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World of Warcraft expansions typically only get up to three raids - so now that Amir’drassil is here, it’s time to start considering the future. It’s worth noting straight away, that this is all speculation based on in-game quests, potential leaks, and the opinions of others in the WoW community at large. All of it should be taken with just a pinch of salt because there’s no telling what we’ll actually get when the next expansion is announced - likely sometime in 2024.
There are some really interesting teases and hints in the main story of Dragonflight, as well as scattered throughout lore items. While some of this, Blizzard Entertainment and Microsoft have outright denied it - when do we take that with any kind of confidence?
Ion Hazzikostas denied the third Evoker spec, after all. This is all speculation, though, so let’s get started!
Five directions the next World of Warcraft expansion could take
1) Avaloren - where the tales of the Titans are revealed
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Avaloren is probably the most popular opinion out of all the possibilities right now for World of Warcraft. That is, perhaps, due to a Reddit post that allegedly leaked some visuals for the 11.0 expansion. There’s no telling if it’s real, though. Regardless, Avaloren is a continent far away from anywhere we’ve been on the massive planet of Azeroth.
In years long since passed, the Titans apparently made an expedition to Avaloren, or at least, some of their servants. However, the expedition failed, as we found in a letter within the Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr dungeon in World of Warcraft.
Avaloren is a place where people who defied the Titans reportedly live. It is older than the Sundering, the act that shattered Kalimdor into what we see now as the continents of Warcraft’s home planet. We could see an expedition take place in modern times to see more of this place.
2) The Return of Nightsquall
Sure, Mike Ybarra did say “no” to the concept of a pirate expansion, but who listens to the devs and executives on these things? If we found out the next port of call, they wouldn’t admit it anyway. The next expansion could take place on Avaloren, or it could take place right here on Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.
There have been rumors of a world remake for a while now - what better time to take advantage of it than with a new threat similar to Cataclysm? We saw teases of the legendary pirate Nightsquall in a book in northwestern Forbidden Reach.
The Nightsquall was a Night Elf pirate who left the forests behind to become a pirate. Their goal is to unite all the pirates of the world, no matter what banner they fly. A more grounded expansion, fighting a tangible threat instead of something otherworldly, would be quite interesting.
3) The Last Old God
There’s been some talk of going to Khaz Algar, deep underground, in the next World of Warcraft expansion. The notion of going underground and dealing with the Old Gods is something prevalent in the Dragonflight main story. Remember when we went back in time to the days of the Black Empire?
N’Zoth knew our characters, knew our purpose. In addition, Khaz Algar has been referenced in-game as well. There’s a book supposedly in the new Uldaman that refers to Khaz Algar as a home to some titan-forged Earthen who can resist the Curse of Flesh. They would likely be similar to mechagnomes, only dwarves who are part stone.
However, we’ve already dealt with N’Zoth. There’s been talk of a fifth Old God as well. Some think it’s just G’huun, others think it’s Xal’atah, and some even say that the Old God is Azeroth itself, in another timeline. This would definitely be a story filled with madness and intrigue.
4) Time Travel Adventures with Murozond
It’s been reported that the decorations at Blizzcon are going to be similar to the throne of power of the Bronze Dragonflight - The Temporal Conflux. They’ve played a major role in the events of World of Warcraft’s current expansion: Dragonflight. There’s no way that we’ve seen the last of the Infinite Dragonflight.
They still have goals and plans to carry out, and so there’s no certainty that Murzond will never appear. During the Bronze Reconciliation questline in World of Warcraft, Nozdormu (who ultimately becomes Murozond) even admits he agrees with some of the Infinite Dragonflight’s points.
In particular, changing certain events in history should be permissible. Eternus also teaches the Bronze Dragonflight some of the Infinite’s methods after joining forces. So that’s two Bronze Dragons that at least have a link to the Infinite. What could happen in the next expansion?
5) A Titan Civil War?
The Titans aren’t really as “good” as we think they are in World of Warcraft. I could easily see an expansion where one or two of the more powerful ones are revealed to have sinister intentions. For example, Tyr. We always see Tyr depicted as just and good. But they were behind the plot to infuse Primal Dragon Eggs with Order magic.
Then there’s Odyn, who mistreated the Storm Drakes in Stormheim. We see them as allies and as powerful forces for good, but that doesn’t mean that they necessarily are. There’s also a lore book in-game that shows the Titans aren’t always united.
Some of the Titans in World of Warcraft want “order” no matter the cost. If it means they have to control and dominate the minds of men to do it, then so be it. Not everyone agrees, though. This could be a very compelling story, whether on a new land or in a reshaped Azeroth.
These are just ideas that we’ve seen around the internet for a potential 11.0 expansion in World of Warcraft. There’s really no telling where we’ll go as players. Maybe to another planet again or an alternate timeline. Perhaps something simpler. Either way, the world after Dragonflight should be interesting.
