Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[huth]

Literal quotes:


My take? They were the thing that kept "fences" around each Cosmic Force, but somehow they stopped working correctly, like an and they started stomping on everything, allowing all the Forces attack each other instead, like a band starting to go out of sync.
They're not the 7th Force, but they are neither one of the 6. They're like the automa in the sense that they are out of the cycle, and just mere tools of the First Ones.

That was in reference to the broken Devourers that gorged on cosmic power. Keep context in mind.

[Sondrelk]

Shadowlands art designs already being cooked up at end of 2018, i.e very early into BFA and only a handful of months after Chronicle Vol. 3 is interesting. I'd kill for Blizzard to actually give insight into their development rather than coughing up more lies that everything at all times is going to plan because I'd love to see how much their idea of Shadowlands changed over time. These designs are more alien than what we got and I am glad to see confirmation of what I suspected regarding Maldraxxus's Scourge rip-off elements being a later addition, with the 'society built on top of a continent-wide undead corpse' being the baseline.

They look more alien in the concept art, but in thinking about it I wonder whether making something alien in WoW is an uphill struggle because of the art style and limitations of having to be a game, in addition to us already being used to the zones in Shadowlands already.

The creature design is one thing, but things like the trees and general landscape does seem like it just doesn't fully translate to WoWs artstyle.

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I always like when game developers dive into how their design and work evolved when shaping and crafting a story. But you rarely get these as they often are used against them or hold information and designs that will potentially be used in future content.

I wish things were simpler and with a more thoughtful community

For confirmation this happens i would point to the infinite library zone we got told about in Korthia that was supposedly filled with various catalogued creatures, which I remember was immediately latched on as the developers scrapping an obviously superior zone concept instead of Maldraxxus or Bastion or what have you.

Things we don't have will almost always have a more positive reaction since we don't have to experien e potential pitfalls, abd can additionally imagine our ideal version.

If I told someone who had never played SL about Maldraxxus, and how it's a war themed zone, designed to look like an RTS map, with a giant arena in the middle where you get daily quests to compete, I imagine that person would imagine something absolutely amazing with the concept, rather than what we got.

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I don't think so. The way they hint the 7th Force is like something outside of the 6, outside of "The Plan". But the Maw Walkers are part of "The Plan" to fix a future problem in it.

The Maw Walkers are not part of a plan so much as they just happen to be able to open the portals though, which could be more to do with Azeroth than anything else.

Not to say I couldn't be wrong. But I think the lore very much builds on the idea that reality is somehow more important than we realize. Before it was kinda just there as a happy medium between all six cosmic forces, but Firim does mention that there is something to reality that he cannot quite understand, for instance why souls have to be there at all.

Also, a bit of a semantic argument, but if I pour a mold colony into a bucket along with food, then I could be said to have both created it, and still have it be out of my control depending on how you look at it.

[pacotaco]

The Maw Walkers are not part of a plan so much as they just happen to be able to open the portals though, which could be more to do with Azeroth than anything else.

Not to say I couldn't be wrong. But I think the lore very much builds on the idea that reality is somehow more important than we realize. Before it was kinda just there as a happy medium between all six cosmic forces, but Firim does mention that there is something to reality that he cannot quite understand, for instance why souls have to be there at all.

Also, a bit of a semantic argument, but if I pour a mold colony into a bucket along with food, then I could be said to have both created it, and still have it be out of my control depending on how you look at it.

Korthian prophecies foretell the arrival of a Maw Walker who can save us from disaster.

Perhaps this is that day. But perhaps not. I must test your anima to verify your claim.
If you speak the truth, then I have a solemn duty to empower your anima before we proceed.

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Who_is_the_Maw_Walker

The prophecies told us that one day this dormant waystone would be needed by a Maw Walker. That it would prove crucial to the fate of the Shadowlands.

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Opening_to_Oribos

Knowing that the Attendands are some kind of pseudo-automas, to me that points the First Ones already knew shit would happen and their Plan would need some fixing.

[Wangming]

It is not even always brown, let me tell ya.

Also, high guys. I know I have been absent for like two years. But between SL being what it was and the Scandal, I kinda lost interest in Blizzard. But with Kotick's days numbered and the new Hearthstone expansion reveal i started to get curious if the WoW team will let a free to play cardgame beat them.

Funny thing is, we likely had the correct leak by now. I mean that's usually the case, isn't it? We are a month from reveal so one of them was already correct.

[Raetary]

, we likely had the correct leak by now. I mean that's usually the case, isn't it? We are a month from reveal so one of them was already correct.

Not really.

The 'true leaks' usually happen right before the announcement.

And all the credible looking leaks we had got recently debunked.

[Wangming]

Not really.

The 'true leaks' usually happen right before the announcement.

And all the credible looking leaks we had got recently debunked.

Hmmmm. Any not too terrible leaks that don't include dragons? I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

[Civciv]

Hmmmm. Any not too terrible leaks that don't include dragons? I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

We killed simple pirates after our invasion on Argus

[huth]

Hmmmm. Any not too terrible leaks that don't include dragons? I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

Just finding any without dragons is hard enough.

[Kiivar86]

Hmmmm. Any not too terrible leaks that don't include dragons? I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

One way or another there's got to be a de-escalation at some point. You can't keep upping shit, or else you end up with "Jailer is Titan+ level threat" or whatever it was they said.

[Sondrelk]

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Who_is_the_Maw_Walker


https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Opening_to_Oribos

Knowing that the Attendands are some kind of pseudo-automas, to me that points the First Ones already knew shit would happen and their Plan would need some fixing.

There is still the case on whether the First Ones have control, or whether they just knew "someone" from reality would help out in the Shadowlands.

And of course whether the whole Zereth/Azeroth, cornerstone/keystone question is in effect for this.

[Dracullus]

I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

On the contrary, this ending means next expac could be literally anything. Jailer made no impact to the world and whatever he said in the end is so vague it could happen in X expansions from now. It's perfect time to slow down and start building some more cohesive narractive.

[Raetary]

Hmmmm. Any not too terrible leaks that don't include dragons?

Not any that i know of at least.
Pretty much everyone thinks its gonna involve dragons, started when we datamined the emerald drake mount which is probably the deluxe edition mount.

I feel like after the end of the raid, we can't just have a simple dragon expac.

How so?
After Legion we went straight to jungle/pirate adventures and warring one another.

Dragons would be hardly surprising.

[Seasz]

The entirety of the Shadowlands we visited are Ordered, and concept art shows the makings of "Order" and "Chaos" zones that turned into Bastion and Maldraxxus respectively.


Bastion orders righteous/just souls.
Revendreth orders twisted/sinful souls.
Ardenweald orders the Cycle of Death into Life.
Maldraxxus orders the defense and offense of the Shadowlands as a whole.

The Arbiter of course at the helm of all of this ordering. The First Ones are being pitched as beings who Order things.. If it sounds familiar to the Titans, it's simply intended. Either they are the Titans (thankgod), or the Titans are truly just underlings to their cause. (plsgodno)


And honestly if Zereth Mortis isn't the most Order-based zone ingame, I can't immediately think what else would be.

Now why didn't they go all out with Maldraxxus skybox like it was shown here? :|

[Catastrophy349]

Oh boy. This is good! http://boards.4channel.org/v/thread/...dowlands-leaks

[Kiivar86]

For those of us who can't access it at work (or don't want to), a screenshot or quote would be useful.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Not really.

The 'true leaks' usually happen right before the announcement.

And all the credible looking leaks we had got recently debunked.

Exactly.

Oh boy. This is good! http://boards.4channel.org/v/thread/...dowlands-leaks

We can't know if it's legit, but now that's super interesting.

[Catastrophy349]

Exactly.



We can't know if it's legit, but now that's super interesting.

Real or fake, figured it was good to post in this channel to start the weekend! Speculation!

[Fahrad Wagner]

Real or fake, figured it was good to post in this channel to start the weekend! Speculation!

I definitely enjoyed the read, and A LOT of it makes sense. Like the scrapped Thros raid, assets were pointing to that direction...

[Wangming]

We killed simple pirates after our invasion on Argus

And the last two raids were Queen Azshara and N'zoth respectively so you kinda prove my point.

Just finding any without dragons is hard enough.

Yeah, that's why I'm asking. If it were easy I would just get it myself. I don't wanna be lazy after all.

One way or another there's got to be a de-escalation at some point. You can't keep upping shit, or else you end up with "Jailer is Titan+ level threat" or whatever it was they said.

Agreed. There has to be and soon. But not after we were warned that a cosmos defying alien threat is on the way. Or has been on the way since before Zovaal's betrayal. Last time we were warned that an attack is coming and we took a breather was in WoD and that didn't end well. We need to deal with all looming threats (I mean even without the mistery cosmic force the list still includes Denathrius, Azshara, Knaifu, the Void Lords and Hogger) and then do a big breather.

[Ersula]

Oh boy. This is good! http://boards.4channel.org/v/thread/...dowlands-leaks

I believe they considered rewriting Shadowlands 6 months in, when Afrasiasbi was fired. But they would have quickly realized that was impossible. They can't just abandon big chunks of quests & assets, already made, especially during Covid