I don’t read much WoW lore, but from what I read in your post I think that it’s logical to assume that the “new generation” of night elves have come to terms with what happened to their people and have moved on. It is kind of a social commentary if you think about it: We have a black president in the U.S. that has reformed healthcare and is pushing to get rid of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The American government is looking at the way things were run in the past, and looking to change the future… Maybe Blizz is trying to make the connection with WoW.

Maybe a good mechanic for seeing the old world would be some sort of magical device from the Bronze Dragonflight. To allow you to see the world as it was.

@Kayeri, Dwarf shamans are already in the lore. Look up the Wildhammer clan. They're feral and much more primal than their cousins.

Permanently changing elements of the game is something I find really exciting. Heck, I was excited to fly over Hillsbrad and see the enormous crater left behind by Dalaran – I thought that was AWESOME.

One of my favourite things in the game is CoT, especially Hillsbrad, because I can see how things once were, before certain events in history, before wheels were set in motion to change them permanently. I love seeing Tarren Mill as a thriving farm village, before it became all gloomy and dead. And the keep, whole and undamaged – then I can go to the "real" Hillsbrad and see it destroyed and run down.

I was so excited to hear about CoT Strat – I was just sorely disappointed that I couldn't explore the zone around it! I wanted to get my bearings and say, "oh, okay, so this is where all those ghouls are, and here's where the great big fungus area is, and this is that big corrupted lake…"

I find it fascinating, and I wish there were more things like this in the game, where we can see how things were before some big battle or event that changed them forever. Or going back a few decades and seeing towns we know as small villages, just starting. Lands that are ravaged in the present, lush farmlands in the past.

I'd love to see more CoT type instances where we can be present to see some of the major events in WoW lore. Not necessarily with a view to putting our noses in and messing around with history.. but I'd really loved to be able to be "there" when the big stuff goes down. I loved doing the Wrathgate Undercity stuff (both Alliance and Horde). I want more events like that! I want to get involved (even if it's just as a spectator, really) in the major events.

That's why I would really love to see it phased, but unchanged for new characters, so that we can go back and explore how things once were.

But honestly, I will understand if it's not phased and they just make it a permanent change. It really will be a huge deal to me to lose Orgrimmar, though.

I hope that all of this is true and more. Whatever your particular take on the game, it is getting a little long-in-the-tooth. For it to have remained as spectacularly popular as it has is a testament to Blizzard's work and ingenuity.

That said, how many expansions do we really think we have left? There are only so many new continents or places you can introduce, and I truly wonder how many new subscribers WoW is adding at this point. How many people are coming to this game fresh and clueless now, almost 5 years after launch?

Which is why I love the idea of taking Azeroth and actually changing it. One of the great things about a persistent world is that it is always there, whether we are or not. But that is also it's downfall, because in this case, persistent means virtually unchanging. The same NPC's are standing in the same spots, doing the same things, day or night.

I would love to have to go back to the 'old world' and see it changed radically, and get to revisit old places with a new eye and a reason for being there. I think another expansion of more of the same will just bore people faster, so go for broke, and change it all up.

One thing that I would love to see, that we probably never will, is seasons actually changing in real time in Azeroth. I would love to see autumn in Elwynn and spring and summer in Dun Morogh. It's hard to feel Christmas-y in Stormwind when you walk out the gates and it's lush and green.

Love the blog, Keeva, and enjoyed you on Rawrcast a few weeks back – I love Brit and Aussie accents – I could listen to them talk all day!

I hope they use phasing, but not in the way you suggested. I would be very sad to see all those "childhood memories" of zones like the original Barrens, old Orgrimmar, old Gnomeragan (if they take it back), and other "original" zones disappear, I think that's what we would need for this to be really impacting. If we could just start a new character and see everything the way it used to be, then it wouldn't be so "cataclysmic". I think we really would need to loose everything we once knew in order for there to be a truly moving expansion. That, and I also think blizzard is trying to push for us to reroll alts… think about it: we've got herilooms (which I'm sure there will be more of), there will only be 5 levels to level in the new expansion, and to me the most convincing is that they're giving us a bunch of new race/class combinations to roll on. How can they change the entire azeroth as we know it… and then only give us 5 levels to level through all of it? I think (and hope) that there will be a whole new path to 60 and I pray that this will finally give us that feeling we all had when we were lobie little characters in our teens and 20's in a huge, mysterious world with so many mysteries and surprises around every corner. What's your take?

I can't wait for Blizzcon! It will be exciting to see what they are going to announce =) We leave Thursday morning!!!

I honestly don't mind things being shaken up a bit…but I don't know if I'd be happy about loosing Thrall as our faction leader (if that part is true). I'm quite happy with the big green guy =)

And as regards Night Elf Mages… well, the fact is, there ARE some still around who have been in hiding for millennia, in the library in Dire Maul, and I think in one or two other places in the world… so they DO exist.

With the quest info that's been posted, I would guess they are coming out of hiding to try and warn us of the coming second Cataclysm. So when it occurs, they will win some support and its plausible some will wish to be like them… thus, the new night elf mages… or one could be created that has hidden away and is now returning to the greater world.

I do hope Blizz puts some things in about the Kirin Tor and how they will regard these Night Elf mages and want to 'bring them into the fold' and such… That could spawn some very interesting stories.

Assuming all this happens, of course…. I love speculating on lore, it is SO much fun…

It is all phased. Assuming the info is true.

The idea behind the Cataclysm is that we defeat Arthas and the world goes to shit.

Arthas is the most powerful being in Azeroth AT THIS TIME. He holds a lot of other baddies in check with his quest for domination

Once King Baddie loses his hold on the world, old powers start coming up to take control of what he lost. So after a short victory dance, we're off to Azeroth where we begin to uncover new foes.

The quest from 80-85 is apparently supposed to follow a questline, unlock TBC where we just kinda leveled up and more like Wrath where you actually change the world as you go.

Still, even if Lore is put into place to explain the future of Azeroth, that doesn't fix errors in common sense. Are the Tauren so pathetic and weak willed as to follow the murderer of their leader?

Does Thrall hate the Horde so much he'd leave it willingly in the hands of a war monger?

Are the Elves so scared they would lift one of the oldest bans in their history just to fight a new enemy?

I hate leaks. As excited as I am for the Cataclysm, leaks just plan piss me off.

Well, I see no reason why gnomes cant find the Light just like their close cousins, the dwarves. In fact, I'd say that for ANY race in Azeroth, so that is entirely plausible to my mind. But there are a couple of the new combos that I do have problems with…

Troll Druids are one… now before any one goes off screaming about troll haters, it's because of the cultural aspects involving blood worship that turns me off of the idea. Trolls are an ancient people with strongly established traditions… and there's never been a hint of anything druidic beyond the fact they are a forest/jungle people… so yeah, I have trouble with that one.

Dwarf shaman is the other one I have a really hard time with…. Again, its with their cultural background… It just seems quite at odds with how a shaman should be in tune with the elements…

Undead hunter seems a little odd… bonding with a living thing is a bit of an anomaly to my mind… ::chuckle:: Maybe they have to make the pet undead, too…