Burning Crusade Content Patches

Ghostz · 09/28/06, 4:46 PM

Has Blizzard said anything about how the content in TBC is going to be released/updated? Judging from the information they've released, it seems that everything up to and including Illidan's Black Temple is scheduled to be included in the initial release. That seems kinda like having Naxx (Kel'Thuzad) in the original release rather than part of a content patch almost two years later.

Also, for those that beta tested WoW back in the day, did any testers actually get to do any part of Molten Core or any other raid zones? I don't remember there being any info on it prior to the whole CQ deal but I may have been out of the loop.

Emeraude · 09/28/06, 4:49 PM

Illidan's model hasn't been leaked yet, so I imagine the Black Temple isn't ready =o

Sanosu · 09/28/06, 4:52 PM

Originally Posted by Ghostz

Also, for those that beta tested WoW back in the day, did any testers actually get to do any part of Molten Core or any other raid zones? I don't remember there being any info on it prior to the whole CQ deal but I may have been out of the loop.

Onyxia was in it, MC was inaccessable. I believe a Korean beta guild killed Onyxia?

Vhex · 09/28/06, 4:55 PM

There was an actual contest...and by contest I mean scam to actually try to get people to test their new content...that involved killing Onyxia or Ragnaros which would garuntee the guild that accomplished the feat would be allowed to reserve their guilds name for release. The contest was released about a month or so prior to release.

At the time it took a small miracle to actually beat the first pull in MC as I recall.

Lowk · 09/28/06, 5:02 PM

This topic is actually one i have been wondering for a while....If wow is only going to be releaseing yearly expansion are we going to have to wait a whole year for something new to do after the rush to complete everything in TBC is finished in 4-5 months?

Zurai · 09/28/06, 5:05 PM

Yeah I don't think anyone even killed Lucifron let alone Onyxia (and forget about Ragnaros of course) in that contest.

• frmorrison · 09/28/06, 5:15 PM

Yah, no one beat any MC bosses or Ony in the beta.

I don't think that TBC will release with everything in it. Blizzard has a huge incentive to release in late Nov/early Dec rather than later, so they will likely have to ship without all 70 content in (which is okay, it will take some time for guilds to be ready for it anyway).

◊ blindworld · 09/28/06, 5:22 PM

I think it's safe to say not everything will be released immediatly.

Going back through these boards to the "Map of Outlands Up" post (http://forums.elitistjerks.com/viewt...hp?id=8455&p=8)... It's post 190 (I wasn't sure how to get the post in the link in addition to the page, so scrolling may be necessary).

Originally Posted by Tigole

Couple of notes to help clarify:

--Karazhan is a 10 person raid
--All of the other "raids" on the Outland map are 25 person (btw, saying 10 "man" is so wrong -- girls raid too you know)
--Most of the content will ship with Burning Crusade -- some will be part of the Live Update schedule
--Gruul's lair is an "Onyxia sized" instance with two encounters in it -- the Ogre King and his council and Gruul. Fast raid.
--Magtheridon is an Onyxia style raid encounter -- meaning, not a lot of trash and a big, phat, loot dropping Pit Lord waiting for your company
--The exterior zones are big. Hellfire Peninsula is the largest zone we've made. There are multiple flight points for horde/alliance within the zone to compensate.
--The exp curve is still being worked on -- the curve will support the content and vice versa
--Players who buy Burning Crusade will have access to Outland on Day 1. Yes, there will be a Dark Portal event. No, it won't be like AQ 40. We're not blocking people from accessing the content
--Tempest Keep will only be accessible via Flying Mount (the Nether energies prevent Ritual of Summoning from working in Netherstorm, oh snap)
--Everything I said above is subject to change -- we're in Alpha now. Beta will be soon. We'll iterate until it's right.

Kasonic · 09/28/06, 5:23 PM

Given the amount of raid content they're shipping with, I bet Blizzard will move laterally. The Outland portals left open by Ner'zhul are a huge resource for expanding Outland, for 5-mans, outdoor areas, BGs, whatever you like. They've still got Azshara Crater in the MPQs if they ever want to release it, too. I definitely think we'll go beyond the Black Temple before the next expansion, but it won't be for some time.

Ghostz · 09/28/06, 5:23 PM

At this point I see it as almost impossible to have a release in 2006. Its already October and the beta hasn't even started. Although I wouldn't be surprised if they released it with some incomplete zones and left them for patches.

The way they went about raid content in the original beta gives me some pretty high hopes about TBC raiding. If they have higher tier instances in the game already its a pretty big motivating factor to get the previous instances on farm status so you can gear up and hit up the next place. I remember back in the 25 man UBRS/Scholo days we went into MC with a small group of people to check it out only to get destroyed, and from then on I always looked forward to getting some decent gear and a putting a decent guild together to go check out MC. Since then its been very linear in terms of new stuff to do since we've been clearing content faster than they've been releasing it.

Edit: Nice, I had missed that post by Tigole. That pretty much answers it.

Darke · 09/28/06, 5:27 PM

They will release this year.

It's pretty much guarantee that we won't see anything beyond most of the 5 mans and maybe a raid zone or two, just like the normal retail release, with staggered releases of subsequent content thereafter.

Z-Factor · 09/28/06, 5:27 PM

well if people can even handle the BT trash when they hit 70 theres a problem. If Nax is tier 3, BT should be at least 6. I mean there are easily 5 25 man instances in outlands (probably more but it's my fresher's week at the moment so can't remember specifics off hand). I expect at launch BT will be fuly installed, but completely untested (hopefully along with the BE Tempest Keep Wing). Expect hellfire, Coilfang and Zul'Aman to be accessible in closed beta though as those are the first new raid instances people will be hitting and if they're cockblocked at launch nobody will be happy.

Emeraude · 09/28/06, 5:53 PM

Originally Posted by Sanosu

Originally Posted by Ghostz

Also, for those that beta tested WoW back in the day, did any testers actually get to do any part of Molten Core or any other raid zones? I don't remember there being any info on it prior to the whole CQ deal but I may have been out of the loop.

Onyxia was in it, MC was inaccessable. I believe a Korean beta guild killed Onyxia?

Heh the Korean guild pulled Onyxia into the hallway so she couldn't take off for phase 2 =o

◊ Eej · 09/28/06, 5:55 PM

Magtheridon's Lair is already in, hell he even has Warders!

Thorb · 09/28/06, 5:56 PM

Honestly do we want them to release them all at the same time? Just think for a minute if BWL/AQ/NAXX had been there at release. Cool you say? These place would have sucked. Badly. Remember how all the items and sucked in MC? And how they learned from that? Or how they learned and did much better encounters in BWL and beyond (even though they were buggy in BWL), etc? With all the changes coming in, the lvl 70 thing, new talents, 25 man raid, I don't think they can really predict the strenght of raids after a few dungeons. They need to let thing settle a bit and then work on the next batch of stuff. There are some things you really can't predict in advance when doing those kind of content imo, you just have to wait for players to finish instance 1 and see how they are doing then work on instance 2 so that it's the natural progression from there.

Steelclad · 09/28/06, 6:31 PM

Originally Posted by Emeraude

Illidan's model hasn't been leaked yet, so I imagine the Black Temple isn't ready =o

Hasn't it though? I could have sworn I saw a demon-form Illidan model recently - he was all black and demony.

Kasonic · 09/28/06, 6:45 PM

The reskinned Dread Lord? That's been in the game for ages, if not from release. And that would really just be the uh...Metamorphosed(?) version of a demon hunter/Illidan.

I hope to god his model is true to his WC3 and art legacy, in all its badass glory. The leaked 'Young Medivh' is close to the original, but not quite there. It's kind of a twisted Uncanny Valley effect, at least to me.

Apate · 09/28/06, 6:52 PM

Originally Posted by Steelclad

Originally Posted by Emeraude

Illidan's model hasn't been leaked yet, so I imagine the Black Temple isn't ready =o

Hasn't it though? I could have sworn I saw a demon-form Illidan model recently - he was all black and demony.

I'm pretty sure that's the model for the demon Atiesh

I wonder if we'll see any Etrigan references in TBC?

Emeraude · 09/28/06, 7:00 PM

Originally Posted by Apate

Originally Posted by Steelclad

Originally Posted by Emeraude

Illidan's model hasn't been leaked yet, so I imagine the Black Temple isn't ready =o

Hasn't it though? I could have sworn I saw a demon-form Illidan model recently - he was all black and demony.

I'm pretty sure that's the model for the demon Atiesh

I wonder if we'll see any Etrigan references in TBC?

That was originally supposed to be Illidan's demon form. I do find it amusing that they decided to just throw it in the game and make it part of that questline hehe.

ayb · 09/28/06, 7:04 PM

Medivh's model looks just like he does in WC3, same shoulders and all. The model for archimonde and shivan are impressive looking. Illidan is just the same black demon thing that's been in the game forever. I explored the black temple the other day in sandbox and it is looking impressive as is magtheridon's lair in hellfire citadel. I was amazed when we loaded it up and saw so much appeared to be finished

Khalikryst · 09/28/06, 7:09 PM

Originally Posted by Apate

Originally Posted by Steelclad

Originally Posted by Emeraude

Illidan's model hasn't been leaked yet, so I imagine the Black Temple isn't ready =o

Hasn't it though? I could have sworn I saw a demon-form Illidan model recently - he was all black and demony.

I'm pretty sure that's the model for the demon Atiesh

I wonder if we'll see any Etrigan references in TBC?

I believe that same model is also used for "The Cleaner"... the new(ish) level 63 elite demon that spawns and 1 shots everyone in range if you try to cheat on the Priest epic quest during the EPL event (if someone heals you during the event for example).

Edit: ah yeah, Alla's has a pic:
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/mob.html?wmob=14503

Shugorei · 09/28/06, 7:10 PM

Originally Posted by Ghostz

At this point I see it as almost impossible to have a release in 2006. Its already October and the beta hasn't even started. Although I wouldn't be surprised if they released it with some incomplete zones and left them for patches.

It's October?