Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Jokubas]

I've given up on "South Seas." Most of those places were visited in some form or another via BFA. I know a lot of folks (well, mostly Teriz) talk about an Undermine expansion. But I think if you asked Blizz, they'd say that story is closed as of THE MOTHERLODE!.

I'm not expecting a "South Seas" expansion anymore, I'm just observing that despite Battle for Azeroth doing Zandalar, Kul Tiras, and Nazjatar, there are still plenty of canonical islands that we've never been to. Also, I will be pretty upset if we never get to visit Kezan/Undermine as an actual zone. I don't like the goblins enough to desire an entire expansion revolving around them (though I do like the goblins), but having a major racial homeland never actually available in the open world is a travesty as far as I'm concerned, no matter whose it is (Gilneas is empty but at least it's there).

I don't think ret-cons are required for new lands but ok whatevs(Dragon Isles not included). Yes a new hidden continent or even a continent that comes up to sea isn't that bad either but I know this place wouldn't accept it :/

I don't accept it because Warcraft has already done it twice. One of the major plot points of Warcraft III was "there's a mysterious land across the seas that has been lost to time since the Sundering because the Maelstrom prevented anyone from stumbling upon it by accident". Then Pandaria was "a mysterious land that's been lost to time since the Sundering because the Mists prevented anyone from stumbling upon it by accident" and even repeated a lot of the same story beats. Doing it a third time would feel like they're just parodying themselves and not even trying to avoid pulling retcons that make us incredulous anymore.

What excuse could be left that we didn't know this place existed after using scrying magic, seeing the planet from space, and having a space ship the draenei can fly around at will?

[Veya30]

Gardens of Life is mentioned in Maldraxxus, specifically the quest Blade of Blades:

Yea, that's where I saw it mentioned in game. Probably a very rarely done quest in Western Maldraxxus south of the House of Constructs. If your a Necrolord there is a portal there near the quest giver. You get a quest to resurrect skeletons and a particular skeleton you resurrect can have a quest, but if you don't keep going after the quest you may never see the quest at all.

[Kiivar86]

While they have done it before I think a new landmass can still work. Just make it that it is so far away normally that no one was able to reach it, is all.

And then make it Australia. That would be fun.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Exploring/the idea of the Moon(Or one of them) having Titan esque faciilities on them as a new continent sounds cool to.

[Catastrophy349]

World of Warcraft: The Dark Side of the Moon

[Pheraz]

In legion they tried to justify the power level of the players who defeat titans with our artifacts. In Shadowlands they didn't even bother except "maw walker"....
I think they really need to get us back to regular power levels if this game wants to stay for another decade. So if they would return to normal power levels I think everything is possible. Like... Fighting some powerful warlords or dragons or whatever

[Sondrelk]

Yea, that's where I saw it mentioned in game. Probably a very rarely done quest in Western Maldraxxus south of the House of Constructs. If your a Necrolord there is a portal there near the quest giver. You get a quest to resurrect skeletons and a particular skeleton you resurrect can have a quest, but if you don't keep going after the quest you may never see the quest at all.

The only reason I ever noticed it is because the quest is in an area you need to farm to spawn a rare that drops a cosmetic.
Calling it an obscure quest is already an understatement.

[Makabreska]

In legion they tried to justify the power level of the players who defeat titans with our artifacts. In Shadowlands they didn't even bother except "maw walker"....

Covenants and Soulbinds.

[Akta]

In legion they tried to justify the power level of the players who defeat titans with our artifacts. In Shadowlands they didn't even bother except "maw walker"....
I think they really need to get us back to regular power levels if this game wants to stay for another decade. So if they would return to normal power levels I think everything is possible. Like... Fighting some powerful warlords or dragons or whatever

the strongest ability we've got is gifted from the covenants lol what are you talking about?

[Jokubas]

and ingame, the Primus uses the words "The Realms of Life." when stating Elune is the Winter Queen's "Counterpart in the Realms of Life.

I have a question for everyone.

If Elune is an Eternal One of the Gardens of Life, did she still create the Prime Naaru? Is it just going to be that Khadgar's theory was wrong and the Tears worked on Xe'ra's core for some other reason?

[huth]

While they have done it before I think a new landmass can still work. Just make it that it is so far away normally that no one was able to reach it, is all.

And then make it Australia. That would be fun.

It doesn't have to be unreachable. We didn't visit the Broken Isles and Kul Tiras before Legion/BfA simply because we had no real reason to go there.

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Blizz is remarkably willing to retcon anything, but after 18 years they're gonna have to prove to me they're willing to pull off the biggest retcon of all if they want me to believe there's anything left on Azeroth other than the Dragon Isles.

They're gonna have to give us the Dark Side of Azeroth.

Don't be silly. There's no Duck Side of Azeroth. Ducks aren't real.

[Catastrophy349]

I have a question for everyone.

If Elune is an Eternal One of the Gardens of Life, did she still create the Prime Naaru? Is it just going to be that Khadgar's theory was wrong and the Tears worked on Xe'ra's core for some other reason?

I'm not really answering your question and instead using your quote to ask an additional question: What if the next expansion has nothing to do with Dragons and is about Elune, Tyrande as a major focus, and some other stuff? Yay or nay? I know a lot of folks here want the dragons!

[LordKharon]

Got the news a bit late (playing GW2 preparing for the new expansion later this month)... 9.2.5 is officially a thing now. Does anyone still believe in 10.0 in 2022?
Personally i dont see it. 9.2.5 will probably release early summer. 10.0 beta after that, then 6+ month of beta with big christmas break, so 10.0 ready for release in spring 2023... so long away

[Jokubas]

I'm not really answering your question and instead using your quote to ask an additional question: What if the next expansion has nothing to do with Dragons and is about Elune, Tyrande as a major focus, and some other stuff? Yay or nay? I know a lot of folks here want the dragons!

It's a theory I've presented before. I think it's notable that Elune had dialogue for the first time ever this expansion, her identity as an Eternal One of the Gardens of Life is now established, and the infiltration of Life is the only one in the Dreadlord book we don't know what it's referring to.

And speaking of the Dreadlords, them clearly having plans beyond the Shadowlands and mostly getting away alive in this expansion (even stealing Denathrius out from under us), makes them a major loose end to me on their own.

[Darkarath]

Got the news a bit late (playing GW2 preparing for the new expansion later this month)... 9.2.5 is officially a thing now. Does anyone still believe in 10.0 in 2022?
Personally i dont see it. 9.2.5 will probably release early summer. 10.0 beta after that, then 6+ month of beta with big christmas break, so 10.0 ready for release in spring 2023... so long away

It depends. Maybe 10.0 is not a typical expansion. They can change the format and release earlier something different and build upon that.

[Catastrophy349]

It's a theory I've presented before. I think it's notable that Elune had dialogue for the first time ever this expansion, her identity as an Eternal One of the Gardens of Life is now established, and the infiltration of Life is the only one in the Dreadlord book we don't know what it's referring to.

And speaking of the Dreadlords, them clearly having plans beyond the Shadowlands and mostly getting away alive in this expansion (even stealing Denathrius out from under us), makes them a major loose end to me on their own.

Good points you bring up. Elune FINALLY making her appearance has to have some significance. Denathrius getting away, again, more significance. As for the Dreadlords, we will be fighting Mal'ganis and his partner (but we don't know what will happen since it's not on PTR). Maybe they will get away, maybe there will be some interesting dialogue/RP during the fight encounter. Could be cool.

[Teriz]

I've given up on "South Seas." Most of those places were visited in some form or another via BFA. I know a lot of folks (well, mostly Teriz) talk about an Undermine expansion. But I think if you asked Blizz, they'd say that story is closed as of THE MOTHERLODE!.

I find this to be a strange argument considering that people believe that we're still going to have an Emerald Dream expansion after we dealt extensively with the Emerald Dream in Legion. We hung out in the Dreamgrove, transversed the Emerald Dreamway, and dealt directly with the Emerald Nightmare. I'd think that story is definitely closed, yet people are still stating that it's going to be in the upcoming expansion.

Meanwhile, we think Undermine's story is "finished" because of a dungeon called MotherLODE that had nothing to do with the lore behind Undermine....

[guro-tchai]

I have a question for everyone.

If Elune is an Eternal One of the Gardens of Life, did she still create the Prime Naaru? Is it just going to be that Khadgar's theory was wrong and the Tears worked on Xe'ra's core for some other reason?

well, she's an 'upstart goddess'. she's on a trip to collect all powers - and maybe she's so useless because she has been trapped in the process.

[micwini]

World of Warcraft: The Cosmonauts of Elunor

Only thing missing is a logo.

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[QUOTE=Catastrophy349;53579064]

With the amount of zones they are doing right now, linear. Leveling story in Legion and BFA was incoherent. It was slightly better in BFA because the 3 zones on both sides culminated into 1 questline. I still it lacks some oof moments. I found SL leveling better than BFA and Legion the first time around. Not so much for repeats tho. I'd like a world revamp where we use a lot more zones to level in. That makes for a bit more room so you could start in 1 zone, then do 3 in any order after, then 2 in any order after, then 1 to culminate or something. The same way as you'd have bosses in raidwings.

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I would love to see a linear storyline. However, at the end of it, I would like to see a zone similar to Suramar that we unlock more and more over time with new stories, etc. Lots of stuff to do. A culmination of the leveling zones so to speak. The Maw sucked!

I agree, zones like Suramar and Ilse of Thunder were great for that reason.

[Jokubas]

Good points you bring up. Elune FINALLY making her appearance has to have some significance. Denathrius getting away, again, more significance. As for the Dreadlords, we will be fighting Mal'ganis and his partner (but we don't know what will happen since it's not on PTR). Maybe they will get away, maybe there will be some interesting dialogue/RP during the fight encounter. Could be cool.

The thing about the cross-faction instances dragon leak the other day gave me pause, but in general I've actually been losing confidence in a dragon expansion being next. Shadowlands has a few subplots not directly related to Zovaal's plan, but none of them relate to the dragons. We have a dragon in Exile's Reach and Ysera in Ardenwealed, but the former is resolved in its own zone and the latter is tied to the Winter Queen and Tyrande's arc, not its own thing.