This week we basically finish 9.0 story. If they want reveal 9.1 in reasonable time before Blizzcon, next week would be perfect to keep interest.
Would love it. I really dislike Tomb of Sargeras for picking arguably one of the worst hunter sets when TBC had so many good ones, but the Cryptstalker gear is probably one of the best sets hunter have, especially if we get it in full HD with all the bells and whistles.
The world revamp dream will never die!
Very late on this, but has anyone pointed out that Nordrassil looks almost completely different between now and the "Sylvanas abducts everyone" cinematic?
I think we might learn more about the devourers or brokers(raid/dung or maybe a zone), after all xymox escaped and cartel va seems to be hiding stuff and that scary in-between full of of those apocalyptic anima consuming monsters.
I just fucking don't get it, how can it be january already n there's no news on what's coming next major patch...unbelievable..
It's obvious.....3 new zones for each patch (9.1/9.2/9.3), as there are 3 empty gates in Oribos
I wonder what other realms could they create. We have a version of hell(the maw), heaven(bastion), purgatory (revendreth). We have a nature inspired one and a death, scourge inspired one (life and death, kinda).
I guess one of the things I suggested way back when is a "banshee" inspired realm. Since we've had the true origins for most of the scourge/dead related beings, like the val'kyr, the san'layn, the scourge, etc ... Maybe we could get an original form for the banshee as well, and we'd get a continuation of sylvanas' story there. Maybe we'd even find out there'd be a special significance to Arthas having made her a banshee I don't know. At the same time I don't think it's gonna happen because the Maw already feels like the realm of shades and wraiths like banshees (and you encounter them in torghast as well). Also her design is so tied to the maw, I think that's the place that's gonna be significant for her.
So what else? I think that having Baine and Anduin in the Shadowlands could probably mean seeing Cairne and Varian there. But Varian should have been in Maldraxxus no?
So an ancestors type realm from Tauren/Orc culture? There's also the brokers and the devourers as people have mentioned before.
Would be in line with the Cataclysm 2.0 prediction (Black Dragonflight, Ragnaros, Bronze Dragonflight, Void).
We have a Priest afterlife (Bastion) being angelic. We have a Druidic afterlife (Ardenweald) being nature.
We have a Death Knight afterlife (Maldraxxus & Revendreth) being death and blood.
Then, the afterlives we are, probably, missing are:
Monk afterlife (there's, literaly, an ability called "Afterlife"). Won't have August Celestials, though.
Shaman afterlife (ancestral spirits). Won't have Elementals, though.
A Frosty afterlife (the only Death Knight spec not represented in the Afterlife). Though, it might be, already, represented by Northrend.
Mage is an ambiguous one. We have Kyrians using Arcane magic but, i don't know how much Bastion represents Arcane, time or illusion magic.
Bastion seems to encompass Paladin afterlife, as well. But, we haven't got a clue where light beings go to when they die and we see the Light helping Uther's soul reach the afterlife.
We know Ardenweald encompasses Hunter afterlife, as well.
Demon Hunter and Warlock afterlives are the Twisting Nether/Argus.
Monk August Celestials, probably, go to Ardenweald with the other Wild gods, so it won't be about them.
We know Void creatures go to their own realm, like Nyalotha so there, probably, won't be a voidish afterlife.
Maldraxxus encompasses Rogue afterlife, as there is a house of spies (eyes).
Elementals go to the elemental planes so, there won't be an elemental afterlife.
Maldraxxus and the Halls of Valor, already, encompass Warriors so, there won't be another Warrior afterlife.
Lots of stuff to explore
Arthas redemption arc
KelThuzad
Brokers and their plans
Thros
Jailer
Sylvanos and Nathanos
The original master of the Maw (if we assume the Jailer was the real Arbiter)
Gallywix (he could be the silly Mechagon interlude)
Devourers (maybe theres a Force behind them)
Whether the above could come as Dungeons, zones, raids or Covenant quests is not easy to determine
And thats before they simply whip up some other death-realm with total unknowns
Most likely, this will be the case. I could see one of these being reserved for a raid entrance that starts from Oribos and has you fly in to whatever the raid is. Perhaps some sort of outward assault on the Maw or the like.
Otherwise, I think it's safe to assume at the very least that was the plan at one point. if not currently. What I find really interesting is how unevenly placed the gates are right now. Like Bastion and Maldraxxus are right next to each other, but then Revendreth has no one next to it. I would've thought at least the first four would be set up in a + pattern and/or evenly spaced. This feels almost intentional, but I can't really see any sort of link as to what the spacing would be.
As I feel like Thros is a near inevitability to come up, I'm guessing that's what goes in the 9.1 spot. Right next to Ardenweald, with some of the darkness and ghoulish/sinful themes of Revendreth. The 9.2/9.3 spots are a little trickier, given that we really haven't received a lot of hints as to other realms of the Shadowlands. There is a reference to keeping the Jailer out of the Sepulcher, so perhaps that's one of the realms. I know there's a Sepulcher of Knowledge in Maldraxxus, but his fear sounded like a much bigger area than a small building. I kinda wonder if there's an entire realm of the Shadowlands knowledge that is referenced as the Sepulcher.
Another small thought: what of the Twisting Nether? Is there any link between that and the Shadowlands?
Don't remember when we were without any news about future patch/expansion for so long. Must be in WoD.