Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Teriz]

That looks like vomit.

[Hitei]

That looks like vomit.

You should see a doctor.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

I've always liked this one personally. Saw it ~2 years ago and it kind of fits with this current season of leaks:

Now just gotta add the 'World of Warcraft' logo somewhere around it.

[Hitei]

I've always liked this one personally. Saw it ~2 years ago and it kind of fits with this current season of leaks:




Now just gotta add the 'World of Warcraft' logo somewhere around it.

Aspects of Glades

[Raetary]

That looks like vomit.

Well excuse me Mr.ArtCritic, but Blizzard entertainment themselves disagree.

[Kiria]

That looks like vomit.

Lemme guess, not enough Tinkers on the borders?

[Dracullus]

Maybe we should put all hints together (add something if you remember all stuff and yes, I'm to lazy to look for sources):

- all Light and Void references from SL zones (like Light area in Revendreth or Void one in Bastion)
- all Bard references, I think in every zone including Korthia and Tazavesh
- Skyblazer mount
- cat mount
- encrypted mount from 9.1.5, green spell effects
- Jailer screaming left and right about 'remaking universe', final fight somehow connected to Azeroth life force
- devs hinting about more grounded plots in future
- Elune storyline
- LivingWorld

From previous expansions:
- unresolved plots with Azshara, Yrel, Xalatath
- unstable Allera and Turalyon (one whisper connected to Turalyon)
- lot of development for Tinkers in 8.2, including Tinkers from other races (Alliance intro)
- Dragon Isles quest from island expeditions

Some popular ideas:
- full cross faction (guilds, war mode off, trading between A/H)
- world revamp (either full EK/Kalimdor one or revamping zone one by one starting in 10.0)
- class skins ("new" class with different spell names and animations, could be suble like some Moon Priest or totally crazy like Necromancer based on Warlock)
- proper housing
- profession revamp.

[Kiivar86]

Saw this on reddit, the Exploring Azeroth: Kalimdor book has this bit on Bloodmyst that hints at a dragon homeland.

[Marlamin]

Saw this on reddit, the Exploring Azeroth: Kalimdor book has this bit on Bloodmyst that hints at a dragon homeland.
*snip*

I'll take "least subtle clues" for $500, Alex.

[Kiivar86]

I'll take "least subtle clues" for $500, Alex.

Yeah its pretty blatant, isn't it?

I looked up the questgiver and stuff on Bloodmyst and there isn't much about this dragon rider stuff either, that I can find anyway (brief glance, admittedly).

[Jokubas]

Yeah, as far as I know that wasn't pre-existing lore (though I'll admit I had to look up the island names that do exist because it's been so long since I did the draenei starting stuff). It's also interesting in that it also involves the night elves again. I'm still betting on Elune being important even if it is a "dragon expansion."

Actually, this is also arguably the bridge that connects a dragon expansion to Shadowlands. One thing that's made me doubt a dragon expansion is the lack of any real dragon subplot in Shadowlands, but if the Elune and night elf stuff is important to the dragon stuff, then we do have that subplot. That would also vindicate what I was saying about how a leak that looks arbitrary can look obvious in hindsight once it's announced with its actual context.

[Teriz]

Maybe we should put all hints together (add something if you remember all stuff and yes, I'm to lazy to look for sources):

- all Light and Void references from SL zones (like Light area in Revendreth or Void one in Bastion)
- all Bard references, I think in every zone including Korthia and Tazavesh
- Skyblazer mount
- cat mount
- encrypted mount from 9.1.5, green spell effects
- Jailer screaming left and right about 'remaking universe', final fight somehow connected to Azeroth life force
- devs hinting about more grounded plots in future
- Elune storyline
- LivingWorld

From previous expansions:
- unresolved plots with Azshara, Yrel, Xalatath
- unstable Allera and Turalyon (one whisper connected to Turalyon)
- lot of development for Tinkers in 8.2, including Tinkers from other races (Alliance intro)
- Dragon Isles quest from island expeditions

Some popular ideas:
- full cross faction (guilds, war mode off, trading between A/H)
- world revamp (either full EK/Kalimdor one or revamping zone one by one starting in 10.0)
- class skins ("new" class with different spell names and animations, could be suble like some Moon Priest or totally crazy like Necromancer based on Warlock)
- proper housing
- profession revamp.

• Tinkers and Dragons hinted during Exile's Reach (some rumor that Exile Reach is possibly part of Dragon Isles)
• Island Expedition Teams in BFA had Tinker abilities from HotS. They were the only team to have HotS abilities, and HotS abilities have traditionally wound up in the class lineup.
• Steamscale Incinerator and its companion pet, the Timeless Mechanical Dragonling. Both items link the concepts of technology and dragons together
• Mekkatorque getting the "Spark Reactor' at the end of BFA, a reference to Marvel's Iron Man series
• Wrathion discovers a clutch of dragons under N'Zoth and uncorrupts them. These dragons are Voidwings, apparently a new (or lost) flight of dragons.

[Hitei]

Yeah its pretty blatant, isn't it?

I looked up the questgiver and stuff on Bloodmyst and there isn't much about this dragon rider stuff either, that I can find anyway (brief glance, admittedly).

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Pri..._Prince_Toreth

Yeah, as far as I know that wasn't pre-existing lore (though I'll admit I had to look up the island names that do exist because it's been so long since I did the draenei starting stuff). It's also interesting in that it also involves the night elves again. I'm still betting on Elune being important even if it is a "dragon expansion."

It was pre-existing.

Are you mad? Look around you, mortal. Do you not see that you stand upon sundered earth? Leave this place lest you suffer as my people and I have...
Why do you suffer?

Are you blind as well as insane?
I am a ghost - a cruel reminder of a civilization that has long ceased to exist - anchored to a land that I failed to protect.
Long ago - ten-thousand years past - I was flesh and bone, just like you. I was prince of this land and a dragon rider, blessed by Ysera of the Dream.

What is Ysera and how were you blessed?
Have you not heard of Ysera? Guardian of nature? Aspect of the Dream? She is the matron of all green dragons! Aye, it was Ysera herself that gifted my kingdom with her brood. We stood shoulder to shoulder with the noble creatures and they allowed us to ride them into battle against our enemies. All was well for many centuries... until...

Until what?
Deathwing's brood... Ysera's benevolence raised the ire of Deathwing - patron of the black dragonflight. They attacked us in our sleep! Many died on the initial surge but the greens rose to protect us.
<Prince Toreth points around the island.>
The bones are all that remains of the once great dragons. None were spared.

So why are you still here?
I was the last to die. As I felt my spirit leaving my mortal shell, I swore a blood oath.
<Prince Toreth shakes his head.>
A pact was made between this land and I: My blood for this world. I became the sole keeper of the history of my people.
I cannot rest until I am secure in knowing that the story of the dragon riders of Loreth'Aran is not lost in the passages of time.

[Teriz]

Lemme guess, not enough Tinkers on the borders?

Nope, simply a terrible color scheme.



I prefer that one quite a bit more.

[Jokubas]

They were the only team to have HotS abilities, and HotS abilities have traditionally wound up in the class lineup.

I still remember hoping that Illidan's very unique abilities in HotS (they weren't just translating his Warcraft III abilities, as otherwise tradition for MOBAs) meant we were getting a Demon Hunter class in WoW. I don't know how related those two things actually were, but it was nice to be vindicated for the hope at least.

It was pre-existing.

There you go then. I used to consider myself a lore expert, but these sort of obscure one-off things definitely slip off my radar (and I'll admit I got sloppy here I didn't check the link to the Dragon Riders when I looked up Loreth'Aran because I think I just subconsciously assumed it would be a page about the new book). ;P

Not really surprised to learn it's pre-existing though. That's part of the reason I wasn't interested in picking up the book to begin with. They used to be a lot more open with their world-building, or even letting things be teased a bit, but hold everything a lot closer to their chest now. I think it's more for a refusal to commit than to avoid spoilers though. That's good for some things, but a huge problem for others. It's been said that the lack of a status quo change in the book means we can't be getting a world revamp, but I think they'd do this either way to avoid any chance of changes in the future being contradicted by the book's version of those changes.

It's still interesting to call attention to it in a new book though, especially considering that obscurity.

[Ersula]

Saw this on reddit, the Exploring Azeroth: Kalimdor book has this bit on Bloodmyst that hints at a dragon homeland.

The 'legendary dragon islands' would be cool but it would need some pretty big story contrivences. It constantly feels like the story tries to ignore the reality of having characters who are 10,000+ years old. Did they try asking the Dragons about it? We have all this information about the War of the Ancients & the War of the Aqir but this more recent thing is beyond living memory?? And if there is a supposed Dragon Homeland why do none of the Dragonflights live there???

[Jokubas]

The 'legendary dragon islands' would be cool but it would need some pretty big story contrivences. It constantly feels like the story tries to ignore the reality of having characters who are 10,000+ years old. Did they try asking the Dragons about it? We have all this information about the War of the Ancients & the War of the Aqir but this more recent thing is beyond living memory?? And if there is a supposed Dragon Homeland why do none of the Dragonflights live there???

I was actually going to say, but I forgot, that if this excerpt does end up mattering next expansion, then I'd bet that the "myths" would suddenly become common knowledge, not because we'd be going to this place, obviously, but because we'd suddenly be dealing with the characters who remember this history and have a connection to it. The "myths" thing is just being done for now to avoid spoilers, but wouldn't make any sense in hindsight.

That might sound like it's contradicting my point about the book playing it safe to not be contradicted later, but I'm just not articulating my argument quite right.

On a different note, it occurred to me that a mechanic in such a dragon homeland could be some sort of mounted combat while flying. We could get flying early on in an expansion for the first time since Cataclysm, in exchange for the flying itself being "content." It could be interesting, although the execution could also just make it annoying instead.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Pri..._Prince_Toreth



It was pre-existing.

Huh.... thats a lot of connections to Dragons...that is when I put my tinfoil hat on. :P

[ro9ue]

• Tinkers and Dragons hinted during Exile's Reach (some rumor that Exile Reach is possibly part of Dragon Isles)
• Island Expedition Teams in BFA had Tinker abilities from HotS. They were the only team to have HotS abilities, and HotS abilities have traditionally wound up in the class lineup.
• Steamscale Incinerator and its companion pet, the Timeless Mechanical Dragonling. Both items link the concepts of technology and dragons together
• Mekkatorque getting the "Spark Reactor' at the end of BFA, a reference to Marvel's Iron Man series
• Wrathion discovers a clutch of dragons under N'Zoth and uncorrupts them. These dragons are Voidwings, apparently a new (or lost) flight of dragons.

Also more from BFA:
- Every mission table follower had a corresponding class and spec, except the two with the Engineering icon.
- Engineering had their own specific set of Azerite traits, almost as if it was to future proof the expansion for a class that would need their own set.
- Adding a ton of new tinker-like assets via Mechagon and MOTHERLODE

[Hitei]

The 'legendary dragon islands' would be cool but it would need some pretty big story contrivences. It constantly feels like the story tries to ignore the reality of having characters who are 10,000+ years old. Did they try asking the Dragons about it? We have all this information about the War of the Ancients & the War of the Aqir but this more recent thing is beyond living memory?? And if there is a supposed Dragon Homeland why do none of the Dragonflights live there???

The pre-WotA timeframe gets fairly unclear, but we also have no real reference point for a hypothetical Dragon Isles so it's impossible to say. The Dragonflights don't live there because they are described as being from the North to begin with and have the temple there after Galakrond's defeat, and then spread out to their own individual clutches and holdings. Maybe none of them remember where the isles were because they haven't been to them since they were young proto-drakes, or because the isles move and they lost track of them long ago. Maybe the isles predate the prot-aspects entirely and the era they were lost from is the initial re-shaping of the planet. There is a period just described as "ages" after the titans left before Galakrond arose. It doesn't explain where the proto-dragons actually came form, just that they lived in the North.

So maybe proto-dragons were initially from the Islands and then migrated to Kalimdor proper and the proto-drakes who would have remembered where they were have been dead 20,000 years.