The rumors about the new addon for World of Warcraft have been intensively brewing for some time. Ever since Blizzard’s announcement to reveal it at Blizzcon, theories have piled up. Now a new and detailed “leak” has appeared.
At all times, there are theories and wishes about how World of Warcraft should evolve. Especially during Blizzcon or announcements of new features, the wildest speculations about the future of Azeroth arise. This is also true for the now announced reveal of the upcoming WoW addon.
A post has now appeared in the forum on the site MMO-Champion that describes the next addon for the MMORPG classic in great detail. The user who created the post has already been banned. This was already the second time he has published the “leak”, with the first time being deleted extremely quickly. The content could be translated into German roughly as follows.
World of Warcraft: Tides of War
New zones:
- The sunken city of Zuldazar, The Kul’Tiras archipelago, The Isle of the Eternal Dragonflight, The Arathi Warzone (formerly Arathi Highlands and Hinterlands), The Desolace Depths, The Infested Wound (formerly Silithus), The Red Sea, Shadowland Desolation
Titanforged:
- There is no longer a “warforged” status, only “titanforged”. With the “blood of Azeroth” items can be titanforged, similar functionality to Obliterum.
Path of the Titans:
- replaces artifact weapons
- Up to 2 Titans selectable
New races:
- None. However, some races will get new customization options.
New classes:
- None, but new specializations:
- Mage: Spellbreaker – Tank – Lor’themar will be retroactively made one.
- Priest: Purification – Melee DPS – Anduin will be one, he will not become a Paladin.
- Warlock: Necromancy – Ranged DPS – A mix of longer-lasting summons and longer-lasting damage-over-time spells.
- Rogue: Trickster – Ranged DPS – Focus on gadgets, traps, and turrets.
- Druid: nothing new, as 4 specializations already exist.
- Monk: Blade Master – Melee DPS – very fast two-handed weapon style.
- Demon Hunter: Chaos – Ranged DPS – polearms/scythes for ranged chaos attacks.
- Hunter: Shadow Hunter – DPS/Healing hybrid – healing comparable to shadow/discipline priests but more mobile and without shields.
- Shaman: Spirit Walker – Healing – totem-based healing.
- Warrior: Phalanx – Melee DPS – pole weapon and shield.
- Paladin: Devotion – Ranged DPS – Night Elf Paladins are primarily intended for this specialization.
- Death Knight: Fire – Melee DPS – Bolvar will become active, but will not be the center of the expansion. He will maintain the pact with the Death Knight and will pave a new way for them.
Race/class combinations
- Night elves: Paladin
- Worgen: Shaman
- Pandaren: Death Knight
- Goblin: Monk
- Troll: Paladin
Overhaul of professions:
- The skill level will be removed. Recipes now have multiple tiers. Ranks 1, 3, and 5 reduce the required materials. Ranks 2, 4, and 6 increase the item level of equipment and the effectiveness of consumables.
- Gems increase secondary stats.
- Enchantments increase tertiary stats.
Protagonists:
- Jaina Proudmoore, Anduin Wrynn, Daelin Proudmoore, Genn Greymane, Sylvanas Windrunner, Baine Bloodhoof, Vol’jin, Rastakhan, Wrathion, Nozdormu, Aegwynn, Medivh
Plot:
- Pre-event: The cultists of the Old Gods and Silithids gather in the Infested Wound. Horde, Alliance, and Bronze Dragons fight them. Nozdormu becomes infected. A time rift opens, infected bronze dragons and eternal dragons flood into the Infested Wound. Horde and Alliance retreat.
- Expansion: Rastakhan/Jaina come into contact with Horde/Alliance. Both have been attacked by the Eternal and Bronze Dragons. Further threats from Naga. A battle on the Red Sea erupts, and a war between Horde and Alliance breaks out. Attack on the Isle of the Eternal Dragonflight, fight with Nozdormu, who eventually becomes Murozond and escapes through a time rift. The war expands into Arathi Highlands and Hinterlands, making them a warzone. Forsaken, Trolls, and Blood Elves against Dwarves, Worgen, and Humans. Wrathion appears, leading us to Desolace.
- The Eternal Dragons alter the zone and open a path beneath Desolace: a vast cave system, the Desolace Depths, leading south. Dragons and Silithids fight in the caves. The path leads to the corpse of an Old God. The player dies, entering the Shadowland Desolation zone. The Old God corrupts enemies, many old characters. The Horde finds Vol’jin, the Alliance finds Daelin Proudmoore. A quest leads to Medivh. Vol’jin, Daelin Proudmoore, Medivh, and the player return to life in Azeroth. Return to the Red Sea. The endgame is based on the faction war between Horde and Alliance. Return to the Infested Wound in the first patch. The next patch focuses on Naga.
Dungeons:
- Maraudon (new)
- Ruins of Ahn’Quiraj (new)
- Kul’Tiras Military Zone/Zandalari Prison – Faction-specific dungeons with the same layout
- Ruins of Strom
- Walk the Plank – Faction-specific. Hijacking an enemy ship to kill crew and captain.
- Endless Paths: Past – Distorted version of the original Caverns of Time, in which the Eternal Dragons were successful
- Endless Paths: Present – Alternative version of the Isle of the Eternal Dragons, where the player lost
- House of the Dead – Old, iconic bosses in an arena
Raids:
- Endless Paths: Future – A destroyed Azeroth. A massive void titan is visible in the background
- The God of Death – A raid based on Yogg-Saron in the Shadowlands. Arthas will appear
Patch Raid1
- Revolves around Ahn’Quiraj: underneath the temple of Ahn’Quiraj
Patch Raid2
- Revolves around Horde against Alliance and Naga
PvP:
- Arena skirmishes
- Ashran, Tol’Barad, and Thousand Needles as battlegrounds
- 1 vs. 1 arena battles in the style of the fight guild
Garrison/Order Halls:
- Warship – In the style of the Vindicator, instant movement between all new and some old areas
- Crew – each ship has a position for navigator, cook, bosun, gunner, and more. Can be filled with NPC followers. Some old garrison fighters/order hall champions can be used.
- War missions – Every mission completed by the crew does not yield rewards but gives access to a short scenario. After the scenario, you receive loot.
You can find the original post on MMO-Champion.
More wishful thinking than reality
Benedict says: In my opinion, this post is nonsense. The mere fact that it was able to be posted twice makes me suspicious. Additionally, the original text contains a lot of spelling mistakes (capitalized words, “Artefact” instead of “Artifact”). Someone who has access to this information would not write so carelessly.
Moreover, there are extremely many content contradictions. The feature “Path of the Titans” was already planned for Cataclysm but never made it into the game. It was replaced by glyphs. Many players were excited about the concept, but Blizzard probably had reasons not to implement it. It would be more than strange to ignore these reasons now.
Also, the new specializations don’t sound credible:
- The “Trickster” from the rogue is the concept of the tinker’s class, which has been floating around in the forums multiple times and for a long time. It’s not credible that Blizzard would implement it this way.
- Another totem-based healing specialization for the shaman is highly unlikely.
- The name “Phalanx” for the warrior is not accurate, as it should be called “Gladiator,” as forum user “Gib Lover” points out.
Moreover, there are historical inconsistencies. That there is a connection between the wound that Argus’s sword will tear and Nozdormu’s infection is not very plausible. Nozdormu knows his own end and his existence as Murozond already, but has never mentioned an infected titan or a contagious infection.
The appearance of Naga would fit a South Sea expansion, and also largely to one of the Old Gods, but not in this context with dragons and Silithids. That would be an absolute overkill of antagonists. They are also only embedded in the original text with “Also threats by Naga.” You would expect something more from significant opponents.
In general, the post seems more like an attempt by someone to write a self-fulfilling prophecy by making it go viral. The ideas are all collected wishes of the community, elements that have never made it into the game, and thoughts from fans.
Even the title corresponds to the eponymous book by Christie Golden. That the alleged troll chose it probably lies in the fact that the book was visible in the background during the last Q&A.
I would attribute absolutely no value to the “leak”.
