I for one can’t wait for Classic WotLK but I wouldn’t like to see a Classic Cata come after it. Cata destroyed alot of the old world zones many of us are fond of, changed and removed dungeons we are fond of, and caused me to leave WoW until Legion.
I think if Blizzard were to ever try a Classic+ with an entirely new expansion in the Classic timeline framed as an alternative timeline that diverges from Retail after WotLK they would want something they could build using existing assets from the game.
Now what could we see with an expansion? What If… Cataclysm. Now you may be thinking didn’t this dude just go on a rant of how he hated Cata? Yes I did. But Blizz could reuse large parts of Cata’s assets among others and give us a unique Classic+ expansion of Cata but What If… Deathwing Didn’t emerge causing the Cataclysm. What if in this timeline Deathwing is fighting himself and the corruption and he has some grasps of his sanity left and doesn’t emerge from deepholm and reshape Azeroth, rather he is planning something more destructive with elemental planes waning from the twilight hammer. Where the adventure’s goal is to reinforce the elemental planes then put Deathwing down like a rabbid dog in his lair in deepholm.
The Zones:
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Gilneas: At the start a phase zone for the Worgen players, Greymanes wall doesn’t fall from the Cataclysm but Forsaken forces are encroaching with plans of attacking Gilneas (Thanks to rebelling lords who Sylvanas has promised Gilneas to them as a Puppet State for the horde) riling up the local feral worgen population. Some of the wall is damaged and feral worgen slip through. Gilneas begins setting up trenches and fortifications on the outskirts of the town. The player character is helping building the encampments and defenses Genn and Liam makes an incognito visit to survey the construction when Feral worgen start attacking and the player character defends Liam but is bitten. Genn not wanting the player character to be killed for his bravery decides to imprison those bitten and direct his top alchemists to devise a cure or treatment to make the bitten not lose there sanity. (This eventually leads to the cure we see in Cata with nelfs). The culmination of the starting zone leads to the Forsaken breaching the wall but a stalemate going on as trench warfare settles in. Leading Genn to send the player character to petition the aid of the Alliance to repel the Forsaken, the Alliance refuses to provide official support with their army after the loses from Northrend but provide aid in weapons and supplies some old guard alliance commanders/soldiers who really hate the horde freely join Gilneas in its plight. The city of Gilneas will be a new capital city and alliance player hub with end game activites for horde and alliance and a new epic battleground as players face the horrors of trench warfare and try to gain every inch.
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Kezan: The Horde believes Gallywix is betraying goblin neutrality and favoring the alliance. A horde spy has made contact with the player character and promises large rewards for recovering documents about what Gallywix is doing to set up a potential take over. The player goblin finds out Gallywix is helping Deathwing and is a member of the Twilight’s Hammer Cult. The goblin experience starting zone is similar but the island isn’t sinking because of a Cataclysm and uncovering Gallywix’s treachery. The starting zone ends with the horde gaining a foothold, establishing a capital city and Gallywix is hold out in a bunker planning his next move which will lead to a new raid tier leading to the player killing Gallywix and pushing the Twilights Hammer cultists off the island.
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Vash’jir: The elemental plane of water is weakening and the Earthen ring calls for Alliance and Horde help. While sailing the sea opens up causing the ships to crash on newly drained seafloor (much like Nazjatar so no underwater zone). The quests are similar leading to helping Neptulon who then in the climax of the dungeon gets whisked away by Ozmat. The Bastion of Twilight Raid will be replaced by a Water Throne raid with 4 bosses (and a secret heroic only Boss) Which players Free Neptulon, defeat Ozmat, (and a secret Naga boss fight which the players discover they are on orders of Queen Azshara to disrupt the plane as part of N’Zoths plan) leading to restoring the strength of the elemental plane of water.
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Uldum: Mostly the same but the culmination is the Throne of Four Winds Raid and restoring Thunderan to his rightful place strengthening the plane of air.
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Dwarven Highlands (what was the Twilight Highlands): This zone visually doesn’t have the Bastion of Twilight tower, or the cataclysm caused scaring and old god tentacles and maws, but more of its bure state aside from some cultist camps and fortifications closer to Grim Batol. Due to the weakening of the elemental planes this zone has become visable much like Uldum. The twilights hammer cult has infiltrated the Dragonmaw Orcs and Wildhammer Dwarfs into engaging one another so they can continue there experiments in Grim Batol unabated. The alliance and horde both send expeditionary fleets to deal with the tiwlights hammer cult at Grim Batol but first are recruiting the locals and flushing out the cultists that are controlling the conflict in the shadows. As well as gaining the aid of the red dragonflight in the area.
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Mount Hyjal: The zone visually is not scorched by fire but in a natural state. The story of the zone shifts to preparing for the elemetal plane of fire weakening and eventually appearing in the south of the zone. The story has the Guardians of Hyjal making fortifications to fight back the enemies from the elemental plane of fire when it emerges and keeping it confined to just where the Sulfuron Spire is.
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Deepholm: The zone is fundamentally changed to where it is endgame zone filled with twilight cultists as there base of operation. Therazane seeing she and her children can no longer hold back the cult on there own see no other option but to contact the Earthen Ring for aid. The players there are gaining trust with Therazane and making a foothold pushing back the cultists to a point of standstill. Leading to the final raid of the expansion Deathwings Fall, where the players and the Earthen ring bolstered by Thunderan, Neptulon, and Therazane push back the remaining cultists in an epic raid which sees Deathwing first fight us in his Dragonic form, then transforms into his Human Visage in a later phase (due to Aspects Help) and the players defeating him ending his insanity.
Tol Barad: Same as it was, just an extra boss to the raid since there will be 4 raid tiers.
The Raids:
- 1st Tier: Throne of the Four Winds, Throne of Water, and Blackwing Decent. (Throne of Water will re-use the gear from Twilight of Bastion though some gear names will be changed/
- 2nd Tier: The Firelands: remains unchanged but has us re-strengthening the plane at the end sealing it thwarting Deathwings plans.
- 3rd Tier: 8 Boss raid, Twilight’s Bunker on Kezan. With some twilight members like Cho’gal, Gallywix, and Sinestra as the final boss. Also Gallywix dies YAY! Rejoice!
- 4th Tier: Deathwing’s Fall 8 Boss Raid, the culmination of the expansions events leading to the defeat of Deathwing.
The Dungeons: Mostly the same, Except Hour of Twilight isn’t a thing. End Time is reworked to possible end times, Well of Eternity is mostly the same. And we use the caverns of time for more Bronze Dragon like dungeons such as experiencing The Fall of Dalaran were the player character is disguised as scourge and must prevent the Infinite Dragonflight from disrupting the timeline. And with sadness we help kill Archemage Antonidas. No revamp of ZA/GA. Deadmines has a second entrance added preserving the original deadmines instance with a new dungeon called Van’cleefs Revenge where the players thwart Vanessa Vancleef in the same way we did in the Heroic Deadmines in retail.
Dungeon Difficulties: Challenge Mode for existing dungeons; this doesn’t drop loot only badges and points and cosmetic only gear. Players can select the difficult affixes they want at an NPC.
Raid Difficulties: There will be 10 Man and 25 Man Normal/Heroic modes with loot being the same between the same difficulties.
LFR will be added for 25 players and only for Throne of Water, Twilight Bunker, and Deathwings Fall, BUT it does not drop gear at all. It simple drops 1 badge per boss on a weekly lockout for badge gear. Bosses are nerfed down and is mostly so players can enjoy the new raids story via LFR. (In my opinion this is how LFR always should have been, no gear drops, just 1 badge or maybe valor/justice points).
PvP: New Battlegrounds and Epic Battlegrounds. The BG’s that were added in Cata Originally will be there but with a new 40 v 40 Epic BG at the Gilneas Frontline.
Overall If Blizzard was to do a Classic+ I think we could see something like this. They have most of the assets already made which means alot less work for them. It also sets up Classic+ to start with something familiar but with a What If…? scenario which changes the events. If there is no world changing cataclysm Thrall might not have stepped down as Warchief and continues to supervise and teach Garrosh. The Forsken under Sylvanas and her new Valkyr seek to expand there domain into Gilneas under the guise of siding the Rebelling Lords with goals to make Gilneas a puppet state for the horde, not gassing them out and raising them from the dead but “Liberating” them from “Tyranny”.