World of Warcraft’s cash shop is full of pets, mounts, and other cosmetic items players can purchase with real money for in-game use. Sometimes, the assets from the cash shop contain hints as to where World of Warcraft is heading–and with its most recent holiday sale package, the Dragon Pack, many players are connecting dots to speculate what the game’s 9th expansion pack could be.

WoW's Dragon Pack contains five mounts and two pets themed after the popular scaly creatures. The bundle is about a third of the price of their original cost, and contains one brand-new faerie dragon minion as well.

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Many World of Warcraft players are pondering the draconic theme of the pack. Though popular, dragons do not play a significant role in the story of Shadowlands. Some have taken it as a hint World of Warcraft could be going to the Dragon Isles in the near future. The Dragon Isles are a mysterious island chain mentioned in the annals of many WoW lore, including unused assets, quests, and even the recent and controversial Exploring Azeroth: Kalimdor lore book. Little is known about them, save that it was originally planned to be a raid zone in Burning Crusade, and they involve dragons and Old Gods.

wow dragons dragon isles squid old god island

The cash shop has carried subtle hints to the future of Warcraft in the past, which has led players to this conclusion. The Sylvarian Dreamer and Vulpine Familiar mounts were both released before Shadowlands, only to be found as creatures within the afterlife of Ardenweald. Other recent cash shop items, like the blood elf-themed Sunwarmed Furline, also suggest a much-needed revamp of the 15-year-old Silvermoon and Quel’thalas–a region geographically close to where the Dragon Isles were originally planned to be–further strengthened by the updated assets visible in a recent Shadowlands story cinematic featuring Sylvanas Windrunner.

Dragons are some of World of Warcraft fans’ favorite creatures. The story of the Dragon Isles would also be intrinsic to Azeroth’s history. One of the biggest complaints of Shadowlands is how detached it is from what makes Warcraft what it is. If WoW were to return to form with the Dragon Isles, especially with a revamp of Quel’thalas–home to the most played race in World of Warcraft–fans would be ecstatic.

Players shouldn’t get too excited yet, though. Though Shadowlands finishes its story with the upcoming Eternity’s End patch, it has not made an announcement about the next expansion pack. Critical players would also remind their fellow fans not to allow hype, rumors, or cash shop cosmetics to distract them from Blizzard's poor handling of the recent scandals it has been a part of over the last year. Until it makes lasting, meaningful changes within the company, even a highly-desired Dragon Isles expansion may not be enough to repair the damage Blizzard has done to itself in recent years.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC. Eternity's End is currently in development.

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Source: Battlenet