Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Super Dickmann]

So if you were to give a flaw to this big bad guy with a domination kink, what would it be?

This is kind of digging into why the Bald Man fails as a baddie, but the core of it is that to have a flaw for a character you have to know about that character. And the writers have failed to tell us who this guy is and what kind of antagonist he is. He gravitates wildly between a Satanic larger than life figure unconcerned with lesser beings to a spiteful jackass who's grievances are based around his issues with his family and threatens randos he's barely met, from a Prometheus struggling for a chance to learn about the artificiality of his existence to a sadist who wants to make everyone as miserable as he is. He's pulled in fifty different directions and it's clear no one had a clear idea what to do with him, even down to his anodyne visual design and VA. I've been wanting to write an autopsy on him for a while since in an expansion that's otherwise either basically okay or bad in a dull technical fuck-up way, he's one of the only BFA-types of bad where it's worth the dissection.

@Edward Wu

The raid. From what I've seen it's shaping up to be better than Ny'alotha and Sanctum. Everything else is standard patch fare.

[Soulwind]

They could very easily add a japanese themed zone, just like the Chinese themed Pandaria. Samaru is literally Japanese themed. People forget that they gave Orcs a lot of Taoist & Shintoist characteristics but then delegated them to the "extinct" orc races. Just like in vanilla they also gave Night Elves japanese-themed architecture but that has since been ignored.

I'm probably talking out of my ass, but I wonder if Blizzard doesn't want to represent Japanese culture in a game that has very few Japanese players and a lot of Chinese ones.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Pretty reasonable schedule however considering the current state of things rearding Blizz or WoW I would have expected 10.0 reveal last month... even the month before that honestly

Seems way too early for that.

[Edward Wu]

I'm probably talking out of my ass, but I wonder if Blizzard doesn't want to represent Japanese culture in a game that has very few Japanese players and a lot of Chinese ones.

Chinese people regularly consume Japanese media. The hate between them is massively overblown.

[Teriz]

They could very easily add a japanese themed zone, just like the Chinese themed Pandaria. Samaru is literally Japanese themed. People forget that they gave Orcs a lot of Taoist & Shintoist characteristics but then delegated them to the "extinct" orc races. Just like in vanilla they also gave Night Elves japanese-themed architecture but that has since been ignored.

Maybe, but that isn't the lore behind Blademasters.

[Kiivar86]

What are the top 3 things you guys are most excited about coming in 9.2?

Trying to get a feel for the patch.

Mounts, transmog, new zone.

The usual for me.

[Dracullus]

What are the top 3 things you guys are most excited about coming in 9.2?

Trying to get a feel for the patch.

It's improved 9.1, nothing more, nothing less. If you hate SL in general you won't like it. If you hate 9.1 for specific reason, maybe you'll like it, maybe don't, I would have to know these reasons.

Personally I like that maybe first time in history we have patch zone that is both big as Tanaan/Argus/Nazjatar but open like TI/Mechagon. Also it's completely 180 turn from Maw/Korthia doom&gloom. New raid looks as good as always.

New Torghast mode looks interesting, but I know nothing about it. Never bought hype for tier sets, they are just another borrowed power, but it's nice you don't have to raid for that. I don't know details.

Of course it's important it's final patch, it's always fun to 'finish' your chars and prepare them for next expac. Many people hope for expac this year, but I really doubt 9.2 will be shorter than usual ~12 months before next tier, last really short end tier was Legion when they released raids months later than main patch.

Worst thing about this patch is lack of innovation, looks like every fresh ideas is reserved for 10.0.

On one hand, this schedule seems to make enough sense, on the other, I hope we don't have to wait until mid-march for news on the expansion

It's pretty optimistic schedule. I don't know what your smoking if you think they'll reveal next expansion less then month before current is finished without any event that force their hand.

[Ersula]

Maybe, but that isn't the lore behind Blademasters.

That they aren't literally japanese? No shit. Pandarians aren't contextually chinese either.

[huth]

Sounds more Icelandic to me if I read it out. Like the volcano "Eyjafjallajökull" there.

That's a rather weird association. Besides, Skjaldir fits norse languages way better. I'd maybe buy it if it was Yksafirill, but even that is pushing it. Yxthiril doesn't fit that at all.

On that note, the whole place seems rather jumbled. It goes from norse over vaguely asian to Achromos, which is literally just greek for colourless, so not really much of a placename.

[ercarp]

Have there been any credible leaks so far?

[Revamp Man]

And considering that they gave mirror image to Mages, and Shadowclones and Windwalk (stealth) to Rogues, and Bladestorm to Warriors, and a Trinket that allows multiple classes to use the Blademaster's version of Mirror Image, it appears that we know what they want to put into the game.

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There were Blood Elf, Draenei, Undead, Human, and Gnome Monks in WoW before MoP. Some of their abilities found there way into the eventual Monk class.

Is SEF a blade master thing or a take on the WC3 thing because you have now made arguments for both

[bruxx]

It's pretty optimistic schedule. I don't know what your smoking if you think they'll reveal next expansion less then month before current is finished without any event that force their hand.

Litterally the first thing I said was that the schedule makes sense, but ok.

There have been a few events in the last half year that could be described as "forcing their hand" if it came to that, though.

[Teriz]

That they aren't literally japanese? No shit. Pandarians aren't contextually chinese either.

True, but Blizzard built up Pandaren culture to mirror the Chinese, even down to the names. The lore behind the Blademaster is decidedly not Japanese-based, and is far more shamanistic and tribal.

[huth]

True, but Blizzard built up Pandaren culture to mirror the Chinese, even down to the names. The lore behind the Blademaster is decidedly not Japanese-based, and is far more shamanistic and tribal.

And that dissociates it from Japan how?

[Teriz]

Is SEF a blade master thing or a take on the WC3 thing because you have now made arguments for both

A WC3 thing.

[Dwarfbeater]

Sounds more Icelandic to me if I read it out. Like the volcano "Eyjafjallajökull" there.

As an Icelander, I can tell you it sounds nothing like any Icelandic word

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Litterally the first thing I said was that the schedule makes sense, but ok.

There have been a few events in the last half year that could be described as "forcing their hand" if it came to that, though.

If there's nothing to show, best to not show anything at all. I want to see 10.0 to but better to wait instead of releasing it early. *Grumbles about cyberpunk2077*

[bruxx]

If there's nothing to show, best to not show anything at all.

Very fair, the last thing they need is an underwhelming reveal.
I'm just very impatient for shadowlands to be over, but they should take as long as they need for the next expansion to be good.

[Dracullus]

There have been a few events in the last half year that could be described as "forcing their hand" if it came to that, though.

(Sorry, blended your comment with next one.)

Scandal/exodus was more Summer thing, I think since 9.1.5 population is pretty stable, maybe even slightly growing. Beside Blizzcon/Gamescom only "forcing hand" event is Alpha, but starting Alpha before major patch left PTR would be rather impossible as well.

If there's nothing to show, best to not show anything at all. I want to see 10.0 to but better to wait instead of releasing it early. *Grumbles about cyberpunk2077*

Not really, expansion could be revealed in really early stage (Legion, SL). And in WoW last ~8 months of testing are public, situation is nothing like Cyberpunk.

[Sondrelk]

Have there been any credible leaks so far?

The Empire of Dragons logo is probably the closest we have gotten to a truly credible leak by this point.

As for actual feature leaks, no.