Warcraft, The Worldsoul Saga
It’s been four years since the last BlizzCon. They announced Shadowlands and Diablo IV. Shadowlands turned out to be the least favourite expansion ever and Diablo Iv was boring (for me) once level cap was reached and I ran most of the end game content.
This was a Warcraft heavy event. I’m here for Warcraft, this is exciting.
While I didn’t get to catch any of the live streams this year I was thankful for the summaries from my guildies and other websites.
Players were assured that they have the next 20 years of Warcraft story mapped out and the next three expansions were announced!
The Worldsoul Saga
First Expansion: World of Warcraft: The War Within
Descend into the depths of Azeroth and discover new subterranean kingdoms and ancient cultures like the Earthen and Nerubians. As forces converge on the precious world soul, we are called to dispense indiscriminate justice!
Second Expansion: World of Warcraft: Midnight
Returning to the Old World, to the fabled lands of Quel’thalas, where the forces of the Void have invaded Azeroth with the intent of snuffing out the light of the Sunwell and plunging the world into darkness and fear. Our mission is to help reunify the scattered elven tribes, stand with the forces of light, and banish the forces of shadow forever. However, we must be prepared for unexpected events that could spiral out of control and lead us to an uncertain future…
Third Expansion: World of Warcraft: The Last Titan
Return to Northrend! At Ulduar, we shall witness the Titans’ return to Azeroth and uncover a vast conspiracy that spans the history of our world. It will challenge everything we believe we know about the Titans, their intentions, and the true nature of Azeroth itself.
Read more about the Worldsoul Saga on the official website.
World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery
In Season of Discovery, we will discover new secrets by scouring Azeroth to find class-altering abilities. Tanking Warlocks, Mage healers, and more will be possible. The Season will launch with an initial level cap of 25, and upon reaching the max level, players will be met with a new level-25 endgame! Discover a 10-player Blackfathom Deeps raid with new and reimagined bosses, mechanics, and rewards. Not long after, the level cap will be increased by a few levels, bringing even more endgame content.
Read more about Season of Discovery on the Blizzard news site.
Both of these are exciting to me. World of Warcraft is a game that I am going to always play after playing it for so long. While I played a bit of Classic when it launched, I only stuck around for a short time as my focus was on the retail version of the game.
Season of Discovery is interesting to me as it promises to deliver brand new experiences within the original context of the game. Blackfathom Depths was the first 5-man dungeon I encountered while levelling my Night Elf Hunter. I was in a party of three with two other plays I had met while questing. We fought our way into the dungeon and once inside, proceeded to get demolished, not knowing why. What we should have realised at the time was that Blackfathom Depths was a 5-man dungeon and required a tank and healer class with three damage classes to be successful.
Our group of two hunters and a rogue didn’t stand a chance.
The new system, rune engraving, will allow us to explore new skill lines for all classes. How might this feed into class design for retail releases?
While I was hoping that the Classic+ announcement would be new expansions in a different direction than The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, I’m still excited to give this a go at the end of the month!
It’s a great time to be a Warcraft fan!
