World of Warcraft Dev Says Lessons of the Past Drive the Creation of a Better v8.2

According to a new interview with World of Warcraft developer Jeremy Feasel, the team has learned from the mistakes of its past and will put the lessons to good use with the arrival of v8.2. The interview, conducted by Taliesin & Evitel, covers a wide array of topics, but the one gaining the most traction is the one comparing the widely panned v7.2 (Broken Shore) to the forthcoming v8.2 and what Blizzard is doing to avoid the pitfalls of the past.

The Broken Shore appeared during Legion and was criticized -- and rightly so -- for feeling too small, too repetitive and for simply not having enough content to keep players occupied in new and different ways. At issue, according to Blizzard, was having the content divided into 12 sections for 12 class campaigns. During Blizzcon, the team admitted its missteps for doling out the story one quest per week with less than exciting activities for players to perform.

Looking ahead to v8.2, Feasel believes that this new content will not make those same mistakes. He tells the interviewers that the content is "absolutely massive" and that it will be "delivered fully".

Here is one Redditor's interpretation of Feasel's words:

You will do entire storylines, and you will have a ton of things to interact with, not just 1 single, unamusing quest per week. 8.2 is building on and adding to what all of the previous open-world zones did (from Timeless Isle, including Broken Shore, to Argus). It is also bringing more RPG elements into WoW like overhauling the "bodyguard" system, they won't just be the equivalent of a passive buff following you around, you will have a lot of interactions and goals with them, you will be able to level them, and you will unlock entire story lines through them.

How well this will actually perform once released remains to be seen. 

v8.2 will feature the new Nazjatar zone and the heavy Naga and Old God influences. During Blizzcon, the team said that there would be many new stories throughout Nazjatar and that players will finally take the fight directly to Queen Azshara herself in the Eternal Palace.

Check out the full interview below and leave us your thoughts in the comments.