LOL I mean I doubt they go full Cata update again, it’s more likely to be like 3-6 zones updated at a time per patch/expansion. So like I could see them updating northern EK zones for the story next expansion dealing with the Light or whatever since I think they are going that route. Horde and Alliance will fight Light fanatics.
And Dragon Isles might be like a later patch where we go there similar to how Mechagon and Nazjatar was in BfA.
I hope they do another Cata-style revamp. I honestly cannot wait to see how badly they screw it up again.
“Players expressed frustration with the faction dynamics of the old world. We hear you and we’re doing better. That’s why in this expansion the Horde is led by General Maimslaughter from Orphancorpse Mountain and the Alliance receives several quests to slap ineffectively at Horde forces as they set fire to the Kittenonians, a new race we just invented right now”
Sorry, to clarify I meant “Cata 2” as in “big dragon story”. I’m totally here for Cata 2 when it comes to remaking old zones. I loved what BFA did with Darkshore and Arathi, and hell even with Uldum and the Vale to a lesser extent. I actually think we already have a really big and diverse world and should revisit parts of it to see what’s going on after all these years - chromie time lets us retain the old zones in their old form, but we also get to revisit the areas of the map we care about with graphical updates, which is cool.
yes and i check here monthly to see everyone’s essays on it
The Kittenonians are very clearly descendants of robot cat.
I thought it was fine, honestly. It was about the best “middle ground” one could find, and it was also in theme with the expansion.
And it means she should be gone for a while, which I’m sure many–if not most of us–would welcome!
Blizzard after one expansion: “Here is Sylvanas!!! She saved all the souls in Shadowlands over 1000 years because time works differently but she’s done!!”
It will suck, honestly, I would love for her and Anduin to be gone a minimum of 2 expansions, alas we know that will not be the case.
Eh, perhaps. I’m hoping there’ll be plenty else to focus on, though. I suppose we’ll see soon!
For sure! I am hoping for like, if Blizzard really wants to do this “Light bad” expansion, then it’s something where like we get updated zones where Horde and Alliance have to basically fight Light fanatics. Rather than them doing, “Turalyon goes insane on a rampage to purge the Horde” because I don’t want another faction war.
Dragon Isles would be okay, but at the same time I want the current zones updated, not a new whole zone added.
Ugh, yeah. Don’t get me wrong: I think the faction conflict can still endure in some small way (if the writers prefer it so) and be smaller-scale, such as with MoP. But for now, I’m hoping they stay away from that and instead express the ideological differences between the two for a time. That way, if there must be a conflict again, it’ll seem more feasible. Honestly, it sort of just boils down to past grievances and “You look different than me!” anymore. 
Edit: That being said, I do think the Alliance vs. Horde schism has had its time. But if they feel it must be preserved to justify PvP/faction differences in old content/etc., then I hope they go the route above.
Well, at least they’re finally done playing chicken with the idea that Arthas may be his real father.
You don’t?
Hope this doesn’t sound too hipster of me if this was a prevailing theory, but… honestly, that thought never even occurred to me. I think it definitely would’ve been a blindsiding narrative route, and one that really could’ve had a way of diminishing all the past experiences he had with Varian. I’m glad it didn’t go that way, personally. 
I can say that artisitcally, Shadowlands was still great (Maw notwithstanding, but come on, the Maw is Hell. If you’re making Hell a desirable place to be you’re kinda doing it wrong)
Artwise the zones are really good.
I love the bright, paradise, tranquil vibes of Bastion, I love the vampire the masquarade vibes of Revendreth, and the mysterious, cool forest vibes of Ardeanweald. Maldraxxus has. well, it has an ok personality.
And Zereth Mortis, ok art wise, it is gorgeous, the themes are awesome,the very alien way of looking is amazing. It reminds me of Taza’Vesh to an extent.
And then…
How we got there, the story falls flat, not the art. I would LOVE to go to Zereth Mortis, to Taza’Vesh, I would love the crime city feeling but it could have been better having a return to Outland expansion, where we explore Outland and possibly its satellite planet we see in the sky box, explore what the people are doing on a fragmented world, explore the ethereals, introduce the brokers as ethereals, introduce Taza’vesh as a broker/Ethereal capital, introduce Zereth Mortis as an ethereal homeworld and add so much more to it, make the language be the ethereal language.
To me, the Maw was just Coldharbour with a pallet swap and more spikes. It was different, but too similar all the same.
Your idea of SL having been some kind of return to Outland instead of what we got is frankly inspired. I’m not sure how you tie Sylvanas into such a plot–perhaps the soul sucking could have been arranged to be with Ethereals to stabilize/rebuild what’s left of Outland with some kind of soul-powered MacGuffin so that the Horde can just bleep off back to Ur-Draenor and leave the Alliance back on Azeroth. It’s still a terrible reason for whatever was going on, but I could at least sympathize slightly with the goal. No, of course none of the races want to leave Azeroth but still. Ah well.
We got what we got, and we’re going to get what we’re going to get come next expansion…
After finishing the Sylvanas novel all I can say is there is still no real pay off to her character. She is shown countless afterlives and how they are unfair and all that, and to her credit she didn’t immediately just believe the Jailer. I just don’t get why they can’t put that in game. It could easily have been shown to the players with “This is what made Sylvanas turn down this dark path” and let us play through a little scenario. Hell, seeing her life could have worked too.
I will say this though, the book was at least better written than the expansion itself. Which is both good and bad I guess. I wish Blizz would stop putting huge chunks of story and motivation in BOOKS. Yeah I get it, money. But a huge chunk of the players are going to miss out on important chunks of the story? It was definitely the worst part of the book though.