BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[liandroa]

Sounds more like they are referencing something outside WoW tbh.

It's named Papi so probably referencing Papillon.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Aren't they heavily based on orcs? At least some of their animations are for sure

Heavily Based On != Using

[Nyel]

That would make a ton of sense and would be a solid segue into a Black Empire-style or Shadowlands-style expansion.

If he does, that could absolutely lead us into that Shadowlands leak. This part of the "leaked" storyline has always struck me as interesting:

Maybe he wants to die in some way because he needs Nyalotha for his plans. This would give a N’zoth 8.3 and N’zoth 9.x leverage. But might be too much N’zoth overall...

[Tente]

Sylvanas will conquer de dark empire with and army of burned elfs
- Azeroth in the long run wins by defeating N'zoth with the help of aliance (burned ones, yes, but who could be volunteer to die to fight?)
- Living Horde and Living Aliance with Sylvanas on ny'alotha can be friends
- Sylvanas as the ruler of death can bring back every single forsaken so they wont dissapear

win win win situation !

[Nathanyel]

This, they really should separate some customizations from one another.

We should be able to choose eye color regardless of face.
And night elves marking colors shouldn't be tied to hair color either.

Or ears and piercings, or a way to toggle the stupid Tauren nose ring in a way it also toggles it for Cat Form. Luckily we have the Artifact forms now...

[Sarethion]

My take on 8.2.5 is that it is a... post-Classic patch.

What I mean by that is that with Classic launching soon, there are going to be a lot of returning or new players that subscribe for Classic, but also gain access to modern WoW due to both games having a shared subscription. That's a huge opportunity for Blizzard to try get people back into retail, because while some people will subscribe exclusively for Classic, I believe there's also going to be a huge chunk of players who will be willing to give retail another shot as it is basically free for them anyway.

Why do I think this is true? Look at the major features of 8.2.5 - party sync, quest replay, grouping improvements for old content... Do they really benefit current players all that much? I mean, sure, they're a nice thing to have, especially for people who like playing alts, but most people who actively play the game are probably pretty much on the same page and are more focused on doing BfA's endgame content than going back to old quests or other content, so having these features most likely won't have a huge impact on their day-to-day gameplay experience.

Now... People who come back or try retail - they going to be all over the place in terms of what level or quest they're on. For them having an option to group up with friends or guildies or even some random people without having to worry about being around the same level and/or quest progress, so that playing together doesn't feel awkward and both sides get appropriate rewards... Now, that's actually massive. Especially if you factor in the fact that these players will be coming from a fresh Classic where there's going to be a lot of people everywhere, so finding others to play with isn't going to be an issue (contrast that to current BfA, where unless you're playing recent content, you don't really see that many people or have an option to easily group up - 8.2.5 will alleviate at least part of that issue).

Then there's also the new RAF feature coming in 8.2.5 that's inherently targeted towards new and returning players - I highly doubt it's a pure coincidence that it just so happens to be in the first BfA patch after Classic launches.

And... I wouldn't be surprised if we get another big discount on BfA around the time 8.2.5 comes out.

If I'm correct that 8.2.5 is a post-Classic launch, here are some implications:

1. If 8.2.5 will have any other major features or story reveals, Blizzard might want to wait with announcing/showing them until we're closer to Classic even after it is released, so that they generate more hype/incentive for people who subbed for Classic to also try retail. That might be why we have so many encrypted files.

2. Patch 8.2.5 might not contain any Allied Races - the thing is, many people find Allied Races to be confusing/annoying, because "oh, they've said I'd get these cool allied races, but I logged in and I can't make one, because I have to be level 120 and grind stuff to get it - that's stupid!!!". And having new/returning players try retail due to being hyped for new races only to come to a similar conclusion like the one above doesn't seem smart.

3. Patch 8.2.5 will release 15-30 days after Classic launch (my bet: September 18th), so that it doesn't directly collide with Classic, but is still within that 1-month window, so that people who subbed for Classic are still able to try retail due to being tempted by a new patch coming out.

4. After 8.2.5 comes out, I don't think we'll have to wait long for 8.3 announcement and PTR. I wouldn't be surprised if 8.3 is revealed in early October and PTR begins like a week before Blizzcon. I know how optimistic that sounds, but if their idea is to retain as many players who sub for Classic as possible, be it in Classic itself or retail, having a series of announcements and releases one after another will help.

[Drekmar]

So, the DurotarWarfront aint really a Warfront but a story related phase?

[Tente]

Looks like many of us are on the "we loose" ship but as gamers we play to win and I guess Blizzard wants us to win at the end of the expansion somehow too.
Assuming this, with the actual scenario, what can we win ?
Sylvanas supporters and Elf avengers should win too since we all are Blizzard customers.

[Drekmar]

Looks like many of us are on the "we loose" ship but as gamers we play to win and I guess Blizzard wants us to win at the end of the expansion somehow too.
Assuming this, with the actual scenario, what can we win ?
Sylvanas supporters and Elf avengers should win too since we all are Blizzard customers.

Garrosh supporters certainly didnt get to win.

[Nathanyel]

2. Patch 8.2.5 might not contain any Allied Races - the thing is, many people find Allied Races to be confusing/annoying, because "oh, they've said I'd get these cool allied races, but I logged in and I can't make one, because I have to be level 120 and grind stuff to get it - that's stupid!!!". And having new/returning players try retail due to being hyped for new races only to come to a similar conclusion like the one above doesn't seem smart.

Damn, that's a good argument against AR in 8.2.5 - not that I had much hope anyway.

[Syegfryed]

Sylvanas will conquer de dark empire with and army of burned elfs
- Azeroth in the long run wins by defeating N'zoth with the help of aliance (burned ones, yes, but who could be volunteer to die to fight?)
- Living Horde and Living Aliance with Sylvanas on ny'alotha can be friends
- Sylvanas as the ruler of death can bring back every single forsaken so they wont dissapear

win win win situation !

sure, everyone want that, sure a win win /s

[Marlamin]

So, the DurotarWarfront aint really a Warfront but a story related phase?

It -could- be both, I see no reason why a Warfront can't be used to tell a story.

[Alga]

Exactly, I can just nod at Darkshore with the Nightwarrior Questline.

[Verdugo]

Exactly, I can just nod at Darkshore with the Nightwarrior Questline.

You mean the one that is even more of a shitstain than the first one?

[Kagdar]

My guess is those 2 possibilities. :

1) in 8.2.5 we deal with Sylvannas and she somewhat lose her title as Warchief. 8.3 is on the Dragon Isles (BfA being the naval expac) we stop N'zoth from doing something really bad for Azeroth (thus making is "win") and N'zoth flee into Shadowland. And we cross path with Sylvannas in the Shadowlands and we need to ally with us in order to defeat N'Zoth (and maybe other Old Gods). Remember it was said that the Old Gods fear Death (so maybe Sylvannas becore the Aspect of Death in a way.)

2) 8.2.5 is the start of the was against Sylvannas, it ends in 8.3 with a raid on Sylvannas. We only see N'zoth in 9.x. Like above we somewhat need Sylvannas to defeat N'zoth in the next expac.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

If it isn't N'zoth related stuff in 8.3 I'll bite my hand.

[Vynestra]

I genuinely want us to lose to n'zoth in 8.3 and he essentially wins and brings forth the black empire.

[Kagdar]

If it isn't N'zoth related stuff in 8.3 I'll bite my hand.

The lastest expansions always had a 2 stories that started in the previous expac and the 2nd story ending in the next expac.

BfA if started with the faction war i guess will end with the faction war. But the story of N'zoth is starting now, i'd bet that it will end in the next expac.

[spleen1015]

I genuinely want us to lose to n'zoth in 8.3 and he essentially wins and brings forth the black empire.

I want this so bad that I'm pretty sure it won't happen.

Level squish, world revamp, N'Zoth, time jump a few years forward to allow for Black Empire to be established. Do it Blizz.

[Nagawithlegs]

What was the point of renaming Durotar Warfront and removing Calia when they were intentionally shown to drum up interest? Were they really just intended for 8.3 and they showed them early to make 8.2.5 look more interesting?