Kalliope wrote:4.3 is the last major patch of Cataclysm, or so it seems, what with Deathwing and all. How far off can the next expansion really be?
I was kind of hoping that Blizz would take more time with Cataclysm. Everything seems to be shoehorned in quite quickly, to the extent that I feel rushed. I can't play everyday and it takes a while for me to gear up even my main, never mind my alts. It seems by the time I'm actually ready to *see* a raid, the next one is out and my hard-won gear is now outdated. PUGs for older raids happen once in a blue moon as well.
Plus, the theme of the last two expansions were wrapping up plot points from Warcraft III -- Kael and Illidan's storylines, and the rise of the Lich King. In Cataclysm, I have gotten the feeling that Blizzard was rather lost when it came to lore. Cataclysm was basically an excuse to revamp the old world, to both allow flying mounts in old Azeroth, and to redo older content, with a flair of creativity. I give it that, but additional content after 4.0 just seems to be filler, having little to nothing to do with any overall plot lines. What has happened after the Zalandari tried to reinforce the Amani and Gurubashi? There was no furthering of that plot, no raid Zalandar Isle, nothing to tie that storyline into the rest of Cataclysm. It just died. After the insane amount of time it takes to unlock Molten Front content and the Firelands Raid, now what? How does that tie into Deathwing's and the Twilight Cult's story, if at all? Why is Deathwing's raid the last one of the expansion? Why not the old God that was controlling him in the first place? After all, the Black Temple was not the last raid of the Burning Crusade -- the Sunwell Plateau was, and that was an important part of lore, the true end to the Burning Crusade's storyline. Cataclysm in contrast feels rushed and disconnected.
Blizzard has always put gameplay before plot, and that has worked for them. However, I believe they are making things unenjoyable by recycling old content that has little to do with whatever plot points they're supposedly working on. The Firelands is basically just the Molten Core made bigger and flashier. Fighting Ragnaros is nothing really new, and has little to do with the threat Deathwing poses. The Burning Crusade was all about countering Illidan, his followers, and ultimately, the Burning Legion. Wrath of the Lich King was concerned about stopping the Lich King and the Scourge once and for all. In both the previous expansions, there was an overall, uniting storyline. Nothing released in TBC deviated from that. Yes, there was recycled content in WoTLK, but Naxx was tied from the beginning to the Lich King's story, and the new lvl 80 Onyxia raid was just a minor diversion/extra loot pinata. In Cataclysm, however, the Zuls seemed quite important, but the story of the desparation of the Trolls was never, ever touched upon outside the dungeons themselves and a few related quests. The Firelands content is restricted to Mt. Hyjal, with no overall importance to the rest of Azeroth, and even if it doesn't directly recycle the Molten Core, it recycles the concept (mixed with TBC's Mt. Hyjal raid). Some things they have changed lorewise outside of dungeons/raids have been either ignored after 4.1, where they should have been expanded upon (more about Uldum, or the Abyssmal Maw, would be welcome additions), or where they should not have gone down that road at all, like replacing the Horde's popular leader with a blowhard tyrant, so that said former leader can go off and play hippy/get all Harlequin Romance with a Mary Sue.
Also, what has been said at all about the Goblins or Worgen outside their starting areas? One of the starting area quests had an Faceless One say he remembered when the Goblin race was created -- why hasn't that been explained in more detail, perhaps in a Vashj'ir questline involving Gilgobins? What, if anything, will the Worgen do about establishing a new home? Compared to TBC's constant expansion upon the stories of the Blood Elves and Draenei in Outland, or WotLK keeping Death Knights in the spotlight through the Ebon Blade's quest hubs, Cataclysm seems quite bare in its treatment of the new playable races.
Anyway, the point I'm making is that Blizzard seems to be taking things much too fast, releasing recycled dungeon content and ideas that seem disconnected from the overall present plot, and ignoring plot holes that people might actually be interested in. I think this rushness is contributing to the unsatifaction with the game that many players seem to be feeling. The only good thing I can see about announcing a new expansion so soon, with so many things left unresolved in the present one, is that I won't have to wait long for my work's midnight opening party.
Got some that are easier than others.