Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsWhy we should expect an expansion announcement at Blizzcon
by Michael Sacco 
Apr 10th 2009 at 2:00PM
We're almost six months into Wrath's lifespan. Patch 3.1 is just around the corner, and before too long we'll be talking about 3.2. I anticipate 3.2 will come out quicker than most content patches and that 3.3 will be on its way soon after. After that, I'm willing to put good money on an expansion following it. We've had a lot of hints and solid information ready to back up a Q4 2009 expansion release, and even hints about what the content in it would be.
Here's what we know.
- There's a Blizzcon this year.
There hasn't been a Blizzard-run event in the past four years without a product announcement. Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 are both already announced. The next-gen MMO is way too far off to warrant any kind of announcement. Yes, there may be a mystery fifth project, but an expansion announcement is far more likely at this point.
Those who're ready to argue with me and say "well they could be using Blizzcon to announce a beta for SC2 or D3 or announcing their release dates", remember that they didn't do this for Wrath or BC.
- There's probably no raid coming in 3.2.
All reports indicate a new Battleground coming in 3.2, along with an instance related to the Argent Tournament. If there's a raid coming in 3.2, they've been incredibly mum about it, especially given how open they were regarding raid progression in BC. I'm inclined to believe that this means that Icecrown is the next and likely only big raid coming in Wrath after Ulduar. Yes, I know that Jeff Kaplan said there was going to be a mystery raid in 3.2 at Blizzcon. I have my reasons for doubting it, but there's still time for me to be proven wrong.
What this means is that the raiding lifespan of WOTLK is likely shorter than BC's or vanilla's. This indicates a quicker expansion successor.
- Dev and Community are being very open with us regarding content additions, changes, and features.
Ghostcrawler is leading the vanguard of better communication regarding changes coming down the pipe, class theorycrafting dialogue, and new content. But what does this have to do with the expansion? Read below.
- CMs and devs are teasing the hell out of us.
So far CMs and devs have dropped believable hints about the following:
• Use of phasing in the old world
• Opening Greymane Wall
• Bringing zones that exist but don't exist to the forefront (Gilneas, Kul Tiras, etc)
Gilneas and Kul Tiras are both nations with strong ties to the sea, and both are currently inaccessible to players. Near them is the troll nation of Zul'Dare and the isle of Crestfall. Near the Maelstrom in the ocean's center are a large number of islands, like Kezan, Tel'Abim, Hiji, Zandalar and the Broken Isles. This is a ton of possible content should they go the South Seas route with the expansion. And what better neutral city than the bustling home of the goblin trade princes, Undermine?
On a different side of things, there's the ever-present Emerald Dream theory.
Chris Metzen says that Malfurion Stormrage is not only getting his own novel but will soon become an important character in the game again. This points heavily to use of the Emerald Dream, since that's, you know, where he
currently is.
The Dream isn't just a "new continent," though.
- The Emerald Dream, in lore, contains prototypes of Azeroth.
This is actually a really great piece of information. It opens up a lot of cool ideas for where we'll go and what we'll do when the expansion lands.
Remember that the Dream isn't affected by what happened to real Azeroth, so, for example, the Sundering never happened, leaving Azeroth one giant mass instead of three sundered shards. It wouldn't necessary play by the same rules as current zones, meaning some (Blasted Lands, for example) would be absent and some (where Zin-Azshari would be) would still be there now.
The possibilities are exciting and pretty much endless.
In summary, here's what my Magic 8-ball is telling me.
• We're getting a new expansion sometime this year.
• It'll be announced at Blizzcon.
• It'll involve old-world content or zones in some way.
• It'll involve the Maelstrom, the Emerald Dream, or both.
• There's going to be a new hero class or race.
No matter what, I'm excited. Blizzard has learned a lot since launch and I'm sure they'll give us an even bigger and better experience with whatever comes next -- even better than the fantastic expansion we're playing currently.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 7)
pandaba Apr 10th 2009 4:48PM
My friends and I have had similar ideas. We were thinking goblin players would be locked to their starting zone until level 10, when they'd have the opportunity to visit a language trainer, where they could learn either Common or Orcish, but not both.
The other idea we had, was that goblins would never have to choose a side permanently but could do quests/bg's for either side. There would be a catch. Gaining Stormwind rep would cause your Org rep to decrease, and vice versa.
Blizzard would probably never implement this, since all goblin players would be able to talk to each other, thus allowing easy inter-faction communication.
crayzeigh Apr 10th 2009 2:38PM
IMO:
There WILL be a new raid in Wrath. If 3.3 is Icecrown, it'll probably be in 3.2 regardless of whether or not they've announced it yet. They've been very sneaky this expansion as compared to last leaving bosses in Ulduar currently UNTESTED even. Compare this to BT being completely open in BC.
If there's an expansion announcement it will not release this year. 1 year life cycle for an expansion is too short, people will get dizzy from all these major content changes happening every few months.
I predict expansion in 2010 if anything. SC2 to hit this year. I expect at least another raid in this cycle in addition to Ulduar and Icecrown Citadel.
Huulo Apr 10th 2009 2:45PM
I understand what you're saying, but it still feels to me like there's another raid in the works between Ulduar and Icecrown, though probably a smaller one similar to Zul'aman. There's a huge unused building in Zul'drak, plus signs pointing to possible unrevealed raid bosses in Gundrak (giant snake tail, anyone?). An expansion just wouldn't be complete without trolls. Oh, and you better believe we'll be fighting island trolls in the Great Sea someday.
crayzeigh Apr 10th 2009 2:47PM
As a troll priest, I do not approve of all this Troll-hate.
skizzit Apr 10th 2009 2:47PM
People talk alot about Gilneas, Kul Tiras, and the Greymane Wall, but there is another huge section of the old world we have yet to be able to enter and that is Mount Hyjal. I argue that this area is more important than any of the others and really need to be added to the game soon. And while it is not really connected to any sort of South Seas/Maelstorm expansion I could easily see it connected to an Emerald Dream expansion.
I am guessing that the two will not be included in one expansion, but the next two. They might also be a bit smaller then BC was, but come out in more rapid pace to make up for that fact. We might even see expansions that do not increase the level range. Maybe even digital expansions for a lower cost. Really, Blizzard has a ton of options at this point. I can almost guarantee we see an announcement of some form of expansion at Blizzcon.
Iceveiled Apr 10th 2009 2:48PM
Saying there will be an expansion this year is a lofty expectation, but one can always hope. It would be cool, but I just don't see the new expansion coming before 2010.
In fact, I like the idea of large patches every 3-4 months or so rather than waiting 2 years for expansions. Episodic content if you will - this is what a lot of games are doing and hopefully Blizzard is considering it.
AKA one large patch might introduce a new hero class, another might introduce a couple new raids, and yet another might bring a couple new zones and a level cap raise from 80-85...stuff like that.
Of course, with a model like that blizzard would have to start charging for downloads. $10 bucks a pop or something.
Just speculating.
Either way, great post. I'm excited.
Klint Apr 11th 2009 2:23AM
I wouldn't doubt there will be another expansion coming soon. If the WOTLK didn't come out I would have gotten extremely bored and cancelled my account.
Sannald Apr 10th 2009 2:50PM
I truly hope that 3.2 contains a raid (please though don't let it be trolls). I too have felt that though this expansion is well done with what we have, it just doesn't seem as large content-wise as TBC (this is just my opinion though, I'm sure others can and will disagree).
For 3.2 I would LOVE to see them open up the Nerubian Empire underneath Northrend as one zone in and of itself with hopefully a new five man, and a new raid which takes us right to the steps of Icecrown. Much like The Isle was done back in TBC.
I can see at least 3 possible points of entry into the new zone. 1. Under the World Tree in Grizzly Hills, 2. In the Azjol-Nerub instance itself (there is a path leading off in that instance which would be the perfect place for a door), and 3. Under Icecrown Citadel where you fall forever to get to those quests. =D
Didn't Everquest start to falter when they started releasing new expansions too quickly? Let's have some more LK content please before we start talking about plunging into the depths of the Maelstrom, or braving the nightmare of the Emerald Dream.
/just my 2 cents
Todd Apr 10th 2009 2:51PM
Will we finally see an end to the old [Essence of Eranikus] quest chain that dealt with the Emerald Dream?
csarcops Apr 10th 2009 4:04PM
This. Oh heavens please this.
Friday_Knight Apr 10th 2009 4:19PM
Yeah I still have my old Chained Essence of Eranikus sitting in my bank. Still holding onto it. Just in case. ;)
Anrax Apr 10th 2009 2:53PM
i think blizzard is shortening the life cycle of WOTLK becuase they have realized, they screwed up on raid progression.
I know i shouldn't judge by nax, but its a joke, lets be honest here. Unless ulduar is significantly harder (which i doubt unless they make sweeping class changes, the kind which only occur at expansions) then this expansion is destined to be short lived. So 3.2 not having a raid sounds somewhat likely
Lee Apr 11th 2009 2:03AM
Non-healers really need to take some time out to read the healer patch notes. Our mana regen is getting pretty severaly nerfed. This is an easy way to make raids harder; now, DPS are going to have to be much more careful, tanks are going to have to keep their gear up to par a little more, resistance gear will probably become an issue again, especially when Icecrown is released. Nerfing mana regen essentially makes raiding at least somewhat difficult again, even if the rest of the specs are left mostly unchanged.
Iceveiled Apr 10th 2009 2:56PM
Regarding new races, I think Goblin is an obvious choice. The horde need their gnome equivalent.
Question is, what would alliance get? It would have to be something ugly and brutish, to contrast how the horde got the uber attractive blood elves when all the other races were basically monsters.
piqueddaithe Apr 14th 2009 9:18PM
You play Alliance don't you? I can tell by your tone and the use of the word "monsters." Plus you smell weird.
Sindrow Apr 10th 2009 3:02PM
Oi, too fast! The achievement system has ruined me! I've been spending all my time seeking achievements that I haven't had time to level all my alts!
*sigh*
SerenityNow Apr 10th 2009 3:09PM
Given their track record, I doubt there'll be another expansion until mid-2010, or sometime after that. But in a future expansion I'd like to see Blizz introduce the following. I know, not gonna happen (except maybe the new areas), but hey, I can hope!
New playable races:
Centaur (alliance, not allowed mounts but quickly get 40-70% speed bonus for obvious reasons. Maybe even let other players ride them with their consent)
Ogre (Horde)
Goblin (start neutral, maybe tied to Steamwheedle Cartel, but can to either faction depending on the quest chains they take early on)
New professions:
Lumberjack (similar to herbing, but obviously collecting different types of wood product)
Carpenter (for creating shields, staffs, parchment, wood stock, etc.... maybe wands too)
Areas:
Maelstrom and the south sea islands (mostly 80-90 level areas with 1 or 2 sub-40 level ones)
Gilneas (somewhere between levels 60 and 80)
I'm not bothered about another heroic class - there are already too many DKs running around. But whether they add a new heroic or not, I'd like to see such classes start off with a store of 150 profession points they can spend after learning at least one non-secondary profession. That way they won't be competing with low-level non-heroic toons for resources just to get their skills up.
Emerald Dream? Sounds like a ton of work to get that done. Unless they do half the areas in exp 3 and the others in exp 4.
Iceveiled Apr 10th 2009 3:30PM
That is a really great idea for a profession. I like the idea of a lumberjack or woodworking profession. Perhaps a new class (or two) would use wooden armor and so the woodworking class would craft wooden armor and other things you mentioned, like shields and wands. A lot of people think wands haven't got a lot of attention the way other weapons have so being able to craft all sorts of unique wands would be awesome.
Nodes would obviously be random trees or tree branches, etc. And you'd even need to buy a lumberjacks axe or saw from trade goods.
Draelan Apr 10th 2009 9:17PM
I also like the Carpenter profession idea.
But no wooden armor! We have enough armor classes, and wooden would just be silly.
Rather, I see this more of a weapon-crafting profession. Weapons can be just as important as armor, but the only professions that can make weapons are Blacksmiths, Enchanters (wands only), and Engineers (Guns only). There are a ton of weapon types unrepresented in the crafting professions.
So, how about allowing carpenters to make things such as staffs, bows and crossbows, wands, swords, etc. They could also make other things, such as wood carving trinkets, and perhaps even allow them to carve Druid Idol and Shaman Totem relics. (Giving Inscription the ability to make Librams and Sigils, so Pallys and DKs aren't left out)
It could be a very interesting profession.
Indy Apr 10th 2009 3:10PM
I believe 3.2 will be a raid but the reason its kept secret is because of how wow is starting to become more story based focused (in my opinion). It may be the "preview" to the next expansion. Although we have to fight Arthas we get sort of a "plot-twist" before Icecrown.