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

[Aeula]

http://archive.is/tOsxx


The map referenced in the first part of the leak.

Here is some juicy info on 8.3 and the next expansion.

I can't say how much of this is 100% accurate. This is all stuff I've been able to patch together from the information I got.

About the leaked map:
>It appears to be a WIP map, one of many that were presented during a layout pitch meeting about 1-2 years ago. The logo is a probably placeholder/suggestion made by the presenter for that particular pitch. It's not unusual for the developers to spice things up. The real logo is always finalized shortly before the actual announcement. Many of the 'hub' names are also placeholders, but the main zone names were pre-determined.
>The map is actually very representative of the final design of Shadowlands. So far, every zone except Ny'kaithos is represented in the development version of 9.0.
>Because the photo of the Shadowlands map was taken so long ago, probably nobody can recall who exactly attended the meeting, and certainly nobody remembers who was sitting where.
>Shadowlands isn't all dark and gloomy. The concept art for Xiros and Darkfront is very colorful. The Riftlands feels more like a psychedelic Outland.
>The blood trolls in Morbara are not our enemies. They are being tortured for their failure to worship Hakkar in life. The zone is nothing like Nazmir, so troll fatigue is not a concern.
>Mueh'zala is present in Morbara, but is weak and afraid of Hakkar. He is shapeless because Hakkar has destroyed his corporeal form.
>Ny'alotha lies within a pocket universe. That's why it says 'transit'. However, this does not change the fact that the Shadowlands and Ny'alotha are now connected. The island of Ny'kaithos is the Old Gods' attempt to build a permanent foothold within the Shadowlands, but this plan is foiled by us in the dungeon there.

Patch 8.3:
>The last boss of BfA was indeed shown in the Azshara defeat cinematic, but it's more metaphorical than people realize. The last boss is us: Alliance & Horde, as indicated by the last shot of Jaina and Lor'themar. Azshara and N'Zoth are both bosses in the next expansion. We won't be facing them again (at least physically) in BfA.
>Sylvanas will prepare a strike against Thunder Bluff, tricking both the Alliance and Horde into defending it. During this distraction, she will invade and conquer Stormwind. The latter will be explained through a comic released in October.
>It has always been the plan to finish the expansion with a raid-version of Stormwind. Therefore, patch 8.3 includes a 10-boss raid within Elwynn and the city itself, along with a complementary, all-new 40-player battleground.

>In the raid, Horde and Alliance players fight alongside important lore characters and leaders from both factions.
>Sylvanas has already taken Stormwind at this point. The raid is about defeating Sylvanas and reclaiming Stormwind.
>The first boss is a sort of caravan-escort scenario. An azerite-powered battering ram made by goblins & gnomes will start at Goldshire and travel slowly towards the gates of Stormwind. Waves of adds will attack the ram in an attempt to destroy it.
>The second boss is Old God aligned and has enslaved city guards and other famous Stormwind NPCs (such as Topper McNabb).
>Another notable boss is Anduin. Halfway through the raid, he will succumb to the whispers of N'Zoth. We must fight him until he returns to his former self. Wrathion makes a special appearance during this fight. N'Zoth is trying very hard to keep us from reaching Sylvanas.
>The 8th boss is Nathanos. This encounter takes place in Cathedral Square. Tyrande decapitates him at the end of the fight.
>The penultimate boss is Sylvanas. She awaits us in Stormwind Harbor. MASSIVE SPOILERS NOW. BE WARNED!
>Sylvanas is the first of two encounters that comprise the grand finale of BfA. Alliance and Horde will fight side by side against Sylvanas until Bolvar eventually appears and starts killing Horde leaders – first to go is Lor'themar. Bolvar will then side with Taelia and the Alliance. Sylvanas will shoot Genn in response, prompting the intermission.
>During the intermission, all of the Horde leaders will rejoin Sylvanas. Genn dies, and Anduin and Jaina declare war on the Horde. The final fight begins.
>The final boss is 'The Horde' or 'The Alliance'. This encounter is cosmetically unique to each faction, but strategically identical. Horde will win once Anduin is dead, and Alliance will win once Sylvanas is dead.

>The encounter has been designed to have your faction's leaders die one by one as the opposing faction's health ticks down. The players will all die as well (like the Arthas fight), with Anduin and Sylvanas being the last ones standing.
>A cinematic will play once the encounter is over. Anduin will end up killing Sylvanas or vice versa (depending on your faction), only to die of his/her wounds. Ultimately, everyone will be dead, and the harbor will be silent. Characters will then wake up in the Shadowlands, and a ghostly fleet of Helya's ships awaits us in the death version of Stormwind Harbor. With Nathanos by her side, Sylvanas declares that we're now strong enough to face the true battle for Azeroth.

>A short teaser-cinematic starring Gallywix and Mekkatorque will be shown at Blizzcon in November. Gallywix, who fled from the fight in Stormwind, will eventually find King Mekkatorque's escape pod and awaken him from suspended animation. Together they figure out what happened and construct a device that will allow us to enter and leave the Shadowlands at will. Their cooperation lays the groundwork for the new Tinker class. The device is rumored to be the 'Dalaran Hearthstone' of 9.0, given to you at the end of the introductory questline. It works like monks' Transcendence ability.
>Calia is the interim Forsaken faction leader during the raid.
>BfA's patch release schedule feels slower because the plan is to lead into 9.0 much quicker than ever before after the release of 8.3.
>You can have a physical form in the Shadowlands if you are brought there artificially, either by its denizens (such as spirit healers) or by means of 'dimensional' technology.
>The Dragon Isles, the Shadowlands and the Old Gods have a much deeper connection than one would think. This is explained by lots of quests and dungeons, but I don't know any specifics besides the shrines in Dragonblight and on the Dragon Isles being connected to the Shadowlands, somehow. This connection will also play a major role and be explored in the patches going forward. The Curse of Flesh also plays a role in this.

Well, if it's fake they at least went to the effort of making a screenshot of the supposed cinematic and what is proposed sounds like something Blizzard would do.

Bah, I was hoping for all WoW's main cast to die, but I didn't want them coming back! Also that cheesy line from Sylvanas at the end reeks of Blizzard writing.

A believable leak, but the timing is off still imo, too far from Blizzcon.

What would the implications for what's left of the lore be if this leak were true?

EDIT: Also, zooming in we find these three.


EDIT 3: Deleted the boat picture, turns out it was made to test if the cinematic could be recreated. According to Bellular, all the techniques used in the leak’s accompanying screenshot are the same or similar to those used by Blizzard. Giving the screenshot more credibility.

[TheFirstOnes]

Seems fake and looks fake. However, if this is all true, then it's about as dumb as I expected...

[shadowofze]

If its all true then you'll catch me on Classic

[potis]

This sounds so terrible that i am all up for it tbh.

Would be a decent change of writing, from terrible to WTF.

[Kemsa]

Spicy as Hel.... get it? like Hel daughter of Lok..... doesnt matter

I love that the creator of the image its using the colors of necromancy from BfA, the bwomsamdis power and etc.
And you know something? blizzard loves doing ships that we never use like the big new Forsaken Flag ship of Sylvannas and if we look at them, they are Drakkars.... meaning Helya...

idk looks fake af.

Oh god i can feel Pyromancers video now. Good good.

[angrys13]

I mean. It all sounded fine until the last fight, then I was unsure. I guess it could work, would definitely be interesting.

[Wyrt]

Sounds just about awful enough to be real.

[allegos]

I remember thinking “c’mon, there’s no way they’d do something as stupid as that time travel story that leaked,” right up until the second they introduced Warlords of Draenor.

I’m no longer capable of believing that “Sylvanas is redeemed by the revelation that she was playing the long game against N’zoth” is too stupid to be true. It’s awfully damn stupid, and it’s as likely as not to be legit.

I do like the art of the ghostly ships in Stormwind Harbor, too. If this is bogus, at the person responsible tried.

[sillag]

this is so shit but at least its crazy shit. im up for this more than whatever trite garbage blizzard is actually planning

[Maljinwo]

Horde will win once Anduin is dead

Now this is how you spot a fake

[Exeris]

>Sylvanas will prepare a strike against Thunder Bluff, tricking both the Alliance and Horde into defending it. During this distraction, she will invade and conquer Stormwind.

If Anduin truly is such a massive moron to let that happen we will have to put him in a home with 24 hour care so he doesn't end up hurting himself.

[Caerule]

Well, I am super biased here, cause I just made a thread yesterday predicting Stormwind as the final raid setting, as well as Helya's involvement.

Either way, I guess I'd be fine with this.

[THEORACLE64]

Bad photoshop is bad photoshop.

[Wyrt]

If Anduin truly is such a massive moron to let that happen we will have to put him in a home with 24 hour care so he doesn't end up hurting himself.

Um, he already proved to be that big of a moron when Sylvanas tricked him into sending the night elves to Silithus when she was attacking Darnassus. And then proved to be that big of a moron AGAIN when he went to Undercity unprepared for the Blight.

[Gloriandus]

This is actually it, chief.

[TheRevenantHero]

You had me until it said Anduin dies. With people like Christie Golden writing for the game, no harm will come to that bitch boy.

[Zaelsino]

I was maybe kinda sorta halfway buying the possibility until the Bolvar thing. Like, a siege of Stormwind is very possible IMO, but the whole sequence of events after that is just shithouse rat insanity.

[FrostHate]

If Sylvanas actually baits the Alliance in defending TB while she attacks Stormwind I will buy her $400 figurine. Lmao

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

Why does it feel like the Screenshot might be real, but all the text doesn't?

[ro9ue]

To me - this is true. Fits a lot of what I thought was going to happen actually.

It also fits a few other puzzle pieces. Why did the Stormwind harbor have such a super detailed render in the Saurfang/Anduin cinematic to be shown for just a few seconds... oh yeah... because it's gonna be used later.

Forsaken NPCs "Death is the only way!" Only way for what - to beat N'Zoth.

Sylvanas knows what's up. Death will be a huge theme for 9.0, LK 2.0 = big on popularity like Legion which was uber successful. I've been saying along with ohters the only way to beat the old gods is to die. Sylvanas has no problem killing innocent Nelves in the tree, not because she was reckless, but because she knows everyone has to die anyway.

Dragon Isles is a given. If you look up the history of the dragonflights / dragon isles, always was tied to Old Gods. Titans using the dragonflights and aspects as a defense vs old gods.

Also = SoO ended with Alliance getting HWL armor

We need Horde attacking Stormwind to get Grand Marshal Armor, and potentially a Lion mount. Quote that.


Stormwind badly needs updating.