BlizzCon 2017 Megathread

[MiRai]

A megathread for people to discuss what's happening at BlizzCon 2017, for both the current expansion, as well as the next. I will be updating this throughout today and tomorrow.

What we know:



WORLD OF WARCRAFT CLASSIC ANNOUNCEMENT (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcZyiYOzsSw) - HOLY SHIT
New Expansion - Battle for Azeroth
Two new continents - Kul'tiras & Zandalar (3 Zones Each Continent - 6 New Zones)
Level cap raised to 120
New dungeons & raids (duh)

10 Dungeons
Each faction has level-up dungeons
Everything unlocked at 120
Mythic Keystones are here to stay
UI Improvements


Warfronts

20-Player Co-op Raid against NPC armies
RTS Style
Build structures, research upgrades, and lead troops


Allied Races

Unlockable Playable Races (AKA Sub-Races)
Starts at level 20 (instead of level 1)
Race-Specific Heritage Armor (Unlock @ Level 110) (Transmoggable)
Six Races at launch
Examples: Nightborne (H), HightmountainTauren (H), Zandalari Troll (H), Void Elves (A), Lightforged Dranei (A), Dark Iron Dwarves (A)


Leveling Improvements (Coming in Legion 7.3.5)

All zones (including dungeons and rewards) scale in level (to an extent)

Zones have level ranges with caps
Level through expansions in any order

Outland/Northrend (60-80)
Cataclysm/MoP (80-90)




Island Expeditions

3-Player Co-op Gameplay (Role Agnostic)
Repeatable, but random (?) content
Play against advanced AI opponents (NPCs, but not chumps)




Azerite / Heart of Azeroth (Artifact Medallion) (More info at a later panel)

Unlockable traits for gear (similar to Artifact weapons, but not as linear)
Traits that are unlocked carry over from prior gear, to newer gear


Instanced PvP

Two new arenas (Tiragard & Zuldazar)
New battleground (Seething Shore - off the cost of Silithus)

Similar to Arathi Basin, but random spawning capture points (~3 active at a given time)



World PvP (More information coming in the future)

Update the system to reflect the 2018 world
Remove PvE vs PvP server division
Unified servers with PvP toggle

Instanced into that type of realm with others


Bonuses for playing with PvP enabled (because it can be more inconvenient)


Miscellaneous

Six additional character slots per server (no mention of increasing the total limit of 50 characters per account)
You will be able to increase the size of the default backpack if you have an authenticator attached to your account (no ETA)









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJr3dXZfcg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsZ9xkVQ_Vs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcZyiYOzsSw

[ebony]

as well calling it now:

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth

this was trademark today in new Zealand

If you go to worldofwarcraft.com/battleforazeroth it got a 303: redirect to https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-gb/battle-for-azeroth


**** this might not be true and could be for something else.

[ebony]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DNuJ1JxVQAA5Qbr.jpg:large

[ebony]

Look who's here!!!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DNuU4xRUEAAErD2.jpg:large

[MiRai]

Holy shit... classic servers were announced. This opens up an entire new (old) chapter for multiboxing.

I can't even right now....

[Wubsie]

I have my concerns about how classic servers will affect the player base for the "current" expansion. At the same time I am intrigued by the concept of stagnation on those servers, meaning you're not in a hurry to get geared before the expansion comes out and can really just play at your own pace.

Good things and bad things. We'll see how it goes.

Also: Who here boxed on vanilla? Anything except shammies even worth considering? :D

[johny_mnemonic]

xzin multiboxed 5 warlocks, he gained the highest rank i pvp with them. it was soooo long grind back in the day.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

My questions would be:


Vanilla skill trees and everything or just vanilla content?
How far back into vanilla? Right before the first x-pack or Day 0(ish)?
Vanilla forever or expansions at a specified pace? (At some point, even vanilla will get old again.)

[Lance]

xzin multiboxed 5 warlocks, he gained the highest rank i pvp with them. it was soooo long grind back in the day.

Wasn't he priest and 4 mages?

[johny_mnemonic]

Wasn't he priest and 4 mages?

yeah, you are right, he did the pvp rank with mages and priest, but he also played warlocks which was also my first team :-) I started multibox with Outland datadisk.

[ebony]

don't think there be much about vanilla/classic servers for now.

From what they said they got a new team working on doing this as world of Warcraft: Classic.

> we don't know if there going to be free to play or if they need a new sub.
> i guess some stuff would be updated to support for classic. add Batte.net
> i don't think we even know more untill blizzcon next year.
> we don't know if you have to rebuy the game.

the time i would think would be the end of vanilla but we don't know..

[Mosg2]

Wow. RIP world pvp.

Unless there are rewards that are only attainable through being in a pvp phase, this is going to be terrible for those of us mainly playing for pvp. Sigh.

[Kruschpakx4]

the real question is ...will classic wow feature click to move and follow in battlegrounds

[Mokoi]

As I read it, you can only opt out of PvP in town, not anywhere

[Andreauk]

Buffs returning..

http://www.wowhead.com/news=275398.4/class-raid-buff-abilities-returning-in-battle-for-azeroth#comments

[Noxdiebox]

the real question is ...will classic wow feature click to move and follow in battlegrounds

I honestly don't think that follow in bgs will works on classic-servers.
Classic will not be as classic as it was back then.

Technical actions taken against "bots" (for example) are certainly taken over to classic-servers.
But let's wait and see :rolleyes:

[Mosg2]

Nah, the pvp phase is going to be a ghost town unless they can incentivize it properly, and as soon as they do that people are going to howl that they have to deal with ganking etc in order to min/max their rewards. If they *don't* incentivize it appropriately, nobody will be there.

[Kruschpakx4]

I honestly don't think that follow in bgs will works on classic-servers.
Classic will not be as classic as it was back then.

Technical actions taken against "bots" (for example) are certainly taken over to classic-servers.
But let's wait and see :rolleyes:

most likely, i guess we have to grind rank 14 in cities then lol

...or do pve


anyway, i take every every patch where i have tremor and grounding and literally zero aoe stuns up to wotlk

[ebony]

Ulduar Timewalking Raid for 3.3.5 ok!


it does say you have to pick pvp in a TOWN before you can go into the pvp phase ( if follow work there as well)

we getting more char slots as well and more realms will most likey be linked now there all pve.


i like the new WoW Communities like a 2nd guild you can use for chat great tool as its cross realm and could be good for a few Communities for boxers, as you can still be in your own guild! you can be in more then one as well.


there is no boat as well you call your own! there the so no garrison or class halls i guess we get faction halls in team of a city!

[Fat Tire]

blown away by how few buttons there are. I have seen several classes played and it looks like each class has 5 dmg 1-2 aoe and 5-6 utility

https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/yHScjGSLeiEZdb0GY0ydHfQ1DtG2V75On20bCLbaUa0/https/thumb.gyazo.com/thumb/1200/_1af6c22bee1d403f30532eb79cc5a0fa-jpg.jpg?width=987&height=560

[davva]

I think a lot of us (ok, maybe just me) have gotten quite used to some of the quality of life changes that have come into the game over recent expansions. The thing I am curious about is how 'pure' vanilla will be.
For example didn't IWT only come in with WotLK? If I remember that correctly then running a melee team or questing is going to be REALLY fiddly if it turns out to be a pure vanilla build.
Other than that the new expansion looks interesting, definitely looking forward to it - the void elves look really cool. I'm a sucker for levelling so the scalable levelling experience looks fun. Also think the island expeditions in PVP mode could be really cool (if follow is allowed ofc)

[Lyonheart]

i like the new WoW Communities like a 2nd guild you can use for chat great tool as its cross realm and could be good for a few Communities for boxers, as you can still be in your own guild! you can be in more then one as well.

I like this as well. I have not been in a guild for a long time due to me needing so much bank space for my teams. I miss the social aspect of being in guilds with others. Now we can all get together in one of these communities.

[MiRai]

The Q&A panel was a snoozefest (and no red shirt guy), but two interesting things:

1) Having an authenticator attached to your account will increase the size of the standard backpack. (no ETA)
2) For BFA, Blizzard is giving us six additional character slots per server.

Ion did talk about the fact that they understand that they need to properly incentivize the PvP "realm," or else people either won't want to play there, or they will feel they're missing out.

[Lyonheart]

I'm exited about the Waterfronts and new races. I,m not exited about 3 man scenarios again. They were easy to box, but i hated having to do them multiple times for each team.

[JohnGabriel]

A recent interview with the WoW production director J. Allen Brack about classic server.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-04-wow-classic-blizzard-answers-some-of-the-big-questions

https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/world-of-warcraft-classic-interview/

They try to find out when it will be released, months or years, but Blizzard is saying nothing. One wonders why they gave an interview if they don't tell us anything, just confirmation of what little we do know I suppose.

[Zartok]

I'm exited about the Waterfronts and new races. I,m not exited about 3 man scenarios again. They were easy to box, but i hated having to do them multiple times for each team.

^this, I am considering going for a triboxing in the new exp.

[ebony]

well stuff might change on scenarios and if you get the stuff any other way WQ and stuff.

if not six boxing might be a good opt! as there deffent everytime its not like you seem like doing the same one.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I think a lot of us (ok, maybe just me) have gotten quite used to some of the quality of life changes that have come into the game over recent expansions. The thing I am curious about is how 'pure' vanilla will be.
For example didn't IWT only come in with WotLK? If I remember that correctly then running a melee team or questing is going to be REALLY fiddly if it turns out to be a pure vanilla build.
Considering how important commonality of code is to something like this, I'd be very surprised if the UI and control mechanics (basically everything BUT content) worked any different than current live servers. People didn't really want to go back to the (relatively) ugly/boring UI we had at launch I think, rather they were interested in being back in a world that was still a little bit dangerous for solo players.

Things I expect to be the same as the regular servers on the "classic/vanilla" servers:

Respecs
Macros
Controls/UI settings
Addons
Basic skill progression (tricky, depends on talent changes)
Crafting (the core functionality)
Gathering
LFG
Shared XP/kill credit mobs (related to the multi-tagging stuff)
Guild perks and management


Things I would expect to be different or limited unless they plan to put in a LOT of effort:

Talent trees
Questing/mobs/etc.
Gear
Flight
Portals
Crafting (item power limits and gimmick gadget utility)
LFR? This one's tough to guess at.


It's definitely gonna be interesting to see what decisions they make. And I really, REALLY hope they run this stuff by the community for a few months before release.

[davva]

It's definitely gonna be interesting to see what decisions they make. And I really, REALLY hope they run this stuff by the community for a few months before release.

Certainly is:D. Already fun to see how vociferously confused the wider community is on EXACTLY what 'Vanilla` actually means.

[Mosg2]

I think Ugh hit it pretty well. I'm fairly confident when that most of the things he listed will be the same, with the big difference being that it'll be 'classic' in the world, talents, dungeons/raids, etc.

[ebony]

Considering how important commonality of code is to something like this, I'd be very surprised if the UI and control mechanics (basically everything BUT content) worked any different than current live servers. People didn't really want to go back to the (relatively) ugly/boring UI we had at launch I think, rather they were interested in being back in a world that was still a little bit dangerous for solo players.

Things I expect to be the same as the regular servers on the "classic/vanilla" servers:

Respecs
Macros
Controls/UI settings
Addons
Basic skill progression (tricky, depends on talent changes)
Crafting (the core functionality)
Gathering
LFG
Shared XP/kill credit mobs (related to the multi-tagging stuff)
Guild perks and management


Things I would expect to be different or limited unless they plan to put in a LOT of effort:

Talent trees
Questing/mobs/etc.
Gear
Flight
Portals
Crafting (item power limits and gimmick gadget utility)
LFR? This one's tough to guess at.


It's definitely gonna be interesting to see what decisions they make. And I really, REALLY hope they run this stuff by the community for a few months before release.

There is noway the TOC would understand two vers of the game unless they use patch 7.3x toc are very picky.

2nd addons would be a nightmare if they "used" the same ones for games the bug reports would be unreal the API is not even close, there will be stuff there is no need to have on the classic servers

for starters classess will have ranks on spells, and power is all deffent. EG: hunters use mana

even something like a Key backpack would crash jamba. the UI is not even close.

i think addon dev would haver to A: do both B: they someone else might port it.


they the add to much from live then it will not be vanilla same with arana. wargames, and bgs (they came later in patch and there now even sure what they patch they pick they might not add BG at the start.) It might even be back to queing at a npc for bgs!

[Lyonheart]

i think addon dev would haver to A: do both B: they someone else might port it.

LOL.. i forgot about that sill shit.. key bag and hunter ammo! ( quiver or bullet bags )

[omegared]

LOL.. i forgot about that sill shit.. key bag and hunter ammo! ( quiver or bullet bags )

and you have this: http://www.darklegacycomics.com/606

[ebony]

and you have this: http://www.darklegacycomics.com/606

a few good jokes in threre loading screen tip: and fire on the other side of paper