Blaugust the Sixth: Trumpet of the Elephant

So the big news today is, of course, Blizzard's announcement of the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion: Legion. Even though I have not played WoW with any kind of regularity since 2012, I am going talk about it now because of course I am. Mind you, I am writing this without having actually seen any information besides what trickled out on Twitter during the presentation. I will undoubtedly take a better look when I am not at work. Right after I delve into the details on Fallen Empire.

What is this, the Wrath of Illidan?
Didn't we collectively beat the crap of this guy at the end of The Burning Crusade? (Yes, we did.) I guess they figured if they could go back to the well for Warlords, they may as well dig not so deep again. I don't know, maybe they can make it feel fresh again. Everyone was really excited about the chance to see Draenor in its pristine glory before the planet broke into pieces, and I am not familiar enough with the Lore to know whether the Broken Isles are new territory or a rehash of something else.

And how about those Demon Hunters?
I thought Illidan didn't get his horns until he'd become an actual demon himself. I am curious to know if they're "bad guys" like the Death Knights, converting back to their former factions (Nelfs and Belfs!) once they realize they've been duped or something. One side benefit (if they haven't changed it already) is that now the Warlock's demon form could be female if the Warlock is female. Can they do that still?

Might we get some romance in the story?
The most interesting thing to me is that we will find out happened to Alleria Windrunner and her beloved Turalyon. Alliance players met their son on the Hellfire Peninsula, but they've been missing for years. I'm a sucker for love stories. But that's not enough to bring me back.

Rowan the Realist
Now take all this with a grain of salt. If Legion excites you into playing again or continuing because you never stopped, have at it. I think it's awesome that you can still play the game you love. I have fond memories of WoW, too. But I think what Belghast said on TGENerates Episode 3, is true: Wow is in decline and has been for a long time. Fewer and fewer dungeons, raids, and bosses have been included with each succeeding release, replaced by dailies and other repeatable grinds. Garrisons were an interesting new mechanic (almost got me back). But mechanics are not content, which is what themepark players crave. The things that excite people at the launch of a new expansion become albatrosses, and then reasons that they stop subbing.

And those numbers fall farther, faster, with each new iteration. The earnings call on Tuesday posted official subscriptions at 5.6 million, the same level as December 2005—just a year after launch and more than a year before the first expansion was released. Still better than just about every other MMORPG out there—and many combined—but nowhere near WoW's peak of 12 million subscribers. With Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone going strong, Blizzard isn't going anywhere. But the World of Warcraft is winding down, even if it's nowhere near the waste heap of history.

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If you're interested in joining the madness (Vloggers are welcome, too!), Belghast has a set of rules for qualifying for any prizes at the end. Your second stop should be the Blaugust Nook, where Bel is keeping track of everything and community members are sharing encouragement and ideas.
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