Blizzard adds furries.

[dusematic]

I find it unlikely that they'd combine a high seas expansion with the Emerald Dream.  It seem like they only have 3-4 obvious expansions left to do.  One would be high seas and the goblin isles, one would be going into the Emerald Dream/Nightmare, one would be the Sargeras stuff.  I guess the only argumentfor combining would be that they continually want to "up the ante" and they have the resources to do so.

[Fordel]

The rumor going around, is that Aszhara found the Titans "water making" machine or whatever, and is going to flood the world, which would be bad since the world would implode or something, this in turn is what is causing the Nightmare in the dream, the imbalance (inbalance?) in the natural order.

[Ingmar]

It would be pretty funny if all that was over a Decanter of Endless Water. Funny in a "METZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN /facepalm" kind of way.

[Lakov_Sanite]

It would be pretty funny if all that was over a Decanter of Endless Water. Funny in a "METZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN /facepalm" kind of way.

Minor wondrous items are all fun and games until the players start getting creative with them.

[Lantyssa]

My DM regretted giving me a decanter.

Oddly, it was always the minor items he ended up regretting.  "What harm could they possibly do with a two foot long indestructable piece of rebar, which cannot do damage as a part of its enchantment?"

[kildorn]

minor items are just daring the player to fuck you over with them.

[SurfD]

I did read something interesting when I recently dealt with the admiral of the Scarlet Onslaught, who then promptly turned into Mal'Ganis.  When defeated, he mentioned he was going to return to his homeworld, which I thought was confusing, as I was under the impression the Nathrezim didn't have a homeworld, but were living in the Twisting Nether.

I suppose there could be an expansion for Burning Legion/Twisting Nether, especially since Blizzard has hinted in the past that they felt there was more mileage to be gotten out of Sargeras.

I think the Mal'ganis thing ties a bit more directly in to the whole Lich King story currently going on.
The basic idea being that Kil'jaden(or possibly Sargeras) can REALLY hold a grudge, especially when it comes to the failure of his minions and their subsequent punishment.
From what I have picked up in the questing is that the sole purpose of the Scarlet Onslaught branch of the Scarlet Crusade is to punish Arthas (or more specificly, the Lich King) for his break to freedom from Legion Control.  Remember, his initial purpose was to serve as an agent of the Legion in bringing Azeroth under Legion control, and the Legion commanders are VERY pissed at him for breaking free and going his own way.

I seem to recall that when you defeat Mal'ganis in that Icecrown questline, he specificly states that things "are not over" and that you will need his help if you ever intend to defeat Arthas.   Basicly hinting that at some point, we may end up actually siding with / accepting help from the Legion in his defeat, and as part of their revenge on him.

[Kageru]

I would hope the emerald dream and the maelstrom constitute two separate expansions. Both of them should have enough space to make an expansions worth of material and the character of each will be very different. The emerald dream especially is just such a wonderful blank canvas I can't imagine Blizzard not looking forward to filling it in.

I'll be disappointed if the horde race is goblins. I don't think they compete in the "cool" stakes with Worgen or that the horde really needs a gnome equivalent.

[Sheepherder]

I seriously doubt that they're adding more races anytime soon.

EDIT: Likewise, I figure Worgen is pretty untenable as a race.  It makes space goats look like the sane option.

[dusematic]

I seriously doubt that they're adding more races anytime soon.

EDIT: Likewise, I figure Worgen is pretty untenable as a race.  It makes space goats look like the sane option.

It would make sense if they added two new races with two new starting areas.  Like in TBC.  Easier than adding a class.

[Rasix]

I'd kill for the option to convert one of my characters to a goblin.  Goblin engineering gone awry.  Alliance could just catch lycanthropy or something.

As much as I'd love a new race, it'll be a long time before I can stomach 1-58 again. Of course, "long time" is right about when the next expansion would be finished. 

[dusematic]

I'd kill for the option to convert one of my characters to a goblin.  Goblin engineering gone awry.  Alliance could just catch lycanthropy or something.

As much as I'd love a new race, it'll be a long time before I can stomach 1-58 again. Of course, "long time" is right about when the next expansion would be finished. 

Ugh.  I hope I never get the WoW bug again, but I have a feeling I'll be there too.

[Musashi]

I'd kill for the option to convert one of my characters to a goblin.  Goblin engineering gone awry.  Alliance could just catch lycanthropy or something.

As much as I'd love a new race, it'll be a long time before I can stomach 1-58 again. Of course, "long time" is right about when the next expansion would be finished. 

We got the best deals anywhere.

[Rendakor]

I'll be disappointed if the horde race is goblins. I don't think they compete in the "cool" stakes with Worgen or that the horde really needs a gnome equivalent.

...did you just say Worgen are cooler than Goblins? 

Goblin as a playable race was a large factor in me playing WAR for as long as I did.

[March]

I'd kill for the option to convert one of my characters to a goblin.  Goblin engineering gone awry.  Alliance could just catch lycanthropy or something.

As much as I'd love a new race, it'll be a long time before I can stomach 1-58 again. Of course, "long time" is right about when the next expansion would be finished.  

Wouldn't the introduction of new races also be the time to introduce Level 66 (assuming new level cap of 90) start for customers with a L.80 character?

Put a check-box on the creation screen for those who want to start a L.1 and punt those folks into the Draeni/BElf area.

Otherwise, just design a L.66 starting area like they did for DK's, but make the quests more generic like the starting quests of TBC/LK.  Viola... new races, minor cockblock of having to redo LK while everyone is doing the new expansion, and off we go.

Edit: Dude, I totally meant viola... get with it.   

[Hindenburg]

Also have to consider that they'd probably reduce the xp requirements for 71-80. If BC=>WotLK is anything to go by, you'd have to clear the first two starter zones, a bit of the third zone, and voilà, 78-79.

Additionally, this is a viola.

[Jayce]

I'm playing the smallest viola in the world for you people who can't be arsed to level.

[Musashi]

I'd kill for the option to convert one of my characters to a goblin.  Goblin engineering gone awry.  Alliance could just catch lycanthropy or something.

As much as I'd love a new race, it'll be a long time before I can stomach 1-58 again. Of course, "long time" is right about when the next expansion would be finished.  

Wouldn't the introduction of new races also be the time to introduce Level 66 (assuming new level cap of 90) start for customers with a L.80 character?

Put a check-box on the creation screen for those who want to start a L.1 and punt those folks into the Draeni/BElf area.

Otherwise, just design a L.66 starting area like they did for DK's, but make the quests more generic like the starting quests of TBC/LK.  Viola... new races, minor cockblock of having to redo LK while everyone is doing the new expansion, and off we go.

Edit: Dude, I totally meant viola... get with it.   

I'm gonna guess they start adding five levels for the next expansion, so the new cap could be 85.  Like they did in EQ.  The exponential leveling curve is starting to get too rough for us.  Northrend takes forfuckingever.

[kildorn]

Northrend really doesn't take that long. 70-72 takes for fucking ever. 73-80 is a breeze. About the only WTH is the horrible flight paths to the western side of the expansion. Sure, you let me magically teleport to sholozar ONCE, then it's a goddamned 15 minute flight.

I doubt we'll get 5 level expansions, the game pretty much runs on even numbered levels being Big Deals.

[Hindenburg]

70-80 took 40 hours with a DK skipping the quest text and instancing a lot.
As comparison, you can do 60-70 in... 6-8 hours. Probably a lot less, I didn't remember the layout well.

[dusematic]

I'm pretty sure the intent is that Northrend take as long as TBC leveling from 60-70 did.  It might not be exactly spot on, but I didn't notice a huge variance.


Edit: Kildorn hit the nail on the head, the time it's taken to level TBC has been drastically cut down.

[kildorn]

70-80 took 40 hours with a DK skipping the quest text and instancing a lot.
As comparison, you can do 60-70 in... 6-8 hours. Probably a lot less, I didn't remember the layout well.

You could not do 60-70 in 6-8 hours until post Wrath. Every expansion, the time to level in the prior expansion goes down. But it didn't take me 40 hours the second or third times I went through Northrend. Heck, my TBC 70s doing it never left rested.

[Koyasha]

Sure, you let me magically teleport to sholozar ONCE, then it's a goddamned 15 minute flight.

No good once you've already done it, but you can do that whenever you want if you don't turn in the quest.  It's a breadcrumb quest anyway, minimal exp, doesn't count toward the achievements, and not a prerequisite for any other quests.

[Ingmar]

Instancing probably slowed you down overall. Quest xp is the fastest way to level in WoW unless you're doing the tag-and-zerg exploit.

[Rasix]

I'm playing the smallest viola in the world for you people who can't be arsed to level.

452 combined levels on characters lvl 19 or higher on my account.  I'm also likely middle-low on the scale for that.  

I don't think TBC is going to be over within 6-8 hours for me on my most recent foray, but it was quick either way with a class that doesn't kill very fast (aff lock, no downtime at all, however).  My death knight absolutely flew through TBC.   

Northrend speeds up significantly after you can fly if you've got epic flight.  Before then it doesn't help that large areas of Dragonblight, Zul'drak, and Grizzly Hills are annoying to traverse on foot.

[Hindenburg]

Instancing probably slowed you down overall. Quest xp is the fastest way to level in WoW unless you're doing the tag-and-zerg exploit.

Nah, instanced quests gave good xp and far better loot. Also, after I began tanking and found a tree, we just started pulling 10% of the instances at a time. Could clear most of the regular ones in 15 minutes. Heavy unholy + a bit of frost was crazy good at the time.

Of course, that was compensated by the occasional terribad healer. DPS could be mocked into the point of usefulness by pointing out that the fucking tank was pulling 1k dps, so why the fuck weren't they. Good times  

[kildorn]

Instancing probably slowed you down overall. Quest xp is the fastest way to level in WoW unless you're doing the tag-and-zerg exploit.

Nah, instanced quests gave good xp and far better loot. Also, after I began tanking and found a tree, we just started pulling 10% of the instances at a time. Could clear most of the regular ones in 15 minutes. Heavy unholy + a bit of frost was crazy good at the time.

Of course, that was compensated by the occasional terribad healer. DPS could be mocked into the point of usefulness by pointing out that the fucking tank was pulling 1k dps, so why the fuck weren't they. Good times  

Instanced quests give better XP and loot, but worse XP over time (unless you're leveling, like a holy pally, or in a stacked static group farming the instance repeatedly)

Rapid leveling isn't about finding a challenge and overcoming it, it's about finding things you can 2-3 shot and rolling over them. The aforementioned Affliction lock is actually a really good leveler in TBC if you ignore sanity and quad kite. Dark Pact, Lifetap and Siphon Life allows you to insta-dot 3-4 even cons and just wander around looking for more while they die.

I love instancing, but it stopped being a great source of XP in TBC. If you have a guaranteed 5 people ready and willing and level/class appropriate, you can shave some time of it if the instance is nearby, but I still consider instances to be loot pinatas, not rapid XP sources.

[SurfD]

Well, it appears that goblins / worgen as playable races may have been a bit of a Jump The Gun there.  New datamained masks indicate that Murlocs, Ogres, Vyrkul and Naga are also getting masks.

[kildorn]

Well, it appears that goblins / worgen as playable races may have been a bit of a Jump The Gun there.  New datamained masks indicate that Murlocs, Ogres, Vyrkul and Naga are also getting masks.

That many?! OHGOD IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW FACTION!

/lights fire and walks away

[March]

Well, it appears that goblins / worgen as playable races may have been a bit of a Jump The Gun there.  New datamained masks indicate that Murlocs, Ogres, Vyrkul and Naga are also getting masks.

That many?! OHGOD IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW FACTION!

/lights fire and walks away

I KNEW it...

[Vash]

I love instancing, but it stopped being a great source of XP in TBC. If you have a guaranteed 5 people ready and willing and level/class appropriate, you can shave some time of it if the instance is nearby, but I still consider instances to be loot pinatas, not rapid XP sources.

Midway through TBC they realized that normal sub-70 instances were not providing enough XP and buffed the XP from them generously making them more than worth doing while leveling.  They didn't make the same mistake with WoTLK and every sub-80 instance is worth doing at least once if you have the associated quests for it.

Counting XP from the associated quests you can easily get upwards of 50% a level from one run through them.  Assuming you can find a competent group that doesn't dick around you can steamroll through most of them in 30 min or so, some less, some slightly more.  That type of XP/hour is not really possible to match just from solo questing not to mention that the rewards from the "associated quests" are some of the best loot you'll have access to until 80.

On several classes I've leveled through WoTLK so far I usually hit 80 with mostly instance quest blues and group quest blues equipped and a few quest greens or instance drops in the other slots.  For whatever reason a lot of the pre-80 instance loot isn't itemized that great other than a few slots, so much so that I often found myself passing on drops because the quest reward blue (instance or group quest) I'd be wearing was better.

[Simond]

On the other hand, the new masks are either blatantly obvious re-use of existing textures (all except the female ogre) or just outright bad (female ogre). So it's not entirely outside of the realms of possibility that these are the result of Blizzard going "Oh fuck! Which retard leaked the...wait, wait, we can still salvage this. Throw some more masks together ASAP"

[March]

On the other hand, the new masks are either blatantly obvious re-use of existing textures (all except the female ogre) or just outright bad (female ogre). So it's not entirely outside of the realms of possibility that these are the result of Blizzard going "Oh fuck! Which retard leaked the...wait, wait, we can still salvage this. Throw some more masks together ASAP"

I COMPLETELY agree.

[Sjofn]

I'll be disappointed if the horde race is goblins. I don't think they compete in the "cool" stakes with Worgen or that the horde really needs a gnome equivalent.

I seriously don't get what about the worgen are cool. And goblins are rad.

[Fordel]

Don't you want to Howl at the Moon?


-edit- Where is that female ogre face from? I could have sworn I've seen it from some art book or fan art or something.