BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[formerShandalay]

Why did Azshara turn against N'Zoth anyway? She was willing to share power with Sargeras as far as I know. Did she didn't want to be seen as N'Zoth's minion or something? Anyway, I hope she survives this whole mess, she's a cool character and one of the most powerful beings on Azeroth and deserves more than torture and getting defeated by players.

From what I gathered, she thought she could get away with it, because he was the weakest of the Old Gods. I bet Xal'atath told her, when she was with the Naga after the Sundering ^^ She didn't want to serve the weakest of them.

This is the broadcast text in the raid (the first few lines are the Inquisitor, I think):

Submit, Azshara! Beg forgiveness for your failure! Your betrayal!
Insolence only prolongs your agony! You will break, or I will carve out your defiant tongue!
Impudent underling! You will... address me... as queen!
More likely, Xanesh... Azeroth's champions... will be the ones... to silence you.
Release me! Only I possess the means of defeating N'Zoth!
Mind your tone, whelpling. A queen keeps her promises. Listen closely, as I will only say this once.
For all his bluster, N'Zoth was ever the weakest of his kin. One vestige of their power yet remains that can be turned against him.
I would have driven this blade into his foul heart myself... had you not disrupted my plans.
No matter. Xal'atath is yours, mortals. Strike true. Should your first blow fail, you will not survive to attempt another.


Edit: Seeing as N'Zoth knows this, because he is punishing her for her deal with Sylvanas and knows full well that Azshara got the dagger back, I can't see how he hasn't planned for this and maybe even relies on being "killed" by the dagger.

[Sondrelk]

Will be interesting to see what happens with N'zoth and Xal'atath. Us attempting to seal him will probably happen in a cutscene, so we won't be seeing it until the new year, but we do have some post-n'zoth dialogue that heavily implies N'zoth is defeated and noone considers him a threat.
N'zoth being defeated so quickly after releasing is alrady a bit disappointing, so hopefully he won't take a complete hit to his credibility by being captured in the weapon he gave to his captors himself, especially when he literally has the powers of foresight on his side.

[Soulcatcher3]

From what I gathered, she thought she could get away with it, because he was the weakest of the Old Gods. I bet Xal'atath told her, when she was with the Naga after the Sundering ^^ She didn't want to serve the weakest of them.

This is the broadcast text in the raid (the first few lines are the Inquisitor, I think):

Submit, Azshara! Beg forgiveness for your failure! Your betrayal!
Insolence only prolongs your agony! You will break, or I will carve out your defiant tongue!
Impudent underling! You will... address me... as queen!
More likely, Xanesh... Azeroth's champions... will be the ones... to silence you.
Release me! Only I possess the means of defeating N'Zoth!
Mind your tone, whelpling. A queen keeps her promises. Listen closely, as I will only say this once.
For all his bluster, N'Zoth was ever the weakest of his kin. One vestige of their power yet remains that can be turned against him.
I would have driven this blade into his foul heart myself... had you not disrupted my plans.
No matter. Xal'atath is yours, mortals. Strike true. Should your first blow fail, you will not survive to attempt another.


Edit: Seeing as N'Zoth knows this, because he is punishing her for her deal with Sylvanas and knows full well that Azshara got the dagger back, I can't see how he hasn't planned for this and maybe even relies on being "killed" by the dagger.

Seems like she will be on our side, at least against N'Zoth. Here's hoping that she won't die, because that still doesn't seem certain. Have her as independent leader of Naga or something. Or maybe transform them back to Highborne.

[formerShandalay]

Seems like she will be on our side, at least against N'Zoth. Here's hoping that she won't die, because that still doesn't seem certain. Have her as independent leader of Naga or something. Or maybe transform them back to Highborne.

I don't think she will have a redemption, what she has done over the course of the centuries is just too much, especially as we've been shown so much about it only recently. Also, if she dies she will be the one with the 'third death' is my guess.
But until now, it seems like she isn't actually dying, so who knows?

[Soulcatcher3]

I don't think she will have a redemption, what she has done over the course of the centuries is just too much, especially as we've been shown so much about it only recently. Also, if she dies she will be the one with the 'third death' is my guess.
But until now, it seems like she isn't actually dying, so who knows?

I don't care so much about redemption but more about leading her own faction. But yeah, hoping she will survive.

[huth]

Edit: Seeing as N'Zoth knows this, because he is punishing her for her deal with Sylvanas and knows full well that Azshara got the dagger back, I can't see how he hasn't planned for this and maybe even relies on being "killed" by the dagger.

It wouldn't be the slightest bit surprising if he had set this whole thing up from the start. If anything, it would be far stranger if he hadn't. Why did he even hand Sylvanas the dagger to begin with, then?

[formerShandalay]

It wouldn't be the slightest bit surprising if he had set this whole thing up from the start. If anything, it would be far stranger if he hadn't. Why did he even hand Sylvanas the dagger to begin with, then?

Exactly. He had us give the dagger to Sylvanas, he even compelled us to do it. If this thing is as much of a weakness to him as Azshara thinks, I don't know why he would do that and not simply have Azshara give Sylvanas anything else that she could use to lure the champions to Nazjatar (because he needed them to be there too, in order for them to break the chains). All of this seems like an in-joke between N'zoth and Xal'atath we are simply not getting yet ^^

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

So I like how the raid portal is at whatever zone is being assaulted by N'Zoth, and they trade off that week.

It's a nice touch. Though I wonder if that means we can only do the bar filling once a week...

[Sondrelk]

So I like how the raid portal is at whatever zone is being assaulted by N'Zoth, and they trade off that week.

It's a nice touch. Though I wonder if that means we can only do the bar filling once a week...

Based on my cursory look at the mechanics it seems like one of the zones, is invaded by N'zoth and has the raid portal, this one resets daily i think. The other zone is under attack by some non-old god threat like Mogu in Vale. And it seems like that has a weekly reset, but with dailies.

Could be wrong though, will have to see how it works over time.

[Dracullus]

How's Uldum/Vale? It's something like time limited invasion or more like "new" zone like Mechagon with rares and sandbox shit?

[derpkitteh]

you know, it's kinda funny how similar all the black empire stuff looks to zoltun kulle's archives in diablo 3.

[huth]

Exactly. He had us give the dagger to Sylvanas, he even compelled us to do it. If this thing is as much of a weakness to him as Azshara thinks, I don't know why he would do that and not simply have Azshara give Sylvanas anything else that she could use to lure the champions to Nazjatar (because he needed them to be there too, in order for them to break the chains). All of this seems like an in-joke between N'zoth and Xal'atath we are simply not getting yet ^^

What i could see is him pretending it worked fine, with us only finding out how much worse it made things later.

Of course if it was me, that would then result in a ridiculously overdone theatralic "death" scene. With the player character first facepalming and then wandering off to check the loot chest while the NPCs exclaim our glorious victory.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Based on my cursory look at the mechanics it seems like one of the zones, is invaded by N'zoth and has the raid portal, this one resets daily i think. The other zone is under attack by some non-old god threat like Mogu in Vale. And it seems like that has a weekly reset, but with dailies.

Could be wrong though, will have to see how it works over time.

The timer right now in Vale as 6 days left on it so I think it's a weekly swap.

[formerShandalay]

What i could see is him pretending it worked fine, with us only finding out how much worse it made things later.

Of course if it was me, that would then result in a ridiculously overdone theatralic "death" scene. With the player character first facepalming and then wandering off to check the loot chest while the NPCs exclaim our glorious victory.

It just occured to me... maybe he wants to get caught in the dagger, so someone can take him off world and he can survive re-origination? I'd really love that!

[Hitei]

It just occured to me... maybe he wants to get caught in the dagger, so someone can take him off world and he can survive re-origination? I'd really love that!

I think it's pretty clear he has a strategy here. People keep bringing up the "he's the one who sent the dagger to us" angle, but the even more important part is that he wanted the dagger from Xal'atath in the first place. There's a billion ways he could have sent a message to Sylvanas for the plan to free him; he wanted the dagger for something else.

[Nyel]

I think it's pretty clear he has a strategy here. People keep bringing up the "he's the one who sent the dagger to us" angle, but the even more important part is that he wanted the dagger from Xal'atath in the first place. There's a billion ways he could have sent a message to Sylvanas for the plan to free him; he wanted the dagger for something else.

I speculated something like this some weeks ago but back then my guess was something like "N'zoth wants to get killed so he can get into Nyalotha/Shadowlands which are locked for him in its current state/form". N'zoth isn't so dumb to give us all the tools to defeat him when it wouldn't be exactly what he'd like to happen.

Maybe he seeks for entrance into the Shadowlands to do some weird stuff there? Or to the Dragon Isles or a locked titan facility? Maybe he wants to trigger the Forge of Originatin himself while being trapped in the dagger? Who knows.

[huth]

I think it's pretty clear he has a strategy here. People keep bringing up the "he's the one who sent the dagger to us" angle, but the even more important part is that he wanted the dagger from Xal'atath in the first place. There's a billion ways he could have sent a message to Sylvanas for the plan to free him; he wanted the dagger for something else.

That's more due to people believing the dagger will be successfully used against him. But i agree, something's going on there. At least Azshara not picking up on it is perfectly in-character. Gal is way to vain to even consider the possibility.

For all we know, it might even have been N'zoth that made her come up with the great idea.

[Nagawithlegs]

I feel like the whole "Nzoth is testing us" thing ONLY makes sense if he was testing us to see if we can kill him.

[Life-Binder]

well datamining implies NZoth does get dealt with in 8.3 succesfully


unless its a reaaally long con of his ...

[Syegfryed]

you know, it's kinda funny how similar all the black empire stuff looks to zoltun kulle's archives in diablo 3.

diablo team right there.