Battleplan Vol . 2 The World of Warcraft Battle Plan Vol . 2 discusses launch of Blackwing lair , launch in China and Singapore , preparations for BlizzCon , future raid content , PvP , talent improvements , the web site , planning for the character transfer service , and possible Hero class plans . From 0 . World of Warcraft Battleplan : V . 2 - 10 / 20 / 05 | and 1 . Re : World of Warcraft Battleplan : V . 2 - 10 / 2 | by Eyonix ( originally posted by Drake ) : Since the last World of Warcraft Battle Plan , much has happened in the Warcraft universe . We ' ve launched Blackwing Lair , the highest level dungeon in the game , we launched World of Warcraft in China and Singapore with great success , and work continues on adding even more content for our player s . BlizzCon is quickly approaching , and we ' re preparing the lineup of programs , dev chats , and the concert to be held at our inaugural event . Im very happy to announce that we ' ll have the first public showing of the expansion for World of Warcraft at BlizzCon . Attendees will be able to view the work that is going into the project and hear some of the eagerly awaited details . To those of you who wont be able to make it to the show , please keep an eye out for the game magazines that will be hitting newsstands right around BlizzCon , because some of them will feature in - depth articles on the expansion with plenty of information about how World of Warcraft will be evolving . For this Battle Plan , we want to take the opportunity to look ahead to what our players can expect in the coming months leading up to BlizzCon and the expansion announcement . Raid Content . Since day one , our take on World of Warcraft has been that it should be accessible to a wide audience , whether its players who crave epic battles ; fast and furious action ; or casual , social interaction . We already have a wide variety of activities that players can enjoy , and we want to continue building upon content already in the game . One feature were excited about is the addition of mid - sized raid dungeon s . While the epic 40 - player encounter is challenging and rewarding , we feel that a mid - sized raid can serve as a dynamic and fun departure from 40 - player raid s as well as the standard 5 - player parties . The tactics necessary for a successful mid - sized raid group will feel different from those for a larger raid group , but good organization will still be required , and each member of the group will be an important contributor to its success . This new raid style will also serve as a stepping stone up to 40 - player raids for many players . Two examples of this new smaller - scale style of raid encounter are the upcoming Zul ' Gurub ( ) and Ahn ' Qiraj content additions . Many of you have already learned about Zul ' Gurub from the recent preview we posted and from helping us test this new content on the Public Test Realm s . AhnQiraj , which is subdivided into two different encounters , actually takes the small - raid concept a little further . The exterior area is a challenging 20 - man raid dungeon , and the interior location presents the next top - tier 40 - player raid experience after Blackwing Lair . Beyond the doors of AhnQiraj , Silithus is being fleshed out as a major quest hub with episodic storylines that extend into its depths and past its borders . Players have frequently requested more small - party and solo content , and weve focused our efforts to meet those desires around Silithus . Everyone should definitely check out the new quest and storylines when the Silithus content is released in patch 1 . 8 . In addition to those new areas , well also be adding some outright terrifying world raid encounters . Along with Azuregos and Lord Kazzak , the names of four green dragons Ysondre , Lethon , Emeriss , and Taerar will come to be feared throughout Azeroth . World Events . We ' re also working on more dynamic interactions in the game . To this end , we ' re focused on launching new world events and expanding on some of the ones already available . Currently on the schedule is a Halloween - inspired event for Azeroth . We haven ' t given the holiday a title yet , but players will definitely find a number of great things in store . On top of that , were adding more diversions to the Darkmoon Faire . Events run the gamut in frequency , from several times a day to once per year , with all levels in between . All in all , this adds up to a ton of dynamic content that players can experience . PVP . On the PvP side , Arathi Basin ( ) is coming out with our next major content patch , 1 . 7 , bringing the total number of Battleground s to three . As players on the Public Test Realms are currently experiencing , Arathi Basin brings the capture and defend style of gameplay to World of Warcraft in fierce 15 - vs . - 15 player combat . The fight to control resources is a central theme in Warcraft , and Arathi Basin pits the Horde against the Alliance in the battle for raw materials to supply their war efforts . Were also working to polish several aspects of the first two Battlegrounds . At the top of the list are some major changes to Alterac Valley . We hope players have been enjoying the experience our epic Battleground provides , with its wide variety of goals and tasks . That aspect is something we definitely want to keep in Alterac , but we also want to make it more accessible by lowering the launch requirement from 30 players per side to 20 . We also plan to shorten the length of time required to complete a game of Alterac Valley . Some of the changes well be implementing to accomplish this goal are balancing out the terrain , slightly decreasing the landmass , and improving the queue to ensure balanced teams for each game . Outside of the Battlegrounds , we want to focus on PvP gameplay in general . One common concern has been that lower level players have a difficult time advancing in the PvP Honor System , so we ' ll be changing some things in regard to the Honor requirements in order to help these players make more progress . Another popular player request has been for us to increase outdoor PvP battles . Prior to the Battlegrounds , the outdoor landscape was fraught with PvP . However , once the Battlegrounds were introduced and NPC dishonorable kills were implemented , outdoor PvP greatly decreased . We want to bring back the hectic action of mass PvP , but with some improvements . One idea on the table is to place a capturable objective in the exterior environment . With something like this , we can encourage outdoor PvP again while centralizing the action to a designated location . Talent Improvements . Were currently in the process of improving underused talent s for all class es . The goal of the talent reevaluation is to allow all classes to have three viable talent trees to choose from . That is , each class should be able to pick from any tree available and still end up with a character that has desired utility in a specific role . The task is a major undertaking and one we ' re carrying out with great enthusiasm . Some classes have already been completed ( Warrior s , Warlock s , and Hunter s in the upcoming content patch ) , others are currently being worked on ( Druid s and then Paladin s ) , while still others are yet to come ( Shaman s , Mage s , Priest s , and Rogue s ) . Our priority is to address first those classes that have limited choice in talent trees , and move from there . Each class should receive attention to areas where the designers feel talents are lacking , though the scope of the changes will be based on need , with some classes receiving more drastic changes than others . Web Site . Outside the game , we understand the importance of the Web site as our central medium to communicate information to our players . Our plans revolve around developing more dynamic functionality for WorldofWarcraft . com so that players can find more information about whats going on in the game automatically . First and foremost is the addition of a PvP Rankings page . With that , players will be able to see PvP Honor performance across all realms . Player profiles is another feature we are looking forward to for the site . Profiles will showcase armor and equipment for each player and allow them to compare notes with players on other realms . Character - Transfer Service . Another feature of the Web site we ' ll be implementing is fee - based character transfers . This is a feature that ' s been very frequently requested and one which we want to provide for players as soon as we can . We ' ll offer character transfers from one realm to another , as well as allow players to move characters from one account to another . While we want to offer this service as a convenience , we also want to prevent its use for exploitive reasons , so there will be a time restriction to limit the frequency that a character can be moved . Parting Words . We are very excited about the upcoming content were creating for World of Warcraft . The potential for what we can do with the game is endless , and our main challenge is to continue raising the bar for everyone . Speaking of raising the bar , we know that many players are curious about our plans for Hero classes . We want to assure everyone that developing the Hero - class system as a way for top - level players to advance their characters to new heights remains a high priority for us . While we cant delve into specifics at this time , we do hope to share more info about Hero classes when we see you at BlizzCon . I want to thank our dedicated players worldwide who have made this game into a global phenomenon , and I invite you to experience the things we have in store . Thanks again , and well see you in Azeroth ! Shane Dabiri Lead Producer World of Warcraft Development Team Carpe Caydiem . Seize the Cay .