We’re only four days away from opening ceremonies at BlizzCon and finally have answered all the questions about what’s new and what we all have to look forward to. In the meantime, let’s look at what we are likely to see and talk through some things that would be cool to see but are unlikely.
World of Warcraft (Retail)
The one thing we are all sure of is there will be an announcement of the next expansion for World of Warcraft. This is the first in-person BlizzCon since 2019, leading into the 20th anniversary of WoW, and the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. It would be incomprehensible not to have something big planned for next year. If they want to release a new expansion next year, they have to get it announced now. Between doing alphas, betas, and all the various iterations to get a new expansion out the door, time is ticking. Additionally, if they have a playable zone, BlizzCon is an ideal place to unveil that. There have also been tons of the normal pre-BlizzCon “leaks,” which I hope none of are true because leakers are the absolute dregs of the gaming barrel.
It also makes sense within the storyline of Dragonflight. Our next adventure, The Guardians of the Dream, kicks off right after BlizzCon, sees us fighting off Fyrakk in an epic battle over the new world tree. His sister Vyranoth has also teamed up with us, so barring some surprise twist, she isn’t a threat anymore. Meanwhile, Iridikron has absconded somewhere, which makes him not an immediate threat anymore. He seems ideally placed to be a lead into the next expansion or the one after that. I could certainly see something else arising as the new immediate threat, then Iridikron showing at the end of the next expansion with his void besties all, “Remember me?” That could give us 12.0. Or 11.0 could be all void all of the time.
Of course, with 10.2 coming out in November, even with a very optimistic expansion launch date in August, we’d still be playing through 10.2 content for nine months. It's not nearly as long as some of the lulls in the past, but it is still far too long, especially when compared with the pace we have seen in Dragonflight. That said, although I don’t think we’ll get a standard story-focused 10.3 with a whole new tier, 10.3 will likely be similar to what was done at the end of Shadowlands. I have mixed feelings about that, but with the likely timings of everything, it makes the most sense.
World of Warcraft Classic
I know there’s been some talk about maybe Blizzard will announce Cataclysm Classic during BlizzCon, and although that is certainly a possibility, I don’t think it is likely. Cataclysm is the point where it felt like WoW truly had the first significant divergence from the previous iterations. It also feels a bit like if they do Cataclysm, then they’ll more than likely do all the rest of the expansions, which feels like it would ruin what Classic is meant to be.
There has been some talk about maybe they’ll do Cataclysm but do it differently this time. They could do that, but I don’t buy that it makes sense to do so. Sure, they have made some changes with the previous iterations of Classic, but for the most part, they have kept the core experiences intact. Some people have called for different story choices to be made or having the old world revamp to be done in a way that keeps the old experiences in those zones intact. They certainly can do these things, but I’m not sure it would make sense to do so. For starters, making substantial changes to the storylines would quickly take them off the path of rereleasing old expansions and quickly into entirely new content. The scope of making all of the new world and old world available at the same time would also likely be prohibitive.
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Instead, what makes the most sense is having new ways for players to interact with the old content. Classic Hardcore has been very successful, and that’s a perfect example of what can be done in the context of Classic or Wrath Classic. The season of mastery idea was also solid and could be something they iterate on and have multiple seasons a year with different twists and exciting events throughout. These are the types of things I’d expect to see in the future of WoW Classic—new ways of playing and engaging in the content for players who desire to do so.
Diablo IV
It’s been a bit of a rocky road for Diablo IV over the last few months. The launch was pretty solid, and the storyline that came with it was excellent. For me, things started to fall off once I completed the main campaign. The Tree of Whispers is a cool concept, but it wasn’t enough to keep me playing. I also finished the campaign at level 46, so I had a few levels I needed to get through before I could start working on my paragon tree. The first season turned out to be less engaging than I had hoped for as well. That said, what do we have to look forward to at BlizzCon for Diablo IV?
I was honestly thinking if they announced the first expansion for Diablo IV, it could revitalize interest considerably. It’s probably a bit soon for that, but I’d like to see the campaign story continue and find out what happens with Neyrelle. However, if they had an expansion to launch now, it would probably mean they started on it before or very soon after Diablo IV launched, which would be unusual. The second season also started recently, so I don’t think we’ll likely get an announcement of what the next season will be, either. The absence of any “what’s next” panel on the schedule for Diablo IV further solidifies my impression that we won’t be getting any major reveals.
Far more likely, we’ll get a discussion from the devs about what they’ve done so far and some general thoughts about changes or adjustments. The campfire chat panel does have a Q&A portion; however, those questions need to be submitted ahead of time. I don’t think they’ll add any new classes outside of an expansion, so that also likely wouldn’t be announced either. Mostly, I expect a “state of play” type panel and maybe something new for Immortal in the opening ceremonies.
What’s missing?
Aside from the missing games Heroes and Starcraft, which have both gone by the wayside, the recently released BlizzCon schedule is missing a lot of panels that have, in the past, been highly anticipated. The most obvious missing panel is with the various voice actors, which are often some of the most entertaining and memorable moments from BlizzCon. After all, it was during the Voices of War Panel in 2018 that Daughter of the Sea was performed live. Sadly, I have to assume they are missing this year due to the various strikes going on right now. Any other reasoning I can think of is utterly absurd.
Additionally, there appears to be no story/lore or art panels scheduled, which is personally disappointing. That said, Blizzard has said this year’s event will be focused on delivering a more immersive experience. What that means exactly is anyone’s guess. It could mean more displays and statues to see in addition to the panels. I remember in 2019, there was an entire art display for Shadowlands and Diablo IV, which was incredible to see. Maybe they’ve thought of a cool way to dial that type of thing up to 11. Regardless, as the first in-person BlizzCon since 2019, it will surely be an event to remember.
