World of Warcraftplayers have been calling for an Azeroth world revamp for a while now, but Blizzard has yet to do anything about it. The current version of Azeroth was introduced way back in Cataclysm and has been inWorld of Warcraftlonger than the classic version was. As time has gone by, the cracks and imperfections in this version have only gotten more prevalent, and Blizzard missed its perfect opportunity to revamp it.
BeforeWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas had said that time worked differently in the Shadowlands. Players spent months theorizing what this meant for Azeroth, but it ultimately meant nothing. Azeroth did not change, the people on it did not change, and Blizzard did nothing with the concept. This revelation felt like the perfect way to usher in an Azeroth revamp, but the studio chose to do something else entirely.
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The Dragonflight Timeskip Was the Perfect Time to Revamp
AfterSylvanas Windrunner broke the Lich King’s helmand shattered the void, Azeroth was plunged into chaos. The undead Scourge no longer had a master and began rampaging across the planet once again. Many notable leaders were pulled into the Shadowlands, and it was up to the heroes of Azeroth to get them back. Thus began the controversial Shadowlands expansion whose events should have led to so much more.
Players spent the last couple of years in an entirely new realmfacing off against the Jailerand his massive army. Azeroth was left without its greatest defenders, and the Scourge was allegedly still wreaking havoc on everyone that were left behind. The only time players got to see this new Scourge invasion was during the prepatch when they helped the Argent Crusade fight back against it. However, they were still very much a threat throughout the expansion, and their invasion should have had lingering effects on the planet.
Players returned to Azeroth during the Dragonflight prepatch and quickly learned that there was athree-year timeskip after Shadowlands. In those three years, not much seems to have happened to Azeroth even though it was dealing with a crisis of its own. The only notable event seems to be an offscreen marriage between two popular lore characters, and everything else is exactly as it should be.
It seems strange that Blizzard would write a timeskip into the narrative and not do anything of note with it. Players have been offworld dealing with a crisis, and Azeroth should have been going through major changes during it. The Scourge was rampaging, powerful leaders were missing, and othermajor events likely occurred throughout Shadowlands. It seems like it would have been the perfect opportunity to introduce a world revamp, and not doing so feels like a major missed opportunity.
The minuteWorld of Warcraftplayers left the Shadowlands, they should have been met with an unfamiliar Azeroth. New leaders should have taken charge, new threats should have arisen, the Scourge invasion should have caused damage, and old enemies should have taken advantage of the chaos. These events could have led to rebuilt zones, fresh areas, and a more modern look for the 18-year-old MMO. While it would have taken a lot of resources to accomplish, it seems like it would have been the best time to do it.
Blizzard has been slowly introducing new models and visuals to updatesome ofWorld of Warcraft’srougher edges, but these new models have only made Azeroth’s imperfections even more glaring. The game desperately needs another world revamp, and it needs to happen soon. While the studio may have missed its chance to do it for Dragonflight, it will hopefully not miss the next.
