It’s been an incredibly eventful few weeks for the vanilla community as a whole and we as a project have learned a lot about our player base during that time. We asked you for your opinions on how we should move the project forward and you have spoken with clarity and conviction, for which we are truly grateful. So, where are we heading and what’s going to change?

Server merge?

Let us start with the elephant in the room. This has been the single biggest request that you have made and while we understand the desire, we know that it is not immediately possible at this time. However, we simply cannot take this option off the table and must position the project as a whole to be extremely agile and able to adapt to the needs of our community. With the two servers, Kronos I and Kronos II, both sitting at different points in the vanilla timeline, an immediate merge would be a rushed and rash decision that would have lasting implications.

We share your best intentions and passions for our project and we will continue with the community’s best interests in mind. Should in the future, the servers’ timelines align, we will be in a position to respond swiftly if necessary.

Kronos II: World Dragons & War Effort

Naturally, the forward movement for Kronos II’s timeline to bring it in-line with Kronos I means that we are fulfilling another request that you have made; the release of the Ahn’qiraj War Effort and by association, the Emerald Dragons. This will provide the Kronos II playerbase with new challenges and the opportunity to complete one of the most epic and exclusive quest chains in the history of World of Warcraft.

This content will be unleashed upon the Kronos II population on Sunday December 4th, affording everyone the chance to make the necessary arrangements.

Why So Dodge?

There have been concerns about the state of the competitive PvP scene on Kronos for some time, primarily due to a few imposters that insist on trying to game the system, as opposed to engaging in games that will truly test their ability. In an effort to curb this, we will be implementing a change that will apply a deserter buff to those that do not join a battleground that they have queued for and have been asked to join.

The hope is that this will encourage people to take on the best that their opposing faction has to offer, instead of just dominating the more casual PvPers who are there to get their weekly honor and enjoy the directly competitive side of the game.

This change will come into effect after the next honor update on both Kronos I and Kronos II.

Kronos I: The Scourge Invasion

The Scourge Invasion is a significant event and heralds the opening of one of the most iconic, and what many would call incredibly challenging raids in World of Warcraft history; the dread citadel, Naxxramas. Fresh challenges await newer players and veterans alike when a constant and relentless onslaught of Scourge threaten Azeroth as we know it, springing up beneath multiple Necropoli and establishing camps that must be halted.

You’ve come to expect nothing but quality from us and our efforts will be focussed on working alongside those who wish to test the instance with us – to ensure that the raiding experience is as accurate, challenging and epic as it should be.

Naxxramas PTR

As a community, you have responded well to our suggestion that we would open up the PTR for Naxxramas testing and we’re happy to encourage your enthusiasm. Therefore, in the coming weeks, we will be releasing the PTR for testing of the Spider Wing. Naturally, the logistics involved in this are fairly complex, so specific details will be provided as we get closer to the time. In the meantime, we ask that those that wish to participate brush up on their knowledge of the encounters and the relevant mechanics.

Naxxramas Release Schedule

During the discussions on our forums about the PTR and the general release of the instance, there were a number of people enquiring as to whether the release would be wing by wing or a “free for all”. As we have promised in the past, we will be seeking your feedback on this. A staggered release will allow us to provide you with content faster, as development continues on the few remaining wings, while a completely open instance would be somewhat delayed.

You can have your say on the subject by following this link and taking part in our poll and the associated discussion.

“Naxxramas and beyond”

A small hint was recently dropped on Reddit by a member of our team that suggested that we would be carrying the Kronos project into further content after Naxxramas and we can confirm that this is the case. Upon the completion of vanilla’s final raiding experience, our development team will turn their attentions to The Burning Crusade. This is the logical next step for the project and allows those who wish to continue their journey with us, the chance to do so with their current characters. Rest assured, measures will be taken to ensure the continuation of the vanilla experience, both for players who wish to begin afresh, and those who want to continue playing their current characters in a vanilla environment.

The planning is currently still in its infancy but we will provide you with more details as we get closer to a releasably experience.

We would like to thank the entire Kronos community for their (generally) constructive comments and feedback over the course of the last week. With your support, we can continue to mould Kronos into the World of Warcraft experience that we all want and deserve.

The Kronos Team