Welp, cat’s out of the bag. Reddit user Dingobloo has posted a background image on battle.net containing information on Legion pre-orders and a possible release date.
Looking at the information provided in this background image we can come to the conclusion that
- Pre-purchase will be available from Blizzcon 2015 onwards
- Get a level 100 Character Boost instantly
- Early access to new Demon Hunter class (available at least 7 days before Legion launch)
- Digital Standard Edition – $49.99
- Digital Deluxe Edition – $69.99 with Illidari Felstalker mount, Nibbles pet and other in-game goodies
- Expected game release on or before September 2016.
Upon first view of this I must admit panic started to set in a little. With the possibility of patch 6.2 and the Hellfire Citadel raid lasting a total of 436 days, 37 days longer than patch 5.4 and the Siege of Orgrimmar raid things aren’t looking good. However there is a possible little reprieve with an “or before” in the expected game release time.
But what can we say about the state of the game when they can’t lock in a release 100% and only have an “expected release date”? In my opinion this does not bode well. This obviously appears like a rushed kind of “let’s just get pre-purchase ready for Blizzcon, even though we’re not ready” kind of act and it reeks of it. An event like Blizzcon is all about capturing leads.
If you’re trying to capture leads, why would you have a release date of 3 months after the release of the Warcraft’s Universe first blockbuster movie? If you want to capture leads, have Legion come out the week following June 10 or something. Unless, of course, you’re not ready for it.
With such a long time between patch 6.2 and the new exapansion, the only hope I have is that the pre-expansion content is the biggest we’ve ever seen. This could be the case, with possible strong ramp-up stories surrounding obtaining your artifact weapon, perhaps the Legion invasion starts well before the expansion release?
I have a lot more thoughts around this possible release date, but I’m going to hold on them while we wait for the official announcement. Who knows, this image may not even reflect the correct release date. It could be an old image, however it’s unlikely this close to Blizzcon.
We’ll try and keep you up to date on all the latest Healing news as it comes to hand over the Blizzcon weekend.
Head to Legion Overview page or the Legion archive for the latest info.