Patch 4.3 is the hot topic for World of Warcraft players right now as they try to divine what will be in patch 4.3. It comes in two batches, the hopeful and the hopefully depressed. Those who are just curious about what the future may bring and then those who are upset that most of the content in patch 4.2 has already been completed. Let's take a look at what patch 4.3 will have and when we'll start seeing details come in.

Hopeful for the Future

Those of us just concerned with what is coming up next can look forward to another filler patch similar to patch 4.1 that contains a few dungeons and some minor updates to the game since Blizzard is on the “little patch, big patch, little patch” trend. If that’s true we will likely see the War of the Ancients or the Abysmal Maw coming in patch 4.3. That’d make a lot of sense, it’d create a nice buildup until the patch launches sometime around BlizzCon.

Speaking of BlizzCon, we could see an expansion announce this year. That would fit in perfectly with how Cataclysm was launched. We’d see expansion details at BlizzCon, along with details about patch 4.4 which would be the actual fight with Deathwing . Patch 4.4 would hit late this year and then we’d see patch 4.5 containing another filler dungeon (Abysmal Maw or War of the Ancients) to hold us off until WoW: The Emerald Dream or something similar to that.

Firelands has already been completed by many guilds. Maybe an entire patch devoted to ice is next to cool those players down after their fiery campaign?

So it’d make a lot of sense to see War of the Ancients in the upcoming patch. A nice, small raid to hold players off until something meatier comes out. They could even throw in a revamp of Dire Maul for level 85 players or, more hilariously, Upper Blackrock Spire. That’d work very nicely, some 5-man action for casuals and something for the raiders out there.

I’d also bet we’ll see some nice level 1-20 improvements in patch 4.3. With the new endless trial, I have no doubts that Blizzard would be working on improving the experience. Maybe some low level dungeon revamps or some starter zone tweaks.

Now, Blizzard could throw a wrench into my nice and clean thoughts. We haven’t talked old gods at all yet, so Blizzard may throw in some lovely old god action. After the defeat of Deathwing we could see a huge focus on fighting an old god this expansion, but we’re not seeing a ton of buildup yet unless it’s located in the Abysmal Maw. Even then, that might be perfect to lead up into the next expansion. If we’re talking the Emerald Dream or something like that then focusing on the old god that corrupted Deathwing and, even possibly, the high elves into naga then that would make for something awesome.

So there is a lot of possibilities to be excited about in the upcoming patch. What will it contain? We don’t know and probably won’t for a few weeks.

Those Hopeless Few

Of course, some players, like always, are up in arms about how they want content right now and they want Blizzard’s secrets to stop now. That Firelands is complete and the hard modes are almost over and they want to see what’s coming up next to relieve their boredom. There is a whole lot more to their arguments, but I don’t feel it necessary to repeat everything.

Yes, it’s true, without gating content is coming out and being defeated quickly. However, those defeating it quickly are those in the upper echelon (who may also be the vocal majority). So, yes, this patch won’t last forever, but there is plenty of content to work through right now. If everyone is already through with the raid dungeons, the daily quests, and everything else then let’s just hope that we see something about the upcoming patch here soon.

We will see in a few weeks how things work out, but we’ll probably start seeing previews of the new patch within the next month or so. School is starting back up in August and the summer doldrums will be over for the gaming industry, not to mention some major events / game launches happening. It’s just a waiting game and WoW has plenty of things to do during the wait, like, hey PvP!

What are your thoughts? Think the patches need to hit faster or are you still trying to work through everything given to you so far? Leave your comments in the comments section below.