Good day everyone, I have been listening to the many ideas about Azeroth revamp and I just had to get my ideas of my chest. This is very dumb idea but I decided I will share it anyway.
I know there are threads about the revamp but what i wanna occupy myself with is how I think it would be best implimented and give some general ideas about how exactly I’d impliment it in concrete terms
Ultimately I know I will change nothing but it is in my opinion good to add into the pool of opinions and ideas relating to WoW design and ideas.
I apologize for polluting the forums with my nonsense rant but just opinion on how to realise this
1. How should the rework be handled?
- Not another cataclysm !
- I think that while Cataclysm brought some great zones and stories to the table in my opinion, it also proved as radical revamp that had many drawbacks to it and I think it would be for the better to take more careful approach
- In addition to potentialy many upsetting factors, I believe stories such as Silverpine forrest are great and were designed well to represent the developement and introduction to the races and should be unchanged and preserved
- Phased zones
- Phased zones would refer to zones that are not neccesarily revamped as whole but instead they would have a max level version, very much like Arathi was for BFA warfronts and how for 8.3 we had Vale of Eternal blossoms
- The zones in such expansion would be
- Given a max level version which brings us up to date with the events of Cataclysm leveling and further developements in mind
- Given proper cities and new visual upgrade to make them prettier and HD
- Act indepdently from the low lever zones that they’re phased over, they would as such have their own questlines and stories as well as activities and reputations for max level players
Now a common arugment against this idea would be “Blizzard does not have enough devs for this”
And to that I answer
- Expansions
- As it is true the developer team does not have enough resources to revamp whole Azeroth just so it would be done through multiple expansions
- Each expansion, instead of developing new lands and disconnected places, Blizzard would set them in phased versions of current Azeroth zones, this way they would be revamping parts of Azeroth as well as making an xpac, as this would be part of the new experience they would be able to devote full resources making the zone revamp, instead of having it as annoying side project
- Rather than massive revamp, this would then mean a gradual upgrading of zones with the phased max lvl verisons being up-to-date and in line with the events of previous xpacs
- The benefits
- With the old zones being the main focus and hosting an expansion Blizzard is, as I have already said not wasting resources on the rework but rather has an incentive to execute it.
- We could deal with some major new plotlines that are hurting Azeroth, as well as take time and on the side set up new villains, big or small that will plague their continent or even the whole planet for the future
- Creating once again a large world that is bigger than the “main cast” (especialy bigger than Tyrande shouting elven stuff loud pleaseú
So essetnialy my idea, rather than revamping the zones for the sake of it or revamping them fully, just give us max level versions of few zones every xpac or two (there might be pauses and exploration of foreign lands but regarldess.
How such expansion would look like
Look I know this is all stupid but I’m merely providing examples so don’t take any of it too seriously
Now I must go on massive jerk-off of myself and I will provide sort of theoretical expansion that would fit these parametres.
Introducing, World of Warcraft: Knights of Loraderon (sorry if this name sounds similar to something it’s just smth that came into my head)
- Expansion would be focused mostly on the North of Eastern kingomds and adjacent Dark Iron zones but would also expand into Kalimdor in later patches
Story - I know we supposedly basicaly destroyed them, this is just for the example and imo the most suitable storyline I came up with.
As horde and Alliance were fighting themselves as well as external threats, the Scarlet crusade, backed by new mysterious powers has reemerged. While the Argent crusade has succeeded in mostly taming plaguelands, many of the newever members of the crusade were young and easily fell into radicalism of Scarlet propaganda, with the many forts soon being taken over with aid from inside. Now Horde and Alliance have to join forces to once again vanguish the reborn crusade.
I’d also like this xpac to have special focus on Dwarves and Night elves (very neglected) for the Alliance as well as Undead who have ties to the region and possibly all kinds of elves.
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New capital cities
- Horde - Andorhal in Eastweald (Western Plaguelands)
- Alliance - Gilneas
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New faction zones
- Horde - Eastweald, Western plaguelands which would mostly have story revolving around conquering Scholomance and fighting against Scarlet coup in Heartglen
-The Alliance - Arathor, while it isn’t directly connected to Gilneas, there would be fast travel between them, I believe Gilneas is just bit too small, the story would mostly deal with Scarlet invasion and other problems plaguing the reborn kingdom such as piracy
- Horde - Eastweald, Western plaguelands which would mostly have story revolving around conquering Scholomance and fighting against Scarlet coup in Heartglen
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New neutral zones
- Tirisfal glades, which would still mostly remain Horde zone, however alliance would be allowed inside. This zone has mostly been taken over by the Scarlets, based in their monastery and Alliance and Horde would join forces helping to push them back
- The Hinterlands, which while having Horde presence also has a major alliance base and once again both factions would be joining against the many enemies
- New max level zone - Eastern plaguelands, while in this zone, Forsaken will be starting their intrusion inside with mind for expansion, this would for the most part be a large neutral zone, controled by Scarlets with quests to combat them.
Reputations
Darrowshire milita - The main rep for Eastern plaguelands, you would work with them however you wouldn’t neccesarily be gated to it, rather the rep would also introduce some unqiue rewards on top of it.
The point of this rep would be to help the new settlers in Darrowshire (combination of humans and forsaken to establish themselves and help colonize Plaguelands, fighting against the many foes around, be it Scarlets or remaining necromancers.
Cenarion vanguard - Working with them would be completely optional but they would give restoration related quests, trying to restore the nature of plaguelands as well as combat the side products of their effort and other enemies. Over the patches their efforts could progress
This faction represents the druids who are trying to restore shadowlands, their rewards among other things would include nature based mounts
The trade federation - Another optional rep, they would reward Ethereal based cosmetic stuff, from weapons to perhaps mounts, their activities would involve searching for artifacts and establishing trade.
Not the one from phantom menace. Rather a faction of Etherials who came to azeroth to profit from the resurgent activity in Lordaeron
Bloodsail hold - With the resurgence of Scarlets and their fleet, Bloodsail buccaneers will also make appearance, like in Legion on our side.
Bloodsail hold would be concerned with raiding and fighting “bad guys” of all kinds in Eastern kingdoms as well as Kalimdor, Plunder isle itself could become a point for future patches
Among other reps there would also probably be faction specific like Royal apothecaries, sending you to gather ingredients and do dangerous mission overal the entirety of Azeroth as well as perhaps some Night elf faction.
The plot of the xpac would later expand into parts of Kalimdor, such as potentialy Tanaris, Un’goro, Ashenvale, Dark shore, etc. Any of these or combination of any of these
I am also imagiing we’d have expansion centering around Kalimdor later though, thank you for reading, I know this is very dumb but I tried to give some ideas just for fun.
