What are your thoughts on old zones revisited in patches?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

We've had several discussions on new zones introduced in patches (Molten Front, Isle of Thunder, Timeless Isle, Tanaan, Argus, Nazjatar, Zereth Mortis, etc), but hardly any on old zones that get altered in patches. What are your thoughts on them? How would you prefer patches would handle revisiting old zones?

As a reminder:

• MoP 5.3 - Battlefield Barrens. Intercept Kor'kron supply wagons, raid outposts.

• MoP 5.4 - Vale of Eternal Blossoms destroyed. Golden Lotus faction wiped out.

• Legion 7.3 - Most of Silithus remade except for the surrounding mountain range.

• BFA 8.0 and 8.1 - Darkshore and Arathi Highlands remade. Prepatch Darkshore had a full length zone questline.

• BFA 8.3 - Uldum and Vale of Eternal Blossoms tweaked. Get a brief glimpse into what has happened since you were last there many years prior. Interact with a couple NPCs from that expansion. New lore and enemy factions introduced.

[Nathanyel]

Would love that, they don't even need to be altered, just have some storylines take place there, or occasional phased repeatable content (WQ where you e.g. fight back Mantid attacks) which might be available even during the normal levelling of that zone.

However, Blizzard would need to ignore (which I hope they already do) the cries of people complaining about "cheap reused content" and "lack of originality".

[Kilpi]

I think WoW should've gone by this route originally instead of completely new zones in each expansios. Add new story to (almost) all zones and have the main story visit existing locations in Azeroth. But we are 15 years past that.

[Lochton]

We've had several discussions on new zones introduced in patches (Molten Front, Isle of Thunder, Timeless Isle, Tanaan, Argus, Nazjatar, Zereth Mortis, etc), but hardly any on old zones that get altered in patches. What are your thoughts on them? How would you prefer patches would handle revisiting old zones?

As a reminder:

• MoP 5.3 - Battlefield Barrens. Intercept Kor'kron supply wagons, raid outposts.

• MoP 5.4 - Vale of Eternal Blossoms destroyed. Golden Lotus faction wiped out.

• Legion 7.3 - Most of Silithus remade except for the surrounding mountain range.

• BFA 8.0 and 8.1 - Darkshore and Arathi Highlands remade. Prepatch Darkshore had a full length zone questline.

• BFA 8.3 - Uldum and Vale of Eternal Blossoms tweaked. Get a brief glimpse into what has happened since you were last there many years prior. Interact with a couple NPCs from that expansion. New lore and enemy factions introduced.

If there are reasons/story build up to go to these zones, then I'm all for it in waves, or a massive update, doesn't matter.

[Biomega]

If it makes sense in the context I'm all for it, but historically it hasn't worked out so well (excluding the sweeping redo of Cataclysm, which is something else).

The N'zoth invasions were terrible. Stabbing Silithus was a story moment that basically used the zone purely as a backdrop, not for actual gameplay. Darkshore was throwaway busywork. And so on.

Those were not good examples of how to do this, but that doesn't mean it COULDN'T be done well.

I don't think it's a good idea to do this on the regular, though, because it'll feel contrived to integrate old zones every time an expansion does something, and it'll get old real quick as a gimmick. But it's not something I'd categorically exclude as a storytelling/gameplay tool by any stretch.

[Dancaris]

Just make expansion about this. Dunno about how stop players from reaching non-remade zones, but expansion about slowly moving from north to south - completly rewamping EK and Kalimdor would be golden to me.
With megring zones, changing landscapes, removing Cataclysm echoes.
Imagine, 11.0 - We start at north of Kalimdor.

New zone, Forest of Lur'Adore (Sea forest in Darnassian):
Darkshore, Felwood, Moonglade merging. Started zone. Remove much of mountains, just be forest with wide coastline.
NE vs Naga, vs fel corruprion, in last part - vs Satyrs. Rebuilding, dragonriding, removing Darnassus from the map by Elune power. Make there NE Harbor and base of operation (think about naval base, not civil).

Second zone - Ashenvale. Continuation of confrontation with Satyrs, fel corruption and little Void presence in Blackfatom. Rebuild NE cities, remove Zoram'gar Outpost. Make HvsA tensions (not total war) Warsong/Sentinels with conclussion at Warsong BG.

Third - Hijal. New World Tree, new capital, rebuild, shrines for Ancients, remove large Firelands zone, leave small portal for old raid near roots of some tree (not big one). Maybe some rebels, why not.

For patches we would have Winterspring (furborgs, Blue dragonflight, Stone Giants, dwarves) And maybe Azshara (goblins, NE, maybe some Blue dragonflight). And final patch zone - Draenei Islands. Again, rebuilding, cleaning Exodar corruption from islands, The Vindicaar, raid with something draeneish, akin Auchidoun?

We have 2 years about NE, their reviving, their rebuilding, their rising. We could have all activities, like rebuilding as Mage Tower back in Legion, new mog, new mounts. Ofcourse there will be some NE fatigue, but what I learned from ESO - if they could do it right - there will not be big one. We move on other lands and leave beautiful zones for NE. And a little draenei for changing style.

For other part of Kalimdor - other post.

[cface]

I think WoW should've gone by this route originally instead of completely new zones in each expansios. Add new story to (almost) all zones and have the main story visit existing locations in Azeroth. But we are 15 years past that.

Glad I have the old zones, cause the lore has gone to absolute shit since SL, and DF is way worse than I could possible imagine. Let these new zones just die, and the stories with them. Never wanna sit foot in this shithole again

[Lordofbelbol]

It is a bit much that you want to relive those zones by suggesting to revisiting them through patches

stop being delusional and realize what's gone is gone

[Dancaris]

For other part of Kalimdor - other post.

Here I go, next chapter of my fanfiction!
So, for equal representation - next chapter of world rewamp should be Horde one. So 12.0 - Lordaeron. Formal human lands. First and foremost - remove much of mountains, make borders of zones natural.
Start zone - Kingdoms. Megazone with Gilneas, Lorderon and Alterak. From Tyrs tomb to Caer Darrow, from Gilneas to Scarlet Monastery.
Aside rebuilding - intrigues between Forsaken and Worgens, Forsaken and Argent Crusade, Worgens and bandits of Alterak and so on, so on, so on. Wild necromancers, remnants of Scourge, bandits, rebel Sylvanas loyalists, Scarlets, Scholomance. Some little quests about Alterak BG.
You know, human things. Like GoT, if you like.
Second zone - Quel'Thalas. You know what we want blizz. Full zone, all of 3 as we have now. Scourge, Deathholm, Amani, Light. Void Elves somewhere, dont care about them, sorry.
Third - merged Hinterlands and Arathi. Dwarves, Stromgarde, ogres, Hammerfall, Revantusk. Shadra temple. All of that.
Focus on human legasy and new ways for former humans. And elves, we all love elves. Also trolls, we need them in every expac.

[Kilpi]

Glad I have the old zones, cause the lore has gone to absolute shit since SL, and DF is way worse than I could possible imagine. Let these new zones just die, and the stories with them. Never wanna sit foot in this shithole again

For me it's more in the lines of "I really don't care about any of the areas in the lore outside Azeroth". Also if the game area would've stayed in Azeroth (maybe introduce Kul Tiras etc. as single new zones) they could've more focused on updating the content and stories inside these existing zones, instead of the story/time going forward in most zones once in the past 19 years.

[Lurker1]

I loved it during legion it happen alot i know it wasn't always good but man it gave since to the world

[loras]

We've had several discussions on new zones introduced in patches (Molten Front, Isle of Thunder, Timeless Isle, Tanaan, Argus, Nazjatar, Zereth Mortis, etc), but hardly any on old zones that get altered in patches. What are your thoughts on them? How would you prefer patches would handle revisiting old zones?

As a reminder:

• MoP 5.3 - Battlefield Barrens. Intercept Kor'kron supply wagons, raid outposts.

• MoP 5.4 - Vale of Eternal Blossoms destroyed. Golden Lotus faction wiped out.

• Legion 7.3 - Most of Silithus remade except for the surrounding mountain range.

• BFA 8.0 and 8.1 - Darkshore and Arathi Highlands remade. Prepatch Darkshore had a full length zone questline.

• BFA 8.3 - Uldum and Vale of Eternal Blossoms tweaked. Get a brief glimpse into what has happened since you were last there many years prior. Interact with a couple NPCs from that expansion. New lore and enemy factions introduced.

Quite fond of the remakes, though Uldum at least felt incomplete (then again so did the original).
As someone that never played MoP it was interesting to see the vale "less" destroyed than it was by the sha during mantid week.

[Zardas]

As long as we can go back to the old version of the zones, I'm fine with it

[Sialina]

I always prefer new over reused, by a landslide.