[Speculation] Bizzare "Leak" reveals screenshot of an upcoming Cinematic

[Skilrathos]

I could go on... maybe half of my rambling does make as much sense as that stupid leak with an Screenshot where Every Sail is backwards for some reason even the ones seemingly just arriving... can you even make a 180 with your main sail? Don't you just use manpower to get out of the harbor?

Looks like the ships are leaving the port. The long spikes on the ships are the rear while the dragon/snake is the front.

[VinceVega]

Looks like the ships are leaving the port. The long spikes on the ships are the rear while the dragon/snake is the front.

You are right i did not see the dragon heads. Wondered why the use 2 different types of ships. I redact that point.^^

[ChairmanKaga]

2 different canon endings for a Raid? Nah sorry... Not like story telling like Jaina. Actual different endings.

According to the OP the only difference would be of the last two left standing, depending on the player's faction, you see one kill the other before succumbing to their own wounds. That seems no more different than the current Drazar'alor raid differences based on faction perspective.

[DotEleven]

According to the OP the only difference would be of the last two left standing, depending on the player's faction, you see one kill the other before succumbing to their own wounds. That seems no more different than the current Drazar'alor raid differences based on faction perspective.

Well, no because in Dazar'alor it's all still the same story. I mean, we do have little differences because the parts we experience from the other side is embellished because it's being told by a scout, but like, Mekkatorque still gets frozen, Rastakhan dies, Jaina is fought off.

That is different from in one faction "Anduin kills Sylvanas then dies" and the other "Sylvanas kills Anduin then dies". It's a small thing but it causes a continuity issue in itself. Now if regardless of faction you see Anduin kill Sylvanas then die himself, there'd be no difference. Right now it would be like, imagine if in Dazar'alor if you played Alliance Jaina escapes but if you played Horde she died. You have two endings in game that would both be canon but contradicting.

[kaminaris]

Oh wow, this one is pretty good. I think we found real one. The whole story indeed makes sense whatever people like it or not.

[VinceVega]

According to the OP the only difference would be of the last two left standing, depending on the player's faction, you see one kill the other before succumbing to their own wounds. That seems no more different than the current Drazar'alor raid differences based on faction perspective.

But Dazar'Alor is ONE part actually happening and another a retelling from a random soldier. So you actually have 1 canon version which is true. If it happens like OP wrote there will be 2 version. One where Anduin kills Sylvannas and one the other way around.

May look minuscle, but they can never speak about that ingame again because which version is true.

Anduin and the Banshee standing infront of each other saying: "I killed you once and i will do it again!" - "No I killed you once and do it again" - "I killed you first" - "No i killed you first!"

They can do this with us, like the Saurfang stuff, because we don't have "real" lore. We are the nameless Champion. A blueprint so to say who does never really gets mentioned unless we have to do something.

[Aurabolt]

...I'm willing to concede the screenshot's likely real but the description of events has too many things not accounted for:

• Thrall/Saurfang's Faction: No mention. At all. You don't bring back Thrall to defend Thunder Bluff and not specifically mention them.
• Slyvanas attacking Thunder Bluff is a diversion to take Stormwind: Sylvanas is no fool. She knows she'll need to split her forces and most of the Horde hates her by the point. At the very least she'd want Nathanos to leave the forces attacking TB if not herself. It would have to be a large force to get the Alliance to commit the bulk of its forces to Kalimdor. The problem is Sylvanas probably doesn't have the numbers to do both and barely enough for one. Even if the TB forces are a diversionary force they should still be threatening enough to get the Alliance to commit in large enough numbers to leave Stormwind lightly guarded.
• Sylvanas capturing Stormwind: Whew...where to start. To take a city as big as Stormwind the attacking force should have a tactical or numbers advantage over the defenders but preferably both. I can buy Anduin traveling to Mulgore to personally back up Baine but only if he knows for sure Sylvanas will personally lead the attacking forces. Wherever Sylvanas goes, Tyrande and Genn wouldn't be too far away looking for her. Anduin in Stormwind...Sylvanas ain't taking the city.
• Everyone killing each other in Stormwind until no one's left alive: Anduin Battle Rezzed in BFA's opening Cinematic. We're just gonna pretend that didn't happen? LOL.
• Sylvanas having everyone kill each other on purpose so they can enter the Shadowlands: Again makes no sense. More so given tech is supposedly introduced to allow one to travel between the Shadowlands and the Mortal Plane at will. Why make everyone die in that case then?
• Sylvanas loyalists vs. Thrall/Saurfang's Faction + Alliance: This is the biggest oversight. The Horde is clearly split right now but the narrative has you believe the expansion ends the way it began with Horde vs. Alliance. In terms of numbers, Sylvanas has a severe disadvantage nevermind resources and...yeah.
• LK Bolvar's involvement: I don't see this happening without some kind of setup. More so given Lorewise, no one other than Sylvanas knows he's not not dead nevermind is the new Lich King. He's not as powerful as LK Arthas and it's taking everything he's got to keep the Scourge confined to Icecrown. Nevermind the fact he literally can't move. LOL.

...I could go on.

A much more likely scenario is SoS is like SoO: It starts at TB and ends in SW.

How it would go is you fight to defend TB as Thrall/Saurfang's Faction + Alliance while Sylvanas' Faction is attacking. Then get word the bulk of the Horde forces loyal to Sylvanas just invaded Elynn Forest by sea. You arrive in time to find Stormwind City under seige and what happens from here depends on if you're Sylvanas loyal or Thrall/Saurfang's Faction + Alliance.

Sylvanas Loyalists will be fighting to keep the Alliance forces from breaking the seige also buying time for Sylvanas to power up a weapon that will level the city completely. She releases a test blast that devastates the Kul Tiran Fleet trying to get into Stormwind Harbor. You go from district to district as Alliance heroes invade to fight them and keep them from establishing a foothold. The final battle involves fighting Anduin with help from Sylvanas outside Stormwind Keep. Halfway through the fight, Anduin Rezzes all the bosses you beat elsewhere but Sylvanas raises fallen champions in undeath to delay them for the rest of the encounter.

Alliance + Thrall/Saurfang's Faction will be fighting to break the siege and stop Sylvanas before she destroys the city with her new Azerite Weapon. You go from district to district fighting Horde forces loyal to Sylvanas slowly retaking the city as you go along. The final battle involves fighting Sylvanas outside Stormwind Keep. Halfway through the fight, Sylvanas raises fallen Champions in undeath from both sides but Anduin rezzes fallen heros to to delay them for the rest of the encounter.

After the last fight, the same cinematic plays for both factions but the beginning is slightly different. It shows the streets of Stormwind literally choked with bodies of the dead from both sides. Anduin/Sylvanas is a battered mess but refuses to fall. Sylvanas and Anduin are about to lock up one more time when N'Zoth finally makes his move. He thanks them for fighting each other long enough for him to gather the power he needs to retake the world. With the Alliance and Horde Forces wiped out, no one can stop him now. The camera pans out, showing Naga and Faceless Ones invading the city. Malfurion and Hamuul Runetotem arrive, saying they played right into the Old God's hands and they need to escape. They mobilize the Cenarion Circle evacuate everyone via the Emerald Dream.

[Ambulatory Cube]

So why aren't there any trolls, tauren, dwarves, gnomes, draenei, and Kul'tirans on the dock? Looks exclusively orcs, humans, forsaken, and maybe some elves.

[huth]

A much more likely scenario is SoS is like SoO: It starts at TB and ends in SW.

Do i need to point out the problem with players of the same faction having different encounters?

- - - Updated - - -

Doesn't say this is a mockup, says the map from the previous leak was a mockup. And since this is the Shadowlands, they could be portraying the water differently to make it more ethereal. Obviously not claiming this is real, but if it's a fake, they've done a commendable job.

You could probably figure out what engine was used to stage that shot by the way it renders the reflections and water. It certainly isn't the WoW engine.

[Asotcha]

idk seems pretty cool to me if true. Do people really think its that bad? Geez.

I think some people just say that to try and sound cool.

I mean, Not everyone agrees with the story in BFA, but no one can deny that people are pretty engrossed in it. If they weren't there wouldn't be people fussing every other thing they do. I'm just hoping they give us something else solid to go on before Blizzcon hits. 2 months is gonna feel like forever.

As to the OP, I just wonder how we and the other leaders are gonna be brought back to life eventually. Could that mean that we could sneak Vol'jin along with us?

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Looks a bit too painted for me to call it real. Especially on the ships.

[Eon Drache]

Bad photoshop is bad photoshop.

Analyzing the image it doesn't actually appear to have anything suspicious about it. There aren't any parts that appear to actually be edited from the source. This is one hell of a "bad photoshop" as in an actual screenshot from a youtube video of a blizzard posted cinematic actually comes off as more "Fake" than this one seems to be.

[Phaine]

this is exactly what i said from the start, i'll be praising blizzard if this turns out to be true, and to me its not that hard to imagine.

loyal sylvanas fan from the start.

did you see what i did there, share my thoughts / feelings on it without insulting/assaulting anyone different minded.

[PelinalWhitestrake]

this is exactly what i said from the start, i'll be praising blizzard if this turns out to be true, and to me its not that hard to imagine.

loyal sylvanas fan from the start.

did you see what i did there, share my thoughts / feelings on it without insulting/assaulting anyone different minded.

Whats next? You will also say that VIVEC was right?

[thilicen]

Whats next? You will also say that VIVEC was right?

Almalexia 4 life bro

[arandomuser]

obviously fake. like if you cant tell this is a poor photoshop i dont even know what to say

[huth]

Analyzing the image it doesn't actually appear to have anything suspicious about it. There aren't any parts that appear to actually be edited from the source. This is one hell of a "bad photoshop" as in an actual screenshot from a youtube video of a blizzard posted cinematic actually comes off as more "Fake" than this one seems to be.

Being to perfect is suspicious in itself, though. Could a screenshot of a video even reach this level, or would you have to extract a frame from the source material?

[Mellrod]

idk seems pretty cool to me if true. Do people really think its that bad? Geez.

People think everything is bad and don't want to even entertain something that could subvert their expectations or whatever narrative is going on in their head.

Giving it the benefit of the doubt here for conversation's sake (because 50 comments saying "ThIs iS DuMb aNd FakE" isn't a real conversation), it sounds like a pretty detailed leak and some of it believable to be honest. That line from Sylvanas sounds just like the "she was a good guy all along!" thing Blizzard might try to pull with her character to prevent her from going the way of Garrosh. They'd basically be giving her character arc the Illidan treatment. Everything about this falls in line with her mysterious dealings with Helya and other entities with any power over death and shadow.

Her having reign over Stormwind also falls in line with the quote Varimathras says to the Alliance in The Burning Throne raid about Sylvanas having a plan no one is suspecting, and how we'll end up with the shattered mask (the Forsaken banner/insignia) over our hearths and cities. This may also fall in line with one of the quotes from Ogmot the mad's dream journal, about how he witnesses a lady wrapped in swirling darkness leading blind sheep off a cliff. This could perhaps apply here in the sense that Sylvanas leading everyone to the Shadowlands could be leading us to our doom (and possibly her own included).

[Teriz]

Oh wow, this one is pretty good. I think we found real one. The whole story indeed makes sense whatever people like it or not.

Yeah I agree. It pretty much ties all the loose ends and makes sense. Also a WoW opening cinematic with Goblins and Gnomes is LONG overdue.

[Somewhatconcerned]

Seems interesting.

Why does Bolvar appear out of nowhere to side with the Alliance? He still feels a connection to them?