There's a very obvious place that we ought to go in a future expansion. It's been teased and hinted at, and the concept seems to scream with potential. Every time talk begins of a new expansion, this is the first one people jump to.
I am referring, of course, to the Emerald Dream.
(No, that was not a build-up for an ironic pay-off, unless you were expecting that, in which case it was meta-ironic, which may be the most hipster-ish adjective ever known to exist.)
Yet four expansions in, and we have yet to enter the Emerald Dream. WoW Insider has a post that argues why Mists of Pandaria is actually the closest we'll get to an expansion focusing on the Dream. I am still not convinced that Blizzard will not find a way to get us there, but at the same time, there are some huge roadblocks in place.
PRO: Background
We know that the Emerald Dream is there, and that it's got a huge influence on Azeroth. As far as we can tell, the Dream is another layer of Azeroth, somewhat akin to the Elemental Planes, but this one was created not as a prison, but as a back-up. Presumably, should the Titans or their representatives decide to re-originate Azeroth through the mechanism in Uldum, the planet will revert to a state identical to the Dream, which is that of a single continent, devoid of civilization, or possibly even the sapient species who could create one (apart from visiting Druids while they sleep. I'd also guess that Cenarius and the other Ancients are from here.) There's a lot of background that would make this feel like a logical destination.
CON: Nothin' There!
One of the key concepts of the dream is that there's no civilization, which presumably means no buildings. Having an entire expansion take place in a completely unsettled wilderness (without even ancient ruins or mysterious tribal people) would probably get pretty damned dull, even with cool landscapes.
PRO: An Obvious Villain
We've been hearing about N'zoth since Cataclysm, and we've been hearing about the Nightmare since vanilla. The WoW Insider article points out that the Sha are not too much unlike what we might imagine the Nightmare to be like, but I could imagine the Nightmare being really, really trippy. Plus, the existence of the Nightmare corrupting the Dream could be an excuse to have more than just wild country.
CON: The Nightmare Was Defeated
In Stormrage, or one of those books, Malfurion beats Xavius and clears out the Nightmare.
PRO: But Not Destroyed
Despite defeating the Nightmare, it still exists, stuffed into something called the Rift of Aln. There's your Shadowmoon Valley/Icecrown zone of the expansion! In fact, even areas free on the corruption might still need to mend.
CON: It's super Druid-centric
Don't get me wrong, Druids are cool, but it's not as if they've ever lacked story focus. And despite the fact that they're available to four races, Night Elves really dominate Druid lore (despite the Worgen being tied more inextricably to Druidism.)
PRO: Huge Potential for Lore
Knowing what the back-up for Azeroth is would give us huge insight into what the Titans actually intend to do with our planet. So far, most of the time the big reveal is not so much what the Titans are doing, but just that Titans are involved in something (though I expect to learn more in 5.2.) We already know how the Titans relate to the Dream, and I think Blizzard could move the lore forward in a serious way in an Emerald Dream expansion.
CON: We've Seen the Emerald Dream Before
There are actually a number of quests for druids and non-druids alike where we've been able to enter the Emerald Dream. This usually just shifts us to a different phase with a green filter, though. Shouldn't ICC disappear around us when healers enter the dream to get mana back on the Valithria Dreamwalker fight? How is there a Maelstrom there when we enter the dream during Madness of Deathwing (ok, maybe our characters enter it while the camera stays on them in their sleep-state in the real world.) If the Emerald Dream were just normal Azeroth through a green filter, that would be pretty lame, yet so far, that's what it is.
There are probably some points I've overlooked, but I'm not giving up all hope of an Emerald Dream expansion (Alliance faction: Druids of the Pack? Please?) If they could justify (or just ret-con, though this is less elegant) putting towns and cities into the dream, I think it would be a cool area of conflict, especially if they take the "dream" idea and really freaking run with it. I want Alice in Wonderland-level stuff! Floating clocks and spiraling roads! I want to slay a Jabberwocky with a Vorpal Sword, damn it! And then I want to tame one on my hunter!
All this has got me thinking about Emerald Dream lore. I'll make a post about that soon.
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