In an interview, we at MeinMMO were able to talk to the two developers Maria Hamilton (Associate Design Director) and Laura Spreitzer (Game Designer) about the upcoming patch 10.2 in World of Warcraft. Important points are the design of the public events and the general content for solo players.
The new patch 10.2 for WoW is scheduled to appear in the fall. Guardian of the Dream brings you a new raid, a new legendary two-handed ax and Season 3 for Mythic+ and PvP. The big highlight is probably the trip to the Emerald Grounds Dream.
There you can experience part of the dream. It is called Ysera’s Eye and is something like the core of the dream. The new world tree is planted here and is supposed to grow until it is strong enough to ultimately be brought to Azeroth.
But what is actually behind the development of a new area? And what events await us there? We asked the developers these questions.
Just a small but important corner of the dream
MeinMMO: With patch 10.2 we’re heading into the emerald green dream. This is an important area for many players. So important that some even want their own expansion for it. Do you believe that the dream as “own zone in the patch” is enough to show what actually makes it special?
Laura Spreitzer: This isn’t necessarily the last time we’ll see the dream. The dream is very extensive, that’s true. I mean, he’s an image of Azeroth, right?
So it’s inevitable that it’s a huge place that we only see a small corner of at the moment. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities to see more of it later.
You can get an insight into the new area and the patch in general in this video:
World of Warcraft – Devs Give a First Look at Guardians of the Dream PTR
More videos
MeinMMO: And why did the dream and this section in particular become part of patch 10.2?
Mary Hamilton: Well, we planned the story of the Dragon Islands, the stories we wanted to explore. Once we knew we would be doing all of these updates throughout the year, we decided which stories we would tell and when.
And it was important to us that we have this epic moment where we fight Fyrakk. And we knew that Fyrakk was looking for power. That was an important thing. Over the course of Dragonflight, we’ve told the stories of each dragonflight in their own way. We also previewed what happens when all swarms work together.
And then there is this great threat to the whole world. We knew we had planted the seed of the World Tree in the Emerald Dream to accelerate its growth and bring it to life. This would be the site of this battle, this great conflict.
All content from certain elite mobs can be completed alone
MeinMMO: In Zaralek Cave, the public event did not scale well when only a few people were present. You basically needed an entire raid if you wanted to reach the later tiers and better rewards. Will the events in the Emerald Dream be possible with fewer people?
Laura Spreitzer: I’m so glad you asked. We’ve obviously heard this feedback, and I’m happy to say that we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the Superbloom event is solo-friendly. I think almost all repeatable activities in 10.2 should be soloable, with the exception of the rare elite enemies.
We specifically wanted to ensure that hunting rare Elites wasn’t a boring, fallback activity you do when you’ve run out of everything else. Instead, we focused on Emerald Abundance, where you plant seeds throughout the zone that trigger activities and other things that you can pay for with currency you get during the Super Bloom.
All of this is absolutely possible on your own. You get a few bigger boxes if you have more people to contribute more, but in general you can get the main rewards you’re looking for even if you’re all alone.
MeinMMO: Many public events are only played until you are in awe of the relevant faction. Will there be more incentive to play these events over a longer period of time?
Laura Spreitzer: There are a lot of really cool cosmetics in the public event rewards for 10.2. We have some mounts, we have some pets, we have some really cool transmogs.
You will go through the Glory Path, just like the other factions. This will also help you unlock various other powers that you can use during the Super Bloom.
There are a number of transmogs you can get at the Super Bloom, and then you earn currency during the event that you can use to purchase your own set of rewards.
And then there is another reward system where we use the Soulshades that we had already used in the Ardenweald. We have a similar version of this for the Dream, which we’ve put on a range of creatures to collect. So there are several reward tracks that you will work your way through.
MeinMMO: That sounds very good. Do you have any idea how long it will take to earn all of this?
Laura Spreitzer: I’m not entirely sure myself, but it will take several weeks to unlock everything, depending of course on how often you play.
“Side quests are a fantastic way for us to tell special moments”
MeinMMO: How should you generally imagine the development process for new content? Do you start with the story, with the area or directly with the quests?
Mary Hamilton: We first develop an overarching story arc and this is usually done through creative groups. This includes, to some extent, the Narrative Team, the Quest Team, the Building Team, and the World Art Team.
We do a lot of brainstorming and talk about the history and cultures we want to represent. And maybe we’ll come to the conclusion: We have these Dracthyr and we want to talk about it. Who are the Dracthyr? What is important for them? Where are you from? How do they express themselves?
So at first we do a lot of work just in our imagination and talking to each other and working together. Then our artists go out and create cards. They build maps for us. They start, like a traditional Dungeons and Dragons player, by drawing something and simply saying: What does that look like? We try different things and then they go and start building.
The art team thinks about what artwork we need, what assets, what different types of vegetation and biomes, and what should these places feel like? And the Quest team is thinking about what stories we want to tell here.
So we know the high level story arc, but what are the little stories? And we all build together from there. We work hand in hand like in a relay race, although there are always overlaps. Little by little, the rest of the team joins in, for example when new combat elements are planned or rewards need to be incorporated.
So it’s a big process, from start to finish, and there are so many talented people involved in our teams.
MeinMMO: Do you perhaps have a favorite quest from the upcoming patch 10.2 that you would like to share with us?
Laura Spreitzer: There is a quest where Shandris and Lillian Voss have to work together and overcome some differences.
And there’s one where an old man has died and there’s a funeral, and there’s a lot of emotional narrative. It’s about Ysera and her sister and them getting back together. And in general, side quests are a fantastic way for us to explore those little moments that don’t always fit into the main campaign.
So we are very excited. There are some brilliant side quests in 10.2, along with the brilliant campaign of course, which I don’t mean to downplay at all. They are both absolutely wonderful.
MeinMMO: Thank you very much for the answers.
By the way, patch 10.2 appears to be the last major update until the new expansion:
Dragonflight is already over – Patch 10.2 will probably be the last big update