Who do you think our Season 2 Delve companion will be in The War Within?

Delves are a brand new feature in The War Within that have filled a casual/solo player content gap quite nicely. I’ve found the option to commit a small chunk of time to some challenging solo content quite rewarding, especially since the gear drops are surprisingly powerful. I get the sense that much of the casual playerbase agrees with that sentiment, although opinions on the usefulness of our teammate, Brann Bronzebeard, his been decidedly more mixed.

However, Brann was only tagged as our Season 1 Delve companion. Once TWW Season 2 rolls out and we head to unexplored lands and undelved Delves, we will need a new sidekick for our  spelunking adventures — but Blizzard hasn’t offered a hint as to who might be joining us in future Delves.

Let’s look at some probable, unlikely, and way-out-there predictions for who our Season 2 Delve companion will be.

The usual suspects: The Explorer’s League

The current staff at Delve Headquarters in Dornogal is a representation of the Explorer’s League (also known as the League of Explorers, confusingly enough). This archaeological organization dates all the way back to the original World of Warcraft, and Brann Bronzebeard is one of the founding members.

Brann’s current comrades were first introduced in the Hearthstone Adventure League of Explorers. While the adventure was based on WoW and draws many of its characters and settings from the game, Hearthstone isn’t considered canon for the Warcraft universe. But still, some characters introduced in Hearthstone have made their way into World of Warcraft, including a number of characters hanging out around Delve Headquarters.

One of the most likely candidates to be our next Delve companion is Reno Jackson. He’s currently leaning against a cart in Brann’s HQ offering us some cosmetics and Dirigible schematics, but he also shows up in Delves from time to time looking for a fight. If I had to bet my Gatling Wand, I’d probably guess that we’ll be partnered with Reno for Season 2. It wouldn’t be the most imaginative or exciting choice, unless the fact that he’s actually a blue dragon gets carried over from Hearthstone.

Appearing alongside Reno within occasional Delves is Sir Finley Mrrgglton. A sophisticated gentleman murloc, he was one of the first characters to make the jump from Hearthstone to WoW back in Legion. I wouldn’t mind rotating Brann over to the Undercoin vendor position to go adventuring with Finley, although I’d probably mute the murloc sound effects after about a Delve and a half.

I’m not alone when I say the the final League of Explorers member in Dornogal, Elise Starseeker, would be a thrilling choice for our next Delve teammate. Also known as The Cartographer, she might be the most prolific explorer in the League. We might also get guest appearances from her Demon Hunter sister, Aranna, as well as some cameos from the junior explorers (probably sassing us for not collecting herbs properly).

The Explorer’s League comprises the most likely candidates, but they aren’t Azeroth’s only explorers, and Blizzard could look to past expansions for a new delving buddy in Season 2.

This belongs in a museum! Looking to older Azerothian characters

Lore-wise, Delves are all about archaeology — uncovering more of the history of Khaz Algar by punching spiders and kobolds. Therefore, it would make sense if our next companion was one of the professor-type NPCs that we have interacted with in the past.

You’d be forgiven if you couldn’t pick Harrison Jones and Reno Jackson out of a lineup, but this list wouldn’t be complete without at least mentioning this explorer who is most noted for his work in Uldum. We haven’t seen him for a few expansions, but coming-out-of-retirement story arcs are always popular.

Enthusiasm was low in the Blizzard Watch staff room about the prospect of Rannan Korren accompanying us for Season 2. In Dragonflight we saw the Alliance-based Explorer’s League join forces with the Horde-aligned Reliquary to form the Dragonscale Expedition. Rannan, a human mage, was one of the new additions. I’m sure many players would agree with me when I say that I wouldn’t mind him continuing his work in Khaz Algar far away from Delves HQ.

What about some other members of the Dragonscale Expedition? The head geologist, Zikkori, is a vulpera with an eye patch and an attitude. Toddy Whiskers might be disappointed by the lack of overhead room for a Skyriding race, but it might be fun to see her swinging an enormous torch at void cultists. Maybe it’s time for a Dracthyr to take a prominent role in the League — Talon Scaralesh was seen hanging around Dragonscale Basecamp, although he was more interested in what the mortals were eating than historical research.

Though it seems more likely that Blizzard would call on one of the characters already related to Delves, any of these explorers could fit the bill and bring back some old favorites. The rest of our list is a little less likely.

Is it delving time? Guff loves that time! (And others might too)

Having run down the list of likely candidates, who else’s hat would you like to see thrown into the ring to be our next Delve companion? I would love to see another Hearthstone character come to life on Azeroth proper, and I think Guff Runetotem would make a great choice. Originally one of the ten Hearthstone mercenaries introduced in Forged in the Barrens, Hamuul Runetotem’s nephew is a Druid with a fondness for nature and adventure. He made several appearances throughout the Dragon Isles, so it isn’t completely out of the question that we’ll next be accompanied by this gentle giant.

Perhaps we’ll get a new recruit to help us Delve through Season 2. I’d like to see a character from a non-playable race, and Niffen seem like an ideal choice for digging around and finding items of archaeological significance. Tuberros was never officially part of the Dragonscale Expedition, but maybe he’ll tire of Rannan Korren’s antics and come apply for a job at Delver’s HQ.

This could also be a great opportunity to introduce a new character. We’ve watched plenty of young NPCs come of age in our decades on Azeroth. Salandria is one that comes to mind — originally an orphan child as part of the Children’s Week celebration, we see her seven expansion later as a Blood Knight training under Lady Liadrin. There are plenty of young trainees at Dragonscale Basecamp, and any one of them could become the next hero of Azeroth. Who knows, maybe they’ll cut their teeth by joining us on our Season 2 Delving adventures.

That’s our list, but who’s on your list? Is there anyone — likely or unlikely — that you would like to see in Delves next season?