On Dec. 19, Holly Longdale, the executive producer for World of Warcraft, shared an extensive patch roadmap for the retail and Classic versions of the game. In the heap of updates, there’s the mysterious Patch 10.2.6.
Looking at the Dragonflight 2024 patch roadmap, you can see Patch 10.2.6, scheduled right after Seeds of Renewal. This is a completely new addition to the game because Dragonfight patches have followed the same pattern. For example, there was Patch 10.1, then 10.1.5 and 10.1.7. This is the first time we’ve had a 0.6 patch. On top of this, there are no details about this new patch marked with a black flag with a skull and crossbones. It is scheduled to release between Seeds of Renewal and Dragonflight season four.
I had to come out of retirement and put on my detective hat to see what players on WoW’s subreddit had to say about this. Naturally, they’re left with more questions and answers, and no one actually has an idea what Patch 10.2.6 will be about. WoW content creators Bellular and Towlie asked a similar question on X (previously known as Twitter), and Longdale replied with an eye emoji. Fans are speculating this could mean either a pirate or Hardcore event in WoW.
I think Blizzard is just using this as an opportunity to mess with our heads. Surely, there will be a special event in Dragonflight, but Pirate’s Day took place on Sept. 19 and 20, 2023, and Hardcore event doesn’t really fit in this expansion. The most likely theory I heard is this could be a special tribute to the pirate-themed expansion that players wanted but was ruled out by Blizzard president Mike Ybbara.
Patch 10.2.6 is releasing soon after Seeds of Renewal, and I guess we have to wait until then to learn the details.
