With BlizzCon 2010 less than a week away it’s time to look at what we believe is going to happen and organize some expectations. We all know that with World of Warcraft: Cataclysm’s release just around the corner that the focus is likely to be heavy on it.  So I am going to start off by talking about what is likely to be shown in regards to WoW.

World of Warcraft

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The event of the year for Blizzard fans

A lot of the schedule at BlizzCon focuses on World of Warcraft, and rightfully so.  Having just announced the fact that they have 12 million active subscribers, it’s best to keep those customers happy and talk a lot about your main cash earning product. 

There are a bunch of things that we know about already due to the Cataclysm beta, however, we should expect Blizzard to very publicly talk about these items again so that everyone knows about them.

  • More information about class balancing for solo, raid, and PvP content
  • More info on stat and gear changes
  • More info on zone, dungeon, raid, and battleground design.

In addition to everything that we know from the beta, I firmly expect Blizzard to talk a lot about some of their plans for Cataclysm in the first few patches after release.  I expect talks on the dungeon and raids, and class panels to give more information on topics such as:

  • Plans for the next tiers of raiding on Cataclysm
  • Itemization plans throughout the expansion
  • Class, profession, and UI tweaks being looked at

Other Blizzard Games

Now that we are done with WoW, remember that Blizzard has three other games that are in development that we know about: Diablo III, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and a new MMOG which no one knows anything about other than it is in the works.

Starting with StarCraft II, I really expect a SC2 expansion preview. With at least one of the SC2 expansions likely coming out in 2011 I expect we will see a preview of the next expansion at the event. This expansion has been titled Heart of the Swarm and is said to focus on the Zerg. This was pre-SC2 release though and knowing how the storyline in SC2 has unfolded anything could happen.

Next up is Diablo III. As this is getting further and further into development, I feel we will see a lot more in-depth game information announced at BlizzCon 2010, the final class, and potentially even a beta start date.  I do NOT foresee an announced release date, as that just isn’t Blizzards style.  It would be great, but not likely, so don’t hold your breath.

Live PvP Events

There are many tournaments running throughout the weekend at BlizzCon 2010.  These events turn gamers into almost rock stars as they compete for prestige and cash!  While I can not predict who will win each of the events, I can predict that the fights in all categories will be tense and exciting.  For me, a confirmed PVP hater in game, I find these events amazing and very much like sporting events.  While I don’t like playing PVP, I can easily spend the whole weekend watching these skilled combatants struggle to try and attain victory over their opponents. For anyone who hasn’t watched these events before, you really should try to run in on the webcast – Virtual Ticket.

Things Likely to Happen

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By attending either in person or virtually you get this cute ingame pet

Some surprises!  Several times in the past one schedule has been published (http://us.blizzard.com/blizzcon/events/schedule.xml) and then Blizzard pulls some huge surprise out of their… hat (bet you thought I was going to say some something else, didn’t you) and the schedule supplied to everyone is completely useless as it changes to cover the hot new topic just announced.  I’m hoping that the announcement is as follows…

Things we can hope for

…A glimpse at the new MMOG title that Blizzard has admitted to working on for a while now.  Everyone knows something is coming, so it would just be nice to see a little bit of what that will be.  I know it's not likely, but it sure would be nice.  While World of Warcraft still rocks and Cataclysm makes the game better than ever, it is still a 6 year old game.  6 years old in the game community is like 70, and while Blizzard’s games last longer and age better than almost anyone else’s, it’s still an old game already.  Come on Blizzard, show us the future.

Things that won't happen

Many players were excited that by this year’s BlizzCon we would be already in Cataclysm and get a glimpse of what's next.  We'll I’m here as the constant pessimist, and in this case realist, to say, forget about it.  With Cataclysm not due to be released until roughly a month after the event, they will not want to draw the WoW focus from the next expansion until further down the road.

Another thing that will not happen is the announcement of Warcraft 4. Sigh, while I would live if it was, with SC2 just being released and 2 expansions already planned for it, with Diablo III's release date still looming, WoW: Cataclysm on the way, and a new MMOG in the works, a new episode in the Warcraft RTS series seems extremely unlikely.

Things that will happen for those lucky enough to be at the Event

If you are lucky enough to be in attendance at the event there are a few things that are likely to the point of certitude, not all of them a good thing, but expectations none the less...

  • Lineups will be insane so get there early!
  • Any hot girl in a skimpy costume will be harassed non-stop by guys still living in mom's basement
  • There will be normal people there!  You may even be one of them.  BlizzCon is an event that has a wide audience, so everyone fits in.
  • Lastly, Tenacious D will rock the house down at the end of the event! Even though they are a comedy-rock band they are amazing and well worth the price of admission all on their own!

Overall

In the end though no matter what is or is not announced at BlizzCon, one thing is certain, the show will be amazing for all those in attendance.  I have said it before and I will say it again, BlizzCon is amazing.  For anyone who has not been, what are you waiting for?  The event successfully merges nearly every culture, personality type, age group, and demographic into one place and time, and somehow just works because of all of our love of Blizzard games.  For anyone who has not experienced it, you really should try to get to one at some point in your life.


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Byron has been playing and writing about World of Warcraft for the past ten years. He also plays pretty much ever other Blizzard game, currently focusing on Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone, while still finding time to jump into Diablo III with his son.

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