Blizzard hints at returning locations in WoW Forever

Blizzard Entertainment has suggested that players may revisit familiar areas from past expansions in World of Warcraft Forever, a new version of the popular MMO. This would happen through content updates after the game's official launch on November 4.

Focus on original continents

World of Warcraft Forever will center on the original two continents, the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. However, future updates could introduce content from other regions, though not in the same way as previous expansions.

Future content ideas

Kris Zierhut, lead designer at Blizzard, mentioned that the studio is exploring new content ideas without expanding into new areas like space. This includes small excursions to regions such as the Dark Portal, Northrend, and Pandaria, but only for short missions like dungeons or quests.

Limitations on expansion content

Zierhut emphasized that the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor will remain the main focus. New capitals, auction houses, or inns will not be added outside these continents. If the game does visit regions like Northrend, it would not recreate them exactly as they appeared in past expansions.

Balancing classic spirit with new ideas

Blizzard aims to preserve the spirit of classic World of Warcraft rather than strictly following content from the 2004 and 2019 versions. For example, they added the quest "Kyle Is Missing" from The Burning Crusade because it aligned with the original game's style, even though they initially resisted certain features like group marking.

New regions and flexible updates

World of Warcraft Forever will include new regions like Mount Hyjal, which were planned for the original game but never added. Unlike other classic versions, Blizzard is not bound to reproduce past content exactly. Players can expect more frequent updates compared to older expansions.