This is the transcript of Amatera’s liveblog coverage of the WoW Quests and Lore Panel at BlizzCon 2010.
3:06 Alright, apparently this is a Q&A now.
3:07 Let me see if I can catch up on some stuff.
3:07 Paraphrasing here… Q: Any more events like the opening of Ahn’Qiraj? A: Probably not on that scale, but may be smaller moments of similar awesomeness.
3:08 Q: Legendary items for Mages? A: Who knows?
3:08 Q: Update on the Infinite Dragonflight and Caverns of Time? A: Probably.
3:08 I’ve missed a couple here, but I’m back up to speed.
3:08 This is Amatera, here.
3:09 They still want to use the Death Knight characters (Koltira.Thaurissan) later on.
3:10 Oh god, “The Clysm” dude again. Q: What about Kul’Tiras? A: We’ll deal with it in the future.
3:10 Q: How did Kael’Thas go from well-intentioned leader to pawn of the Burning Legion?
3:11 A: One of our writers wrote an 80-page novella about this, but not sure how they want to release it. Not going to spoil it.
3:11 Q: Medivh’s Staff added back in the game for those who didn’t do Naxx 40? A: Don’t get your hopes up.
3:12 Jesus, these are the same exact people from the Raid Panel Q&A. Crowd plants much?
3:13 LOAK’TAR OGAR!!! *facepalm* My eyes are glazing over at some of these questions.
3:13 Q: What drove Sargeras mad (this has been retconned somewhat)?
3:14 A: Your hat (i.e. the asker’s silly Murloc hat).
3:15 Real Answer: He had potentially met a really bad race that put him over the edge. Or perhaps he is just merely misunderstood (not mad at all!).
3:15 Q: Lore for Troll Moonkins? Or a plot to get rid of Moonkins in general?
3:16 A: They have developed much of the Troll Druid stuff in-house, but don’t know if they’ll reveal all of it right away.
[Comment From Barugaara: ]
That tends to be common. People with good questions never get to ask them.
3:16 Indeed.
3:16 The feed just jumped on me, not sure what that question was about.
3:17 I think it was about Legendaries, as in why they aren’t re-released.
3:17 The answer seems to be that those Legendaries occupy their place in time and generally, they would like to provide new ones for players to get.
3:18 Q: Use phasing to reinvent existing zones than always pushing the players forward (i.e. come back to old zones at a later time, but phased with new quests and level-appropriate mobs)?
3:19 A: Has been discussed here and there, but no current implementation. Closest is peaceful Hyjal after it has been healed.
3:19 Q: Are we going to get an actual Warchief out of Garrosh or just another headstrong Hellscream?
3:20 A: Remains to be seen, you’ll have to watch how his story unfolds (which path he takes is part of the theme of his leadership).
[Comment From Lukino ]
Ask about Bolvar if you can. Is he a factor for cata?
3:20 I would make an attempt, but I’m just watching a feed. Not live at the event. :)
3:20 My guess is they’ll leave him be for awhile.
3:21 Metzen reiterates that Thrall is THE most important character on Azeroth (because he is green *and* sexy).
3:21 Other than Nagrand questline, they haven’t done enough with Thrall. Garrosh becoming Warchief is kind of a vehicle for Thrall to move forward.
3:22 Spent all these years running the Horde selflessly, but who is he really?
[Comment From Lukino ]
You are probably right thanks for the response :)!
3:22 No problem, sorry I couldn’t help out more!
[Comment From Barugaara ]
Cataclysm needs more Medan.
3:23 Probably. AFAIK he doesn’t have an in-game model, though, so who knows if they ever will.
3:23 Just because Blizzard isn’t talking much about a character does not mean he/she is one-dimensional. A lot of it is kept behind the scenes.
3:24 Uh-oh a roleplaying question…
3:24 I don’t think they’re busy “arguing” honey…
3:24 i.e. the players.
3:25 This question is about how one might play as a “guard” trying to “break up these arguments” players are having about “stupid things.”
3:25 Metzen seems to think she just needs to suck it up.
3:26 Q: Is Mudcrush Dirtfeet’s storyline ever going to be continued?
3:26 This seems to be a joke question.
3:26 A: Yes. Absolutely. Maybe Metzen could do the voice!
3:27 Q: I just finished reading The Shattering, it says one Wildhammer would be on the Council of Hammers in Cataclysm, but it is instead a different one in the beta.
3:28 A: Metzen actually thought this character was dead. Seems he’s as confused as anyone else.
3:29 I think I missed a question here, but it seemed to be about Outland (i.e. will it ever be given the same streamlining as mainland Azeroth)?
3:29 A: They’ve spent so much time revamping the Old World, that it’s kind of hard to justify trying to fix Outland (and Northrend, for that matter) right now.
3:29 They kind of want to, it’s just not something they can do right now.
3:30 In Wrath of the Lich King, they built about 1000 quests. For Cataclysm, 1-60 and 80-85, 3500 quests.
3:30 Once again, they don’t want these other areas to feel out of sync with current world events, but it would just be a massive undertaking.
3:31 Q: What’s going on with Med’an? (Here you go Baru)
3:31 A: Sarcastic answer seems to indicate the answer.
3:32 They’re still trying to figure out how to leverage the content from the comics.
3:32 And they have been discussing if it will fit in for the next expansion.
3:32 Q: Will Illidan come back as a character somehow and interact with Malfurion’s storyline?
3:33 A: Metzen says it would be badass, but who knows? He enjoys a good redemption story (StarCraft).
3:33 Q: Arthas’ treatment as a character in Wrath?
3:34 A: When he showed up at the right times, it was awesome, but they cartooned him out a bit. Maybe over-exposed.
3:34 When you DO see Deathwing in Cataclysm, he will kill you 99% of the time. :P
3:34 His name’s not “Socialwing.”
3:34 Q: Are we going to get any spoilers or hints soon on what the next Old God might be?
3:35 A: You haven’t seen who signs Deathwing’s paychecks yet!
3:35 This kid also asked for hints on the NEXT expansion, answer was an emphatic NO.
3:36 If you are astute enough, you might hear his name in some parts of Cataclysm.
3:36 Actually his name is NIZZOTH, the Old Guard who sparked off the Emerald Nightmare!
3:36 They just came right out with it (apparently this Old God has other weird stuff going on, too)!
3:37 Q: Are there any plans to take down “good” characters (like Alexstraza)?
3:37 i.e. play the bad guy for once?
3:38 A: She’s the Guardian of Life! But really, as patches develop, the other aspects may have another role to play. Specifically, playing a crucial role in the final fight against Deathwing.
3:39 The Aspects will “play the role they were created to play” for better or worse in terms of their actions and morality. Thrall will also be involved. How will they pull off killing Deathwing?
3:39 Thrall is a SHAMAN now.
3:39 The Earth Aspect is missing. Perhaps this is how Thrall can distinguish himself, down the line, to help the other Aspects pull of the big win.
3:40 Hmmm…. veeeeery interesting.
3:40 I was too enTHRALLED by that last answer to hear this question, but it seems to be “are the events of the Stormrage novel” being referenced broadly in Cataclysm.
3:41 A: There are things in our literature that are hard to pull off and that’s one of them. It is dealt with delicately in Cataclysm, and they won’t hit you over the head with it.
[Comment From Luanmali ]
bad pun is bad. :P
3:42 You should know me by now!
3:42 Q: Another RP question about storytelling… Are there going to be tools implemented in-game to help with role-playing? Or do we have to rely on third-party add-ons?
3:43 A: “Yes.”
3:43 Wouldn’t rule out the possibility, but the implication seems to be that it is not a priority (in my opinion, it shouldn’t be).
3:44 Q: Referencing old RTS lore, with things like the Dragon Soul be implemented/referenced in Cataclysm?
3:44 A: Yes, can’t talk about it, but you might see it soon!
3:44 Hawt goblin cosplayer (complete with accent) asking a question now.
3:44 Q: Will the Goblins ever try to go back to Kezan and will we ever see Undermine?
3:45 A: Yes, we want to go back, but we don’t know when.
3:45 Q: Silver Hand/Argent Crusade got a lot of attention in the last expansion, how extensive is their role going to be in the Plaguelands?
3:46 A: They’re still playing clean-up with the Scourge in those areas. Cenarion Circle is helping cleanse the land. There are no plans for a “dungeon” or something associated with this content.
3:47 Q: Wrath raiding instances seemed to be disparate in terms of story and content. Will Cataclysm raids be more cohesive?
3:47 A: They *were* story threads running throughout Wrath raiding content, but it wasn’t pulled off as masterfully as it should’ve been. Cata will do a better job.
3:48 Anoooooother RP question…
3:48 This one is honestly going in one ear and out the other. Seems to be for Metzen, too. A: “Workin’ on it.”
3:48 Q: What do you plan on doing with Kalecgos and the Blue Dragonflight?
3:49 A: Something amazing. Kalecgos WILL BE THE NEW BLUE ASPECT.
3:49 Q: Is Ner’Zhul finished and what about Bolvar?
3:49 There you go Lukino!
3:50 A: Ner’Zhul is done for. He’s gone.
3:50 As for Bolvar….
3:50 They’re probably not going to build another Northrend expansion anytime soon, if ever. They still seem to be pretty iffy on how to expand his role.
3:51 However, his position does seem to provide fertile soil for story progression, but probably won’t touch on it for some time.
[Comment From Lukino ]
Do you think they are insinuating that Thrall could become the Earth Aspect? Like a dragon?
3:51 I’m not quite sure how that would work, but at the very least, he seems to be able to “fill in” the role of someone who can control that element. As a Shaman.
3:52 Q: What about the WoW Movie?
3:52 A: The story seems to be really good, but Sam Raimi has a lot of projects on his plate right now.
3:52 Raimi plays the game and does so with his kids, but it’s a matter of his prioritization right now.
3:53 Metzen says they are “going to do it right.”
3:53 Q: Tank Legendaries?
3:54 A: When we do a Legendary it covers a role. Unfortunately the Tank role is smaller than the DPS/Healer role in scope.
3:54 It is not out of the question, but it does not seem to be in the pipeline.
3:54 Fanfic Time. Q: Are Thrall and Jaina ever going to get together and have babies?
3:54 Yes, that was a real question.
3:55 A: Metzen says ABSOLUTELY NOT.
3:55 Thrall is going to find a nice “brown girl” in Nagrand have little babies with her. Short answer: HE’S AN ORC.
3:55 Also, “what happens to the guys that Jaina dates?!” Metzen says he’s not going to do that to his boy, Thrall.
3:56 We’re close to wrapping up here.
3:56 Q: Ghostcrawler promised me a moose! Where is it?!
3:56 A: Find him, and ask him yourself!
3:56 Hint: Ghostcrawler is not on this panel.
3:57 Metzen shows his vocal range with a Bullwinkle impression.
3:57 Q: Ragnaros one-shot Majordomo. Is he going to do that to some poor shmuck in Cataclysm?
3:57 A: Do you want him to? (crowd cheers). I guess that’s a maybe…
3:58 Q: Now that Arthas is dead, how can you make any more Death Knights? (strong lore question from a little kid)
3:59 A: Right now, it’s a “lore pocket” stuck in the Wrath timeline. Goblins were all over the place, so that’s an easier justification. Worgen are a bit of a stretch, but possible.
3:59 The science of “bringing dead things back” is not exclusive to the Lich King.
3:59 Aaaaaaand. That appears to be it. Live Raid and StarCraft II Story Panels scheduled next!
4:00 Thanks for coming along on the ride folks!