wow Will Shadowlands Have a Patch 9.3?

[Starym 3,787]

 

With today's 9.2 reveal coming up soon we'll find out what's next for WoW, but we're not quite sure if we'll actually get to know if 9.2 will be the final major patch of the expansion. In a recent interview with GamesBeat, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas said this:

Quote

We’ll be talking a bit more about the conclusion to Shadowlands in more detail in the future. Yes, 9.2 is coming, you’ll be hearing about that more soon. We do have more planned after that. But it’s hard to say too much more without almost spoiling some of the story that’s going to come. We’ll have a lot of details on that soon, but we want to be able to explain it in the full context of what 9.2 is going to be.

There are a few ways to read this: we'll either be finding out how Shadowlands ends (or rather the setup for the end) in the content reveal video today, or today's video will only set the stage for future reveals. Both interpretations work with what was said, since the "more planned after that" could be referring to anything from a .5 patch, to 9.3, or a pre-expansion patch, or even the next expansion itself!

So what else can we look at to see if the next major Shadowlands patch will be its last? Well, timing is always a pretty big indicator, with 9.1 being delayed and 9.2 very unlikely to arrive before at least February/March 2022. And so a potential 9.3 patch could only appear somewhere around May/June at the extreme earliest (with some particularly gloomy players even thinking that particular window might instead be when 9.2 launches). This would leave about 5-6 months for an on-time next expansion launch, keeping the current schedule of an expansion every 2 years, so it is technically possible. However, considering how delayed 9.1 was, how long it took for a relatively minor 9.1.5 to arrive, and the current situation at Blizzard after it was profoundly shaken by the recent lawsuits, major departures, firings, and more, this optimal timing doesn't really seem very realistic.

In the end it all depends on the next expansion's timing. If Blizzard stick to the schedule of 1 every two years, a 9.3 seems pretty unlikely - at least in the full form we come to expect from major patches. However, it's also very unlikely 9.2 is the end of the Shadowlands, as hinted at by Hazzikostas above, but whether that means a bigger than usual 9.2.5 as the ending to the expansion, or a much smaller in scope actual 9.3 is anyone's guess. Battle for Azeroth also had a bit of a downer .3 patch, with no new zone(s) added at all, so perhaps something of that scale is also possible, but again it would be dependent on the next expansion being delayed at least a little. Depending on the exact timing of said delay, it could make Shadowlands the longest expansion AND longest content period in WoW's history in general, as Mists of Pandaria is currently the longest expansion, and Vanilla is the overall longest content period (both coming in at 26 months, only a few days apart).

And so while I unfortunately don't have a definitive answer for the question in the title, hopefully the above information was helpful for you to decide yourselves. And if I had to decide, I'd probably say there will be no 9.3, as it will get eaten up by work on the next expansion, similarly to what happened with Warlords of Draenor's .3 patch. Unfortunately, however, the reason for the .3 patch sacrifice this time around will be more because of all the delays, rather than because of the huge scope and extra work needed for the next expansion for it to be as awesome as Legion (although it's possible it will be regardless of that).

Which would you prefer? A faster new expansion release with a longer dead-zone of content in 2022, or that we do get a patch 9.3 and the expansion is delayed a few months?

[Nym85 72]

I'd like a 9.2.5 that is dedicated to evergreen content. Something that significantly enlarges timewalking. It would make the time between expansions (and really, ANY content lull) much easier to deal with.

[Dejo93 997]

Usually, I'd say a delay is a good idea. In this case though, I'm rather skeptical

[Baharok 234]

Hm i am not sure what i did see here, but the thumbnail did show me an evil hippo sort of.... 9.3 - Awakening of the shadow hippo's ?

[Nicenoob 6]

My money is on a mini patch (9.2.5) followed by the next expansion pre patch.

I would say the sooner we can say goodbye to Shadowlands the better with its odious systems, lack of zone variety (just 5 if you count the maw / korthia) and lack of sub stories.

Do you remember a time when the main story was somewhere in the background with the emphasis on lots of mini stories throughout multiple varied zones ? Shadowlands by contrast lacks depth and feels empty to me.

They have tried to make the game financially efficient with the emphasis on re-playable systems which few enjoy. Hardly surprising given that wow is just one game in a portfolio of many owned by Activision and that a game like candy crush makes them more money.

That said, i have no confidence that the next expansion will be any better. If that kitty mount is anything to go by we can expect a cutesy panda lands type expansion but with more of those odious systems.

I dont think wow will return to the great game it once was until it is owned by an independent company again and i cant see that happening any time soon.

 

[Mishmish 65]

I think SL had potential, but most of it is gone now, would rather a new expac focused on less grinds, more fun class design and just letting you play the parts of the game you love. 

 

They could of course surprise me with an oustanding new zone, but i dont think i loved any of the patch zones  since Timeless Isle much. 

[MrM 44]

I seem to recall people being absolutely convinced that there would be no 8.3 either, since "BFA was so bad it punched my puppy and spit in my coffee!"

[Arcling 887]

I wonder if those delays are going to make Shadowlands the longest running expansion. Normally, we would already had some announcement for the next one. Then there is the question what they are going to do with the story. If we spend 9.2 just chasing after Zovaal, that would be a huge stretch. Don't know they are going to make it even longer and interesting, considering how we are still after a villain without that much of a background, yet he was made to be so important as some mastermind behind many major events on Azeroth. 9.2 should be the end to his story line. But then could 9.3 serve as an introduction to another expansion? Seems rather unlikely, just like whole patch happening.

Edited November 11, 2021 by Arcling

[Lisq 0]

Why you say that the patch 9.2 won't be released before February/March? Like.. why not? What's the problem to release it in January?