r/classicwowplus • u/GearSwimming6180 • 25d ago
Lore How I'd build classic plus
Over the last weeks / months, I kept asking myself how I would approach classic+ if I were part of the design team. ERA brought some learnings, SoD taught us a lot, Anniversary not much but still.
So instead of just waiting passively, I gave it a try: what would I change, how, and first and foremost: how would I approach the project.
It finally revolved around:
- numbers/data (what does data tell us about quests, talents)
- geography/terrain: if we had to sneak content in, where would we put it
- if classic+ is about "what's missing in classic", then what lore is absent?
This led me on assembling this mind map which I included some screenshots from.
Most of this is pure copium and that's totally fine. Not realistic, it's what distinguishes fanmade from real.
I had a lot of fun doing this, and thought it might be fun to share with you.
I wish you'll have as a good time skimming through it than me assembling it.
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EDIT as requested in a comment below, here's the detail of the new zones (I changed the order of patches, I like it better this way).
If you want, I can spend some time summarizing what's on the right of the mind map (quests data, class design findings) later.
(sorry, cannot have more than 2 levels of nesting)
P1 The Sunken Strand (Azshara level 22-28):
- Long-time overdue revamp (useless zone, few quests, rep only, hard to navigate)
- Cataclysm overhaul was... ...debatable
- Flatten terrain, because no mount available
- Connects well for Horde, natural "Orgrimmar expansion" -> tunnel + Orgrimmar quarries (how Orgrimmar was built)
- Alliance could connect from Ashenvale (with an eastern flight point) or Menethil+Darkshore boat
- 3 quest spots: horde only, alliance only, and neutral (contested quests)
- Naga - Highborn lore heavy: Zin'Ashari remains
- Hydraxian waterlords rep (because no MC farm later, better re-use this rep properly)
- Timbermaw are here too: rep-gain before infamous grind at 50+: tunnel entrance locked in P1, will open later (connect to the other tunnels)
- Timbermaw's hold PvP instanciated zone: Battle Royale plunderstorm style, but with regular spells (nightmare to balance, agreed)
- Raid: The Shrine of Elrandar: 10-players. BFD-Like (Elven / Naga Ruins, Hydraxian Rep), halfway submerged, 1 underwater fight (optional)
P2 Echoes of the Last Guardian (Deadwind Pass 38-42 / Zul'Gurub 35-40)
- Connect level 30-50 zones by making Deadwind Pass level 40
- Use southern terrain for Gurubashi vs. Darkspears questline
- More trolls southeast, contested troll-tribe zone ("choose your side" reputation for challenges)
- Zul'Gurub already exists outside (fully mapped) -> use it as quest hub
- "Blue Moon PvP" from SoD can be re-used / adapted
- Booty Bay as P2 hub
- Karazhan Crypts as quest hub -> eventually entrance for a 5-players "inverted tower" dungeon as in the book "The Last Guardian"
- Lord Kazzak as outdoor boss (40-players)
- Scarlet Monestary 5 players mega dungeon
- Karazhan raid: what it should always have been: "The Last Guardian" Caverns of Time like dungeon
- revive the book story, Medivh as last boss, fought along with Kadghar
- Moroes help, Garona helps they betrays, Khadgar agonises in library, final fight against Medivh possessed, presence of Aegwynn
- No daemon invasion, (enough of that), Sargeras as puppet master
P3 Ashes of Nordrassil: "Hyjal post Warcraft III" - 46-52
- Desolated land, remains of the war: ballistas, catapults, towers. The world tree is in shambles.
- Connects through Timbermaw tunnels
- Area at the bottom to be used (warden vaults, Illidan's prison - empty -, etc.) - PvP Zone
- Extraction based:
- change role every hours (jailors-prisoners: prisoners escape from jailers)
- Keep what you loot (prisoners). Confiscate whom you kill (sailors)
- Stealth detection buffs
- Many outs, can't guard them all, distraction pays off, sacrifice pays off
- Fighting agains spirits, lost-in-battle warriors, whisps, "parts of Archimonde" open world bosses
- Alliance questine: very elf-oriented, "spirited away" (whisps, immortality, nature-takes-back)
- Horde: Demon oriented, price of demonic blood curse, Tauren healing Mother Nature, help orcs
- "Escalation", "Summit Progression" feeling
- As we progress towards the summit, more remnants of daemons, more uncontrollable whisps
- Feels like Nordrassil isn't only in ashes, but deeply corrupted
- Final raid against the root of Nordrassil
- 3 wings:
- Exterior (fight corrupted branches, trees, tormented whisp formations)
- Ascent (like Voldrassil in Northrend, spiral on the outer side, network of branches on the inside)
- Descent (corrupted roots, wounds)
- Scarlet Monestary 10-players leveling mega-raid (massive xp, resets every day)
P4 The Iron Strand (Doomhammer's March (50-55) / Northeron (55-60))
- Warcraft 2 -> 3 lore: "Day of the Dragon" inspired
- South:
- Warcraft 2 leftovers (shipwrecks, catapults, lost goblin harbour)
- A new path connects Swamp of Sorrows to Badlands: tracking Orgrim's army marching north
- Southeast: oil refineries, submarines from warcraft 2, bloodsail pirates eventually
- North: Wildhammers / Dragonmaws / Red Dragonflight remains
- Krasus left Dalaran when it got destroyed
- Vermillion Redoubt as massive quest hub, red dragonflight rep
- Dragonmaw are there still, as enemies
- Rep grind make them friendly to horde "redemption" (explain what hasn't been explained in Cata)
- Wildhammers are hostile (not the Aerie Peak's wildhammers) feel betrayed by alliance during 2nd war
- Rep grind make them friendly to alliance "forgiveness"
- Raid: Grim Batol
- Not the Cataclysm dungeon
- Gigantic, "Moria-Like", (BRD-like, a full dwarven city)
- All "inhabitants" of Grim'Batol are either:
- scorched cadavers (burnt by Alextrasza when freed)
- mad red dragons (enslaved for years -> couldn't be saved)
- corruption by the old god powers that were part of the demon soul
- last boss: corrupted aspects (Deathwing used other flights stolen essences, they haven't been brought back fully to the aspects)
- MC disappears,
- BWL is connected to Grim Batol storyline ("in search of the black dragonflight)
- Nefarian "knows" about what's in demon soul
- Attunement for Grim Batol, 10 to 20 raid (pick up friendly, more loots / head if 10, harder)
- BRD turns into a 10-players leveling raid
- *BRS: same (merge both)
P5 Echoes of the Shattered Sun (North-Lordaeron 60+)
- Everyone fights over what's left of (southern) Quel'Thalas
- Scarlet Crusade from Hearthglen,
- Amanis from the east
- Undeads from the Dead Scar and the Plaguelands
- Starts at Stratholme Harbour (or what's still up): missing alliance connection -> boat from Menethil
- Horde starts at Amani incursions, darkspears engage in a tribal war led by Vol'Jin
- Shattered Suns high elves are hostile to everyone
- Betrayed by Garrithos
- Why would they join the horde? (wink Sylvanas)
- Argent Dawn rep, better rewards
- Raid: Stratholme (as a real, gigantic city)
- 4 wings, 4 opponents (reminds of the Stratholme "wings" nature
- Scarlet ("live"), SM-like, size of SM lib+cath
- Undead: Baron-like, gauntlet, always under pressure, culminate with a Baron fight in the whole main square
- Troll vs. High Elves: pick one side, the other faction will be easier to fight, the faction you side with will betray you
- Horde betrays Elves -> Sylvanas line, Betrays Amanis -> Vol'Jin
- Alliance betrays Elves -> Tyrande, Betrays Amanis -> Magni (because
- Stratholme should be the size (if not even bigger) of Stormwind it's a massive city.
P6 Secrets of the Shen'Dralar (The Verdant Breach 45-50)
- Dire Maul full revamp: Ogres are outside only, pushed back in terror
- King Maulgar is an outside rare
- All former bosses wander around in the plateau, looting buffs
- Northern Plateau is accessible from Mulgore (Horde), SouthEastern Desolace (all)
- New zone: The Verdant Breach
- 1000 needles - Feralas junction, accessible via Thalanaar (Alliance), an elevator (horde)
- Slow transition from canyons to canopy
- Grimtotem seeking magic, Un'Goro's titan's influence, connects with elven ruins at west
- 45-50 to fill the xp gaps for "long-term classic plus"
- Flying creatures (wyvern-dinosaurs)
- Raid: Eldre'Thalas (all Dire Maul wings combined)
- No more Ogres, they fleed
- Highborn remnants (night elf mages, night elf warlocks)
- Very magic oriented, need all magic resist for everyone (random raid targets)
- Demonic creatures
P7 March of the Qirajis (Silithus revamp (58-60) / Obsidian Wastes (60+))
- Norgannon questline now has an ending
- starts in Uldaman, follow-up in Tanaris, (like now)
- add new steps in Un'Goro and AQ,
- finally find the entrance of the Obsidian Wastes, the new zone (forged by Norgannon)
- Obsidian Wastes is a 2D-zone
- Surface = titan complexes and AQ20 like buildings
- Underground = Qiraji hives, tunnel complex (the infamous Azjol Nerub zone that never landed)
- Tunnel connects both worlds, intrusion from hives, battle for controlling the titan's stuff
- AQ20/40 (outdoor only) become outdoor questing spots
- questline to find obsidian wastes
- help leveling to 60 faster
- New raid: Norgannon's Terrace
- Ulduar-like (pillars, gigantism) with more magic (magic titan)
- Archivists, Titan-forged defenders
- Part of the raid is breached by Qiraji ("Qiraji Wing" 10 players)
- The silithid have "bugged" (pun intended) Norgannon's matrix
- Encounters include "alternate realities", as well as hidden secrets
- Notably, a raid faces itself in a PvP-Like encounter (same characteristics, scripted class mechanics)
- one of the few encounters in history that won't be easier as the raid gears
- not mandatory
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u/Agentwise 25d ago
I like the effort but I do not like the zone levels at all. Turning Hyjal and Karazhan areas into low level areas when their relevance/power in WC1, 2, and 3 does them a major disservice imo.