With Blizzcon looming, forums all over the place are speculating the announcement of the next World of Warcraft Expansion. Personally, I love this time of year, as I eagerly await new content. As soon as the expansion is announced, I will begin my preparations for its release.

Now, obviously rumors are abound that the next chapter in the WoW story will revolve around the Maelstrom and Undermine, or possible the Emerald Dream. That’s about all I’ve heard, and honestly any or all would be fine like me.

Here is my list of what I would like to see in the next expansion:

• Level 80 – 100 Yeah, I know it’s 20 levels as opposed to 10, but I would love the extra time spent leveling. I enjoy it! I believe too much focus is on raiding, and people scramble to max level to get their epic loots. I’d like a change of pace, and the ability to enjoy the enironment and story lines.
• New Race: Goblins
• Faction: Neutral, can ally with both Horde and Alliance, and travel to any and all cities. (Watch out WoW economy!)
• Restrictions: One Goblin character per account.
• Classes: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Warlock, Hunter, Shaman – Here I give them what I would consider traditional Goblin classes, with the exception of Shaman, which I include to give them a healnig class.
• Hero Class: None. New Race with cross-faction abilities takes its place.
• Tiered Profession Gear/Items - Most epics craftable at high levels are mostly intro gear for raiding at their current states. Assuming a 75 skill increase per 10 levels, level 100 would be 600 max profession skill level. At 600, first tier of gear (a limited selection, 4 to 6 items) is obtainable. For a large sum of gold, say 15,000g or 20,000g, the next tier of craftable gear (stronger than the first tier) opens up to a player, giving 4 or 5 new craftable options, with double the mats (or new, additional mats) than the previous tier. This enables players a bit more flexibility to continue crafting BoE gear without requiring to rely solely on raids/pvp.
• Max level (80, 90, or 100) heroic old world dungeons. Ideal group size: 1-3 players. Mobs either non-elite, or soloable elite content. Rewards from bosses are vanity items, such as mounts, tabards, shirts, pets, lvl 1 cosmetic gear, etc. from 100% drops to 1% drops. This allows for old world levels to be revisited, with a wide range of rewards available, giving a fun addition to many solo PvE players, as well as a huge boost to the RP crowd. Many of the vanilla WoW dungeons are classic, and I for one would love an excuse to get back into them.
• End game boss: Sargeras would be my default boss, being implemented in the last or second to last patch of the expansion.
• New raid encounter addition: Instead of solely relying on defeating a boss for loot, encounters are created (with or without a boss involved) that the raid group is meant to survive for the duration of the battle. So long as one person is left standing at the end, loot is awarded via a loot chest. An example literally just thought of would be a 10/25 man raid entering a field of battle where there are 5 lieutenants and an army of 150 elite mobs. The raid must find a way to defeat the entire oppsing force before a 10 minute time period, else the mission fails. The mechanics would be as such that so much would be going on that it wouldn’t be a one or two tank encounter. Every dps would be on their own targets or assisting others. Healers would be spread thin, healing across a broader spectrum, forced to keep as many alive as possible, with expectations of a few falling. Staying in a group would be critical, though the enemy would try to divide the raid in some way or form.
• New Profession: Stable Master - A new type of profession that does not skill up in the traditional way. Beginner obtainable at level 15, skill up to 25. Expert to 50, Artisan to 75, and Master 100 -125. May raise mounts, 5 at a time, for a duration of 7 days or 14 days. Mats required are a baby horse, bear, raptor, etc., harness and reigns. Skinning would be the partner profession. Non-trainer acquired Mount Raising Intrusctions could be looted off beasts and/or pet-partnered mobs. Vanity pets also could be raised.

Smaller Changes:

• Bind on Account Mounts, non-class/reputation specific – The ability to transfer mounts between characters. Traveler’s Tundra Mammoth explodes into my mind, as that 20,000g gold sink sits useless on my alt Rogue. Raptor and Tiger mounts from ZG also would be nice, amongst the many others found in dungeons or purchased for mass amounts of gold.
• Experience Flasks – Made at max Alchemy level, gives +20% xp increase for one hour, stackable with BoA experience gaining gear. Materials would be quite extensive, but not unattainable.
• Gear Storage – A new facility has been erected in each of the major cities allowing players to store additional gear/weapons. Initial storage with 20 slots purchasable for 500g. Each additional 20 slots purchaseable for 500g, with a maximum of 5, for a total of 100 slots. This allows for us to store all our BoP gear we love and can’t stand to vendor due to lack of bank space. Only gear/weapons may be stored in these facilities.
• [Druid] Boomkin form, new, more slender skins. They just bother me, not menaging enough, I’d change them completely
• Gnomes – New class: Priest
• Tauren – New class: Priest
• If I really had my way…Gnomes – New class: Paladin
• 2 new zones, level 80+ and 90+, in Azeroth (using the empty lands still available).

I’m sure I could go on, but that’s my immediate list. If only I had the power…

Khor