World of Warcraft Forever, set to release on November 4, will keep players primarily anchored to the original continents of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. However, Blizzard principal game designer Kris Zierhut has indicated that future updates might incorporate familiar zones from previous expansions.
In a recent interview, Zierhut explained that while the core experience will remain on the vanilla continents, there is potential for developers to "make minor forays into" areas such as Northrend and Pandaria. These excursions would likely involve limited content, such as a dungeon or a short questline, before players return to the primary continents. "Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor are your home," Zierhut stated, emphasizing that players would not find new capital cities, auction houses, or innkeepers outside of these regions.
Zierhut further clarified that any revisited expansion zones would not be identical to their original iterations. For instance, a potential journey to Northrend might feature a hostile, level 60 version of the continent, reflecting a specific point in its history rather than the version seen in Wrath of the Lich King. This approach allows developers flexibility within the established timeline of World of Warcraft Forever.
Blizzard's development philosophy for Forever prioritizes maintaining the spirit of classic World of Warcraft. While the game initially aimed to avoid features like group tagging, the developers have since incorporated elements like the 'Kyle's Gone Missing' quest, originally from The Burning Crusade, if it aligns with the classic feel. The game also introduces new areas, including Mount Hyjal, which was initially planned for the original World of Warcraft. Unlike other classic versions, Forever is not strictly bound by past content, and Blizzard plans for shorter patch cycles between updates compared to earlier expansions.