I’ve been thinking about how Blizzard will go about introducing some of the islands and various places that have yet to be explored in game and future expansions. I’m thinking of places like Gillijim’s Island, the Island of Dr Lapidus, Crestfall, Zul’dare, the North Isles, Balor, Tel Abim, and Plunder Isle. I know Crestfall was introduced in BFA as an island expedition but I am thinking about it as an explorable location that is not necessarily content relevant only to an expansion. I don’t see any of these places making sense as core leveling locations in any future expansions and not being really significant with any lore. Nonetheless I like seeing how this universe is becoming more and more realized and I want to see these places realized as well. I figured the best way Blizzard could implement this is through Archaeology as a way to make this profession more rewarding. The process for exploring these islands could be tied up in Archaeology questlines that might require the player to learn about its history or how to discover the island. The completion of the questline(s) will grant the player access to one of these places whereupon they might be able to participate in further questing or some form of gameplay that might share tie ins to new lore, further exploration of things that having been explored as much. For example, on Tel Abim, players may learn about new lore not previously covered. On Crestfall and Zul’dare, players can learn more about the Second War and Third War. On the North Isles, players could learn more about, upon encountering, Tuskarr inhabitants (who in my opinion are super cool and could be explored more). These islands can come with their share of new rewards and toys as well. I can understand though if anyone might think doing this with Archaeology might marginalize other professions, in which case maybe it is used as some sort of on-the-side flavor gameplay rather than being tied to Archaeology. Rather than grinding them all out in one expansion, maybe they just take their time and release it slowly across the future expansions so they can dedicate more creative energy to each one. Regardless, I’m interested in seeing these places visited as a way to see more of the world without wasting potential for core content. What do you guys think about seeing these places in game and how would you want Blizzard to implement it?
Yikes. What I managed to skim looked interesting but use some formatting please.
I’ve been thinking about how Blizzard will go about introducing some of the islands and various places that have yet to be explored in game and future expansions. I’m thinking of places like Gillijim’s Island, the Island of Dr Lapidus, Crestfall, Zul’dare, the North Isles, Balor, Tel Abim, and Plunder Isle.
I know Crestfall was introduced in BFA as an island expedition but I am thinking about it as an explorable location that is not necessarily content relevant only to an expansion. I don’t see any of these places making sense as core leveling locations in any future expansions and not being really significant with any lore. Nonetheless I like seeing how this universe is becoming more and more realized and I want to see these places realized as well.
I figured the best way Blizzard could implement this is through Archaeology as a way to make this profession more rewarding. The process for exploring these islands could be tied up in Archaeology questlines that might require the player to learn about its history or how to discover the island. The completion of the questline(s) will grant the player access to one of these places whereupon they might be able to participate in further questing or some form of gameplay that might share tie ins to new lore, further exploration of things that having been explored as much.
For example, on Tel Abim, players may learn about new lore not previously covered. On Crestfall and Zul’dare, players can learn more about the Second War and Third War. On the North Isles, players could learn more about, upon encountering, Tuskarr inhabitants (who in my opinion are super cool and could be explored more). These islands can come with their share of new rewards and toys as well. I can understand though if anyone might think doing this with Archaeology might marginalize other professions, in which case maybe it is used as some sort of on-the-side flavor gameplay rather than being tied to Archaeology. Rather than grinding them all out in one expansion, maybe they just take their time and release it slowly across the future expansions so they can dedicate more creative energy to each one.
Regardless, I’m interested in seeing these places visited as a way to see more of the world without wasting potential for core content. What do you guys think about seeing these places in game and how would you want Blizzard to implement it?
Formatting is important.
LOL
Do you really think we will ever see those Islands again?
Fat Chance, its part of BFA and it will die with BFA.
Blizzard Bulldozing.
Enjoy them now rather than pining for something that will never be. In an expansion that invalidates whole raids from itself with each new patch, you can’t possibly expect them to make old islands relevant when people don’t even like them now.
I like this idea.
I would love this. Islans expeditions should have been this.
I agree, maybe if not specifically what I suggested but I don’t like Blizzard implementing new things every expansion that are relevant only to that expansion. It’s the reason why Cata didn’t age well, it just doesn’t do any good for the longevity of the game. I hope they’ll find a way to fix that mistake and make the idea of what island expeditions were supposed to be into something more timeless
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Use paragraphs to space things out.
Personally, I feel that archeology is the most neglected thing in the game.
Mechagon and Nazjatar were huge, missed opportunities for the profession.
Its in a hard spot.
It have to reward better. But too good and its farm city. Since it can break down to kill trash mobs, find the relic pieces.
I won’t lie, its one of many tools I have for leveling. If the area not too rough mob wise with rested xp…its several 4K shots of xp quick and sleazy.
Put some real rewards viable to a 120…farm it like you stole it really.
Pandaria introduced a cool random encounter feature to Archaeology which got expanded further in Legion.
I don’t know why the features in Legion Archeology were discarded.
islands were just not a good idea imo.
they think they’re fixing them next patch by making mounts purchasable with dubloons - cool, but they’re still going to be speedruns of trash mobs, and now the prestige of having any rewards from them now are gone…(but i’ll take the free mounts anyway since they’re cool).
I hope they never do anything like islands again personally, but i’m all for exploring new islands and making them fun/rewarding!
I agree island expeditions suck. I think Blizzard needs to figure out how to implement features that can carry across expansions and feel more timeless like with exploring these islands from lore that have yet to be seen.
Instead they seem to just create features that barely hold up from expansion to expansion that get replaced by new features that seem to cause just as many problems as the last. But then features that are good seem to just die off with the expansion, i.e. a lot of things from Legion.
I just hope they start using a mich simpler and CONSISTENT gear system across expansions so they focus more on other ways to provide meaningful gameplay like what I talked about above.
Archeology in BFA in a nutshell:
We finally unearthed the ruins of Zin-Azshari. Azshara herself did us a solid by parting the sea.
And we’re going to just leave, not having dug for a single, stinking, solitary vase or jar or bust or anything.
I love archeology. I used to level it on four characters, all the way until Legion (the weekly solves were too time consuming on alts). I was so extremely disappointed that there were only six rares for BfA. I’m eventually gonna go back to Pandaria to keep trying for that troll sword.
If I was a betting man, I’d bet Archeology’s getting the axe next.