Summary
Specific words used in a blog post and email fromWorld of Warcraft Classicsuggest that Season of Discovery Phase 8 might actually be its last one. Though Blizzard may stop producing new updates for Season of Discovery Phase 8, theWorld of Warcraftexperiment won’t be going anywhere.
World of Warcraft ClassicSeason of Discovery is releasing its eighth phase of content on April 8. Featuring the Scarlet Enclave raid, New Avalon outdoor activities, and a mysterious Legendary weapon questline, Phase 8 is the first Season of Discovery update that consists of all original content.
However, some new evidence suggests it may be the last full phase of the experimental realms. In the blog announcing therelease date forWorld of Warcraft ClassicSeason of Discovery Phase 8, Blizzard said “The journey through Season of Discovery culminates with Phase 8.” Then, a recent Blizzard email described the update as the “final chapter of Season of Discovery.” These words heavily suggest there will be no further phases for the experimental realms after this next one.
Is WoW Classic SoD Phase 8 the Last Update?
On the one hand, Phase 8 being the finale of Season of Discovery would make a lot of sense. The Classic Era experiment has already revisited tons of cut content from vanillaWoW, including the Emerald Dream, the Karazhan Crypts, and ifevidence from theWoW ClassicSeason of Discovery Phase 8 PTRis any indication, Mount Hyjal and the Ashbringer. The experimental servers have to end eventually, and Blizzard can’t do too much more without it becoming a tried-and-true Classic+, so Phase 8 would be a logical place to wrap things up.
That said, this wouldn’t be the first timeWorld of Warcraftsaid Season of Discovery was ending, only to change its mind later. During last year’s Warcraft Direct, Phase 7 was called the final update, only forWorld of Warcraftto later surprise players with an eighth phase. The diction in question could have easily been an accidental miscommunication, or a deliberate smokescreen to throw fans off the scent of further content.
Either way, Season of Discovery isn’t going anywhere;WoWhas stated multiple times that SoD characters would continue to be playableafter the experiment was over.World of Warcraftalso said it didn’t want to put an end date on Season of Discovery, but acknowledged it would stop developing new updates for it eventually. While it remains to be seen exactly what will happen when that day comes, Season of Discovery will likely continue to persist in an evergreen format, with the vast majority of content still available in the game as it is now.
