Q's for the Legion Q & A

Legion, the upcoming sixth expansion in the World of Warcraft franchise. (img: Blizzard)

News status: dropped.

We now know where the next chapter in our World of Warcraft journey will take us: back home, to fend off the largest demon invasion Azeroth has ever seen. Larger than the War of the Ancients, which of all the threats Azeroth has faced, it was the one that brought the planet closest to utter decimation.

This was the expansion setting I was hoping for, one set on Azeroth fighting back the ultimate invasion of the Burning Legion. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more in the coming months and getting a hands-on preview at Blizzcon this November. There's an in-depth Legion Q & A this Sunday which I'll definitely tune in for. Below are some questions I have that I anticipate will be addressed.

How does Illidan fit in?

I'll admit when they revealed the brief teaser cinematic that featured Gul'dan breaking Illidan out of his prison, I felt really uneasy. Not because I feared what sort of calamities Illidan could bring to the table, but because I was hoping Blizzard was done resurrecting dead characters for the time being. 

Granted, a recent tweet from Alex Afrasiabi that caused quite a bit of uproar may be the first instance where we see an explanation for Illidan's return: 

@1990Sanji @DaveKosak Archimonde is a demon whose demon soul is anchored to the Nether. The Nether transcends all realities. That is all.

— Alex Afrasiabi (@Abrosiabi) June 6, 2015

Previously, it wasn't clear if all demons shared this characteristic, or if it was just certain powerful demons. Earlier in the exchange, when asked if Archimonde was from our universe or the alternative universe of Draenor, Afrasiabi responded "that's not how demons work." Given this info, we might be able to assume that all demons are immortal unless killed in the Twisting Nether. A rather defeating thought.

Even knowing what we know now, I hope Illidan's resurgence is better explained than Archimonde's return was for story's sake, and that he's not just another nostalgia-villain Blizzard's using as an attempt to lure nostalgia-subscribers. Because I'm not prepared for that. 

Will we see traditional Legendary items this expansion?

The idea for Artifacts is actually an old one, prevalent in lore and talked about all the way back in Vanilla. We'll see that idea come to fruition in WoW:Legion, as each class will be able to earn an iconic Artifact weapon that can be leveled up in power and changed cosmetically throughout the course of the expansion. 

But what I'm wondering is if we'll see Legendary items in any of the formats we've seen in previous expansions. To me, the Artifact system sounds a lot like the Legendary cloak and ring systems we saw in Mists and Warlords, respectively. You start out with a lower quality item, and through the course of the game the item is increased in power until reaching its final form. While Blizzard could have a separate Legendary quest chain alongside the Artifact system, I don't see it as likely.

I'm wondering more about whether or not we'll see Legendary drops in raids again, ala the Burning Crusade, or the build-a-weapon formats from Vanilla, Wrath, and Cataclysm. 

And if we don't get Legendary items, could we at least see some Legiondary items?

Will Dalaran look any different than it did in WotLK?

Word is that the arrival of the Legion has awoken something sinister within the Violet Hold in Dalaran...or something like that. Whatever happened, it's made the Kirin Tor curious enough to move their city all the way from Northrend down to the south side of the Broken Isles.

Players visiting Dalaran in its current location in Northrend are treated to the same architecture and decor that first launched with Wrath of the Lich King. I'm wondering if perhaps they spruced up the place since then, or if we'll see any of the aftermath of the Kirin Tor purge that happened during Mists of Pandaria.

How will Wrathion factor in to Legion?

Wrathion warned us of the inevitability of the Burning Legion invasion. He was the one who pitted the Horde and the Alliance against each other in Pandaria, hoping one side would emerge the victor so that when the invasion came there would be a unified, focused front. He was sure Azeroth wouldn't survive unless his plan came to pass.

But we know Wrathion's plan failed. The Alliance and the Horde banded together briefly to destroy Garrosh's Horde, but neither faction destroyed the other. Draenor saw Horde and Alliance working together to a certain degree, but it's clear the faction war is not over. According to Wrathion, our current status should set us up to fail.

Given he foreshadowed events we'll likely see in Legion, I'm hoping to learn a lot more about what Wrathion's been up to since Mists of Pandaria.

Assuming we overcome the Legion, what's left for Azeroth?

This isn't really a question I would ask, as I think it's super early to be asking about what comes after Legion, but it came to mind after a guildie raised the point in our forums. Taking Alex's word that this is the largest Legion invasion Azeroth has seen, one could think that Legion expansion contains the resolution to the Burning Legion vs. Azeroth story. 

Additionally, there's some pretty lore-heavy stuff from the looks of it. Lady Azshara, the Pillars of Creation, Titans (who always seem to have an Old God lurking nearby)...a great deal of Azeroth's history from the last ten millenia that could be resolved here. 

The question also assumes that we win this fight. If Wrathion is right, we won't win. While I'm not actively speculating about what comes next, it will occupy a small, quiet space in the back of mind mind.

What are you hoping to learn more about?