[WoW] 4.0 - Cataclysm

[Zhaun's_Shade]

Originally Posted by Araxen

You expect the next one before 2011? lol

Its funny, if someone said in 2003 or so, that an MMO could survive on 1 expansion every 2 years, we would have laughed at them.

[Runnen]

Blizzard trademarked "Wrath of the Lich King" only 2 or 3 weeks before BlizzCon 2007, so it would make sense for them to trademark the next expansion name right before BlizzCon 2009.

Personnally, I'm quite sure "Cataclysm" is the name, or part of the name of the next expansion for WoW, especially since the Great Sundering is also known as the Cataclysm, when the Maelstrom was created.

There have been several hints already at a Maelstrom expansion :

- Aquatic Mounts (Sea Turtle & Aquatic Riding Ray (didn't make it past PTR)).
- Several people reported seeing a test server named "Maelstrom 3" a few days ago by making it to the Realm Selection during downtime.
- A sound file in a folder named "Sargeras" was implemented on PTR with 3.2, and Sargeras is heavily linked to the Maelstrom.

Anyways, I'm sure we'll get more information at BlizzCon in a few weeks, but I'm not holding my breath, I doubt this expansion will appear on shelves any time before at least Fall 2010.

[Cybsled]

Lorewise, the great sundering is also known as the Cataclysm. Blizzard always planned to add Queen Azshara at somepoint (the untextured temple was included with the Vanilla files) and she, as has been said, pretty much one of the last top dogs after Arthas gets owned. Sargeras' Tomb is also in the Maelstrom.

With Azshara's fight, I highly suspect mind control will play a part! Anyways, there's alot of islands in the Maelstrom area so they can do a ton of non-underwater stuff: The Sargeras tomb, the Temple of Azshara, Goblinland, that one island mentioned in the War of the Ancients book with -extremely- ancient undead that pre-date the Burning Legion, old Night Elf ruins, orcs, trolls, murlocs, etc.

[Korioni]

Originally Posted by Zhaun's_Shade

Its funny, if someone said in 2003 or so, that an MMO could survive on 1 expansion every 2 years, we would have laughed at them.

By Sony's standards, Blizzard puts out like 3 expansions per year. They just call them content patches and don't cost money like Everquest patches.

[Kaige]

I remember shortly after getting WotLK collector's edition, sitting down and actually flipping through the art book that came with it. I see people always mention stuff about how "its too early to work on the next expansion", but you have to also realize that these guys work in teams. Chances are one team is already creating designs for art/lore and so on while others are programming it.

Back to the book, you can flip through it and see some of the art concepts go back as far as the release date of Burning Crusade and before. Looking at it now, a lot of the Vrykul have dates by the artists as soon as only a couple months after BC's release.


I'm hoping its the new MMO they're working on and not really the next expansion just yet. I figure they might be just trying to keep their hooks in the populace a little longer because WotLK seems likes it fading quickly (unless time is flying too fast for me).

If its a new expansion, I have a feeling they're going to rip off the other MMO's out there like CoH and EQ that keep delving into all the alternate futures to come and people's adventuring there. I'd be interested in Azshara but they seem to have some kind of need to push the Caverns of Time up our ass once in awhile.

[Grave]

Yeah, after reading around I'm beginning to believe more and more that it'll be Maelstrom. There are a lot of possibilities for awesome zones.

Maelstrom - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

Originally Posted by The Drowned Reaches

Located on the southeastern edge of the Boiling Terrace, the Drowned Reaches is a great ships’ graveyard. Since 10,000 years ago, ships that run afoul of the Maelstrom are caught in its whirlpool and sucked downward, and the currents rip them asunder and deposit their remains here. Because the sailors die in fear and agony and are surrounded by the Maelstrom’s unstable influence, the dead often do not find peace. The zombified and skeletal remains of these unfortunates wander the Boiling Terrace, raging at their fate. The naga fear the undead and avoid this area; so far, they have managed to avoid outright conflict with the millennia-strong drowned men and women.

Originally Posted by Gishan Caverns

Gishan Caverns is located north of the Rift and is a series of enormous caverns in the seafloor. Volcanic activity is responsible for these caverns, and the naga avoid them — they believe that gargantuan sea creatures dwell within.

Still, the name Cataclysm seems an odd choice if that's all it is. I'm really expecting it to be more than just the islands and under the maelstrom, and that it'll somehow affect Azeroth as a whole.

Even if the Great Sundering was called the Cataclysm, that's something that has already happened. If the expansion is titled that, wouldn't it suggest another one is going to happen?

[Flesseck]

I really, really wanna cheer for it being the title of their new MMO, but from previous posts, WoW lore, and previous Blizzcons, I'm gonna have to vote for it being the next expansion for WoW.

They better fucking announce their MMO at Blizzcon.

[Cuppycake]

Originally Posted by Cybsled

Lorewise, the great sundering is also known as the Cataclysm. Blizzard always planned to add Queen Azshara at somepoint (the untextured temple was included with the Vanilla files) and she, as has been said, pretty much one of the last top dogs after Arthas gets owned. Sargeras' Tomb is also in the Maelstrom.

This. Let me at Azshara. I think it's the WoW expansion.

[Slotor]

Originally Posted by Bixxby

Dragonlance mmo out of nowhere

Is what I was thinking.

Kender as a playable race? Yes pls!

[Azrayne]

We're already more or less sure of what the next expansion is going to be (naga? sea monsters? jungle? pirates? fuck yes please), and this name sounds fairly suitable, so I'd say that's it.

[Saban]

That leaked "expansion" list that was first shown pretbc iirc, had every zone in tBC/wotlk named spot on, and had Maelstorm listed as the third expansion.

[r3probate]

Originally Posted by Saban

That leaked "expansion" list that was first shown pretbc iirc, had every zone in tBC/wotlk named spot on, and had Maelstorm listed as the third expansion.

I always forget to bookmark that when I see it, but the internet delivers.

World of Warcraft :: Allakhazam.com

Draenor Set

Azuremyst Isle - 1 to 10
Bloodmyrk Isle - 10 to 20

Eversong Forest - 1 to 10
Quel'thalas - 10 to 20
Hellfire Peninsula - 58 to 62
Zangarmarsh - 60 to 64
Terokkar Forest - 61 to 65
The Deadlands - 63 to 67
Nagrand - 64 to 68
Blade's Edge Mountains - 66 to 70
Netherstorm - 67 to 70
Shadowmoon Valley - 69 to 70

Northrend Set

Borean Tundra - 67 to 70
Howling Fjord - 67 to 70
Dragonblight - 69 to 72
Grizzly Hills - 70 to 73
Crystalsong Forest - 72 to 75
Zul'drak - 73 to 76
Sholazar Basin - 75 to 79
Storm Peaks - 76 to 80
Icecrown Glacier - 78 to 80

Maelstrom Set

Gilneas - 77 to 80
Grim Batol - 78 to 81
Kul Tiras - 79 to 82
Kezan - 81 to 86
Tel Abim - 83 to 85
Zandalar - 84 to 87
Plunder Isle - 86 to 88
The Broken Isles - 87 to 90
The Maelstrom - 89 to 90

Plane Set

Pandaria - 1 to 10
Hiji - 10 to 20

Wolfenhold - 1 to 10
Xorothian Plains - 10 to 20

The Green Lands - 88 to 91
The Dying Paradise - 91 to 94
The Emerald Nightmare - 94 to 97
The Eye of Ysera - 97 to 100

Deephome - 88 to 91
Skywall - 91 to 94
The Abyssal Maw - 94 to 97
The Firelands - 97 to 100

Legion Set

K'aresh - 96 to 99
Argus Meadowlands - 97 to 100
Mac'Aree - 99 to 100
Maw of Oblivion - 100+
The Burning Citadel - 100+++

[Azrayne]

Sweet, it's gonna be STV: The Expansion.

[Wombat]

That the Maelstrom is the next expansion isn't in doubt, due to the spot-on nature of the (again, pre-TBC) zone list.

That a "Cataclysm" would really lead to use suddenly being able to visit already-known Islands... not so sure of.

Then again, the timing with Blizzcons doesn't leave much leeway.
Either they are about to announce their next MMO, despite the WoW guys only moving over recently, which means Blizz would have three major projects in development (D3, SC2, and this new MMO), with various years of work ahead for each, and WoW's 3rd expansion wouldn't be announced until another 12 months from now (and thus not releasing until 2011).
-or-
It is just the next WoW expansion, launching somewhere between May & September of next year.

By that logic, Cataclysm is definitely WoW xpac 3.

[Azrayne]

Wasn't the planned lore something like the Naga are planning on doing whatever evil shit it is they do to try flood the entirety of Azeroth?

Sounds like a cataclysm to me.