In an interview, we were able to talk with the developers Maria Hamilton (Associate Design Director) and Laura Spreitzer (Game Designer) about the upcoming Patch 10.2 in World of Warcraft. Important points include the design of the Public Events and generally the content for solo players.
The new Patch 10.2 for WoW is expected to be released in the fall. Guardians of the Dream brings you a new raid, a new legendary two-handed axe, and season 3 for Mythic+ and PvP. The main highlight is likely the journey into the Emerald Dream.
There you can experience a part of the dream. It is called Ysera’s Eye and is somewhat the core of the dream. Here, the new World Tree is planted and is meant to grow until it is strong enough to be eventually brought to Azeroth.
But what really goes into the development of a new area? And what events can we expect there? We asked the developers these questions.
Just a small, but important part of the dream
MeinMMO: With Patch 10.2, we go into the Emerald Dream. This is an important area for many players. So important that some even wish for a standalone expansion for it. Do you think the dream being a “zone of its own in the patch” is enough to show what it is really about?
Laura Spreitzer: This is not necessarily the last time we will see the dream. The dream is very extensive, that is true. I mean, it is a reflection of Azeroth, right?
So, it is inevitable that it is a huge place of which we currently only see a small corner. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities later to see more of it.
You can get a glimpse of the new area and the patch in general in this video:
MeinMMO: And why has the dream and specifically this section become part of Patch 10.2?
Maria Hamilton: Well, we planned the story of the Dragon Isles, the stories we wanted to explore. When we knew we would be making all these updates throughout the year, we decided which stories we would tell when.
And it was important to us to have this epic moment where we fight Fyrakk. And we knew that Fyrakk was seeking power. That was a significant factor. Over the course of Dragonflight, we told the stories of the individual dragonflights in their own way. We also gave a glimpse of what happens when all flocks work together.
And then there’s that big threat to the whole world. We knew we had planted the seed of the World Tree in the Emerald Dream to accelerate its growth and bring it to life. This would be the place of this battle, these major conflicts.
All content from specific Elite mobs is soloable
MeinMMO: In the Zaralek Cavern, the public event did not scale well if only a few people were present. You basically needed a whole raid to reach the later stages and better rewards. Will the events in the Emerald Dream also be feasible with fewer people?
Laura Spreitzer: I am so glad you asked. We of course heard this feedback, and I am happy to say that we have put a lot of effort into ensuring that the Superbloom event is solo-friendly. I believe almost all repeatable activities in 10.2 should be able to be completed solo, except for the rare elite opponents.
We specifically wanted to make sure that hunting rare elites isn’t seen as a boring fallback activity that you do when you run out of everything else. Instead, we focused on the Emerald abundance, where you plant seeds everywhere in the zone, triggering activities and other things that you can pay for with a currency you earn during the Superbloom.
All of this is completely solo doable. You get a few larger chests when you have more people contributing, but in general, you can also obtain the main rewards you’re looking for when you’re out on your own.
MeinMMO: Many public events are only played until you are revered with the corresponding faction. Will there be more incentives to play these events over a longer period?
Laura Spreitzer: In the rewards for the public events for 10.2, there are a lot of really cool cosmetics. We have some mounts, we have some pets, we have some really cool transmogs.
You will go through the fame path just like with the other factions. This will also help you unlock various additional powers that you can use during the Superbloom.
There are a number of transmogs that you can get during the Superbloom, and then you earn a currency during the event that you can use to purchase your own set of rewards.
And then there’s another reward system where we use the Soulshades that we already had in Ardenweald. We have a similar version for the dream, which we have laid on a number of creatures to collect. So there are several reward paths through which you will work.
MeinMMO: That sounds very good. Do you have any rough idea how long it will take to earn all of that?
Laura Spreitzer: I’m not entirely sure myself, but it will take several weeks to unlock everything, depending on how often you play.
“Side quests are a fantastic way for us to tell special moments”
MeinMMO: How should one generally imagine the development process for new content? Do you start with the story, the area, or directly with the quests?
Maria Hamilton: We first develop an overarching narrative arc, and that usually happens through creative groups. This includes, to some extent, the Narrative Team, the Quest Team, the Building Team, and the World Art Team.
We do a lot of brainstorming and talk about the story and the cultures we want to depict. And maybe we come to the conclusion: We have these Dracthyr, and we want to talk about them. Who are the Dracthyr? What is important to them? Where do they come from? How do they express themselves?
So, we do a lot of work in our minds and talk to each other and collaborate. Then our artists go off and create maps for us. They start building maps for us. They begin like a traditional “Dungeons and Dragons” player, drawing something and simply saying: How does this look? We try different things out, and then they go off and start building.
The Art Team considers what kind of artworks we need, what assets, what different types of vegetation and biomes, and how these places should feel. And the Quest Team thinks about what stories we want to tell here.
So we know the high-level narrative arc, but what are the little stories? And from there, we build everything together. We work like in a relay race, hand in hand, with lots of overlap. Gradually, the rest of the team comes in, for example, when new combat elements are being planned or rewards need to be integrated.
It’s a big process, from start to finish, and there are so many talented people in our teams involved.
MeinMMO: Do you maybe have a favorite quest from the upcoming Patch 10.2 that you want to share with us?
Laura Spreitzer: There is a quest where Shandris and Lillian Voss have to work together and overcome some differences.
And there’s one where an old man has passed away, and a funeral is taking place, and there’s a lot of emotional storytelling. It’s about Ysera and her sister and bringing them back together. And generally, side quests are a fantastic way for us to explore those little moments that don’t always fit into the main campaign.
So we are very excited. There are some brilliant side quests in 10.2, of course along with the brilliant campaign, which I definitely don’t want to undermine. They are both absolutely wonderful.
MeinMMO: Thank you very much for your answers.
Apparently, Patch 10.2 will be the last major update before the new expansion:
Dragonflight is already over – Patch 10.2 will probably be the last major update
