Exploring the Vast Realms: Why World of Warcraft's Next Expansion Demands a Wider Narrative Scope

Highlights

World of Warcraft needs to tell a story that encompasses more of Azeroth in its next expansion to make the world feel larger and more alive.

Previous expansions have disproportionately emphasized the introduction of new continents, resulting in a diminished sense of importance for the remaining regions of Azeroth in both story and gameplay aspects. The Dragonflight expansion has displayed some progress by engaging players through quests and narrative elements in diverse areas, but the forthcoming expansion must surpass this achievement and encompass previously explored zones of Azeroth.

World of Warcraft's ongoing Dragonflight expansion has fans eagerly speculating about what the next expansion will bring. The possibilities range from an Emerald Dream storyline to a long-awaited Pirate expansion, or perhaps something totally unexpected. Blizzard has countless potential directions to take the game, and players hope that the chosen path will be as revitalizing as Dragonflight has been.

With each new World of Warcraft expansion, players anticipate exciting new locations and narratives to explore. However, the overarching focus on these new locales often overlooks the rest of Azeroth, making the world feel smaller. This storytelling flaw has persisted within WoW for some time. The upcoming expansion provides Blizzard with an opportunity to rectify this issue by crafting a storyline that encompasses more of Azeroth. As the game's tenth expansion, it holds great potential to break free from the limitations of previous narratives and broaden the overall experience.

Azeroth Deserves to Be Explored

In recent years, World of Warcraft has increasingly resembled the Islands of Warcraft. Each expansion introduced a new continent, confining players to that location. Wrath of the Lich King took them to Northrend, Mists of Pandaria took place solely on Pandaria, Legion focused on the Broken Isles during the Burning Legion invasion, and Battle for Azeroth revolved around two small islands.

While it is understandable that Blizzard wants to highlight the newest continents, it diminishes the sense of a vast world. Massive invasions and apocalyptic threats should not be limited to one continent. The entire world should be at risk, but the gameplay gives the impression that only a small part of Azeroth is in jeopardy.

During the last three expansion packs of World of Warcraft, this issue was most prevalent. Legion witnessed the invasion of the Burning Legion with a massive army, but players primarily stayed on the Broken Isles. Battle for Azeroth was supposed to be the Fourth Great War of Azeroth where all factions engaged in combat, yet only one major patch occurred in a location not related to Kul'Tiras or Zandalar. Shadowlands transported players to a different world, disregarding the fact that armies of the dead were present in Azeroth during their absence.

Blizzard seems to be improving in involving the rest of Azeroth in Dragonflight. Although the main story still revolves around Dragonflight's Dragon Isles, there have been quests and significant story moments that took players to other parts of the world. The studio has also introduced new features like the Trading Post and Kalimdor Cup to attract players to older regions. This change of pace is welcomed after players were limited to small regions for extended periods, but Blizzard needs to go even further with the next expansion.

While the next expansion of World of Warcraft may continue to feature a new continent, it is recommended that the storyline also incorporates the remaining regions of Azeroth. This would involve sending players back to previously explored areas to complete quests and engage in combat with familiar adversaries. By expanding the scope of Azeroth, the game would not only revive the sense of liveliness within the world but also offer a distinctive narrative that would likely captivate fans. World of Warcraft is currently accessible on PC.