The Future of WoW?
(Originally posted here.)
Stormyau: Proof, and find me that plan! :D
It was that pre-alpha plan that found its way onto the internet last year. I think we discussed it in the old WoW thread.
The document laid out the course of the expansion sets, and, so far, it has been 100% accurate. From there, it's fairly simple to extrapolate the future course of WoW. Observe:
- World of Warcraft: Base game that takes players through some "loose ends" of the previous games. the final boss is Kel'Thuzad. Level cap: 60
(Keep in mind that Naxx was planned as a dungeon before WoW ever came out. The original instance portal for it has been in Stratholme since release.)
- The Burning Crusade: First expansion. Ties out one major plot strand. Final boss: Kil'Jaeden. Level cap: 70
(Again, SWP was planned to be in the TBC set before release, but was added in a content drop. It's worth pointing out that TBC also experimented with the idea of a complete raiding end-game at release, something Blizzard has now decided didn't work so well.)
- Wrath of the Lich King: Second expansion. Essentially finishes the other major plotline from WC3. Final boss will probably be Arthas, though it's unlikely that he'll be in the game as a boss until a content drop sometime after release. Level cap: 80.
- "Emerald Dream set": Third* expansion. Adds in the Emerald Dream area, which, despite claims by CMs to the contrary, is not currently in game in anything like a completed state. The final boss won't be Ysera, but rather the force that is corrupting her dream. Malfurion will show up. Level cap: 90.
- "Maelstrom set": Fourth* expansion. Adds the Maelstrom, Undermine, Kul'Tiras and probably Gilneas to the game. Final boss will probably be Queen Azshara, though it may be something else. Level cap: 100.
(At this point, I'd suggest that it would become possible to roll a new character (non-hero class) at a level higher than one (50?). It would be a horrendous grind to go from 1-100 if the current levelling rate is maintained.)
- "Elements set": Fifth expansion. Adds the elemental plains. This one is tricky because it will be the first set that doesn't draw upon WC2/3 events directly for its storyline. Final boss will likely be an Old God, perhaps C'Thun 2.0. level cap: 110.
- "Argus set": Sixth and final expansion. Adds in Argus, the world from which the Draenei came and which (in the pre-retcon lore) caused the Burning Legion to exist. Essentially a sequel to TBC, and will most probably feature Sargeras as a final boss. It's possible that we'll see the Pantheon here, too. Level cap: 120.
A couple of things to keep in mind: This is mostly guesswork on my part, based on information that does exist. Plans can obviously change, but this seems like the most likely path the game will take.
The possibility exists that Blizzard won't fill out all these expansions in WoW, but instead release a WoW II that covers everything from, say Maelstrom onwards. That said, Blizzard stated early on in WoW's development that it was intended to be an ongoing, constantly changing game. According to some sources, this is the intent behind the "World of" part of the title: That WoW is a world that will persist and does not need a sequel to itself so much. They probably also want to avoid the kind of playerbase split that occurred with Everquest and Everquest 2.
Given that Blizzard have hinted at a "next generation MMO" that clearly isn't WoW (apparently it's not based on an existing franchise, so it's probably not Diablo 3, either), it seems unlikely that they'd put too many resources into an actual WoW sequel either.
Perhaps the most interesting question is: what happens when we've hit Level 120 and beaten Sargeras? That is, from an absolute lore perspective, the "end of WoW". Perhaps a WoW II is justifiable at that point.
Again, this is all just speculation and extrapolation from existing documents, but I like to think it makes some kind of sense. Obviously there's little things (like, say Xoroth) that can be worked into it here and there, and the details will be cool to see. In the end, no matter where Blizzard goes with WoW, it will be quite a ride.
*: To be honest, the ordering of these sets is interchangeable.
Stormyau: Proof, and find me that plan! :D
It was that pre-alpha plan that found its way onto the internet last year. I think we discussed it in the old WoW thread.
The document laid out the course of the expansion sets, and, so far, it has been 100% accurate. From there, it's fairly simple to extrapolate the future course of WoW. Observe:
- World of Warcraft: Base game that takes players through some "loose ends" of the previous games. the final boss is Kel'Thuzad. Level cap: 60
(Keep in mind that Naxx was planned as a dungeon before WoW ever came out. The original instance portal for it has been in Stratholme since release.)
- The Burning Crusade: First expansion. Ties out one major plot strand. Final boss: Kil'Jaeden. Level cap: 70
(Again, SWP was planned to be in the TBC set before release, but was added in a content drop. It's worth pointing out that TBC also experimented with the idea of a complete raiding end-game at release, something Blizzard has now decided didn't work so well.)
- Wrath of the Lich King: Second expansion. Essentially finishes the other major plotline from WC3. Final boss will probably be Arthas, though it's unlikely that he'll be in the game as a boss until a content drop sometime after release. Level cap: 80.
- "Emerald Dream set": Third* expansion. Adds in the Emerald Dream area, which, despite claims by CMs to the contrary, is not currently in game in anything like a completed state. The final boss won't be Ysera, but rather the force that is corrupting her dream. Malfurion will show up. Level cap: 90.
- "Maelstrom set": Fourth* expansion. Adds the Maelstrom, Undermine, Kul'Tiras and probably Gilneas to the game. Final boss will probably be Queen Azshara, though it may be something else. Level cap: 100.
(At this point, I'd suggest that it would become possible to roll a new character (non-hero class) at a level higher than one (50?). It would be a horrendous grind to go from 1-100 if the current levelling rate is maintained.)
- "Elements set": Fifth expansion. Adds the elemental plains. This one is tricky because it will be the first set that doesn't draw upon WC2/3 events directly for its storyline. Final boss will likely be an Old God, perhaps C'Thun 2.0. level cap: 110.
- "Argus set": Sixth and final expansion. Adds in Argus, the world from which the Draenei came and which (in the pre-retcon lore) caused the Burning Legion to exist. Essentially a sequel to TBC, and will most probably feature Sargeras as a final boss. It's possible that we'll see the Pantheon here, too. Level cap: 120.
A couple of things to keep in mind: This is mostly guesswork on my part, based on information that does exist. Plans can obviously change, but this seems like the most likely path the game will take.
The possibility exists that Blizzard won't fill out all these expansions in WoW, but instead release a WoW II that covers everything from, say Maelstrom onwards. That said, Blizzard stated early on in WoW's development that it was intended to be an ongoing, constantly changing game. According to some sources, this is the intent behind the "World of" part of the title: That WoW is a world that will persist and does not need a sequel to itself so much. They probably also want to avoid the kind of playerbase split that occurred with Everquest and Everquest 2.
Given that Blizzard have hinted at a "next generation MMO" that clearly isn't WoW (apparently it's not based on an existing franchise, so it's probably not Diablo 3, either), it seems unlikely that they'd put too many resources into an actual WoW sequel either.
Perhaps the most interesting question is: what happens when we've hit Level 120 and beaten Sargeras? That is, from an absolute lore perspective, the "end of WoW". Perhaps a WoW II is justifiable at that point.
Again, this is all just speculation and extrapolation from existing documents, but I like to think it makes some kind of sense. Obviously there's little things (like, say Xoroth) that can be worked into it here and there, and the details will be cool to see. In the end, no matter where Blizzard goes with WoW, it will be quite a ride.
*: To be honest, the ordering of these sets is interchangeable.