Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Catastrophy349]

I have low to medium feelings about today.

I agree. 5 days until 9.2. I'll stay HYPE about 9.2 and let the rest be a surprise. I'm not expecting anything today or tomorrow.

[Kiivar86]

That is terrifying.

Its not as bad as it sounds, honestly. It looks very much a "we stopped before getting more than like 5% through working on it" sort of state.

I'm surprised we haven't seen dozens of posts trying to copy that style of leak, since those have always been the ones that end up being correct.

I suspect it is largely people not being able to help themselves and getting too into playing up the leak. Also like how a lot of "leakers" will detail out how patches will go. As if the flow of the expansion is already that set in stone.

[Hyrja]

ppl think blizz gonna announce 10.0 today? KEKW
maybe in 2 months

[Sondrelk]

Legion was leaked exactly same way if you want to dig.

Pretty much all correct leaks seem like they are made by someone who happens to catch a rehearsal announcement at Blizzcon.

Explains why they would leak to begin with since they are probably not affiliated with Blizzard in any way.
Explains why Its only a day or so, if not hours before the actual leak.
And it explains why it's basic bulletpoints easily confused for something else, since they are most likely just looking at the PowerPoint presentation, and possibly without the accompanying explanations, so void elves are reduced to "void elves have dark Naaru wings", since that is probably what the slide showed.

[Raetary]

ppl think blizz gonna announce 10.0 today? KEKW
maybe in 2 months

No, people are expecting the announcement of a date for the reveal.

[Sondrelk]

I'm surprised we haven't seen dozens of posts trying to copy that style of leak, since those have always been the ones that end up being correct.

It's difficult to fake not knowing for sure. When someone makes a fake leak they already have a clear and distinct idea for what everything is, whereas a real leaker might as I have said before, maybe only caught 5 slides of the announcement while setting up chairs in the convention hall.

It's that, but also that they likely didn't have phones with them, and definitely didn't take pictures. So they have to remember vague bulletpoints for when they go take a break and write the leak down.

It's difficult to fake not being sure, simply by virtue of having to make a full expansion in your head before you can "leak" it.

[Fahrad Wagner]

No, people are expecting the announcement of a date for the reveal.

I think we'll get an announcement of the reveal presentation after 9.2 is live, so next Thursday or Friday, and and actual reveal after the last cinematic of the raid is revealed. Anytime sooner than that would be great but I don't think it will happen (those are just my two cents on the topic though)

[Nyel]

No, people are expecting the announcement of a date for the reveal.

Why would that happen before 9.2 is live? Makes not much sense.

[Catastrophy349]

I think we'll get an announcement of the reveal presentation after 9.2 is live, so next Thursday or Friday, and and actual reveal after the last cinematic of the raid is revealed. Anytime sooner than that would be great but I don't think it will happen (those are just my two cents on the topic though)

I think it all depends on how Blizzard wants to do the announcement. Possible scenarios in my head (there are many):

1). Announcement of an announcement before 9.2 launches (so today or tomorrow) for a future date after 9.2 goes live
2). Announcement of an announcement after 9.2 goes live for a future date after the jailer fight goes live
3). Announcement of an announcement during the week of the jailer fight going live for a future date (hopefully March).

Honestly, I’ve always thought that the 10.0 news would come AFTER the jailer fight/cinematic goes live. My opinion has changed many times over the last few weeks; however, now that 9.2 is just 5 days away, I feel confident in this scenario.

Truthfully, as long as we get news before the end of March I’m happy. Hopefully, we get news ASAP though because Im starting to talk to myself more often than normal (am I going crazy?). LOL

[Holdodlig]

Most of the recent announcements were coming out of nowhere (survival game, hearthstone miniset teased the day before they announced it) so I wouldn't be surprised if something happened. It would be very unlikely but again, Blizzconline was scheduled for febuary.

But now they're no longer forced to follow the Blizzconline plan, they'll probably just announce the next expansion the week following the full opening of the raid.

[Fahrad Wagner]

I think it all depends on how Blizzard wants to do the announcement. Possible scenarios in my head (there are many):

1). Announcement of an announcement before 9.2 launches (so today or tomorrow) for a future date after 9.2 goes live
2). Announcement of an announcement after 9.2 goes live for a future date after the jailer fight goes live
3). Announcement of an announcement during the week of the jailer fight going live for a future date (hopefully March).

Honestly, I’ve always thought that the 10.0 news would come AFTER the jailer fight/cinematic goes live. My opinion has changed many times over the last few weeks; however, now that 9.2 is just 5 days away, I feel confident in this scenario.

Truthfully, as long as we get news before the end of March I’m happy. Hopefully, we get news ASAP though because Im starting to talk to myself more often than normal (am I going crazy?). LOL

Same reasoning here, and as long as we get something in March I'll be satisfied! And I strongly believe we will.

[Harbour]

See no reason for to reveal next expansion before final Sepulcher's cinematics. Pretty sure it would be late February to early March when we will get the announcement.

[Raetary]

I think we'll get an announcement of the reveal presentation after 9.2 is live, so next Thursday or Friday, and and actual reveal after the last cinematic of the raid is revealed. Anytime sooner than that would be great but I don't think it will happen (those are just my two cents on the topic though)

Imo we won't see any date until the week after patch launch, or the week after that (following the Jailer defeat).

If we get anything today or tomorrow, its probably gonna be OW2 stuff.

[Baedril]

See no reason for to reveal next expansion before final Sepulcher's cinematics. Pretty sure it would be late February to early March when we will get the announcement.

Yeah, feel like doing it after (mythic) raid is out or raid is cleared would be the best way to coast off some of the mythic race and new patch in general hype.

[Makorus]

The reveal is gonna happen once the entire playerbase can see the story (i.e. release of LFR Jailer).

It's either that week, or the week after that.

[Teriz]

This is a valid argument and I agree with you on the Demon Soul callback. But again, it clashes with the context the mount was released : in the middle of an expansion with a complete mechanic theme for a zone. The mechanical part of the mount makes more sense than the draconic on the moment the steamscale releases and that's what I'm pointing.

Incorrect. The mount was released in 8.3.7. That was the final patch of BFA, and 6 months after Visions of N'zoth patch, and over year after 8.2. Mechagon was long over by that point.

Because the mechanical dragon's trinket has been a strong part in the engineer vanilla identity as it was something unique ? Because having a pet instead of a trinket is a better way to celebrate its effect since it's a summon ? Because the model was already made in 9.0 ? What made sense when they added a corgi pet ? Or the yellow sunglasses from Cataclysm ? Or some random cloak with a generic skin ?

If the trinket was such a strong part of the Engineer's identity, why haven't we seen one in over ten years? And once again, trinkets and engineering is not mentioned at all regarding the TMD.

As for the corgi, it was part of a long-running gag in the official forums, and Blizzard made it into a pet.

Again, the new model for the mechanical dragon was added after the steamscale which easily explains the inspiration. It wasn't encrypted, meaning it was never meant to be a store pet unlike the steamscale incinerator so yes, this model might have just been here to replace the low poly vanilla model for future content to follow what they've started back in Legion, which is to slowly remake all creatures into an higher quality version.

Again, there has not been a mechanical dragon trinket since Cataclysm. Also, if you're planning on reintroducing Mechanical dragon trinkets, why weren't they reintroduced in Shadowlands? Of course, Blizzard could reintroduce mechanical dragon trinkets for engineering in a dragon expansion, and that would also show that the TMD was a hint.

You're missing my point. I'm not saying the Steamscale was made for the dragon bundle. I'm saying that the amount of dragon in the store explain why this mechanical being was a dragon. Because dragons are cool in fantasy and dragons are easily sold.

Uh look again. The only thing remotely resembling a true dragon in that bundle was the Steamscale Incinerator. There are hardly any dragons in the mount store.

As for Vexiona, it is a completely different matter. I won't lie to you if I said that the voidwing was also added as a mount because Vexiona's model was gorgeous and we all know that's what Blizzard consider first. But here, you're right. It's in game, it has a solid in-game lore unlike the store mount. Vexiona's lore is here to set up a major storyline for a return of the twilight flight with maybe a new name since they're now totally voidtouched drakes.

You could of course argue that Vexiona is more a voidthemed being than a dragon themed. But dragons have a deep connection with void while they have few to none connection with technology / tinkering / engineering outside of the mechanical dragon trinkets.

And that is a prime example of a double standard.

What will you say if there's no tinker or no mech-based race on the very likely dragon island expansion ? Will they still be clues hinting toward a dragon island expansion to you ? And also, were you thinking this might hint to a dragon island expansion before you had more infos about a possible dragon expansion (the main info being the datamined collector mount name) ?

Yes, because BFA was hinting at a few major themes; Technology (mechagon, Tinker teams in Island Expeditions, Gazlowe becoming leader of the Goblins, Mekkatorque becoming king of the Gnomes, return to Kezan) Void (N'zoth, Azshara, Vexonia, Voidwings), and Dragons (Wrathion, Dragon Isles, Vexonia, Voidwings). After BFA we got Exile's Reach in Shadowlands, which once again hinted at Tinkers and Dragons.

In my view, the Steamscale Incinerator is a combination of the technology and draconic themes found in BFA, and the uncorrputed Voidwing is a combination of the void and draconic themes also found in BFA. Both were mounts, both were released in a similar time frame.

[Shadochi]

The reveal is gonna happen once the entire playerbase can see the story (i.e. release of LFR Jailer).

It's either that week, or the week after that.

Doubt it since last LFR wing is due for April 19th

[UndedoKoleda]

Yeah they really should take a note from Hearthstone and go all in with a nostalgia expansion with HD graphics including remakes of old sets and re-creating all the old classic and TBC mounts in HD (similiar to the Kodos and Amani Bears).

Yeah, going all-in with rehashed content is exactly the thing Blizzard needs to do after the two back-to-back all time favorite expansions BFA and SL.

[FuujCraft]

Looking for the real leak like

[Nyel]

Doubt it since last LFR wing is due for April 19th

I still have no idea why y'all so dead set that they will announce the next expansion in the next ~ 4 weeks. It can happen, but I wouldn't hold my breath that it's definitely the case.