Speculation: How far from WotLK?

[Gallo]

So, my 5 shammies are rolling along and are level 53 now, and I was wondering: Am I going to make it to 70 by the next xpac? I have trolled through a lot of the Wow forums, and haven't seen a whole lot of information about any sort of release date (in true Blizzard form)... but when do you guys think that its going to roll out? Fall? Winter?

[The IT Monkey]

You've got until at least Thanksgiving.

[Skuggomann]

Id relax, they always say stuff and then just "W8! wer gona makit better".

....it comes wen it comes xD


(also wen stores start putting posters in there windows, then its most likely time.)

[mackenziemi]

I suspect that they will give a target timeframe at Blizzcon this year. I am thinking it will probably be around Thanksgiving this year or Jan/Feb next year.

[Stabface]

Currently slated for mid-late November, if it doesn't slip. ;)

[boxer]

Expect it in 2009 IMO. This is blizzard.

[Esca]

The current guess is that it'll be in November:

http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=647156

Blizzard gives a guesstimate to it's biggest retailers like EB, but it's just that, a guesstimate. If history holds true it'll be delayed. TBC was supposed to come out in that November time frame to take adavantage of the holiday shopping season, but it was delayed until January 15.

So, it'll probably be out sometime between November 2008 and February 2009. Your shammies will ahve no problem getting to 70 before it comes out.

[Ðeceased]

I remember rumors about it being early 2Q 2008 but then again.. TBC was originally scheduled for april 2006 if I remember correctly.. soo my guess is going to be march 2009 :)

[mackenziemi]

I could totally see Blizz releasing it on 1/15/09for the 2 year anniversary of TBC.

[kllrwlf]

I'm guessing Christmas/January. Makes it an easy gift choice.

[Shogun]

You can almost 100% guarantee it won't be out before July if that helps, Blizz are holding some event at the end of June that will have "hands on WotLK Beta playtime" for all attending or something to that effect. As far as I know there's no actual reference to any release dates...

[zanthor]

Blizzard doesn't announce release dates until far closer to their actual release date... Companies like GameStop make their best guess and start selling things based on that...

Keep in mind that GameStop at one point was selling pre-orders for Duke Nukem Forever ('http://www.3drealms.com/duke4/') ...

That said, I'd put my money on a target of next Christmas at the earliest since Blizzard doesn't want to Naxxaramis the Sunwell (Get 4-5% of the population into it and then release content that obsoletes it).

[Gallo]

Well thats good to hear... even at my "casual" pace, I'd imagine I'll be 70 in 2 months. To hijack my own thread, where do you guys quest at 52? I dont want to do BRD much, I overdid that with my other 5-box group which I coincidentally stopped playing at lvl 55 because I figured I hated PVE and wanted a PVP group. I am almost done with quests in Ungoro... i'll hit 53 I'm sure. Then maybe Winterspring/EPL? I did all the WPL quests.

[Eteocles]

I lol'd at your charnames & bank alt, Gallo. Except the order is Earth Fire Wind Water Heart, not Wind Fire ;p Far as lvling, finish un'goro, do collections you probably skipped in WPL(They're not THAT bad, promise, and get the scholo key quest done + araj if you didn't); start EPL if you want, maybe silithus but don't expect to do much at either place till 55/56+. Winterspring might be a good start, Felwood as well is early 50s; you might have some Azshara options too if I recall right.

Wrath will be no sooner than the Xmas sale season I guarantee; knowing blizzard, just short of summer next year. Though with how retarded they've been about 2.4 in general from rush pvp changes that break or ignore the effect on pve, they'll probably rush wrath out to beat warhammer or something else stupid like that.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the Activision merger? I know
they publicaly stated it would have no effect, but if you believe
that.... lol lol...I'm with you there, fur.

[Stealthy]

I suspect that they will give a target timeframe at Blizzcon this year. I am thinking it will probably be around Thanksgiving this year or Jan/Feb next year.This is what happened to BC - originally slated for a November release, got pushed back to Jan.

[Gurblash]

Don't trust any of the dates posted on EB Games or websites of the like. They are only on there because its the only way they can take preorders. Even if the date is 100% wrong it still allows them to start taking preorders.

Other than that I'd suspect no sooner than December 08'.

[wallshot]

I think Blizz may accidentally or intentionally(not likely) be one of the few companies that has learned that quality will always bring a customer. They missed the holiday 06 shopping cycle, OMG disaster/sky-falling. What happened? They are greeted with instant sell outs and fastest selling game of all time. I personally hope they stick to their guns and wait or accidently miss the release projection again if it's not ready.

[Otlecs]

I'd place good beer money on a November / early December release for Christmas. Although last November I would have put good beer money on a release to coincide with Conan (May, now) and would have lost that!

[Zanjii]

You really just have to look that Blizzard track record to figure out when the expansion is gonna be released: It'll be released when its done.

Come hell or high water, competition or holiday seasons, Blizzard games get shipped when they're done. So stop speculating and sit tight.


The only thing you CAN say about a Blizzard game is when it WON'T be released. And it won't be released until a good half year after 2.4. So there, my take on things.

[Stabface]

Currently slated for mid-late November, if it doesn't slip. ;)I'm curious as to your source of information. You sound pretty confident. :)

Although, I agree with a Nov / Dec launch timeframe. That'll give 2.4 a good 6+ months of live play (new raid content).From Blizzard, through some friends of mine. It's more of an upper bound on the release date than anything though, not a hard date at all.

[Tonuss]

Blizzard would certainly love to have it ready by mid-November, as that coincides very nicely with the start of the Christmas shopping season. But they do seem to have a commitment to quality, and when your game has ~10 million subscribers (and possibly more by then) you do not want to have a disastrous expansion release. Everquest had some horrible expansion releases, some that took weeks before the major problems were cleared up. Blizzard execs would be lynched if that happened with WoW.

I would guess early '09, just to allow for the likelihood that they won't rush it out the door until they're sure it's ready, or as ready as it can be.

[xtobbenx]

Back to the basic of this thread. If you are at 55 atm you can start in TBC and lvling will go so fast with the xp there. And you will porbably make it faster then when you lvled with 1 guy as you can do all the party quest and everything so much earlier then normal as of your sick dps as 5 el shammys, and soon you get 5x earth elementals and you should manage most 5mans easily :D So dont worry.. keep it going and you will find yourself at 70 for a long time for sure.

I started 2 weeks agoing with 3 new toons and they are 40 now.. and i thought the same as you... That aslong as i made it to 70 before expansion it would be fine.. but that wont be a proglem hehe

[Gallo]

Back to the basic of this thread. If you are at 55 atm you can start in TBC and lvling will go so fast with the xp there. And you will porbably make it faster then when you lvled with 1 guy as you can do all the party quest and everything so much earlier then normal as of your sick dps as 5 el shammys, and soon you get 5x earth elementals and you should manage most 5mans easily :D So dont worry.. keep it going and you will find your self at 70 for a long time fore sure.

I started 2 weeks agoing with 3 new toons and they are 40 now.. and i thought the same as you... That aslong as i made it to 70 before expansion it would be fine.. but that wont be a proglem heheI think that the majority of quests start at 58 in outlands. I'm 53 now... and I'll be 55 by the weekend I believe. Maybe next week I can step through the Dark Portal :)

[xtobbenx]

True.. quest starts at 58. I basicly ment that xp will come fast as 55-58 can easily be grinded in outland with the lowered XP from 2,3 patch and the high xp.. And then questing and 5mans then earth elemental come at... 62..?

[Gallo]

True.. quest starts at 58. I basicly ment that xp will come fast as 55-58 can easily be grinded in outland with the lowered XP from 2,3 patch and the high xp.. And then questing and 5mans then earth elemental come at... 62..?

Grinding single mobs with a 5-box group is grueling (xp wise). I'm not sure how fast the levels would go, but maybe it's worth a try.