WoW Insider's BlizzCon 2011 predictions
by Fox Van Allen 
Oct 19th 2011 at 5:00PM
Since our brains won't let us consider anything but BlizzCon right now anyway, we thought it might be a good idea for all us staffers to write down our predictions for 5.0 and the convention in general. The bosses think it's a good idea because you want to read about BlizzCon so you'll give us precious, precious page views. I think it's a good idea because we get to have a lot of people on the record who are going to look ridiculous in 48 hours on account of how wrong they are. That, my friends, is what we call a win-win.
So, if you'll allow me to get things started: BlizzCon 2011 prediction involves Tyler sneaking past WoW Insider security at our Reader Meetup and getting so close to Fox Van Allen that he needs to be tazered by a security guard to keep him from touching the talent. Also, um, probably something with pandas or whatever.
Alex Ziebart (@AlexZiebart) In addition to the obvious "new expansion" answer, I'm expecting some substantial tweaks to the talent system Cataclysm implemented. It's a great system, but take a minute and look at it -- it only functions properly with 85 levels and the current number of talent points available to us. Throw two to three more points in there between levels 86-90, and the whole thing starts to fall apart. Either Blizzard needs to lock you into one tree longer than it did before to force you into grabbing whatever the new end talents are (and do an across-the-board talent reset to enforce this), or it'll need to reshuffle the whole talent spread to keep the builds that would become crazy-OP out of player hands. That's if it chooses to keep the current system at all, and it might not do that. Considering BlizzCon '11 has an entire panel dedicated to the talent system, we're going to see a substantial shift somewhere. I'm pretty sure Blizzard wouldn't hold a systems panel to say, "More of the same!"
Allison Robert (@allisonrobert) I'm guessing this BlizzCon will be largely concerned with Diablo 3, but on the WoW end of things, probably an announcement of the next expansion. Like others, I don't think Blizzard will introduce a new race or a new class, but an entire panel dedicated to talents does suggest that something's afoot with the system, and the weight of evidence argues that Blizzard will go back to focusing on the endgame experience after essentially rebooting the game in Cataclysm. I also think Dan's right re: overhauling tank mechanics, and we might extend that to Blizzard's overhauling problematic stuff elsewhere. I'm not sure Blizzard's happy with how healing turned out in this expansion, not necessarily because it was wrong in the beginning (i.e., mana efficiency was too good) but because a lot of consistent issues have refused to go away.
Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) I already did all that predicting stuff!
I also predict I'm gonna be completely exhausted by the time it's all over!
Daniel Whitcomb (@DanielWhitcomb) I predict we will see the first signs of the extensive tanking overhaul for the next expansion that's been hinted at in Dev Watercoolers. I'm also expecting another revamp of the talent system and possibly a further loosening of transmogrification rules to come in patch 4.4 or 5.0. Finally, we'll get a taste of the new lore for Warcraft, which will include not only the first hints of the new Pandaria storyline, but a preview of patch 4.4's story elements, which will include the return of Thrall as Warchief and focused world changes in Gilneas, Ashenvale, and Stromgarde that will focus on the Horde/Alliance conflicts in those areas. I am also expecting to see a Heart of the Swarm demo playable at BlizzCon, likely with a new cinematic, at least one new unit, and possibly the first few missions of the story mode playable, which will play more like an RPG (think Orc mission from the WC3 expansion) or a DoTA type thing than an RTS.
Fox Van Allen (@foxvanallen) (gplus.to/foxvanallen) I predict that we'll be pretty busy at BlizzCon. Blizzard will announce the new expansion, of course, and we'll finally figure out what the deal is with pandas. (I say pandas will be present, not playable.) We should get a lot of information, I feel. Blizzard has been itching to be able to do a powerful, unspoiled reveal. Fewer third-party leaks, more first-party leaks, in a more controlled way. So long as everything doesn't go to hell in the next 24 hours ... aren't you surprised that no one has ruined that new expansion for you yet?
The new expansion will likely contain a few updates to the stories of existing zones. The bulk of the focus, though, will be on exploring a new, vast, forgotten land with its own existing problems. It'd be a great storyline to parallel a new story focus on Horde vs. Alliance conflicts. If Blizzard is serious about pushing expansions more frequently, it can afford to give us something short of "big bad threatens to destroy all Azeroth." More notable, though, will be how the focus isn't just on World of Warcraft. Sure, the expansion is huge news, but I think a lot of the spotlight is going to D3.
Joe Perez (@lodurzj) Talent system tweaks, and I'm guessing that healing is going to be a hot topic at this years BlizzCon.
Josh Myers (@Elamqt) I'm predicting a couple of "slips" about Titan, enough to titillate the audience without giving anything real away. Also, Blizzard will be previewing one of the new features of next expansion: the dance factory. Beyond that, there will definitely be expansion news, both on the World of Warcraft and StarCraft fronts. I'm thinking Lisa is right, though, in saying that they WoW news will be significantly less than what we're used to from previous BlizzCons, as Blizzard has two freshly revitalized series and a super-secret project in the works.
Lisa Poisso (@lisapoisso) I think hardcore WoW fans are going to be surprised if they're not expecting the publicity and excitement pendulum to begin swinging from World of Warcraft to Diablo and the entire Blizzard spectrum as a whole. That's not to say there won't be some interesting reveals and discussions about our favorite game, but this BlizzCon's going to be an appetizer for the broader direction Blizzard's headed in the longer term.
Mat McCurley (@gomatgo) (gplus.to/gomatgo) My BlizzCon predictions are that there will be a new expansion announced, and it will hopefully be more substantial than the "light" scenario of no new classes and no new races. The talent system is going to get another major overhaul, either in systems design or a bombshell announcement (like no new talents). I am bad at predictions most of the time, but Pandaren, Azshara, and all that are good guesses, I'd say. I think we might get our first look at an update to the player models or at least a graphical overhaul of some new system in game, like when water got changed for Cataclysm.
Robin Torres (@cosmiclaurel) I'm going to be bold and say they are going to announce a kind of hero healing class in the next expansion. It will be hero in that Blizzard will attempt to make healing fun to play while also having the character start late, like the death knight. But it won't be a true, overpowered hero class. I also think that Blizzard will attempt to bring back the Path of the Titans in some form. Other than that, I agree with most everyone else that Diablo 3 will be the main focus, as well it should.
Scott Andrews We won't get new races or classes in the next WoW expansion. Instead of giving us reasons to play alts, this time around Blizzard will focus on new ways to invest in our existing characters. This could take the form of a fourth talent tree per class that uses a different kind of currency or even adds new roles to each class, such as shockadins, tanking rogues, or healing mages. Or it could be a redesigned Path of the Titans-style interface that allows each class to improve specific spells and learn new spells -- including new racial abilities -- gradually over time at the level cap. Part of this system could allow you to combine two spells into one. For example, when you cast Hand of Freedom on a player, you also cast Cleanse on that player for no additional mana. Or when you cast Chain Lightning, it also places a Flame Shock DOT on each target. Some, but not all, of these combos will be intended to reduce "spell clutter" in our UI so Blizzard can continue to add new spells to the game without completely overloading our bars.
Blizzard could also allow us to earn "flex points" -- talent points that can be swapped around at any time (out of combat, of course). Another way we could invest more into our characters would be to add new primary professions and the ability to learn a third primary at level 90. Some form of housing or customizable mounts/combat vehicles are other possibilities.
Turn to WoW Insider for all your BlizzCon 2011 news and information. Get ready to kick off the weekend with the WoW Insider Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv, and look for our liveblogs of the convention panels, interviews with WoW celebrities -- and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
Filed under: BlizzCon
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
jordan Oct 19th 2011 5:08PM
I expect a talent revamp from the ground up. Talents will probably be class based instead of spec based.
The Dewd Oct 19th 2011 5:32PM
They have to do something. Every increase in the level cap means more points which means more access to more talents in other trees even if they make the trees larger. Too much increase in the tree size and we're back to where we were at level 80.
I like your idea, though. Anything unexpected that breaks off a little piece of the mold would be cool.
Caz Oct 19th 2011 5:45PM
I am tired of talent tree revamps.
Sim Oct 19th 2011 5:56PM
@AlexZiebart
Actually, I have a theory on how to add an expansion without changing the talent system. Currently, we get one talent point every second level, except for 80-85 we get one per level. *If* they only increased the level cap to 90, then they could simply adjust so we still only get a point every second level all the way to the end, and finish with the same number of points overall. No other changes required.
llcjay2003 Oct 19th 2011 6:31PM
@Caz: I feel your pain, but if the level cap is going to increase, something has to be done. I can tell from various Blizzard blogs and blue posts that they are unhappy with how the current system turned out.
Personally, I still like the new system over the old, but I definitely see the need for some revamps.
Snuzzle Oct 19th 2011 6:50PM
I don't see why they can't just deepen the trees by another 5 points and lock you in for another 5 points. They JUST revamped the talent trees and made them a lot shallower than they used to be. Why do we need yet another revamp?
icepyro Oct 19th 2011 8:06PM
I'm sorry, but I think most of the talent trees are good with adding about 3-5 points. Getting to that next level does give us some OP stuff, but by that end of the game, I think we are ready for that craziness. Everyone right now makes some tough choices and I think we would be OP with 3-5 points now, but at level 90, we wouldn't need 3 new spells, that's for sure.
The thing about the current system that irks me is that you are finishing up Outland when you finally reach the bottom of the tree. A complete revamp means now we will be locked in until we finish up Wrath. While RaF is extended that far, one spec without flexibility because you are just trying to make it to the bottom before flexing your spec is tedious.
You don't put points where you want sometimes anyways as leveling has different requirements than endgame. Then some of those are completely OP for that level. I remember my SV hunter going up by 1kdps just because of a well placed talent after lagging behind the entire group for most of the dungeon.
Do these things need a real revamp? I don't think so. Nothing is balanced for leveling anyways. The benefits of a different tree are almost always just additional perks as they want. Another 3-5 points isn't going to break that (yet). Once the end level is above 90, then we can really talk a need to revamp how talents work.
Worst case scenario, I would still just use the same system but say you are locked into the tree for 35 points (though bottom is still 31). It would make people take a moment to place talents where they want instead of feeling like they have race to the bottom so they can move on.
evoxpisces Oct 19th 2011 10:15PM
This is a very good guess, but I think they might even scrap the talent system altogether in favor of something else. But the only thing I'm sure of is that an expansion will be announced. I am crossing my fingers for a monk hero class.
Rolly Oct 20th 2011 11:37AM
Rolly looks at Diablo 3 talent tree revamp, hmmmmmm.
Remembers socketed gems, remembers specific spells and attacks. hmmmmmm
I wonder which direction they will go with another talent tree revamp.
Aids Oct 19th 2011 5:10PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again, people need to get even the concept of tanking rogues out of their heads. Assuming they want high dodge chance to stay alive, and have low actual mitigation, their damage will be spiky as all hell, and a total nightmare on healers.
Alex Ziebart Oct 19th 2011 5:21PM
Every game that has tanking rogues solves that problem very easily: instead of keeping a Slice and Dice active, you keep some sort of Mitigation buff active. Rogue tanking doesn't have to be all doge, all the time.
loop_not_defined Oct 19th 2011 5:28PM
Really, though, coming up with a gimmick mechanic that kills burst/DPS and boosts survivability just isn't that hard. The few times Tank specs have shined with burst damage have been through multiple stars aligning and creating such tragic, short-lived anomalies.
The Dewd Oct 19th 2011 5:35PM
You know what would take up an entire panel?
Giving pure dps classes either a tanking or a healing tree. It would be a complete system overhaul but it would really really help with random queue times and would let all those folks who are invested in their mains but wouldn't mind trying tanking/healing a chance to do it. I'm talking about more than just mages tanking in the High King fight and Warlocks tanking a single phase in SSC or Black Temple.
Yvl Oct 19th 2011 5:35PM
Rogues' positions as tanks are perfect as is. We're not main tanks, and never will be, and should never want to be. We're emergency tanks for when the boss is at 2% and about to tear through the rest of the raid.
llcjay2003 Oct 19th 2011 6:36PM
@Yvl: I mentioned on the rogue blog on WI about my desire for a taunt that we can line up with Evasion and Combat Readiness/Cloak of Shadows. That would add some great situational utility for raids or dungeons where a tank goes down, adds need to be held, or a healer's ass needs saved.
As for having rogues tank full time...no. Please...no.
Narshe Oct 19th 2011 6:40PM
"it would really really help with random queue times and would let all those folks who are invested in their mains but wouldn't mind trying tanking/healing a chance to do it. "
If someone wants to play a tank or healer, they use a class that can be a tank or healer. Even if you sat there and made every single class in the game viable for tanking, it wouldnt fix anything in the long run. The social aspect of WoW dying is leading to less people wanting to tank, not that their "favorite" class isnt able to fill that role. Tanks have to take extra responsibility and develop a thick skin, and not everyone can do that.
As cool as it would be tanking on a Shaman with totems, a dw rogue who tanks with swords or daggers, or a Warlock even tanking in Metamorphosis, it wouldnt improve queue times past the first 6 months when those dps classes try tanking, then realize it takes actual work and responsibility to do.
loop_not_defined Oct 19th 2011 9:51PM
@Narshe: "If someone wants to play a tank or healer, they use a class that can be a tank or healer."
This isn't opinion: you're wrong. On multiple levels. Here's two.
A) I love to tank. I also love to play multiple classes. I don't tank on my Hunter or Priest...want to take a stab at why?
B) Many people play a class because they love what it's about. Not because of it's role. My wife plays Warlocks because she loves Warlocks...not out of some infatuation with DPSing over Tanking or Healing.
C) Rerolling might seem like a simple decision to you. It is not a simple decision for many. Don't make the mistake of thinking everyone feels the same way you do about something, or makes such decisions in the same context you might.
loop_not_defined Oct 19th 2011 9:52PM
Or three.... *cough*
mayjest Oct 20th 2011 8:54AM
@Narshe
Gonna have to disagree with you there. I love my rogue. I love the play style. Combo point builders and finishers, maintaining buffs and debuffs in the correct balance, that works for me. So well.
I also like tanking. I levelled a DK to do it, partly because it started at 55, and partly because at the time it seemed the closest to a rogue in gameplay terms. The 'combo points' were the diseases, there was a maintenance aspect to the buffs/debuffs and so on. Instead of my primary task being DPS while surviving the fight mechanics, my task was keeping threat while surviving the fight mechanics. I liked it. It worked for me.
Since cataclysm came out, the amount of time I have to spent on WoW has plummeted. I have time for one random dungeon a week if I'm lucky, and roughly every other day I'll get half of the Molten Front dailies done before I have to go. As such, my rogue is still pathetically geared (there's still 2 upgrades for me in the troll dungeons), while my DK is still in questing greens from early Twilight Highlands quests. I just don't have the time to gear up both.
But I miss tanking. My priority is and has always been my rogue, but if Blizzard were to give rogues a tanking tree I'd... well, I'm not sure. They're already getting my subscription money and it's not like I can pay or play more than I currently am. So I'd be really thankful I guess.
EverythingRuned Oct 20th 2011 10:37AM
I don't understand people that are opposed to introducing a fourth tree/something that adds new role (healing/tanking) capabilities to classes.
If they add tanking for rogues, and you don't want to tank on your rogue, don't. Sure, I'd be upset if they removed a spec and replaced it with tanking, but they're not going to do that.
If I really think hard, I could see a lot of pures take on healing/tanking roles, flavor-wise. Not sure how they'd pull it off without suffering from even more homogenization than already exists, though.