World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade was the first expansion of the most popular MMORPG in history, having 9 million subscribers worldwide to date.  The second expansion will be announced at BlizzCon 2007 in barely two days on August 3.  Rumors have gone abound left and right.  Will it be Northrend?  The South Seas?

Burning Crusade introduced Outland, Quel’Thalas, Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isles.  Could the next expansion add both Northrend and South Seas together?

Northrend contains thirteen regions:

  • Coldarra
  • Crystalsong Forest
  • Grizzly Hills
  • Howling Fjord
  • Icecrown Glacier
  • Sholazar Basin
  • The Borean Tundra
  • The Dragonblight
  • The Stormpeaks
  • Zul’Drak

The South Seas contains five isles:

  • Isle of Kezan (Capital city: Undermine)
  • Zandalar Isle
  • Tel Abim
  • Plunder Isle (Bloodsail Buccaneers Hold)
  • Broken Isles (Tomb of Sargeras)
  • Nazjatar (Naga homeland)

The Great Sea:

  • Kul’Tiras

  • Tol Barad

  • Crestfall

  • Zul’Dare

    There are two other isles somewhere in the world: Dragon Isle, Balor and Pandaria.

    There have been hints of a South Seas expansion with either content or unfinished quests.  A goblin in Shimmering Flats resulted to be a self-exiled son of one of the Princes of Trade from Undermine. Rastakhan and the Zandalarian tribe in Stranglethorn Vale come from Zandalar Isle. The Bloodsail Buccaneers near booty bay and Tanaris come from Plunder Isle.

    In Caverns of Time, there is a closed off portal with a crashed ship.  The symbol in the ship’s sail is a unicorn – symbol of the Highborne fleets ten thousand years ago.

    Custodian of Time# 1: Oh dear, what happened here?
    Custodian of Time# 2: The timeway collapsed with five of our agents inside!
    Custodian of Time# 1: And the Kaldorei Vessel?
    Custodian of Time# 2: It came crashing through shortly after the collapse.  We are examining it now.

    There is no lore or record of Kaldorei vessels because the Night Elves were introduced in Warcraft III, and none existed in Warcraft II, except the High Elves.  This could be interpreted as the kaldorei vessel heading toward Tirisfal Glades … The Infinite Dragonflight might be attempting to alter time by sabotaging the sailing of the Kaldorei highborne vessels through the South Seas from ever reaching Tirisfal Glades.  This would alter time radically.  The Highborne, still purple-skinned, wouldn’t transform into the High Elves, the foundation of Quel’Thalas by Dath’remar Sunstrider won’t happen.  The Alliance and the Seven Kingdoms wouldn’t be established.  The Humans wouldn’t have learned magic from the High Elves.  The Violet Eye,  the Kirin Tor and the Guardians of Tirisfal would never have existed, and Medivh would cease to exist in that alternate timeline.  No orcs would ever have come through the Dark Portal.  A future fit for the rise of Deathwing and the black dragonflight.

    On the other hand, Northrend is the backyard of the Undead Scourge and the Lich King.  Some people say we are too weak to face the Lich King.  Yet, Northrend could be launched without opening the Icecrown Citadel dungeon, and probably we could get back to Arthas the Lich King after scouting other worlds via Outland portals to other planets.  With Illidan defeated, heroes may open the rifts of Ner’zhul to get the battle straight to the Burning Legion’s backyard.  Illidan sealed said portals (rifts) in Warcraft III: Frozen Throne. (Read More)