Spider Kingdom fan expansion concept

[GennGreymane]

hmmm is there more tuskarr lore i missed?how r my wittle warlus buddies

[torterra275]

I like everything, its a really good idea BESIDES the level system. It sounds like a total pain and unrealistic for Blizzard to switch as soon as you hit 90, other then that, great idea!

[Aleksej89]

EPIC!

I will say it again...

EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!

Really well done, i would rather have this spider kingdom expansion than ANY of the expansions wow had.
Interesting theme, interesting foes and zones, both scary and cool enemies.

Screw pandas.

[Siltah]

This is amazing. Keep up the incredible work! I miss the Nerubians now...

[Belhaven]

Friendly tip, your maps look too busy. You should trim the "named" zones quite a lot.

[Golden Yak]

Welp, may as well put an update together while I'm at things...

Ahn'Saron, the Inner Kingdom



The Fire Sea, a subzone of the Inner Kingdom

Ahn'Saron is the heart of the Spider Kingdom. Once a prosperous metropolis built in the darkness of Azeroth's underworld, it is a broken shadow of its former glory. But the Inner Kingdom has begun to teem with life once again. In Ahn'Saron, the spider queen Nezar'Kali has birthed a new and terrible generation of nerubians - the Newbreed. Even more monstrous than their predecessors, these new nerubians have replicated and spread with frightening speed, bred to be the ultimate race of warriors and conquerors. Soon, the legions of Azjol-Nerub will fill their underworld to bursting, and will swarm up to the surface, wiping away all that the races who dwell in the sun have built, and ushering in the eternal dominance of the Spider Kingdom.

Detail information about the Inner Kingdom's regions can be found here.

Leveling Layout:



The Inner Kingdom is the third and final leveling zone available. The content spread across the three zones will bring players up to the current level cap of 93 and make them ready to do endgame content like raids.

The last stuff I want to do is a few more dungeon maps, work out the raid concepts, and do one last zone map for the Wound of the World, a small subzone that lies at the center of the Spider Kingdom. It is utterly empty... for now.

Here's some further scribbles of the nasty, spooky Arach'layn






Now to address comments!

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But regarding the name, you have to step outside your box. 'The Spider Kingdom' is about as exciting as saying 'The Crayon Box'. Sure it accomplishes the purpose of telling me exactly what I will find inside, but that's all it does. It's not exciting, it's not mysterious, it doesn't contribute to a thematic element of a story. I will equally judge World of Warcraft: Cataclysm to be just as terrible. Other names that give examples of the effect 'The Spider Kingdom' has are:

World of Warcraft: A Field with Trees
World of Warcraft: There's a Game inside This Box
World of Warcraft: Magic and Dragons and Stuff

I like to think it has a dark simplicity to it - harkening back to the WC3 era with the expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Stark and imposing, it tells you an element of the universe that you've only heard hints of earlier is going to be fully explored. This is it - it's what you've only heard frightful whispers about. You're getting it at last.

If we'd never heard about the Spider Kingdom of Azjol-Nerub before this, I probably wouldn't have used that name. I absolutely disagree that there's no mystery or thematic weight to it, but I'm a big nerubian fan and the title isn't going to resonate with everyone. I feel that way about Mists - snoozeville title.

Of course, different things will appeal to different people - I would play the absolute hell out of There's a Game inside This Box.

And hey, thanks for the post. You're not wrong about the importance of words. I would definitely like to see more creativity in game and movie titles, instead of more requiems and revenges.

"World of Warcraft - Lo, from Darkness Whence the Gate"

This seems pretty presumptuous. Spider Kingdom is simple and descriptive, and sounds different and new when said after the other titles. But if you must demand it more closely resemble the others, how about "Kingdom of the Spiders".

Already taken. Shatneeerrrr!

I like it fine. But one thing about the whole concept: we all know the way to deal with a spider is to kill it with fire. Can we burn Northrend down to do it?

Not very environmentally conscious. Hasn't the world suffered from flooding enough?

And you'd have a hard time finding enough fire...

hmmm is there more tuskarr lore i missed?how r my wittle warlus buddies

The Alliance and the Horde are paying much more attention to them, since they knew about the dangers of saronite (the 'Black Blood of Yogg-Saron') long before the Argent Crusade or anyone else did. The extra attention is good news, since they got roughed up pretty bad during the war with the Scourge and during the Cataclysm. Their elders and spell-casters are an invaluable source of wisdom with regards to the sea, the deep places of the north, and the dangers lurking in the darkest depths where the light of the sun has never reached...

I like everything, its a really good idea BESIDES the level system. It sounds like a total pain and unrealistic for Blizzard to switch as soon as you hit 90, other then that, great idea!

At this point, I'd be happy with anything other than 'grind out 5 more levels of bleh before you can do the fun stuff!' Though it being 'unrealistic' is not something that's ever going to concern me overmuch. |D

Friendly tip, your maps look too busy. You should trim the "named" zones quite a lot.

Shoot, I was hoping I was the only one who thought this. I luuv to name...

[Deleted]

great ideas, but a whole expansion about the nerubians? the maps and all look good, but i dont want to play a whole expansion in a dark environment - i will become despressive lol. i enjoy playing in bright forests (like in mop) and that kind of stuff. i would like to explore more of azjol-nerub, but only as a small part of an expansion.

[Havocz]

Hey Golden,

Still going - awesome to see! Glad your are so determined to see this through. This has to be the best wow fan concept going around. I have enjoyed reading what you have done so far. I checked the wowpedia page for updates recently, and great maps and concepts as usual. I am now looking forward to the raids you have started to work on. I am interested in seeing what the heroic only boss in the palace of the spider queen is going to be - architect behind the newbreed, hey? Anyways, keep going with the great work!

[OldOneEye]

10x Better than Pandas.

[Deleted]

Maps that you make are amazing!

[Golden Yak]

great ideas, but a whole expansion about the nerubians? the maps and all look good, but i dont want to play a whole expansion in a dark environment - i will become despressive lol. i enjoy playing in bright forests (like in mop) and that kind of stuff. i would like to explore more of azjol-nerub, but only as a small part of an expansion.

Hey, if the freakin' pandas get their own...

I've every confidence that an underground world could be just as varied as any of the other expansions environments - underground forests could be every bit as pretty as surface ones! I've often thought while making this concept that a zone based on the Hollow Earth of Edgar Rice Burroughs, complete with tiny magical sun, would make a great area to explore.

Hey Golden,

Still going - awesome to see! Glad your are so determined to see this through. This has to be the best wow fan concept going around. I have enjoyed reading what you have done so far. I checked the wowpedia page for updates recently, and great maps and concepts as usual. I am now looking forward to the raids you have started to work on. I am interested in seeing what the heroic only boss in the palace of the spider queen is going to be - architect behind the newbreed, hey? Anyways, keep going with the great work!

Thanks Havocz. I'll get it wrapped up yet.

Putting up the heroic boss in the Palace raid will probably be the capstone. The Spider Queen is the mother of the Newbreed. But of course, to get babies, you need a daddy too...

10x Better than Pandas.

Maps that you make are amazing!

Thanks for the kind remarks.

[Wayne25uk]

Im guessing you play horde as most if not all the allies camps have been wiped out in your maps,but also the levelling thing,having a 93 92 and 91 clash all in one zone would create a million and one problems so it wouldnt work. The artwork is nice but speaking as a games designer myself i think the concept is a little over the top,needs to be toned down abit.

[Northem]

Oh mi Godness! This would be a very interesting expansion undoubtedly forming along with the return of the new Lich King ("lavaman") the perfect excuse to revisit Northrend. All this work deserves a reward, maybe Blizzard walk around here ...

Congratulations, keep it up!

---------- Post added 2012-12-29 at 07:07 PM ----------

MY SUGGESTIONS:

• It would be interesting to renew the Crystalsong Forest zone: an enlarged area (with fewer dead zones) without Dalaran and therefore with two facing cities, both for the Alliance and for the Horde, led by the Silver Covenant and the Sunreavers respectively (the current Windrunner's Overlook and Sunreaver's Command but more developed and fortified).
• New basic class: Necromancer (already mentioned).

[Deleted]

Putting up the heroic boss in the Palace raid will probably be the capstone. The Spider Queen is the mother of the Newbreed. But of course, to get babies, you need a daddy too...

Isn't Tuten'Kahn the daddy, or is there another, who instead puts the momma into the line...?

[Golden Yak]

Update! Did a little work on my raid concepts, which can be found here:

Necropolis of Nerub
Nidhogg's Lair
Palace of the Spider Queen

And here's a little spooky ghost:

Aqir Wraith

Get ready for more art cuz I have like 8 more pics almost ready to post.

In the meantime have fun reading my thoughts on archaeology, legendary weapons, and such and such.

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Im guessing you play horde as most if not all the allies camps have been wiped out in your maps,but also the levelling thing,having a 93 92 and 91 clash all in one zone would create a million and one problems so it wouldnt work.

I am Horde yes, but for all the camps I've destroyed I've created new ones to replace them, regardless of faction. The Horde have lost plenty of their own.

Re.: the different levels, in MoP you're called to fly all over Pandaria at level 90 to fulfill various daily quests, sometimes passing through areas with lower levels, but mostly sticking to regions specifically set up to be level 90 questing areas. What I've done isn't any different, I've just spread the leveling quest areas across multiple zones instead of just the daily ones.

The artwork is nice but speaking as a games designer myself i think the concept is a little over the top,needs to be toned down abit.

Go big or go home! I've actually tried to set this concept up in such a way that if it were an actually game design proposal, there are plenty of areas where things could be cut, removed, toned down, etc. to make it more viable (skipping the Northrend revamp zones, taking out some dungeons, etc.)

Oh mi Godness! This would be a very interesting expansion undoubtedly forming along with the return of the new Lich King ("lavaman") the perfect excuse to revisit Northrend.

Yeah, he's definitely gonna do stuff.

[*]It would be interesting to renew the Crystalsong Forest zone: an enlarged area (with fewer dead zones) without Dalaran and therefore with two facing cities, both for the Alliance and for the Horde, led by the Silver Covenant and the Sunreavers respectively (the current Windrunner's Overlook and Sunreaver's Command but more developed and fortified).

I basically have done that, in an effort to turn it into a pvp-oriented zone - the Krasarang Wilds PvP area is pretty much exactly what I envisioned the new Crystalsong being.

Dalaran moving away actually fucks up my story super, super hard... I hope they put it back when they're done with it.

Isn't Tuten'Kahn the daddy, or is there another, who instead puts the momma into the line...?

Tuten'Kahn is not the father of the Newbreed, as he has not been called upon by the Spider Queen to fulfill the task of fathering the next generation of nerubians. This is not something that has ever happened before in the entire history of the Spider Kingdom. Always before, the queen calls and the king answers. The queen has not called the king, yet she continues to produce Newbreed eggs all the same.

The Newbreed receive orders through a psychic hivemind that is controlled by the Spiderminds, leaving non-Newbreed spider lords like Tuten'Kahn with little actual authority and few of the duties they once fulfilled for the Spider Kingdom. He is the Spider King and thus technically ruler of all Azjol-Nerub, but his subjects are not his own children, nor do they require his leadership. He and his title are largely obsolete in the Newbreed order.

All of this has contributed to him having an extremely bad attitude, and anyone trespassing in the palace will find themselves as a target of his considerable frustration.

[Ama]

that wiki page doesn't show maps for your raids

[Deleted]

Inspired in equal parts by Cataclysm, Wrath, various wow fan works, and my own not inconsiderable insanity, I've created a fan expansion for World of Warcraft:



I've been using WoWpedia's fan fiction section to set up pages related to all the dungeon, storyline, and zone ideas I've come up with, and I'll be organizing them together into what will hopefully become a self-contained fan expansion wiki page.

The Spider Kingdom

It started out as a raid idea, grew into a zone, and has since blossomed out of control into what it is now, which is still growing (Old Gods help me). The concept is in two parts - The first centers around the reshaping of Northrend due to the Cataclysm and the death of the previous Lich King, Arthas. The second part will involve exploring the depths of Azeroth's underworld, the Spider Kingdom of Azjol-Nerub and beyond.

There's a lot of talky, so I'll be trying to break it up over time with some artwork - maps, characters, monsters, and so forth.

Check for updates below.

This thread is also on the Official WoW Forums in both the General and Story sections - feel free to comment there if you wish:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2089281854
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2191130878

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Basic Information
* The Spider Kingdom Revealed: New content zones have been added - The Upper Kingdom, the Shadow Web Caverns, and Ahn'Saron - the Inner Kingdom. These zones are accessed through the Pit of Narjun in Dragonblight. A fourth zone, the Wound of the World, acts as the center of the Spider Kingdom and a natural barrier separating the leveling zones, but contains no leveling content.
* New zone content is level 90+.
* Level cap is set at 93. Advancing from one level to the next will involve the Path of War leveling system.
* The Cataclysm has rent Northrend asunder, altering many of it's regions. The fall of Arthas and the rise of a new Lich King has also brought about a drastic change in the balance of power all across the continent. The Northrend content remains a 70-80 leveling experience.
* New dungeons and raid instances have been discovered throughout the new Spider Kingdom zones, as well as the newly reshaped Northrend zones.
* New battlegrounds and new arenas are available.

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New Spider Kingdom Zones

The Upper Kingdom



Shadow Web Caverns



Ahn'Saron, the Inner Kingdom



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New Spider Kingdom Dungeons

Naxxramas, the Fallen Necropolis

Riplash Ruins

Doorward Underhalls

Terromaw Hold


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Northrend Zones post Cataclysm

Northrend's zones have been wracked by the Cataclysm as well, changing the leveling experience. Here's a few of the new maps:


Howling Fjord


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Dragonblight


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Icecrown



Icecrown Citadel - The Frozen Halls

Forge of Souls

Pit of Saron

Halls of Reflection


Check out the WoWpedia page for all of the revamped Northrend zones.

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Original Characters

Horde and Alliance scouts have uncovered the identity of the leader of Northrend's Twilight's Hammer sect!

Twilight Master Velius


As the ogre Cho'gall was to C'thun, the human Velius is to Yogg-Saron. Here's a snippet from the Twilight's Hammer page:



Further information on the Twilight's Hammer of Northrend can be found here:
Twilight's Hammer of Northrend

Death Queen Angerboda


One of the new villains of the reworked Northrend content. Click on her name to see my fan article about her. Here's a snippet:



I've also written up a fan article detailing the different factions of Scourge Remnants that have arisen in the wake of the Lich King's demise:
Scourge Remnants

Vidar Ymironson




Madra



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Spider Kingdom Bestiary Entries


Ursol the Bear God




Nerubian Infiltrator




Undying Tendrils




Nerubian Newbreed


Check the bestiary page on wowpedia for lots more.


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JISSES CHRIST! I got more chilling in my backbone then i got from ,,, or then i mean if any i got from pandara expansion. Very nice ideas blizzard have lost so mutch cooler deeper lore ideas in their hunt for pandas.... ( yes panda are lore but not coll in my oppinion)

[Golden Yak]

that wiki page doesn't show maps for your raids

Haven't done 'em yet. Might not bother, it's a lot of work for not terribly exciting results.

JISSES CHRIST! I got more chilling in my backbone then i got from ,,, or then i mean if any i got from pandara expansion. Very nice ideas blizzard have lost so mutch cooler deeper lore ideas in their hunt for pandas.... ( yes panda are lore but not coll in my oppinion)

If anything, panda-land expansion means there's no idea too strange for an expansion - certainly not mine...

[Destruktion]

It's good to see this thread still getting bumped once in a while! The concept is great and the OP clearly put a shitton of effort into fleshing it out. It deserves to be seen.

[Al Gorefiend]

I love your idea Golden Yak. I've curiously clicked your signature a few times over the years and am always fascinated. If ever we go back to Northrend, I hope Blizzard contacts you and spreads your idea to the game (really).