World of Warcraft is being completely overhauled. The WoW analyst Bellular is sure of this – and he has plenty of evidence.
World of Warcraft has changed significantly over the past few years. After a downward trend with “Battle for Azeroth” and “Shadowlands”, many things have changed for the better in Dragonflight. However, these improvements currently only apply to a relatively small part of the game world. We at MeinMMO have also speculated that Blizzard is already working behind the scenes on a complete overhaul of the old world.
But the YouTuber Bellular is also sure that the WoW developers are working on something very big – and he provides even more clues for this.
Hints in the game data and the world
A large part of the evidence consists of the “assets” found in the game data, according to Bellular. Many overhauls of “old” buildings can be found. The original human buildings, like those that shape the city of Goldshire, have received a complete renewal with modern graphics – so far, however, these innovations are only in the game data, not yet in the game world.
In recent patches, more and more overhauls have been found. Orc fortress parts in a new design, tents of the night elves in HD resolution, and much, much more.
Additionally, many “old” things have already been updated in recent years. The Arathi Basin and the Warsong Gulch have received a new look. In “Battle for Azeroth”, many new buildings in the style of the Horde and Alliance were created that fit well into the old world.
Numerous old enemy types have received a modern HD design, especially Gnolls, Furbolgs, and Centaurs. Gone are the days when these creatures consisted only of pixel mush.
City guards of Ironforge have already received an HD update, with new armor and high-resolution details – but so far the model remains hidden in the game data.
All these updates that Blizzard has used in other parts of the world could affect all of Azeroth and “facilitate” a complete renewal, so that this mammoth task can actually happen within an expansion.
But even currently there is much to do in WoW, as Patch 10.1 is still quite fresh:
The story is ready to finally move forward
Between Shadowlands and Dragonflight, there was already a small time skip of several years. However, in most areas of Azeroth, there is hardly any sign of this. Aside from the Arathi Highlands or the Darkshore, most areas are still at the “Cataclysm” level – and thus are historically many years in the past.
But the story continues, and relentlessly. In the recent Warcraft books (such as “Exploring Kalimdor” or “Exploring The Eastern Kingdoms”), it is already told how the areas have slowly changed and what has happened there in recent years. These are all events that have so far only been treated externally, but in the game are only mentioned in passing in a quest and are not yet really playable.
Furthermore, Blizzard has dropped more and more hints that some big things will happen in the coming years. Here are just a few of the “story promises” that have already been hinted at:
In Patch 10.0.7, the “Nightsquall” was teased – a night elf pirate who is trying to unite various pirate factions to explore “the other side of Azeroth”. Probably the previously unknown continent of “Avaloren”.
The kingdom of Stormwind has been without a king for years, as Anduin is still missing in the Shadowlands. For the human citizens, the king never returned after the kidnapping.
Kalia Menethil and Genn Greymane want to ensure that Gilneas will again belong to the humans (and worgens) of Gilneas. In an interview, Blizzard already stated that “the resettlement of Gilneas is something we would see in the game and not in [books or other media]”.
The remnants of the Scarlet Crusade want to cleanse Lordaeron of the undead and have spread propaganda material in Azeroth claiming they have a “true heir” of the Menethils who should lead the kingdom.
The night elves are about to plant a new world tree and build a new home after Darnassus was destroyed.
The Silver Hand has tried multiple times to retake Stratholme since Legion and has so far always failed.
For the dwarves, a political change is imminent. The “Council of Three Hammers” will be replaced as soon as the rightful king of Ironforge comes of age – Dagran Thaurissan II. He was last mentioned in the story regarding the wedding between Thalyssra and Lor’themar and is almost of age to ascend the throne.
Political strife is brewing among the Horde: The waters of Durotar are polluted by the oil drilling of the goblins, and water has to be completely imported from Mulgore. How will the Horde deal with this?
The anniversary is the perfect time
Blizzard and Warcraft have a pretty big anniversary coming up. Not only is the “Warcraft” franchise soon celebrating its 30th birthday, but World of Warcraft is already heading towards its 20th birthday – two events that will take place almost simultaneously in 2024. The next expansion is also a anniversary – as it would be the 10th expansion of World of Warcraft.
For Bellular, it is clear that this would be the perfect time to “go all out” with WoW, extensively work on Azeroth, allow the story to progress, and make a massive redesign of the world that puts “Cataclysm” in the shadows and avoids the mistakes of the past.
After all, around 700 people are now working on World of Warcraft, and Blizzard had increased the team by 100 people before the launch of Dragonflight. An undertaking like overhauling the entire world could certainly use many new employees.
In November of this year, a BlizzCon will again take place. It is practically confirmed that the next adventure of World of Warcraft will be announced there. But this time, it could be much more extensive than we have always imagined.
Do you believe the theory and think that Blizzard has something big planned for the anniversary of WoW? Or is it too much wishful thinking?
