In case you haven’t heard, some details of Patch 3.2 have been released. The biggest change that appeals to me is the Crusader’s Coliseum. We’re not even done Ulduar yet and already there’s another instance being released.
What is it?
It looks to be the new instance hub that 3.2 will offer.
Let’s stop for a second. Lots of reactions on Twitter have been knee-jerk negative reactions.
“I don’t want to 25 man joust!”
“What? A PvP instance?”
Take a step back and start analyzing. We don’t know anything about this instance yet. All we know is that:
- There is an instance
- It will come in 5-player, 10-player, and 25-player varieties
I want to stress that we do not know what type instance it’s going to be inside.
Speculations
I love raiding. I love looking at the lore behind it and the mechanics, the environment and so forth.
I don’t think the Coliseum is any sort of PvP type instance.
What I think will happen is that a raid group is going to march in there and engage in gladiatorial combat against raid bosses. Think of an instanced version of the Ring of Blood quests that we first saw in Nagrand and then in Zul’Drak.
Are we going to see mounted combat? It’s a possibility. Maybe half the raid is on horseback and the other half is on their feet. I honestly have no idea.
New Battleground: Isle of Conquest
A new large-scale siege Battleground where Horde and Alliance have to battle head-to-head for control of strategic resources to lay siege to the keeps of their opponents.
Not quite death match. Sounds to me like it’s another control-the-point battleground with vehicles (large-scale and siege). Now I wonder if it means large-scale as in 15 player or large-scale as in 40 player.
Yeah. Alterac Valley in siege tanks.
Also, note that it’s called Isle of Conquest. (The island part, not the Conquest part, although it’ll be corny to jump in there and go “GET OFF MY ISLAND!”, because you know my guild’s name is Conquest, hah.). This leads me to wonder if we’ll get access to naval units. Maybe drivable ships or something to attack from the water in addition to laying siege on land.
Final Notes
Don’t perceive that this is what’s actually going to happen. Take a step back. We’re only seeing pieces of the puzzle here. There could be more stuff coming out. Actually, there will be more stuff coming out.
What do you guys think? How’s my reasoning? Sound? Terrible? Are you looking forward to any of these? (Bloggers can link and trackback here too!)
Wasn’t too long ago… http://www.wow.com/2008/10/08/pve-arenas — sounds familiar. 😀
If that new arena involves more vehicular combat I’m going to rage. 🙁 I go pvp to test my class against other people’s, not some dumb vehicular battle.
It sounds like it could go either way. On the one hand, at least Blizzard is still trying to keep the game fresh and interesting. On the other hand, it could flop HARDCORE!
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I am disappointed. Sure, if it’s an instanced Ring of Blood style event, that could be tremendous amounts of fun. But it’s not enough. I have blogged about this before, but I believe Blizzard has really dropped the ball on heroics. By making them too accessible early on, there is no 5-man content worth running for those who aren’t gearing up alt number gazillion. We need meaty 5-man content that’s challenging, interesting, and not as easily forgettable as most heroics are at the moment. Because, let’s face it, not everyone is raiding 3-4 days a week.
I lol at the people freaking out about a possible PVP instance. Yeah, we have those, they’re called BATTLEGROUNDS. I really doubt there’s anything to worry about =P
I, like you, am excited about the colosseum and the mysteries it holds… how can you go wrong with that concept? =)
I was leary at first of Wintergrasp when it was first announced but it turned out better than I expected. So I will have high expectations for Isle of Conquest even if it is a new concept they are introducing. New things, more fun? Why not?!
TBH its not a million miles from Mount Hyjal. You moved from place to place, but that raid was based on you standing still while the trash and boss come to you. So for those yelling ‘oh noes PvP raids’ then I think you’ll find its not as far from whats come before as you think.
I definitely expect to see mounted combat in there though, and vehicles. I would love it if the fights varied – maybe even like the bases in MH there could be an area where you fight on foot, then a mounted area, then a vehicle area? Ending in a boss that uses all 3?
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From Zarhym.
“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.”
I’m thinking its going to be a very boring instance because it’ll all occur in one room. Cheap way for Blizz to add content without going through all the hassle of making a good environment.
If the Isle of Conquest includes drivable ships then I think it’s further evidence for a Maelstrem (spelling?) expansion being next.
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