Annually Blizzard releases a large commercial addon to World of Warcraft – As a rule, each addition develops the plot, adds a new class, a new continent and a new epic boss. But this is not even important-it is important that the addons come out annually, around October-November. And, having counted all the more or less significant heroes and all the mentioned territories, we can assume when Blizzard will finish the content support of the game.
In January of this year, they hinted at the official forum that they plan to play the game until at least 2014 – while so far Microsoft will support Windows XP , Blizzard will not leave World of Warcraft. The numbers are similar to the truth. In 2014, Blizzard will already have a new online game, and WoW will hit 10 years, and they will be treated approximately as they are now related to Everquest : "And remember, as before in the grave of the sleeping one …"
But what to do until 2014 and how the adventures in Azerot will end? We studied the history of Varcraft and developed a plan for the development of the game for the next four years. He, of course, from the category “If I were Columbus, America would be discovered a couple of millennia earlier” and is completely unable to come true, but, in our opinion, this is the most likely and most detailed scenario (about how events develop on actually read in the insert).
2009-2010: Gate to the water
Look at the map of the current Azerot. You will immediately find an obvious thing: the world is covered with water more than half. So, the developers have untied hands to add to the game, if not a whole continent, then at least a couple of large islands. But now we are not even interested in the islands, but a whirlpool in the center: he is the first contender for settlement. And everything indicates that this territory will be mastered in the nearest addna.
Whirlpool is one of the most impressive evidence of the cataclysm that occurred in Azerot a long time ago. Previously, the location of the continents was completely different: Kalimdor and eastern lands, disconnected by water, were a single whole. In the middle of this huge continent stood a well of eternity, seething with magical energy. Night elves lived near the well. For the time being, they respectfully used the magic of the well, but once a ruler was born, who wanted to take everything that he was able to give.
This elf Queen with magnificent golden eyes was called Azshar. Only magical talent surpassed her beauty. Moving passion for magic, she drew more and more from the well, and her subjects to the best of strength and abilities followed the example of her mistress.
The increased magic background was noticed by Sargeras – Titan, who plays the role of universal evil in the Cosmogony of Varcraft. Sargeras took possession of the minds of the Queen Azshar and its closest associates and ordered them to build a portal near the well, according to which his army, the flaming legion, was supposed to go to Azerot and destroy all the living things there. Beled by Sargeras Azshar believed that he, who owned the magic of monstrous power, would take her as a student. But the story did not give the loyalty of evil titanium. Azshar’s own subjects rebelled, and although quite a few demons came out of the portal, Sargeras himself did not have time to go to Azerot.
Nevertheless, there were enough creatures that climbed through the portal to unleash the war of the ancients, and while the peoples of Azerot reflected the attacks of demons, Azshar and its close associates to the last supported the portal. Finally, the well of eternity could not withstand magical pressure and began to go underground, tearing the continent into two parts. The sea poured in the broken, Azerot acquired modern outlines, a wolish funnel appeared on the site of the unfortunate well, and the event was christened with cataclysm. And on June 26, Blizzard registered a new trademark – Cataclysm, which only reinforces our guess about the plot of the first add -on.
Under this very whirlpool we are waiting for Azzhar, the main character of the next addition, and her subjects. Having fallen into the abyss, they did not die: the magical energy, which all around was soaked, retained their life, but could not save from the curse. Former great night elves turned into a nag.
From the flooded palace of the insatiable queen, you can build a beautiful new dungeon, and the players will wait for meetings with Azshar as impatiently as they are waiting for a date with Artas. The themselves, who have gone under the water, will give us a whole new world. In the underwater kingdom, not only new underwater monsters will appear (read: new mechanics and battles in three dimensions), but also a real floating Mount – it is floating, like a dolphin, and not able to swim, as any horse, tiger or raptor now can do it.
It is appropriate to recall another piece of history, according to which there are already several islands near the whirlpool. At one time, they were raised from the depths of the Damned orc Gul’dan, who was looking for an artifact of unprecedented power – the eye of Sargeras. Supposedly very, very long ago, even before the great fault, Sargeras was defeated, and his physical body was hidden in a tomb near the city, in which the crazy Azshar was later born. History, of course, pure water profanity – the creature of the scale of Sargeras the death of the physical membrane usually threatens only a temporary disobedience. But the tomb of Sargeras on the islands, of course, is – and we will surely allow it to ruin it (and here before meeting with the hypostasis of a half -film titanium nearby!). Maybe we will see Gul’dan, who was killed just in these islands. And what, the experience of resurrection by Blizzard is large – for example, they managed to return even Muradin Bronzoborod, dwarf, killed by fragments of the glacier from the other world, from which Artas mined his Frostmorn. True, Gul’dan will have to appear before us without a head – his skull has become the strongest artifact in the world of World of Warcraft (how Blizzard will be twisted to legalize the headless gul’dan in China, it is incomprehensible!).
A logical continuation of the chain will be the introduction of a new heroic class in the same addon – Archmage: it fits remarkably into the story in which magic and magicians played one of the main roles. Most likely, we are also waiting for another increase in development plan to 90th level, some, although not particularly noticeable improvement of graphics and much more active use of phase transition technology. About trifles like new things, instances, skills, recipes, builds, etc.p. We will not even remember.
In the dry residue:
- Development plan: 90
- New territories: Islands
- New Heroic class: Archmage
- New Mount: floating
- Powerful use of phase transition technology
- New raid bosses: Azzhara; Perhaps Gul’dan and one of the Hypostases Sargeras
2010-2011: Sleep, my joy
There is such a cunning education in the World of World of Warcraft as an emerald dream is an ideal image of a game universe, a parallel world. It is believed that the titans have created an emerald dream to protect Azeroth. In a dream lives a tribe of green dragons led by the main keeper, Izra. With a certain degree of probability, it can be assumed that in general everything that is in Azerot is her dream. The Iser rarely opens her eyes, but she sees everything that happens – both in the ephemeral emerald dream, and at the corresponding point of real azeroth; And she can see everything at the same time and everywhere. Creatures in the physical membrane entrance to the emerald country are ordered, but in a dream, anyone can get there. Only druis possesses to be transferred to a parallel world without falling asleep.
From the point of view of game mechanics, an emerald dream is just an invaluable find. Before us is an actually finished new world that exists everywhere and nowhere. For him, you do not need to look for a physical place on the old map. Here, the laws of the existing change by the standards completely incomprehensible player, and in the emerald dream you can settle very strange and very beautiful creatures, but the technology of phase transition to make not just an interesting feature, but the main element of the game. In the unreliable world of Dreams, Blizzard will be able to change in any way the game mechanics familiar to us. It is useless to guess how this will be done, but we think that they will not miss their chance to hit players here.
However, no matter how ephemeral sleep is ephemeral, the developers will have to come up with some kind of entry point. And here they already have a wonderful developing – now we will tell you one interesting story again.
So, the well of eternity and Queen Azshar were swallowed by the abysses of the whirlpool, a great break passed around the world, but some of the elves managed to escape. Day and night they fled from the ocean pursuing them, literally urging the heel, and now, finally, they reached the place where the water element could no longer overtake them. Mount Hijal became this place. Here, at her top, Illidan Stormraijing knocked over a bubble of water, which he scooped up from the old well of eternity. Illidan wanted to make a new magic well, return the elf to the former power of magic – and succeeded. Magic streams soared with renewed vigor. A second well of eternity appeared in Azerot.
Illidan's brother, Malfurion, grabbed his head when he found out what a restless relative had done him. Malfurion believed that the magic energies of the well are harmful to Azerot. Green guardian dragons were also alarmed: to balance the magical influence of the well, they planted a world tree nearby-Nordrasil. Nordrasil consecrated Izra, and he tied Azerot with an emerald dream.
The new well, of course, again attracted the attention of Sargeras. It was on Mount Hijal that the decisive battle with the right hand of the evil titan was held – a demon archimond. Using the power of the tree, the elves destroyed the well. Archimonde was killed, the flaming legion was re -thrown back. The tree has suffered greatly, but so far, although worse than before, serves as a conductor in an emerald dream. Druids and some particularly stubborn mortals willingly use wood.
The developers have already shown the last battle with the archimond: everyone can retrospectively participate in it in one of the time caves. But now the battle is not very interested in us, it is better to look at the Kalimdor map. Under winter keys there is a closed location, surrounded by mountains on all sides. You can’t put a curious nose there in any way. Why? Because this is Mount Hijal. Knowing the background, we may well predict what will be here: a fairly large settlement of elves, the well ruins and the worldwide of the world tree Nordrasil. Here, perhaps, they will equip the entrance to the strange world of emerald sleep.
And again on the little things. Most likely, the second heroic class will appear-Archidroid, we will be offered to get to the level of the 100th level, and by this moment Blizzard will make a completely new engine for Wow, which will at least set the game graphics with existing projects. Dragons will be available from raid bosses in emerald dream. Perhaps we will have to fight with the stupefied head of the elves Malfurion and the leader of a certain evil power, which is now difficult to talk about now. Recently, something strange has been going on in a dream, if not terrible: it seems that someone deliberately perverts him. Green dragons go crazy and attack mortals, the great Malfurion was stuck in a dream and cannot return. And it is very likely that we will clash with another ministry of the restless Sargeras, since he has more than enough of them.
In the dry residue:
- Development plan: 100
- Azeroth new plan (another dimension): Emerald Dream
- New "Old" location: Mount Hijal
- New Heroic class: Archidrue
- Mass use of phase transition technology
- A fully converted engine
- New raid bosses: aspects of dragons; Perhaps the "changed" Malfurion Stormraij and one of the followers of Sargeras
2011-2012: Third World
The addition of 2012, according to our estimates, will be an addon of endless events: the conflict between Sargeras and the inhabitants of Azeroth should sooner or later reaches a peak, and in the next addon Blizzard will throw firewood into all possible stoves. At first something will happen that will fundamentally turn over the established political device. Say, the renouncing finally quarreling with the Horde, or, for example, the dwarves of the dwarves will declare a boycott to arrogant night elves. Then someone will step on the opposite factions to someone. Say, Jaina Praudmur will believe that the trawe ate her beloved niece and sniffed the beard of the corpse of his beloved dad. Doesn't matter. The main thing is that after that the massacre of everyone will begin against all, to which Blizzard will surely fasten a bunch of fashionable things like the siege of capitals and a couple of hundreds of new achievements in the PVP system.
Когда конфликт разгорится до такой степени, что игроки, на дух не переносящие убийства себе подобных, взвоют смертным воем на всех форумах, в Blizzard должны резко крутануть руль и сбросить последнюю, самую страшную бомбу. There is no one to be seven spans in the forehead to assume that this bomb will be the invasion of a flaming legion that our long -standing acquaintance of Sargeras will lead. Queen Azshar and the famous prophet Mediv, who, for such an occasion, can be honored with even a new dungeon (Karazhan by that time will have time to forget).
A logical step will be the connection to the game of the new world – a certain place that can be conditionally called the base of Sargeras. Here, in the most terrible location, the last castle of the main villain will wait for us, where we will go to work again in order to get the most fashionable violet (and rather even orange) new things from Sargeras.
I would like to stop this supplement in Blizzard already forcing us to pump us every time at 10 levels (100 – a beautiful round figure, why not stop it on it?), and new locations could be mastered, enjoying not from a set of experience, but solely from the stories told using the technology of phase transition. It seems that in 2012 the technology will be worked out so that the plot of Wow came close to serious offline series like The Elder Scrolls. Also, new heroic classes will look appropriate in this addition, namely a hunter for demons or master of swords.
In the dry residue:
- New World
- New heroic classes: demon hunter, master of swords
- Global event: the highest round of the war of the Horde and Alliance
- Global event: an invasion of demons of a burning legion
- New raid bosses: sargeras, Mediv (rebranding), Azshar (rebranding)
2012-2013: end-crown
By the end of 2013, Blizzard will release its new, even announced online game today, and the support of World of Warcraft will go in the mode “While the old cow gets away, it is not cut, but always feeds with hay”. Brilliant designers will be thrown into more promising projects, the client will head the “Old Games” list in digital distribution stores, and those who make all 25,000 in Wow will give out a new MMOG client for free.
The World of Warcraft will come to the final and irrevocable world. Together with the death of Sargeras, the era of global wars will end – in any case, those that we can talk with confidence now. Although, if the global economic crisis is delayed, no one will prevent the developers from dropping any spaceship on Azerot (as they have already done with the Drenes) or at worst a meteorite, or to call a new worldwide flood, or to arrange a eruption of the UN'Goro volcano, In order, as a result of all this, firstly, to open a new playable race of Murloks, secondly, to brew the conflict between the “New Horde” and “New Alliance”, thirdly, to destroy this world and move all players to another planet … but in any case in 2013, the last page of the history of the Azeroth known to us will be completed. To create further on the scope of the players, Blizzard will have to do what in the long series of comics is called rebooting, and in business – rebranding. Will Blizzard worry some kind of reboot when they have a new MMOG on their way? Whether they cheat and will save Sargeras again to draw him along another chain of reincarnations?
In any case, we expect that the last addition will open all the white spots on the map (there are still many of them on the territory of the old world), restart all the old instances (I would very much like to visit the karazhan and look at the light to the dragons in their den), add a new Heroic class like some peacekeeper. In general, it will make it so that in 2014 the game will become a genre icon licked to a shine. As famous as Ultima Online. And – alas! – Almost the same abandoned. Although 4-5 million (Chinese) who will remain in WOW to get gold for their rich compatriots, it seems that it will be brightened up by its harsh everyday life. On this story of an endless series Twinky Win Casino of exploits and the achievements of the game, which several times fell into the Guinness Book of Records, can be considered complete.
Or maybe everything will be completely wrong. Let's check in 2014?
Whose was thicker
I must say that this article was written in mid -August, before the opening BlizzCon. We knew that there would be a loud announcement at the conference, but that exactly Blizzard was going to announce, we could only guess. The choice was small: either a new single -user game, or the next MMOG in a completely new universe, or an addition to Wow. Since Blizzard has already been in development Starcraft 2 And Diablo 3 , And it is too early to announce the new MMOG, we decided that BlizzCon would present the third addon. And, planning the number, they decided to kill several hares at once with this article. Firstly, remind you of the story of Azeroth, where so much is soaked that you yourself, you know, is no wonder. Secondly, to be insured in case the addition is not announced, and the players, soldered on the forums, really want to read what could be there. Well, thirdly, we, of course, vainly hoped to guess which form Blizzard would throw out this time.
And you won’t believe it, guessed. The third addon is really called World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and tells about the uprising of the fallen dragon aspect of the deadly wing of the destroyer, who had been lurking for thousands of years in the dungeon. There will be no new continent, but Blizzard will process old locations and old monsters, which is why newcomers will swing even easier, and old people – even more interesting. A sunken city, Vaish’ir will still appear at the bottom of the sea, and in the ocean there is a new PVP zone-the island of Tol Barad. Due to the cataclysm, some territories (for example, the location of a thousand needles) will flood, the azshar will turn into a nicemo location, the thunder and, possibly, the organicrimar will be destroyed. The volcanic eruption will begin on the Black Mountain, and the Vayling Caverns location will turn into tropics.
Instead of floating maonets (here we did not guess), flying will appear – this is also quite logical, because moving along Azeroth on foot or even a gallop is becoming increasingly difficult. Two new races will be added – goblins (hordes) and Vorgen (Alliance). There will be no new classes, but exotic combinations of races and classes are planned-a night elf-mag, a dwarf-priest, tuaren-pauline, and t.D.
It is interesting that the maximum level of the new addon is not the 90th, but the 85th. Is this caused by the desire to focus on events and territories (and not on the creation of additional weapons and things) or the desire to achieve a hundredth level only in the last addon is unknown.
