Recent Blue Update (2/2)

This post will focus on hints that 3.2 is being developed rather quickly. Here are some blue quotes:

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 8 - Can we have more info on Isle of Conquest? - June 5, 2009, 1:35 pm Q u o t e: Location? Server only? I need more information the quicker the better. We're working on putting together some more information for players on Isle of Conquest. It can take some time to get everything put together if we want to try and give some visuals, as we need to make sure all art assets are there. It is a battleground and will be a part of the cross-realm battleground system just like all others. Somebody save me from your proud words. I’ll fight the worry in your head. Feels like someone else inside’s looking out for us.

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 18 - Animation preview - June 5, 2009, 2:41 pm Q u o t e: Please link your source thanks, as i guess i missed were they say this ... Also is it really hard to make a quick video of a model walking seriously... and i think you should also cut your wrist remember to go down the lane not across the street... kthxbye What Tatsumasa said is essentially correct, aside from the "shut up and like it" part. I never said that. ;) We're working on text and photo previews for much of the content that will be available in the next major content patch. Each preview takes a great deal of time to prepare, as they generally require coordination with multiple different departments (i.e. art team, development, creative development, community, public relations, web, and so on), and each of these departments have large lists of tasks to work on nearly all the time. In addition, these previews require coordination with all of our international teams, including textual translations into all of our supported languages. It is for this reason that we do not plan on providing videos of the animated new form art. These forms will be available for testing on the public test realms in due time. Somebody save me from your proud words. I’ll fight the worry in your head. Feels like someone else inside’s looking out for us.

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 1881 - New Druid Art Coming Soon - June 5, 2009, 12:40 am Q u o t e: Can we please see these animated? I'm reserving judgment about them until then as it is extremely difficult to judge a model based on static screenshots. We do not plan to release any animations of the new form art, but the test realms will be coming soon enough so everyone can play around with them. :) Somebody save me from your proud words. I’ll fight the worry in your head. Feels like someone else inside’s looking out for us.

So the PTRs aren't merely coming "soon", they're coming "soon enough", which I think is Blizzard-speak for "really coming soon". I mean, if you look at past content patches I think you'd find that the kinds of previews we're getting now and in the near future for 3.2 come not long before the patch hits the PTRs. I think there's an accumulating body of evidence lending itself towards the theory that Blizzard is planning on having 3.2 go live sooner than most people expect.

Recent Blue Update (1/2)

I'm going to make two related posts on some of the recent blue comments. The first concerns new hints about the Isle of Conquest, the second concerns the 3.2 timeframe. All of the information for this post comes from this thread, featuring several posts from Zarhym.

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 22 - Can we have more info on Isle of Conquest? - June 5, 2009, 1:51 pm Q u o t e: Does it take place on some sort of Island? Will there be Conquesting involved somehow? If "conquest" means the ability to catapult or parachute players behind enemy lines, then yes. Somebody save me from your proud words. I’ll fight the worry in your head. Feels like someone else inside’s looking out for us.

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 46 - Can we have more info on Isle of Conquest? - June 5, 2009, 2:04 pm Q u o t e: give us an idea where on azeroth it is located. Well... it's an isle. ;) Somebody save me from your proud words. I’ll fight the worry in your head. Feels like someone else inside’s looking out for us.

So, um, the Isle of Conquest is an island. Zarhym's repetitive comment might be taken as a hint that the Isle of Conquest might actually be somewhere that's already familiar to places... or it might not. And it also features catapults and possibly other vehicle mechanics. I don't think I've put up the quote here, but I believe it was confirmed a while back that Isle of Conquest would also be reminiscent of Alterac Valley. We'll have more information as it streams trickles out.

Zarhym on 3.2 Progression

Interesting post from Zarhym:

Zarhym Blue Poster

# 14 - Valor difficulty 5 mans - May 29, 2009, 5:35 pm We have some new things in store for the badge system to help with the current end game progression curve that exists (as you noted: Heroics > Naxx > Ulduar > 3.2 > Icecrown ). We're looking to put together this information for you and will provide it as soon as it's ready to go. Same stories have been played out for ages I'm ready to be given the chance For saying our side, our version or choice Cameras capture numerous nights of romance...

What does this say about upcoming content? Well, firstly, it might be telling that Zarhym did not refer to the raid as the Argent Coliseum, which might lend credence to those who believe that there will be a 3.2 raid in addition to the Argent Coliseum. However, given that he borrowed the OP's language, this might be reading too much into things.

Secondly, it confirms that the 3.2 raid(s?) will offer Tier 9 gear, or at least gear in the Tier 9 ilvl range (240-253.) This probably shouldn't be a big surprise, but this wasn't confirmed previously.

3.2 News Roundup

I'm sure you've seen this news already, but this is an archive after all, so here it is again.

From the Under Development Page:

• The Argent Tournament Expands: With the help of Azeroth's heroes, the Argent Crusade will finish the Argent Coliseum just in time to call for all brave citizens to prepare for battle with the Lich King. New dailies, rewards, and more will be available at the Argent Tournament grounds to lure adventurers into the coliseum.


• Crusaders' Coliseum: In order to prepare for a siege on Icecrown Citadel, players will be called by the Argent Crusade to test their mettle in the Coliseum. 5-player, 10-player, and 25-player challenges await inside.


• New Battleground: Isle of Conquest, a new large-scale siege Battleground, will be open. The Horde and Alliance will battle head-to-head for control of strategic resources to lay siege to the keeps of their opponents.

Additionally, from various blue posts around the forums:

• Zarhym on the Argent Coliseum: "Yes, there will be a 5-player version, then a 10/25-player version. The bosses will be different for the two versions. Think Ring of Blood or Amphitheater of Anguish, but more epic."


• Zarhym on the Isle of Conquest: "If anything, Wintergrasp combined with Alterac Valley with a few more twists."


• Zarhym on the timeframe of 3.2's release

Finally, blue poster Kisirani confirms that a Thunder Bluff <-> Orgrimmar zeppelin will be added in an upcoming patch. Minor news, but worth a mention.