Breakfast Topic: Where will we hang out in the next expansion?
by Jason Christ 
Nov 1st 2011 at 8:00AM
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages.
The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King brought players together to neutral cities. With the updated Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, we've returned to our respective capitals as hangouts. After all these months, I still enjoy hanging out in Stormwind, but I can't help but wonder where we'll be headed next. We now know Pandaria will have smaller, faction-based hubs ... Will we continue to reside in the capitals?
I'd like to see a floating metropolis similar to Dalaran but run by the Goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel. In my mind, it's an expanded version of the Speedbarge from Thousand Needles. There are crazy gadgets all over, minigames to play and other fun, Gobliny things. In the center of town is a large neutral Auction House, possibly with a lower fee based on your reputation to try and boost cross-faction trade. A lower level has portholes to see into the ocean and possibly an underwater entrance. Maybe there's an underwater questing zone below the barge.
The Alliance and Horde sections of the cities could be boats docked to the platform. Each race has a boat so there would be some themed areas for each race to call home and give added flavor to the city. One of the boats for each faction takes you to and from the capital cities. Don't want to wait for the boat? The Goblins have a transporter you can use to get to any of the old world cities -- for a modest fee, of course.
What about you? What are you hoping to see for our next big hangout? A neutral location, or staying in our faction capitals? Or maybe we all move to the Exodar and Silvermoon? (Ack, please no...)
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
arixian Nov 1st 2011 8:18AM
In the last couple of expansions the main hub/s have been all about the portals. Given that we have been told the new zones are huge in size and there's no flying until you hit 90 I wonder where if any the portals will be. If there are any that's where people will congregate.
Suzaku Nov 1st 2011 7:28PM
It's unlikely that their will be portals, I'd say. There's a single new continent, meaning they're relatively easy to reach from the central hubs, not like in Cataclysm where the max-level zones had entire continents between them or were located in the middle of the ocean or other planes of existance.
Everything Blizzard said at Blizzcon was indicating that they don't WANT players to just hang out in cities in the next expansion. Profession trainers and point vendors will be spread out, there will be world bosses, individual zone-based PVP objectives, daily quests, and PVE scenarios that require you to travel out to other locations in order to queue.
woecip Nov 1st 2011 8:19AM
Please, no more underwater content.
Philster043 Nov 1st 2011 8:21AM
They've actually already said in the latest Q&A there won't be any underwater content in this expansion.
woecip Nov 1st 2011 8:33AM
From atricle --" Maybe there's an underwater questing zone below the barge."
Guess Jason isn't up on these types of things.
Philster043 Nov 1st 2011 8:47AM
Eh, I can understand if some people skim over some of these questions and missed it by accident. Either way, there won't be an underwater zone, they pretty much debunked that idea.
(Though I do hope they revisit that concept sometimes in the future - and do it a little better next time. Had a lot of potential.)
Jasonthedce Nov 1st 2011 8:54AM
Actually, I think Jason wrote the article over a month ago during the last call for submissions, before the information from Blizzcon was available. I have that on good authority as Jason and I are somewhat close.
MattKrotzer Nov 1st 2011 8:57AM
Being that the Seed submission deadline was back in October, nobody outside of Blizzard knew these things at that point.
Keep in mind that WoW Insider buys well over 100 articles every time they open up submissions, and then they try to put out the articles that best fit with things that are going on when possible. The downside is that sometimes small details of the articles become inaccurate based on infomation that is released after they're already written. I'm sure Jason is aware of the new information, but there's really no way for him to edit the story once it's been purchased.
MightyMuffin Nov 1st 2011 10:05AM
I don't understand the water hate. Of the two starter zones, it was the more fun and interesting story. Sorry, nothing really pushed me in hyjal until near the end. Granted, underwater was buggy at times, especially if you have lag. However, bugs could've been fixed and made a wonderful zone.
Philster043 Nov 1st 2011 8:20AM
I didn't get the impression that these faction-specific hubs would be too huge. I think they're just going to be for PVP and probably a way to get back to the mainland(s) so I see them as being nothing more than small seaports that were quickly assembled and built upon arrival. I think it'll be a lot like Garadar and Telaar in Nagrand, you get PVP dailies if you want, but other than that you just use them as starting points to do your thing on Pandaria.
Noyou Nov 1st 2011 9:42AM
One thing is for sure, if there is a lot of PvP there, where opp faction fundamentalists can wipe out the AH/bank, people will grow tired of that real quick and go back to SW/Org. My mage will happily be hanging out in Exodar/Dalaran.
Melvyl Nov 1st 2011 10:58AM
All of my characters returned to Dalaran as soon as the capital portals were put back in. I just find it simpler because I know where all the vendors are. Although, I do have several hearthed at the Shrine of Aviana - makes doing the dailies a bit easier.
Stabaa Nov 1st 2011 8:27AM
Could it be possibly that we see Undermine this expansion since it's also off on an island in the middle of nowhere?
I heard long ago that it would be wrecked with the cataclysm but I think players just saw screenshots and interpreted Kezan as Undermine.
chaosdefined Nov 1st 2011 8:43AM
Undermine is supposedly underneath Kezan.
Philster043 Nov 1st 2011 8:50AM
I'd love to see Undermine but I don't think we will this expansion. Maybe the next one after that.
I'd like it if Gilneas and Undermine were to become like Stormwind and Orgrimmar one day though. They'd probably be as empty as Exodar and SIlvermoon though, but I still think they add a certain flavor to the game that I just enjoy. (And would be fun for RPers, too, I'm sure.)
MattKrotzer Nov 1st 2011 9:10AM
I just wish there was an easy way for Alliance to get to Gilneas, as the city (and Greymane's mansion) are incredible RP locations.
AltMaster Nov 1st 2011 11:25AM
Well, the thing is you *can* get to Gilneas. I went there hoping to do the starter quests in order to level up Gilneas rep (for no reason other than the fact that I hate having a main faction rep at less than exalted). But the zone's empty. There are no NPC's to speak of. No mobs.
Joakim Nov 1st 2011 8:31AM
I'm gonna move all my paladins to a small hut in a nice shady bamboo forrest and teach them, wether they want to or not, how to wax on and wax off.
:)
(Most likely the place I'l hang out will be the place where the portals are. Ahem.)
MattKrotzer Nov 1st 2011 8:59AM
I can see the Azerothian Times headline now...
Small Commune of Paladins Caught Waxing Off In Pandarian Jungle (story on page 3)
Rufin Nov 1st 2011 8:31AM
I doubt we will get a Neutral City; remember, MoP will be all about the Horde and Alliance conflict. It just wouldn't fit well.
What i think is that the Horde will get the city of Undermine and the Alliance will get (/crosses fingers) Kul Tiras.