WoW: Players are waiting for patch 9.2 so they can finally wait for 10.0

The next content of World of Warcraft already seems doomed. Because many players prefer what comes after.

A rather absurd situation has just arisen in World of Warcraft. Usually, it is common for players to eagerly await the next big patch, which will bring lots of new features and fresh content. But in the Blizzard MMORPG community, waiting for the next patch seems to be just an intermediate stage. Because the anticipation for patch 9.2 at the end of eternity doesn’t seem to be that big.

Instead, many players are waiting for patch 9.2 so that they can finally wait for the new addon 10.0 afterwards.

Why is the anticipation for 9.2 so small? There are probably many factors that come together in patch 9.2 all at the same time.

On the one hand, Patch 9.2 is not particularly hotly anticipated. This is because Shadowlands was generally received rather poorly by many players and some of the players only wish that this chapter of World of Warcraft finally ended. The shadow lands were too strange, it had too little to do with the beloved Azeroth and the story, which wanted to bundle over 20 years of Warcraft lore into one villain, was too pompous.

The second point is that patch 9.2 and its contents are already familiar and don’t really feel fresh or new. The upcoming Zereth Mortis area just looks like a “Korthia 2.0” at first glance and many features there, such as the ability to carry 2 Legendaries, require farming and grinding.

The final fight against the jailer in the Mausoleum of the First is also widely known. It’s already clear who will replace the soul judge in the future and what the jailer is roughly aiming for with his attack.

10.0 will be the hope for the remaining WoW players

What are players hoping for in 10.0? A whole lot. Like probably never before in the history of World of Warcraft, patch 10.0 and thus the 9th addon to WoW is the beacon of hope that must lead Warcraft back onto a better path. With the upcoming expansion, the developers must prove that they are finally listening to the wishes of the fans and that they can manage the balancing act between the old, beloved WoW and a new, modern MMORPG that is not simply stuffed to bursting with grind and repetitive tasks.

The grind in particular had caused problems for many players in Shadowlands. Visiting Torghast again and again or grazing Korthia every week – possibly with several characters – turned out to be more of a burden than a fun factor. What was particularly annoying was that the grind was associated with strength of character and therefore became a duty.

If these were features that were only necessary for cosmetic rewards, the assessment would probably have been different.

The first leaks for WoW 10.0 – whether invented or real – definitely raise the hopes of the players. The prospect that the next addon will again focus on Azeroth with its original areas and the Dragon Islands creates a positive mood.

At the same time, this is also the reason why there is this absurd atmosphere in WoW. Because many are just waiting for patch 9.2 as an intermediate stage in order to then be able to expect the announcement and release of patch 10.0.

There is still no time frame at all when and whether the expansion will still come in 2022 – but we should probably be able to count on at least an announcement. Maybe we’ll find out soon if the new addon is really called “The Dragon Isles”.