Quest type events.

Like I think it's important to portray that the world is still out there, even if it's not important *right now". So yes, those zones could be updated and used for content later, but still to keep them open with some small rewards for exploration should people want to. Not a full revamp, but how the SL areas are treated when you choose threads of fate.

But there so many zones. And you cannot make quests completly disconnected from current events or you get the problem of: Why do they people in Pandaria not react to XYZ.
If you want to keep them open, i would not add any quests whatsoever to not drive yourself into a cornor at some point. It's not really needed anyway if there are enough quest zones.

But the problem here is still that they never had to redo so many zones. If you open everything in the current zones.... that is a HUGE amoutn of NPCs and zones you have to rework. If we skip 1000 years, next to no Building in the world will exist anymore or at least not in its current state. Every NPC will have to be remade.
Kalimdor, EK, Pandaria, Northrend, Broken Isles, and both Draenor instances. The WoD version not as much as it is cut off right now. I think this is too much imho. Sure it would be great to see everything evolved. But.... maybe not the best way to spend dev ressources on?^^

[kamuimac]

Honestly, facing constant threats is getting old and is bad writing. We need peace in Azeroth for an extended period of time. We need a time skip expansion with brand new characters and maybe older versions of the current characters with a fresh new enemy.

How many years would you prefer for a time skip?

you will be getting timeskip in 10.0 when we will return from SL only to find Azeroth completly conquered by forces of light - and void supporting whatever is left of resistance against domination of light - with Sylvanas being Kerrigan