Everything You Should Know About Season of Discovery and WoW Classic in the Future

INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone and welcome to another InstantCarry blog post. Season of Discovery Phase 4 is officially here and we are already talking about what’s in store for the future. WoW Classic content creatorEbonhardt recently published an insightful interview with Senior Game Producer Josh Greenfield and Assistant Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones on the Season of Discovery. The developers shared key decisions behind Phase 4, future phases, and what comes after the Season of Discovery.

In this post we will highlight all the necessary information so it’s easier for you to catch up and stay up to date with what is going on and what awaits us in the future. At the end of this post we will be leaving you with the actual Video of the Interview if you wish to listen to it!

There are many interesting things to note, so without further ado, lets get into it!

Highlights from Ebonhardt’s Interview on Season of Discovery

Focus on Fire Resistance

The developers aimed to evoke the nostalgic feeling of tackling Molten Core as it was in 2005, emphasizing the importance of fire resistance.

New Molten Core Boss

This marks the beginning of more collaboration between Blizzard’s internal teams. This boss concretely aimed to enhance the Hydraxian Waterlords faction’s role in Molten Core.

Rethinking World PvP

The team acknowledged the need to rethink and improve world PvP experiences.

Tarnished Undermine Real

This currency could continue to be used throughout the Season of Discovery, but Tier 1 gear will not be available for purchase with it in later phases.

Character Continuation

Characters are unlikely to end up on Era servers post-Season, but there will be ways to continue playing them after the Season concludes.

Phase Duration

New phases won’t occur every month but also won’t take as long as 3-6 months between them.

Larger-Than-Life Encounter

The Season of Discovery is building towards a significant, larger-than-life encounter.

How Developers Decide on New Content

Goals

The main objectives are to add to the world and enrich the leveling experience, using the Season of Discovery as a test bed to see what works within the Vanilla framework.

Demonfall Canyon

Originally created as an instanced version for a Priest rune quest, it was expanded into a full dungeon due to its potential.

The 11th Boss – Molten Core

The goal was to preserve the original Molten Core experience while introducing new mechanics. The team wanted to maintain familiarity while adding new challenges.

New Bosses in Future Raids

New bosses may be added to later raids if it fits the context, ensuring each raid tier is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This was mostly pulled out of context for AQ, Naxx and future SoD Raids.

Encounter Design

The team is working on ensuring more players can experience diverse content, building towards a significant encounter that ties into current and future phases.

Season of Discovery Phase Length

Future raid tiers are expected to last a few months each, longer than four weeks but less than three months. The team aims to avoid rushing content, allowing players to enjoy the game fully.

Characters After Season of Discovery Ends

There are numerous Season-specific items, making a transition to Era Realms unlikely. The developers want players to enjoy their characters even after the Season ends, though no specific plans have been disclosed yet.

Heat Levels and Hardcore in Classic

The team introduced different difficulty levels to cater to various player goals. Heat 1 is designed for casual players, while Heat 3 presents a significant challenge, requiring players to progress through the ranks. Resistance mechanics are being experimented with to enhance player progression.

Blackrock Eruption and Future PvP Events

The team is rethinking what makes good world PvP, aiming to provide players with more tools for spontaneous outdoor PvP events.

How Incursions Changed Season of Discovery

The team aimed for repeatable quests with an old-school vibe but missed the mark. They adjusted the Blackrock Eruption event based on feedback related to Nightmare Incursions.

Tarnished Undermine Real and Future Currencies

Tarnished Undermine Real will continue to be relevant in future phases, though it won’t be used to purchase Tier gear. The currency aims to keep endgame dungeons significant.

Classic+, New Seasons, and New Content

Players are encouraged to revisit the BlizzCon announcement for hints on upcoming content. The team is receiving support from other departments and will continue to inject creativity into future raids, as demonstrated by the rapid development of Demonfall Canyon.

It was also hinted that Karazhan and Scarlet Monastery might be used for new Raids/Dungeons in the following Season of Discovery Phases.

FAQ’s

1. What is the focus of the Season of Discovery in WoW Classic?

• The Season of Discovery emphasizes evoking the nostalgic experience of playing WoW in 2005, particularly focusing on the importance of fire resistance in Molten Core.

2. Who are the key developers behind the Season of Discovery?

• Senior Game Producer Josh Greenfield and Assistant Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones are key developers working on the Season of Discovery.

3. Will there be new bosses in future raids?

• Yes, new bosses may be added to later raids if it fits contextually. Each raid tier is evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the addition of new content.

4. How long will each phase of the Season of Discovery last?

• Each phase is expected to last a few months, longer than four weeks but less than three months, ensuring players have ample time to enjoy the content without feeling rushed.

5. What happens to my character after the Season of Discovery ends?

• Characters will not be moved to Era servers. The developers intend to allow players to continue enjoying their characters even after the Season ends, though specific details are yet to be disclosed.

6. What are Heat Levels in the Season of Discovery?

• Heat Levels are difficulty settings in Molten Core: Sweltering (easy), Blistering (normal), and Molten (hard). Each level increases difficulty, requiring more preparation and fire resistance.

7. Will there be new PvP events in the future?

• The team is rethinking world PvP to provide players with more tools for spontaneous outdoor PvP events, though they do not plan to add PvP events in high PvE areas.

8. What is the Tarnished Undermine Real currency?

• Tarnished Undermine Real is a currency introduced to keep endgame dungeons relevant. It will not be used to purchase Tier gear but will continue to be significant in future phases.

9. How did the team decide on new content for the Season of Discovery?

• The goals were to add to the world and enrich the leveling experience, using the Season of Discovery as a test bed to see what works within the Vanilla framework.

10. Will there be accelerated or normal phase lengths?

• Future raid tiers are planned to last a few months each, avoiding the 4-6 month cadence of the 2019 schedule. The team aims to provide enough content without rushing.

11. What is the significance of the new Molten Core boss?

• The new boss in Molten Core represents increased collaboration between Blizzard’s internal teams and aims to enhance the role of the Hydraxian Waterlords faction.

12. How will resistances work in the Season of Discovery?

• The team is experimenting with resistance mechanics to see if they enhance player progression. Fire resistance is particularly crucial in higher Heat Levels of Molten Core.

13. Are there plans for Classic+ or new seasons?

• The team teased that players should revisit the BlizzCon announcement for hints on upcoming content. They are receiving support from other departments and will continue to inject creativity into future raids.

14. What is the Blackrock Eruption event?

• Blackrock Eruption is a PvE event that the team adjusted based on feedback from previous events. They aim to provide balanced PvP experiences without placing events in high PvE areas.

15. What happens to specific items after the Season ends?

• Specific Season of Discovery items will not transition to WoW Classic Era Realms. The developers want players to enjoy these items fully during the Season and will provide ways to continue playing even after it ends.

CONCLUSION

The various information that was given will prove to be useful in order to determine the future of WoW Classic and show more signs of where Classic+ might be in all of this. Various changes and balance issues across different versions of World of Warcraft are definitely something that will prove to be challenging and as was said in the interview many of the things that are being done to Season of Discovery are simply there to lay the ground-works for other things.

Essentially SoD is serving as a testing ground for WoW Classic overall, and even though it might be hard to balance everything out, it still is a fun experience.

With that we will conclude this post. Feel free to bookmark our InstantCarry blog, and we’ll do our best to bring you News, Updates and latest Information about our favorite games!

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Thank you again for taking the time to read our posts and we will keep them coming. If you are interested in hearing how the interview went, we will leave the video below.

Have a great day, and stay safe!

Developer Interview Reveals the Future of Season of Discovery and Classic+ (Video)

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