The Blizzcon Informative: What to Expect

Blizzcon is just around the corner and with all the upcoming excitement and anticipation, those wanting to experience the event in person, through the virtual ticket or simply a curious onlooker awaiting the trailers and news to unveil want to be aware of information on the eve of the event. Excited for what is to be announced, overjoyed with the expectation of greatness with a subset of fear that there expectations will not come to light, many emotions swell from the fans of Blizzard Entertainment.

Stretching across many years since the birth of the lovable title of, “World of Warcraft” this annual convention brings out the kid in all, with a wonderful display of products that fans have set endless hours exploring and loving. From the strategic and tactical elements of player vs. player, to the complex, group-orientated cooperative play presented within their titles. Blizzard games cater to a wide audience promising the best in gaming.

DIABLO

Starting off the expectations is the supposed main focal point of the convention, the mysteries and speculations of what is to appear with the Diablo series. Baseless rumor and disappointing news articles from the Diablo team have destroyed the hopes of many with expecting a continuation of this beloved, action-RPG dungeon crawler.

Diablo III has been continuously active for 6 years now and while it is common for Blizzard games to last this long, even longer most times, there has been little in the way of support for this game. The last major expansion was 4 years ago, and through improving on the game, it was not enough to combat the monotonous experience one had with the game. As stated by the Diablo development team, “We currently have multiple teams working on different Diablo products and we can’t wait to tell you all about them…when the time is right”. This ere of mystery started out playful but as months turned into years, the waiting for continuation or support for the Diablo series was nowhere to be seen fans started turning away.

With the impending Blizzcon tomorrow, many are not expecting a huge blowout in terms of Diablo announcements, however many hold on to that glimmer of hope that some news will enliven the community and world they once loved. Personally, I am very curious to see Blizzard Entertainment’s plan for Diablo going into the future and it is hard to speculate what could be announced at the opening ceremony.

OVERWATCH

Moving on to a more exciting and reliable source of enjoyment is Blizzard Entertainment’s highly-successful, first-person competitive hero-shooter that, upon the first Blizzcon it was announced, wowed the fans and the onlookers. The focus on the competitive edge of the game enlivened the experience as a whole, and with the first successful run of Overwatch League, this game has no signs of slowing.

The expectation for Overwatch is the reveal of a new hero and a breathtaking cinematic to be unveiled. Additionally many ponder the thought of a single-player based game mode, however with the focus on the ranked format this seems unlikely. Though exploring the wonderful lore slyly presented within this title, it is clear what should be expected of Overwatch. A great year of updates and support followed by a, hopefully, great Blizzcon filled with announcements to even more to mark a place for this game to be played.

As for the esports presented at the impressive Blizzcon arena, we will see the top 8 countries that have been rigorously challenging nations from all around the world to clash at the second Overwatch World Cup. The eight teams right now are from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, China, Finland, Canada, and France. This exciting event will go on to prove which country provides the best talent in terms of the Overwatch esports scene.

HEARTHSTONE

The lovable card game introduced by Blizzard Entertainment in the year of 2014, has been evolving and altered the basis it started out in. With the impressive expansions released in the Year of the Raven, Hearthstone has grown exponentially with new mechanics, strategies and tactical skill. With the impending Blizzcon, no one should expect nothing less from the new expansion presented.

A recent leak revealed the title and setting of the new expansion, though only speculation, “Hearthstone: Brawl of Rastakhan” seems a fitting direction to go to tie in World of Warcraft’s recent expansion of Battle For Azeroth. Rastakhan in the God King of the Zandalari empire, a jungle-based realm where ancient Troll tribes reside. It is not too out of the ordinary for the expansion revealed to be this exact leak.

Onto the competitive scene presented during Blizzcon, the arduous grind of becoming World Champion within the Hearthstone Championship Tour is almost at its end. Since the end of last year’s Blizzcon pro player and the hopeful few have been battling it out competing in tournaments, stabilizing a spot on the competitive ladder and rigorously training their tactical skills for the chance of becoming this esteemed title. The top three players in terms of standings are: Justsaiyan in the Americas, Tom60229 in the Asia-Pacific and Seiko in the European rankings.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

Battle For Azeroth was a successful expansion the long-running mmorpg of World of Warcraft. Support is expected for this title as the recent patch notes speak volumes. Steam will not be running thin at this year’s Blizzcon.

Though not a focal part of the main stage events, there are sure to be surprises for the game in the hearts of die-hard veterans, including more updates on the WoW Classic Mode unveiled last year. Once again will the fans be able to play the definitive, challenging experience that was within this nostalgic chapter of the game.

The competitive scenes at Blizzcon are the long-going Arena World Championships where 12 teams face each other in glorious battle all with the common goal of defeating the adversaries that stand in their way. A fast-paced, synergistic combat ensues every moment within this event. Additionally, the new addition of the Mythic Dungeon Invitational has two teams of 5 race head-to-head and showcase the new mythic dungeon system in Battle For Azeroth as well as provide an exciting race against the opponent.

HEROES OF THE STORM

The last of the main stage appearances belongs to the popular, fan-pleasing MOBA presented within Heroes of the Storm. New heroes are definite and new maps abound, along with the possibility of even more surprise. The content and support this game receives is a constant stream of good tidings, with classic heroes and villains from all Blizzard titles coming together forming a great crossover for the fans.

The HGC Finals are almost upon us, as this week top teams competed for a spot to duke it out on the live stage at Blizzcon. The top 8 remain with many familiar names such as Tempo Storm and Team Liquid competing for the prize pool of $1,000,000 up for grabs.

This year’s Blizzcon has an ere of mystery for the expectation of the Diablo franchise as well as promising to be full of exciting news and events from each beloved title from the library of Blizzard Entertainment. If you are planning on attending yourself, watch via virtual ticket or just are going to glance at the amount of news released, I truly hope this wonderful convention will not be a disappointment to the fans and onlookers.