Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Makorus]

What? Why would Zul'Gurub hint at an expansion 15 years later? What a stupid argument.

Many people were guessing at the time that the Kul Tiran and Zandalari prisoners were a hint to the next expansion. Even moreso when we got the Kul Tiras Cloth Levelling Quest leak.

It was very similar in the vein of the Worgen and Goblin Hallows End masks hint back in Wrath.

Every expansion has had hints to the next expansion. The aforementioned Worgen/Goblin masks as well as the Neltharion/Deathwing appearance during the Yogg Saron fight. Oh and twilight dragons in the Dragonblight raid.

MoP had the Iron Horde assets and the Time walker NPC's on Timeless Isle - WoD.

WoD had the updated demon models in the last patch.

Legion had the Kul Tiras/Zandalar shipwrecked captives, rising tensions between the Horde and Alliance.

Please feel free to point me towards any other hints during expansions that could have led to a believable next expansion.

The only one I will concede on was the Garrison Shipyard causing many to believe we'd be getting a South Seas expansion with our own Garrison styled ship.

Once again, those hints only make sense in hindsight and can only be considered hints in hindsight, when you already knew what the expansion was about to begin with.

The only thing that is a legitimate hint would be the Goblin/Worgen masks, because prior to that, every single mask was for a player race. The Kul Tiras questing thing was hardly a hint and a leak anyway.

idk if the IQ in this thread is just very low or if I am being trolled very hard here.

[Marlamin]

I really hope we get something new to discuss soon because this thread feels like it's overdosing on copium hard.

It's not even copium, just people unable to acknowledge history is in the past and bringing up the same topics over and over.

I'm pretty sure half the posts from the last few pages are straight up trolling, trying to get a last word in or baiting people that tend to be endlessly baitable. Thread has really gone to shit with this useless and very hostile back and forth, not a lot of speculation/discussion about future things being done with people only focusing on what already happened in the past.

I went through some of the older hype threads and the interesting post compared to arguing ratio was much better. Remember, it's perfectly fine not to post anything that doesn't actually add to the discussion. Get it together, hype thread.

[Santandame]

Also:

The Zandalari definitely had a big focus on navy, even before BfA. The Golden Fleet was an important thing even in MoP.

- - - Updated - - -



I know that Gul'dan getting sent through the Twisting Nether is a hint.

I don't know that random NPCs standing in a random cave are supposed to be a hint or just a cute reference.

I don't recall the Golden Fleet being a big deal in regards to the Zandalari during MoP. They had ships yes, but so does every single other race with high level intelligence in WoW.

[therumblings]

Not even the last few pages but probably a huge chunk of this entire thread now is just trolling with the same few topics lol

[therumblings]

The Kul Tiras questing thing was hardly a hint and a leak anyway.

Lol... so if we datamined a "Undermine_Quest" item it wouldn't be a hint?

[Makorus]

Lol... so if we datamined a "Undermine_Quest" item it wouldn't be a hint?

I mean it would hardly be a hint at that point.

If there was a "dragon_isle_questing_shoulders" item, yes, I think it would be quite safe to say that the next expansion will have the Dragon Isles at some point. But that's far beyond a hint.

[therumblings]

I mean it would hardly be a hint at that point.

So how was the kul tiras quest item not a hint/leak? that combined with the kultiran and zandalari NPCs it was extremely obvious what 8.0 was.

[Catastrophy349]

Whelp...guess the cat's out of the bag

[Makorus]

So how was the kul tiras quest item not a hint/leak? that combined with the kultiran and zandalari NPCs was extremely obvious what 8.0 was.

Sorry, I phrased that poorly.

I meant that it wasn't hint, it was a leak.

[Santandame]

It's not even copium, just people unable to acknowledge history is in the past and bringing up the same topics over and over.

I'm pretty sure half the posts from the last few pages are straight up trolling, trying to get a last word in or baiting people that tend to be endlessly baitable. Thread has really gone to shit with this useless and very hostile back and forth, not a lot of speculation/discussion about future things being done with people only focusing on what already happened in the past.

I went through some of the older hype threads and the interesting post compared to arguing ratio was much better. Remember, it's perfectly fine not to post anything that doesn't actually add to the discussion. Get it together, hype thread.

You make a fair point and I agree. I'm guilty myself of this behaviour.

Ironically, a few pages back I outlined what I want and expect to happen next expansion, with very little reaction.

This thread is less speculation about the future and more insulting others, and discussing Shadowlands features like covenants and player power.

[therumblings]

Sorry, I phrased that poorly.

I meant that it wasn't hint, it was a leak.

It didn't leak though, it was an item they put in the game presumably to get datamined as a hint for what was to come, combined with the Azsuna NPCs.

[Makorus]

It didn't leak though, it was an item they put in the game presumably to get datamined as a hint for what was to come, combined with the Azsuna NPCs.

I mean, personally, I don't think they meant to reveal the next expansion through datamining by accidentally including an item name + textures in the 7.3 PTR, but sure.

And, once again, it was hardly a hint considering it outright told you what the expansion was about.

[Raetary]

The Zandalari and Kul Tiran sailors as much a hint as Tanaans Suramar cloak was.

[therumblings]

I mean, personally, I don't think they meant to reveal the next expansion through datamining by accidentally including an item name + textures in the 7.3 PTR, but sure.

They did it on purpose as a hint toward the next expansion setting. I don't know why this is even an argument in this thread lol, it's hard to tell what is a hint and what wasn't before the expansion reveal. If it's dragons, then we can obviously point to all the numerous dragon stuff, or if it's Light/Void cosmic war we can point to that. They are planting seeds for the future but the question is which one is next.

[Khaza-R]

I mean, personally, I don't think they meant to reveal the next expansion through datamining by accidentally including an item name + textures in the 7.3 PTR, but sure.

And, once again, it was hardly a hint considering it outright told you what the expansion was about.

True, but it wasn't as if people were able to guess the entire premise just based of the Kul Tiras items. Almost every fake leak that season was some iteration of a South Seas expansion. But none were really close to what we ended up getting.

Even if something from the Dragon Isles was datamined it doesn't mean that's the setting of the next expansion either. It could just be a single zone or an raid like was originally intended.

[therumblings]

The Zandalari and Kul Tiran sailors as much a hint as Tanaans Suramar cloak was.

Yeah, they do stuff like this all the time, plus Iron Horde texture and Kultiras_quest gear. For all we know stuff could already be in game like this for 10.0's continent.

[Marlamin]

You make a fair point and I agree. I'm guilty myself of this behaviour.

Ironically, a few pages back I outlined what I want and expect to happen next expansion, with very little reaction.

This thread is less speculation about the future and more insulting others, and discussing Shadowlands features like covenants and player power.

A post that doesn't get a lot of traction doesn't make it a bad/worthless post. If anything it actually adds something vs. the useless back and forth (which isn't speculation at all regardless of what some try to frame it as; it's arguing).

--

Meanwhile, Blizzard has put the last patch of the expansion on the PTR with a lot of new hints/unexplained things that are actually deserving of speculation/analysis.

What's happening in Tirisfal? Why is Calia involved? There's a LOT of VO and things encrypted there.

Is the way between SL <-> Azeroth canonically wide open now? Khadgar popped up as well as a (now removed) quest where we give a tour of Stormwind to creatures from the Shadowlands.

Why is there another encrypted Anduin model?

What's the encrypted item set for?

Why are there still two encrypted achievements from 9.2? Are those for next reset's content?

I can go on, but hopefully it's some food for thought that looks towards the future instead of the past.

[Santandame]

I am still absolutely convinced that next expansion will be Cataclysm 2.0, but based on rebuilding and change. Along with a full world revamp, new zones on top such as Dragon Isles, Undermine, Tel'Abim etc. A new class, that being one of the three: Tinker, Bard, Dragonknight and new races/allied races.

I'm happy to discuss other possibilities but based off everything in front of us, it'll be pretty hard to dissuade me from this line of thought unless the hints to another theme of expansion are just as plentiful.

I'd be more than happy with that as an expansion. Throw in player housing, class skins, a greater focus on Timewalking, a larger Mythic+ dungeon pool with other expansions dungeons being relevant, difficult solo content like the mage tower, and evergreen dynamic open world content - and I'll have my own personal dream expansion.

[therumblings]

as well as a (now removed) quest where we give a tour of Stormwind to creatures from the Shadowlands.

Now that is interesting. I doubt SL allied races are going to be a thing at this point but that makes me think something along those lines.

[Santandame]

A post that doesn't get a lot of traction doesn't make it a bad/worthless post. If anything it actually adds something vs. the useless back and forth (which isn't speculation at all regardless of what some try to frame it as; it's arguing).

--

Meanwhile, Blizzard has put the last patch of the expansion on the PTR with a lot of new hints/unexplained things that are actually deserving of speculation/analysis.

What's happening in Tirisfal? Why is Calia involved? There's a LOT of VO and things encrypted there.

Is the way between SL <-> Azeroth canonically wide open now? Khadgar popped up as well as a (now removed) quest where we give a tour of Stormwind to creatures from the Shadowlands.

Why is there another encrypted Anduin model?

What's the encrypted item set for?

Why are there still two encrypted achievements from 9.2? Are those for next reset's content?

I can go on, but hopefully it's some food for thought that looks towards the future instead of the past.

Oh wow, that removed quest giving a tour of our cities to denizens of the Shadowlands is quite telling.

Could we see the little Owl Kyrians out in Azeroth helping us build/rebuild cities/towns?

Even possibly as a playable race?