Spoiler (cinematic)

[Ophenia]

Obviously, it's still in PTR, which means, it is a subject to change.... But still... I don't understand 1 thing- why people hiss so much about potential N'Zoth's death.
You guys didn't bat an eye when we killed Yog and C'thun like mid patch. And it was stated MULTIPLE times that N'Zoth is 1 of the WEAKEST of Old Gods.

Because C'thun and Yogg were restrained in their prisons.

If N'zoth is fully unleashed, there is literally nothing that prevents him from stomping us with a mountain-sized tentacle like the ants we are

[TriHard]

Well, this just proves that the one dude that was commenting in the 9.0 thread was also yet another fake then.

[Orby]

Im pretty sure that he (and majority of people on these forums) could write better than blizzard.

Well the key to that is that we can be a singular writer. Blizzards problem is that it has a team of writers... Imagine writing a book in your own vision with 15 writers picking at it, changing it, and taking control of certain characters.

[Arrashi]

Well the key to that is that we can be a singular writer. Blizzards problem is that it has a team of writers... Imagine writing a book in your own vision with 15 writers picking at it, changing it, and taking control of certain characters.

And that is exactly why you should hire some sort of coordinator, preferably one who has basic understanding of writing.

[Tartys]

The ending wasn't decrypted as for patch 8.2? Means Blizzard wanted us to see it.

This is what I talk about when I said that Blizzard could not show the final of the 8.3 to the Blizzcon and announce, from the same stage, what would happen immediately afterwards. So, they have shown us the end of this expansion (even if there is no reference to Sylvanas) to move freely to the next step at Blizzacon.

[formerShandalay]

I don't really understand what the problem is with that cinematic? It's a bit Dragon Ball, yea, but I think it looks kind of cool.
Also, we can't actually see what happens apart from shooting a beam at N'Zoth, we've known that we think we defeated N'Zoth from the very first datamined dialogue lines and we also know that something seems to have gone wrong with that, because Alleria says she now hears more voices, not less (after N'Zoth is defeated).

We also know that N'Zoth knew all we were planning and that he has had access to the Heart Chamber long before there were ever any dragons around. Maybe not for an attack after his first try, but he sure could listen in.

So I still think N'Zoth "dying" is part of the plan.

The only thing I find strange is that we don't see the Blade anywhere, but maybe we use that in the carapace fight and that's the reason we get access to the brain at all, which is why the carapace drops the new Blade of the Black Empire, not the second N'Zoth fight. Which would also mean at least part of N'Zoth is perfectly safe inside the blade before we make our killing move. But we'll see^^

[Jikate-Stormrage]

People are mad because it ruins their own fanfic theories. Nothing more.

I am guessing the way this cuts out abruptly there's another cinematic after it.

It does transition to a different cutscene. Nzoth is pulled from the ground segment by segment, a loud pop sounding with each segment freed.

He is then thrust into space, on a collision course with Sargeras’ living room, where he and Illidan are watching Lost Boys together.

Nzoth lands in the popcorn, face down; stuck like an upside down set of anal beads. A post it note appears to be stuck to the body...”From Azeroth, with love.”

/End Scene

[wargone]

Oh no! I hope all that power doesn't destroy the necklace!

haha you mean how we burned out of artifacts so ALL the features and classes abilitys we got gets removed?

[Aristai1723]

Blizzard could troll. This could also play during a phase transition (super annoying but ...). Dungeon Journal says he attempts to corrupt the world soul.

No Sylvanas no blade.

Strong Dragon Soul Vibe means someone at Bliz really enjoyed cats

[Orby]

Fictional worlds often have someone in charge of coordinating the lore for exactly that reason. For a direct analogy in a vastly more complex world, you can check ESO's loremaster position. If they don't have anyone fit for purpose in their team, they can easily hire outside.

I think they call them 'creative directors' now days don't they? I know Metzen was a creative director and writer of Warcraft 3 and he did that stuff solo :P

And that is exactly why you should hire some sort of coordinator, preferably one who has basic understanding of writing.

I would be safe to bet the people there have some understanding in writing. Or at least a creative writing degree of some worth. Coordinator or not, I am not sure how their thinking process goes but considering BfA has been littered with massive holes between plots I can bet if they had a coordinator then he;s the one to blame because between the those holes are not getting filled.

I never have expected grade A writing when it comes to Blizzard, they never had that to begin with (except maybe the first Starcraft game and maybe Diablo and Diablo 2), as much as we have this rose tinted goggles mentality thinking Warcraft 3 was great storytelling, reality check: it wasn't, it was cliche as fuck with some horrible written dialogue. But I loved it and it's one of my favourite video games of all time.

The problem with WoW is, it's a non serious setting trying to take itself seriously but coming off goofy, where as before Warcraft was just balls to the walls cliche but fun!

I'll take a cliche narrative that's a little silly over the current "we're serious, look so serious we are" but coming off goofy. The key is being self aware. Blizzards creative are not very self aware.

[Gadzooks]

We better not kill him or this better be part of his plan for all the build up. This would be a cop out

Wow. Skybeam and "Enough!". They really phoned this one in.

[Elias01]

They went the DBZ-route again?
It's almost like they learned nothing from the feedback of Thrall doing basically the same in Cataclysm...

Not sure what you expected. You have game what cutters for lowest commmon dominatior with lfr, lfg, and all that ****. You expect it will be different with story telling? Story is dumbed down for same people what runs this ultimately easy acessible content. You really think Blizz will allienate their 1h week "gamers" with proper story? It has to be simple and easy just like rest of the game. ,,oh look a baddied" and ,,oh look he is dead". Simple and easy.

[SkyTides]

Can't watch it properly yet but I'm really surprised this wasn't encrypted. And it won't be a troll as even in-game cutscenes take a lot of work to make

[Gadzooks]

They're shooting themselves in the foot instead of the knee, it's what you're saying.

People have written thousands of expansion ideas using those zones, which means the potential was there and the community was receptive. The writers are the ones shrugging and saying "nah, that'd be boring, have THIS instead", only for it to blow up in their face, and force them to rush their way out of that mess and into a new one.

I was half thinking that N'zoth wouldn't die, that there would be one more raid patch, but as Taliesin said, Ion told them the final boss of BfA would be revealed at the end of the Palace, and...well. There you have it, the almost conclusion of BfA. Hope the raid and the whatever they're doing with the cloak is good enough to last you 8-10 months until 9.0 is done. I'm beginning to agree that they're gonna lean on Classic hard during the long wait. Like, "Play Classic for a 3 months and get this Vulpera mount!"

I'm still curious where they're gonna go after this. It's probably all Sylvanas, for 9.0. They have no big lore baddies left. It almost feels like they burned through lore on purpose, but it's hard to think they're that creative, or that they'd take that big a risk. It just feels like they threw a HUGE opportunity away here.

[Villager720]

Can't watch it properly yet but I'm really surprised this wasn't encrypted. And it won't be a troll as even in-game cutscenes take a lot of work to make

I’m betting there’s a “full” ending cinematic after this. Think of this as us dying and waiting for Tirion to shatter Frostmourne in ICC.

[Soulwind]

I was half thinking that N'zoth wouldn't die, that there would be one more raid patch, but as Taliesin said, Ion told them the final boss of BfA would be revealed at the end of the Palace, and...well. There you have it, the almost conclusion of BfA. Hope the raid and the whatever they're doing with the cloak is good enough to last you 8-10 months until 9.0 is done. I'm beginning to agree that they're gonna lean on Classic hard during the long wait. Like, "Play Classic for a 3 months and get this Vulpera mount!"

I'm still curious where they're gonna go after this. It's probably all Sylvanas, for 9.0. They have no big lore baddies left. It almost feels like they burned through lore on purpose, but it's hard to think they're that creative, or that they'd take that big a risk. It just feels like they threw a HUGE opportunity away here.

I doubt the expansion will be as obvious as "we pursue Sylvanas into the Shadowlands/Northrend". I imagine she'll show up halfway through the expansion and be dealt with in a single patch, much like Gul'dan or Azshara, but otherwise the expansion will have an almost impossible to predict theme and location.

Even if N'zoth hadn't died, BfA was the Old God expansion, it just wasted half of its runtime with a faction war that everyone knew wouldn't have consequences. Going from Ny'alotha to some new Black Empire continent/dimension full of the same thing would have been exhausting. So they would have only kept him alive to kickstart some storyline, and be killed shortly afterwards. Like they did with Garrosh and, again, Gul'dan.

[Keristrasza]

I'm confused only about one thing; why is Azeroth no longer in pain? as far as I know, it was the wound causing her pain, not the old god shenanigans. At least not them alone.

On Nzoth's death, I'm fine with it. We killed every other old god when it showed up, and we have known for quite a few years now that the old gods are nothing more than some parasites thrown around by the void lords, so idk why it is still necessary to be bewildered that they are not as OP as they were hyped up to be... During wotlk when we killed one?

That as well as our characters have literally stopped every threat to date and if memory serves me correct, only two have come remotely close to actually defeating us and winning without proper intervention. Arthas and Argus the Unmaker.

[Noraver]

lol that's not how PTR's work. Lore on the PTR almost NEVER changes. The PTR is for bugs, numbers, and if Perculia gets offended by Tyrande's Silence and needs to complain about it.

Dang, shots fired lol

[Nebron]

As I always said: nowadays story in WoW is an absolute garbage. And that cinematic could be an icing on the cake... if only it wasn't fake.

Honestly, as far as I'm pessimistic when it comes to Blizzard capabilities, there is no way the could have gone with such dogshit. I do hope, that this cinematic is:

a) another vision of XYZ,
b) fake clip that Blizzard created in order to mislead people; even patch 8.2.5 got it's own HIGH-FIDELITY cinematic. There is no way we have an access into N'zoth's death as in-game cinematic, while others that also have been datamined are encrypted.

[Ophenia]

As I always said: nowadays story in WoW is an absolute garbage. And that cinematic could be an icing on the cake... if only it wasn't fake.

Honestly, as far as I'm pessimistic when it comes to Blizzard capabilities, there is no way the could have gone with such dogshit. I do hope, that this cinematic is:

a) another vision of XYZ,
b) fake clip that Blizzard created in order to mislead people; even patch 8.2.5 got it's own HIGH-FIDELITY cinematic. There is no way we have an access into N'zoth's death as in-game cinematic, while others that also have been datamined are encrypted.

They probably have spent all their cinematic skills for the upcoming 8.3.5 fully-rendered cinematic "Sadfang's funeral"