Next WoW Expansion (70-80) - Wrath of the Lich King

[Picticon]

Don't hold your breath. Given the past track record of Blizzard, expect this expansion sometime in 2010.

I have StarCraft CD cases with "Diablo 2: coming in 1997" and "Diablo 2: coming in 1998", when it was actually released in the middle of 2000.

Even Burning Crusade was a year late. And I can only cry when I think about StarCraft 2.

[Xzin]

At least they don't release another Shadowbane

[hapiguy314]

At least they don't release another Shadowbane

Or another Vanguard

[Scribbler]

WoW now stands for Waiting On WAR.

I Doubt I'll ever play this new expansion, if it exists.

[Xzin]

Not sure I will play WAR if there is no support for boxing.

It would have to be so much more badass than WoW is now......... which is possible.

But I for one will not hold my breath.

[HPAVC]

The big change from V1 to TBC was itemization, not the level cap.

At the moment of TBC prime characters were at ~80 itemization at level 60. Meaning if you had your bloodfang set and equivalent gear. When TBC hit we quickly saw mundane level 70 characters with ~100 itemization (quest gear). And now level 70 characters with ~150 itemization (deathmantle).

The impact of WLK is a problem only if there is a level 80 with ~240 itemization around the corner. Which I highly highly doubt, I would assume that it would hang just below 200 or so at the very top end. The TBC was a structural change on many levels in addition to itemization. Especially the tuned looting.

Oh how the itemization was so broken for many classes, we hardly ever got the full value of our gear. Hand picking Oracle and Trance pieces for to get the uber-regen and the '% of my heals heal me, as a queer +resist mitigation method' and what not were aweful. While now we have gear that we can actually use to its fullest extent.

Yes I know that enchants and gems also bump the itemization levels, but I wasn't about to bust out a calculator just now. Needless to say that a character in prime gear in v1.0 and a prime one in TBC is wearing twice the gear though only ten levels different. I fully believe that its a function of the TBC ideology changes, not the ramping of the game.

If the game ramps that way its soon to be destroyed.

[Boss]

The big change from V1 to TBC was itemization, not the level cap.

At the moment of TBC prime characters were at ~80 itemization at level 60. Meaning if you had your bloodfang set and equivalent gear. When TBC hit we quickly saw mundane level 70 characters with ~100 itemization (quest gear). And now level 70 characters with ~150 itemization (deathmantle).

The impact of WLK is a problem only if there is a level 80 with ~240 itemization around the corner. Which I highly highly doubt, I would assume that it would hang just below 200 or so at the very top end. The TBC was a structural change on many levels in addition to itemization. Especially the tuned looting.

Oh how the itemization was so broken for many classes, we hardly ever got the full value of our gear. Hand picking Oracle and Trance pieces for to get the uber-regen and the '% of my heals heal me, as a queer +resist mitigation method' and what not were aweful. While now we have gear that we can actually use to its fullest extent.

Yes I know that enchants and gems also bump the itemization levels, but I wasn't about to bust out a calculator just now. Needless to say that a character in prime gear in v1.0 and a prime one in TBC is wearing twice the gear though only ten levels different. I fully believe that its a function of the TBC ideology changes, not the ramping of the game.

If the game ramps that way its soon to be destroyed.

This is how I feel. I really wish they would take the time and redo 1-60s loot table would make rerolling not so bad. I have the most fun playing any class in TBC b/c you get the gear to play what ever spec you want to its fullest. Like my war I have a nice tank set and will tank instances for a few days then respec and go as DD.

[HPAVC]

This is how I feel. I really wish they would take the time and redo 1-60s loot table would make rerolling not so bad. I have the most fun playing any class in TBC b/c you get the gear to play what ever spec you want to its fullest. Like my war I have a nice tank set and will tank instances for a few days then respec and go as DD.

I agree, its not just nostalgia or re-rolling. But on virgin un-AQ40 opened gates the re-rolling is painful (though I love having the whole zone to myself -- crafting was never so good). Painful in that people that depend on the AH and need to farm for gold to get a 40mount find it impossible, they need some sort of support structure it seems.

I have thought quite a bit on this, the non-outlands 1-60 loot table isn't so bad, the problem I see is that its stuck in 40-man raids and the 40man raids (except for AQ40 and Naxx) are near completely locked away from everything else.

They could easily make another NPC to cook up a quest chain like the 0.5 tier quest, but have it somewhat ride ontop of the existing quest log for your 10-20,30-40,40-50,50-60 quest chains. So basically your doing your existing quests, but doing these side quests as well. Similar to the Princess quest that goes relatively nowhere, this should be that but go much further.

I would also like to see a Dragon's chain where somewhat like the Onyxia chain, but this would end where that one begins level wise and take you all over the place. Adding a lonely wandering spawn on the far east of Redridge, altering the rare spawn in Alterac, maybe salt and peppering some of the world dragon locations to have near by. If you drink a potion and are able to maneuver into duskwood and touch some item and avoid the dragon, seems plausible.

I wouldn't mind seeing another level 30-40,55 instance like SM. Perhaps with the Gnolls in Feralas. Using a token system like naxx/outlands has would be nice. Nothing monstrous like ZG, but if they had a mini 'unlock' system that would be great. Since we could pretty much hit the hell out of that place on and off with a single level 70.

While its seems off target of your 1-60 leveling issue. I think they should have a unlock method for heroic old-school 40mans. I think that if they enhance the waters quest chain more for MC to unlock 25man, buff onyxia and add more lore to her after facing her such as entering her cave from another portal in a different cave and fighting her 25man, both AQ40, BWL, and Naxx are likely beyond miniaturization, they are largely 'parking lot' battles. LBRS/UBRS are so full of exploit holes that altering them might cause huge issues in development.

Likely they cannot fix leveling from 1-60, but they can make more synergies and overlapping long term quests that suit the power leveler.

[MrLonghair]

Blizzcon keynote starting soon. Deathknights confirmed to be prot spec warriors with dps worth writing home about.

The big Diablo in all these pictures, logotypes and goodybag items has me curious. Are we going to see a Diablo 3 in an updated WoW engine?

Whatever is coming, I want to dualbox it.

(edit) Okay not much information released in that relatively short keynote address, nothing worth bringing up.

[Riault]

http://www.n4g.com/pc/News-56666.aspx

Riault