Comments on: WoW’s Next Expansion: Maelstrom or Emerald Dream?

By: bob

bob — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:18:20 +0000

NERDS!!!

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:38:03 +0000

Oh sorry I didn’t know yo coudn’t do vids so just do this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-pqbWY5Pro&feature=PlayList&p=EF22D815D3B17DF4&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=36

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:36:26 +0000

Ummmm in case you haven’t noticed
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-pqbWY5Pro&feature=PlayList&p=EF22D815D3B17DF4&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=36[/YOUTUBE]
Emerald dream is officially the new expansion!

By: Cocles

Cocles — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:03:04 +0000

Indeed. Plus it looks like Blizzard snagged wowcataclysm.com from a guy in Australia on the same day. This is what my next post will be about.

By: CSS Gallery

CSS Gallery — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:33:52 +0000

Today one of polish’s games portals published info about Blizzard registering new name: Cataclysm. Cataclysm is the name of explosion, that destroyed Wall of Eternity, originally located near Night Elf’s city Zin-Azshari, which means Azshara and Maelstrom!!

People from the portal doesn’t know, that this is probably wow next episode. They think this is Blizz’s whole new game. Dumbass’

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:47:33 +0000

After doing some research into the general topic of future WoW expansions. After playing (lore-wise) completely through 3.2 content and brushing up on all the old lore that’s become a bit hazy in my memory (I’ve always been a bit of a Warcraft lore nerd), and then reading every blue post, rumor and fansite suggestion Google could give me, I’ve got to side with the OP on this one.
Here’s how I see the overall arc of the WoW storyline:
Post-TFC WoW — Legion invasion repelled, LK established, Illidan at large, Old Gods introduced again
Post-Vanilla WoW — Legion, LK and Old Gods all on the move…thus, Blizz can choose to start either with Legion of LK, since Old God lore not sufficiently developed yet
Post-TBC WoW — Illidan dead, Legion crippled for the time, Old Gods silent…thus, LK is predominant threat
Post-WotLK WoW — LK defeated, Old Gods’ corruption in the Emerald Dream on the rise (see Icecrown Argent Crusade quest, for example), and Old God/Titan lore heavily developed…thus, Emerald Nightmare and Old God behind it is predominant threat
Post-Emerald Nightmare WoW — Yet another Old God down (4 down, at least 1 more to go [see WowWiki for more detailed explanation of why 5-Old God minimum]), New races likely added (candidates include Pandaren and/or Furbolg [NOT Worgen...see WotLK Bloodmoon Isle questline and read general lore concerning Worgen on WowWiki.com]), possible encounter with Neltharion to finish up major dragon questline (this could also appear with equal or greater likelihood in Maelstrom expansion…depends how Blizz wants to spin it)…thus, easy to transition with a spike in Naga threat (Naga invasion reminiscent of Scourge invasion pre-WotLK)…off to Maelstrom
Post-Maelstrom WoW — Azshara and Naga defeated, along with final Old God (I say final because we need to keep in mind that WoW has a life expectancy of about a decade – 12 years, so adding more than the minimum Old Gods would be unwise from a business perspective on Blizz’s part…assuming they want to finish the overall Warcraft universe story arc as it stands, tying all apparent loose ends up), undersea portals/raids include ventures into the Elemental plane as part of raid progression (imagine a CoT-like instance hub, but leading into another dimension rather than another time), Maelstrom portal discovered, perhaps a new Legion invasion into Azeroth (a real invasion, not the pre-TBC mini-event…something that could constitute a full war), arrival and aid of the Naaru and Titans to push them back…Enter the demon worlds…
Post-WoW — Legion obliterated, loose demons still abound, conflict between Alliance and Horde still stands, Azeroth by no means a safe place (2 dragon aspects missing, lordless hordes of undead, elementals that answer to no one, etc etc etc)…thus, next Warcraft RTS Warcraft 4 (or whatever game genre they decide to take Warcraft universe in next), still remains viable, perhaps even more fresh, since a whole new host of enemies, allies and whatnot can be introduced, and a reshuffling of existing alliances and hatreds can be written into final WoW lore

The reason I see this to the path we can expect (lore continuity aside…after all, Blizz has no problem retconning to make lore fit expansion rather than the inverse) is because of many arguments already presented, including:
Need to return to Azeroth base at least every other expansion
Need to finish up (in some way) the full story arc of WoW (and Warcraft in general) by approximately Q4 of 2014
Opportunities to introduce new races/classes presented ideally in these three expansions (personally, I’m seeing: (maybe) two new faction-specific races in the Emerald Nightmare [Furbolgs for Alliance and Ogre {expanded Stonemaul faction} for Horde] along with Beastmaster hero class; neutral Goblin and Pandaren factions that choose allegiance to either Horde or Alliance after level 10 and a Geomancer hero class for Maelstrom; and Demon Hunter hero class for final expansion…if you want to know why these speculations, feel free to ask me at bcis0723@hotmail.com)
I’ve read pretty much every lore source concerning Warcraft that has been published to date (as far as I and WowWiki know), and I have to admit my favorite part of the lore is not what’s been given already, but the opportunities and doors it opens for this kind of creative speculation for the future

By: Ancolon

Ancolon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:15:26 +0000

Well i dont actually think that Emerald dreams would be a Patch only cuz its 2 god damn big, the emerald dream realm is going 2 be if it comes out gonan be 2 big for a simple patch. if its going 2 be patch theres gonna be months of prepatching with huge content within it.
even though i like the idea with the whole Maelstorm/sargeras thing and would actually like an Raid in Sargeras tomb were you would encounter sargeras Past kinda like a rewind or something on what really happend inside

By: KirbyMST3K

KirbyMST3K — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:49:25 +0000

Did anyone besides me not even finish BC and all it;s instances?

a third expansion ALREADY? I’m getting the idea that this is kinda rushed…

I mean, it;s hard enough to get a group together to run Vaults, but this is getting crazy.

By: dave

dave — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:27:16 +0000

well seing as blizz have said they want to make another warcraft sargress may survive wow also a CoT expansion is very likely and theres already 1 raid gaurentied outside of wotlk uldum the emerald dream is like azeroth however maybe we could go in hyjal and the other realms we have blocked off thats were the nightmare is also kil’jaden is not dead remember

By: Balaar

Balaar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:41:31 +0000

Hmmm… Very interesting thoughts and as much as i’d love to agree with most of them, i still have to put my money on the “Emerald Dream patch leading up to the Maelstrom expansion” version.
Logically, Maelstrom has to come last before Sargeras’ homeworld, but with the novel approaching and WotLK quests including entry into the Emerald Dream pretty much predate that kind of content being on the way.
But wait. Anyone notice the Goblin on Borean Tundra ranting on about how he should just pack up and leave for Undermine for good?
I think we will see clearer in a couple of weeks, when they’ve announced and described patch 3.2 in detail. (new 5-man instance incoming, new raid (possibily Grim Batol…?))
Or we won’t know a thing until the 22nd of August.