BlizzCon 2010: Outland and Northrend revamps eventually planned

by Gregg Reece Oct 22nd 2010 at 7:30PM

One of the problems with changing the world in Cataclysm to bring all of the classic storylines up to date is that you suddenly go to Outland for an event that happened in the past. You also follow this up with going to Northrend and fighting back the undead which were already shown to have fallen back in the content before you ever went to Outland.

Chris Metzen discussed the fact that this really doesn't mesh well and the internal Blizzard lore folks aren't really happy with it. They plan to eventually go back and make Outland and Northrend fit with the revised storyline. The problem they ran into is purely a lack of time. As an example, Wrath of the Lich King had around 1000 quests in Northrend. Cataclysm has 3500 quests without touching either Outland or Northrend.

So, these changes to make the lore line up are planned, but there is absolutely no schedule as to when they will be implemented.

BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!

Tags: blizzcon-2010, blizzcon-quests-and-lore-panel, cataclysm, chris-metzen, lore, northrend, outland, quests-and-lore-panel

Filed under: Events, Blizzard, Lore, BlizzCon

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)

Blunderwear Oct 22nd 2010 9:44PM

I'm not complaining about the dance studio (I do /dance about once a month, if that), but point to it as a feature that was talked about but never implemented. I think Blizz does a tremendous job with their products and think that the developers focus is where it should be virtually 100% of the time.

My feeling is that continuity, while seemingly important, does not affect gameplay. I suspect that the developers will continue to focus on cutting-edge content rather than reworking Wrath and BC content. At best, a few questgivers here and there might have their text reworked to make it seem to flow better. I doubt there will be any major changes with BC and Wrath content involving phasing such as you see in the DK starter area.

Skarlette Oct 23rd 2010 1:49AM

People who complain about people complaining about the lack of dance studios do not play a human female as their main.

*wanders off grumbling about the Macarena*

Izaach Oct 23rd 2010 4:24AM

@Eternauta

But how else are we going to get more players to desecrate all mailboxes if all they can do are 5 year old dances?

Vaeku Oct 22nd 2010 8:16PM

Oh hell yes. I hope this means we get more draenei lore when Outland is revamped.

Also, I'm thinking that if Outland revamped is given its own expansion, that those portals to other worlds open up and those worlds become the equivalent of the new Cata zones.

Or it'll be a lead-in to a possible expansion on Argus.

nofear1984 Oct 22nd 2010 8:35PM

Why don't they just use the bronze dragon flight to explain these 2 expansions. They send you there because at 60 your obviously not powerful enough to handle the current cataclysm events. Change the boats so a bronze dragon teleports you there, hell say deathwing destroyed the boats that ferried players to post LK northrend. Through in a few flavor quests through outland and northrend to remind you this is the past and your good to go until they can revamp them.

Achileaus Oct 23rd 2010 4:52PM

I would actually be ok with this, it's kind of a cop out, but if it let's them work on new content then 100x yes.

Angrycelt Oct 22nd 2010 10:00PM

This is what I kinda figured too - just make them the biggest Caverns of Time adventure yet!

Hey, great job on cleaning up the world, (class)! There are bigger events happening and we can't allow what happened on Draenor to happen here.

10 levels later...

Nice work (race), killing that Stormrage guy. By the way, the twilight whatevers have gone into the past and are trying to stop the Lich King from having been defeated! We don't know when or where they will strike, so you must follow the campaign as well. Come back once you've defeated Arthas, and we'll talk again!
! Quest Accepted: [For Terenas!]

Ok, so it'd probably be a whole lot more complex than that, but the basic idea of saving the current chain of events that led to Arthas' fall would still work, albeit a bit formulaic.

Nero Oct 22nd 2010 11:53PM

I could kind of see it. Once you reach level 58-60, the Dragonflight realizes they've run out of time and they need heroes to stop the events in the Cataclysm zones now. But, with only the experiences of Azeroth behind you, aren't ready, and there is no way that you can become ready in time. So you are sent into the past so that you can experience the events of Outland and then Northrend in turn in order to make you among the most powerful people to be able to take on the challenges of Cataclysm.

But, with this announced now, this would really only be acceptable as an interim solution. I probably would have been cool with it if that were the direction they took.

Melchior Oct 22nd 2010 8:51PM

In other words... Be prepared to shell out for Cataclysm II: Outland and Cataclysm III: Northrend... because your $15 a month doesn't pay for new shine on an old world.

MusedMoose Oct 22nd 2010 8:59PM

Actually, seeing as how everyone gets to see the effects of the world breaking whether they buy Cataclysm or not... your $15 a month does in fact pay for new shine on an old world. ^_^

Ayane Oct 22nd 2010 9:32PM

Illidan....*sniffle* ...if only we could get you back somehow....

Izaach Oct 23rd 2010 4:26AM

inb4setbackjokes

cmichaelcooper Oct 22nd 2010 9:50PM

I think I would have preferred that they produce enough content to allow us to level from 60 to 80 within Azeroth zones. There are enough of them that they could have up-tuned Tanaris, Silithus, or UnGoro Crater to 60 - 80 level zones, which would be appropriate since they are in close proximity to Uldum (or any other zones, those were just examples). That way the Outland/Northrend content could become truly optional until the time comes that they can give those zones the time and energy that they truly deserve. There is more of Draenor than what we saw in Outland, so there is a lot of potential for things to expand on the other side of the dark portal. I'm sure there is something else to do with Northrend as well.

Stoneblade Oct 22nd 2010 11:13PM

Looks like we might have a window for a playable Demon Hunter hero class. :)

Rufio Oct 23rd 2010 12:37AM

True that! Woot!

dragonwhimsy Oct 22nd 2010 11:23PM

I really hope we don't see a new Outland themed expansion. I could barely stomach it the first time and in no way am looking to spend anymore time there even with all new content.

I would seriously consider sitting out an expansion if it came to that.

Outland is just so bleh to me on so many levels.

Maybe if they....

-got rid of Tempest Keep and all Naa'ru technology
-changed the color palette completely
-concentrated on the Shadow Council/Ethereals/Arrakoa
-did NOT concentrate on the space demon army (Burning Legion) or Illidari
-could either make interesting barren wastelands (every barren zone in Outland was terrible) or have Outland recover
-Had a day/night cycle in other places than Nagrand
-not make us look like space clowns
-Less BE's. More orcs.

Pro tip: The less you show of the Burning Legion the more fearsome they seem. Dreadlords are for win. Space demon armies... not so much.

Blizz... I'm a huge fanboy of you and WoW... but I can't do two more years in Outland. I just can't. At least not in any recognizable form to what it is today. It seems like doing time in prison or something.

Rufio Oct 23rd 2010 1:51AM

Nah man I reckon it'd be something to do with the portals that are curently around outland, so you'd be seeing entirely new areas - more than likely in different universiveses or worlds at least so even if outlands is bleh to you, I trust them to make it awesome.

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