World of Warcraft: Datamined Particle Effects Might Hint at New Expansion
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is wrapping up in the upcoming Eternity’s End patch, so players are expecting the next expansion to be announced soon. Recent encrypted assets discovered in World of Warcraft include a new mount, suggesting a draconic-themed expansion is coming soon.
The encrypted content found in World of Warcraft contained assets for a mount, a pet, and a few additional items and models. All together, the package is similar to those in Deluxe Edition rewards from previous expansions, suggesting WoW could be working towards an expansion announcement and preorder soon.
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Though little is known about the other parts of this package, a few details about the mount have been datamined. The mount’s file name, 9fx_drakemountemerald_buff_4219045, suggests it is a green dragon–the druidic guardians of the Emerald Dream. The file itself is massive for a mount at 8.9MB, dwarfing Shadowlands’ high-fidelity Ensorcelled Everwyrm’s 2.7MB, meaning the mount will probably be incredibly detailed. The file contained a few spell effect textures and a full spell effect that were not encrypted as well, all of which fit the green dragon theme.
This encrypted package is one of several hints at a dragon-themed expansion in World of Warcraft’s future. At the end of last year, Blizzard offered a Dragon Pack cash shop bundle, pairing several draconic mounts and minions together in a theming tactic used in the past to hint at future releases. More recently, a leak from a supposed World of Warcraft development Discord detailed plans for an expansion around the Dragon Isles–a location hinted at in old concept art, GM assets, and lore easter
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