The War Within 11.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Aeluron Lightsong]

not a troll. it would be refreshing. retail right now is bloated with bad design choices and lore mismanagement.

No it wouldn't be refreshing and you are presuming classic is just superior game. Its not.

[Reive]

No it wouldn't be refreshing and you are presuming classic is just superior game. Its not.

Classic is a better put together game and an easier one to build on. It has a bunch of old school rpg mechanics that need to be removed tho. Retail has many things that are hard to walk back from

[Hyde]

Even though I still disagree with your past stuff on Metzen...

...this makes me 1 VERY happy camper.

ew Ybarra is verified. Yuck.

[Woggmer]

not a troll. it would be refreshing. retail right now is bloated with bad design choices and lore mismanagement.

Not gonna happen. Classic doesn't have as big a team as retail, and while they have added some additions to the game like the Sons of Hodir tabard. They're not gonna do something as big as change certain events in Cata or change the gameplay aspect.

Classic is meant to be a look at the past, they're just gonna repeat the same beats as the original.

[Hitei]

The absolute certainty that 11.0 is going to be a revamp is nearly identical to the absolute certainty floating around that 9.0 and 10.0 were going to be revamps.

Classic is a better put together game and an easier one to build on.

In what way?

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

To be fair, they either cancelled SoM 2 or they have a bigger announcement for Blizzcon.

Either way, it has nothing to do with the Retail game and this is for Retail speculation and not Classic.

[Reive]

The absolute certainty that 11.0 is going to be a revamp is nearly identical to the absolute certainty floating around that 9.0 and 10.0 were going to be revamps.


In what way?

some examples:
1) the world is kept relevant through levelling while on retail both are an afterthought
2) there aren't 20 different iterations of the loot system while retail is still struggling with loot 20 years later
3) original core concept (faction conflict) of the game is still alive and the lore hasn't been butchered yet. On retail they're still doubling down on shadowlands. Also, the vibe of the game is way different. It's harder to get attached to characters on retail because the lore sucks
4) class design is simpler but still meaningful. retail is filled with modifiers and gimmick abilities

could continue but i hope it's enough for you to understand me

[Cheezits]

Honestly the "boy king" may have got kicked back to the Scarlets, as they apparently have a new heir. And the Scarlets are always patsys to a greater threat/historically have been manipulated by the Nathrezim.

Also: it would be a huge swerve if Blizzcon is Classic+ focused but I hope not.

[Woggmer]

They're gonna announce Cata Classic... and then it'll be one of two things.

Either 10.3 and we'll get the next expansion announced on the 20th anniversary.

OR we skip 10.3 and it is a revamp that will take much longer to get it off the ground.

That's all I'm going expect out of it... or it could just be Blizzard trying to announce Arclight Rumble and be like "HEY REMEMBER THIS THING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON?" And everyone and their mothers are going to collectively groan.

[Reive]

They're gonna announce Cata Classic... and then it'll be one of two things.

Either 10.3 and we'll get the next expansion announced on the 20th anniversary.

OR we skip 10.3 and it is a revamp that will take much longer to get it off the ground.

That's all I'm going expect out of it... or it could just be Blizzard trying to announce Arclight Rumble and be like "HEY REMEMBER THIS THING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON?" And everyone and their mothers are going to collectively groan.

I don't expect them to pull a diablo immortal at the blizzcon. that would be dumb af.

Arclight rumble is going to be announced 100% but not without announcing anything for the main game.

new expansion is for sure getting revealed at the blizzcon. we can only speculate on the theme/content.

[Nyel]

They're gonna announce Cata Classic... and then it'll be one of two things.

Either 10.3 and we'll get the next expansion announced on the 20th anniversary.

OR we skip 10.3 and it is a revamp that will take much longer to get it off the ground.

That's all I'm going expect out of it... or it could just be Blizzard trying to announce Arclight Rumble and be like "HEY REMEMBER THIS THING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON?" And everyone and their mothers are going to collectively groan.

They'll definitely announce Cataclysm Classic, which is fine, the expansion is better than its reputation except for 4.1 (the troll raid rehash) and the abysmal 4.3 with Dragonsoul and LFR. They kept LFG out of Classic so I am hopeful they'll do the same with LFR as LFR is way way worse.

The polls suggested they're wanting to do some things different with Cata Classic, which is great and shows commitment. I mean they're more committed to Classic with HC and Cataclysm than they are to retail with going the same old route again and again for yet another expansion that's been abandoned by most players months ago - MAUs don't lie and Blizzard's silence regarding WoW's performance is defeaning.

It's also time for the announcement of the next retail expansion, but that would be conflicting with their schedule and the possibility of a 10.3. We've been in the same situation with Shadowlands and we know how that went, they just abandoned one major patch. But honestly, it might be the best for Dragonflight as this expansion did a lot of things right, but was ultimately a snooze fest with a very unexciting story and setting. Doubt it'll be a revamp though, people really should get that out of their minds. Simply not worth the effort.

Between an expansion launch in Q3/4 next year, I have a hard time imagining how they squeeze two content patches in just a mere year. 10.2 comes the soonest in October, even if that runs for just 4-5 months overall, there's only 7-8 months left for the final patch of the expansion which would be exceptionally short. If they cut 10.3, they could again have an August launch for the next expansion as it would fit the schedule nicely (10.2 in Oct/Nov, runs for ~ 7-8 months, maybe a small 10.2.5 to bridge the gap, pre-patch in late July / early August, expansion end of August).

By the time of the Blizzcon the merger should have eventually closed, maybe they have something planned for that as well (even if it might be less WoW and more convenience stuff for their products aka Gamepass etc).

[Raetary]

If we do get a revamp, it would be quite fitting to announce cataclysm classic alongside it.

That said.
I'd rather have a classic+ where they add brand new or a bunch of the old cut content they didn't manage to add back in the day, than a cata classic.

[rainhard]

So, I read stuff from the Illidan novel...and like...

The Azewrath stuff doesn't retcon ANYTHING in regards to the "1 Legion" stuff. Hell, if anything, the Illidan novel just helps it out.

Yeah especially the part where we fight demon illidan or the part where thassarian is legion in the war of the ancients timeline.

[Dracullus]

some examples:
1) the world is kept relevant through levelling while on retail both are an afterthought
2) there aren't 20 different iterations of the loot system while retail is still struggling with loot 20 years later
3) original core concept (faction conflict) of the game is still alive and the lore hasn't been butchered yet. On retail they're still doubling down on shadowlands. Also, the vibe of the game is way different. It's harder to get attached to characters on retail because the lore sucks
4) class design is simpler but still meaningful. retail is filled with modifiers and gimmick abilities

could continue but i hope it's enough for you to understand me

Dude, idea that devs should scrap 15 years of content/development and continue 2008 game is so ridicolous that "is he a troll" is first thing that comes to mind for most people here.

I know for you classic is probably better game with alive world, class designed "simpler but still meaningful" (whatever that means) and everything post 2010 year sucks, but you have to accept most people.. don't really share the sentiment.

And making new content for people that just want old wow is counterproductive, it's better put new things for people who enjoy new things and rehash stuff for people who enjoy playing same thing again.

[Santandame]

Honestly the "boy king" may have got kicked back to the Scarlets, as they apparently have a new heir. And the Scarlets are always patsys to a greater threat/historically have been manipulated by the Nathrezim.

Also: it would be a huge swerve if Blizzcon is Classic+ focused but I hope not.

I agree with this and was about to post something similar - if the whisper even comes about to mean anything.

We know there is Scarlet propaganda claiming they have the true born Lordaeron heir. We know that Denathrius has been referred to as the Master several times. We also know that the Scarlets have historically been a front for the Nathrezim.

[micwini]

Alliance?! Horde?!
I PRESENT TO YOU: WORLD OF WARCRAFT: <EXPANSION NAME>
I can't wait.

Someone yesterday said that it is 90 days until Blizzcon. Now that Metzen has been announced to be attending, I think it is time to prepare..... THE HYPE TRAIN

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Dude, idea that devs should scrap 15 years of content/development and continue 2008 game is so ridicolous that "is he a troll" is first thing that comes to mind for most people here.

I know for you classic is probably better game with alive world, class designed "simpler but still meaningful" (whatever that means) and everything post 2010 year sucks, but you have to accept most people.. don't really share the sentiment.

And making new content for people that just want old wow is counterproductive, it's better put new things for people who enjoy new things and rehash stuff for people who enjoy playing same thing again.

Nostalgia is incredibly blinding.

[Reive]

Dude, idea that devs should scrap 15 years of content/development and continue 2008 game is so ridicolous that "is he a troll" is first thing that comes to mind for most people here.

I know for you classic is probably better game with alive world, class designed "simpler but still meaningful" (whatever that means) and everything post 2010 year sucks, but you have to accept most people.. don't really share the sentiment.

And making new content for people that just want old wow is counterproductive, it's better put new things for people who enjoy new things and rehash stuff for people who enjoy playing same thing again.

there is no "15 years of content/development". wow has been for years a game where only the last patch matters.

"simpler but still meaningful" (whatever that means)

It means that you don't need 30 modifiers and procs for an ability to not feel like shit.

And making new content for people that just want old wow is counterproductive, it's better put new things for people who enjoy new things and rehash stuff for people who enjoy playing same thing again.

They need to make wow available to new people. Building on classic is not to bring back the old players, but to make the game fresh and get new people to play it. As it is right now, retail can only cater to its aging playerbase who is mostly playing because they have put x years of effort into it and not because they genuinely enjoy the game. New players struggle to get into wow. Retail has no clear direction of where is going. game is missing pieces, the systems are too convuluted and is behind when it comes to basic things like armor models.

[Woggmer]

They'll definitely announce Cataclysm Classic, which is fine, the expansion is better than its reputation except for 4.1 (the troll raid rehash) and the abysmal 4.3 with Dragonsoul and LFR. They kept LFG out of Classic so I am hopeful they'll do the same with LFR as LFR is way way worse.

The polls suggested they're wanting to do some things different with Cata Classic, which is great and shows commitment. I mean they're more committed to Classic with HC and Cataclysm than they are to retail with going the same old route again and again for yet another expansion that's been abandoned by most players months ago - MAUs don't lie and Blizzard's silence regarding WoW's performance is defeaning.

It's also time for the announcement of the next retail expansion, but that would be conflicting with their schedule and the possibility of a 10.3. We've been in the same situation with Shadowlands and we know how that went, they just abandoned one major patch. But honestly, it might be the best for Dragonflight as this expansion did a lot of things right, but was ultimately a snooze fest with a very unexciting story and setting. Doubt it'll be a revamp though, people really should get that out of their minds. Simply not worth the effort.

Between an expansion launch in Q3/4 next year, I have a hard time imagining how they squeeze two content patches in just a mere year. 10.2 comes the soonest in October, even if that runs for just 4-5 months overall, there's only 7-8 months left for the final patch of the expansion which would be exceptionally short. If they cut 10.3, they could again have an August launch for the next expansion as it would fit the schedule nicely (10.2 in Oct/Nov, runs for ~ 7-8 months, maybe a small 10.2.5 to bridge the gap, pre-patch in late July / early August, expansion end of August).

By the time of the Blizzcon the merger should have eventually closed, maybe they have something planned for that as well (even if it might be less WoW and more convenience stuff for their products aka Gamepass etc).

Classic is Classic... That's it and nothing more. Changing it will only split the community further on what they want and I know people will say "we should go back to the old ways of class design" like how everyone uses the same cookie-cutter talent builds to get them through each expansion. And I don't see hope in them reviving the Abyssal Maw raid because that one underwater boss in the Eternal Palace just proved that an underwater raid is a bad idea.

Making Classic the "main timeline" is an even bigger waste time and energy than a revamp, which WoW is desperately in need of. They have a bigger team now, there's been evidence of updated assets they've been making since BFA, and even Blizzard is aware of just how old the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor are looking with age. And if they end DF on 10.2 and it ISN'T a revamp.. then DF will be the next biggest disappointment.

As for the whole GamePass stuff... I doubt that'll be something to mention at Blizzcon. Definitely in a Microsoft/Xbox Showcase but not Blizzcon.

[Nyel]

As for the whole GamePass stuff... I doubt that'll be something to mention at Blizzcon. Definitely in a Microsoft/Xbox Showcase but not Blizzcon.

By the time Blizzard is basically Microsoft. So Blizzcon is an event that's at least supervised by Microsoft and announcing something like that there is from then on the exact right place.

I'm not even talking about Classic+ by the way, just an adjusted version which is fine in my opinion. Not trimming talent trees or restricting them doesn't cost a lot of work and might help ease things out.

And Dragonflight was never meant to be one of the big mainline expansions anyway. It was an expansion to work on the fundamentals of the game and make it "modern" (modernize systems for the most part) for the upcoming expansion which indeed will be the next big mainline thing. In that regard, it succeeded. But otherwise, it feels as much filler as some other expansions did at this point (like WoD and Shadowlands) and unfortunately the gameplay loop is still the biggest problem of WoW's longevity. Hopefully that's something they'll tackle with 11.x.

New assets can mean updated zones, but an entire revamp must have a huge pay off as it requires tons of work. I just don't see that yet. Don't get me wrong, a revamp would be fantastic. But I don't know if it makes sense at this point of WoW's lifetime. The game is old. Too old, to get that kind of update and work done just for one expansion that will continue the downward trend that started right after Legion (again).