Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Revamp Man]

Sounds like Pantheon of Life definitely imo. Both fit An’she and Elune’s descriptions.

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If 9.2 isn’t Pantheon of Life, I’ll eat my own shorts.

Keeping this for future use

Also what would count as pantheon of life

[TheFirstOnes]

Keeping this for future use

Also what would count as pantheon of life

The shit hinted at from the Grimoire...

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And how Elune is apparently a “life bound” entity

[Revamp Man]

The shit hinted at from the Grimoire...

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And how Elune is apparently a “life bound” entity

I meant in terms of the content

Like does a mention count towards you not eating your shorts or is it the main patch theme or a dungeon

[TheFirstOnes]

I meant in terms of the content

Like does a mention count towards you not eating your shorts or is it the main patch theme or a dungeon

Imo, if Pantheon of Life isn’t like the next main factor for content (Outside of Zovaal invading Reality/Azeroth of course), then I’ll eat my shorts. Cause clearly Death alone won’t be enough to stop Zovaal, and SL has had LOTS of Life and Death balance themes this expac.

[Revamp Man]

Imo, if Pantheon of Life isn’t like the next main factor for content (Outside of Zovaal invading Reality/Azeroth of course), then I’ll eat my shorts. Cause clearly Death alone won’t be enough to stop Zovaal, and SL has had LOTS of Life and Death balance themes this expac.

Ok deal good sir

[Kereberus]

PTR Patch.

[Seasz]

Am I seeing strings for new music in this build?

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

https://ptr.wowdb.com/items/187542-j...e-prison-blade
Very interesting weapon that apparently isn't into cannibalism.

SPELL_FAILED_CUSTOM_ERROR_611
Jaithys hungers only for weapons. Only weapons will do.
NEW SPELL_FAILED_CUSTOM_ERROR_610
That item is puny. Unworthy. Find another.
NEW SPELL_FAILED_CUSTOM_ERROR_609
Jaithys is many things, but Jaithys is not a cannibal.

[TheFirstOnes]

Am I seeing strings for new music in this build?

No? I don’t think so?

[Dracullus]

Sinrunner Blanchy will be flying mount, expac is saved.

[huth]

https://ptr.wowdb.com/items/187542-j...e-prison-blade
Very interesting weapon that apparently isn't into cannibalism.

Intelligent weapon. That's gonna be interesting.

[Sondrelk]

Wonder how that weapon is going to function. Seems like it should do something in combat, but then again that could lead to degenerate gameplay if you want to swap weapon effects or something.

[Sondrelk]

I used to think that the final questline would need to show up on the PTR before we could safely assume that the PTR would be close to done, but on reflection I wonder if Blizzard are intentioanlly keeping that last one hidden because there are potentially important plot revelations there, for instance whether Sylvanas survived or not, or in that case where she is and what she is doing.

So really all we are waiting for now is confirmation of the end of season, which could be today or tomorrow at a slight stretch. Otherwise I do genuinely believe we are closing in on a 9.1 launch this month.

[GR8GODZILLAGOD]

They shoudl either go all out an create a whole new planet for the next expansion or just go back to azeroth and keep is small. SL was just way to alien and conceptual imho.

Another planet can also be a bit down to earth (ironic hm^^) by being more classic fanatsy with a bit of scifi.

If we venture into lifelands or shit like that... idk... i think at some point i will stop caring about wows story completly. SL is allready a stretch for me. ut i can get on board becuase of sylvannas. logical conclusion and all that.

I’d say Shadowlands’ problem was that it wasn’t alien enough. All of the zones could easily have been on Azeroth in a prior expansion and I wouldn’t have questioned it.

[Sondrelk]

I’d say Shadowlands’ problem was that it wasn’t alien enough. All of the zones could easily have been on Azeroth in a prior expansion and I wouldn’t have questioned it.

I don't really see how you could make it more alien and still have it be coherent. The stuff we see could be on Azeroth, but really only because WoW is a fairly soft fantasy world.

The only truly alien thing we have seen in WoW that couldnt really be on Azeroth is likely Mac'aree, and even the nonly because it is so abundantly clear you are looking at Argus. If it wasnt for that then it could easily be another magic city floating in space.

[Pheraz]

They shoudl either go all out an create a whole new planet for the next expansion or just go back to azeroth and keep is small. SL was just way to alien and conceptual imho.

Another planet can also be a bit down to earth (ironic hm^^) by being more classic fanatsy with a bit of scifi.

If we venture into lifelands or shit like that... idk... i think at some point i will stop caring about wows story completly. SL is allready a stretch for me. ut i can get on board becuase of sylvannas. logical conclusion and all that.

I don't think it is too alien - I think that at least two out of four covenants are weird. Maldraxxus is a plague/flesh zone in a realm for souls. Why? Ardenweald makes sense with this whole wildseed/reborn stuff. The whole angelic theme with Kyrian also works. Revendreth is nicely exectued but what's the point of those vampires there? This xpac also misses to introduce "clear enemy" races. Sometimes the plague guys are good, then they are bad, then the bone guys are good, then the flesh guys. Half of the vampires is good the other half evil. Why?
I think the best zone in terms of execution of the theme is still the maw. It is too small, but the theme fits to the xpac and to the whole idea of bodyless-souls. Many nice concepts in SL but not good executed overall. I can't see how 9.1 would change this.

[loras]

I’d say Shadowlands’ problem was that it wasn’t alien enough. All of the zones could easily have been on Azeroth in a prior expansion and I wouldn’t have questioned it.

Thing is it struck a weird sort of "uncanny valley" for me,neither alien enough to be a believable realm of death, nor mundane enough to feel properly connected to Azeroth.

Ironically Bastion had both the most touching stuff and the most teeth-grinding nuisances of all zones to me, thematically.

Like it legitimatrly sort of feels like an afterlife and there are characters there with genuinely understandable motivations and psychological reactions and stuff, not talking about any big ones in particular mind you.

But by the time i was done with it Maldraxxus' "EEEEEEEeeeeryyyyy wazzaaa!!!" style of nonsensical... nonsense was a refreshing contrast with Bastion's mind numbing (pun partially intended).

Then there is Ardenweald which just feels like a misplaced piece of the Emerald dream, Oribos which feels like a misplaced hippie-Titan facility and Revendreth which... eh... sort of works by then. It's at least as good as the rest.

Oh and the maw is tedious but sort of does work as a prison, but not really as a hell. There is much too much final destruction going on there, much too much planning forward to have any sense of eternity.


Oh i got carried away; i agree they should stay closer to home next time, either "Earth" or "Azeroth" will do (Draenor is good too). Their imagination really falls flat otherwise, especially regarding the natives of such realms.

[Sondrelk]

Personally I found that I don't like the Shadowlands because it feelss so disconnected from Azeroth. Yes there are a few characters we know, but rarely anyone we know from WoW, let alone recently.
It should also be mentioned that both BfA and Legion were good at one specific thing which Shadowlands really isnt so far. And that was sending us back to old areas we know to give at least a tiny sense of the world progressing. We are for the most part stuck narratively in the Shadowlands, which compunds with all the alien landscape to almost make it feel like a different game.

BfA and Legion had us go to areas we either knew or which looked familiar. Secondly it gave us ample opportunities to travel back to old zones to get that sense of progression in the world.
Shadowlands both looks alien, and also doesnt look like anything we would have imagined the Shadowlands to look like given what we know, so it is hard to connect our perception of the Shadowlands with what we knew from before. Compare this to Zandalar, which we had never seen but most people likely imagined to be a jungle island, which we had seen before.


I guess I am rambling here, but the short of it is that I don't think Shadowlands makes a good enough effort to link the story to Azeroth. We have characters we know, but they are far enough between that we are mostly looking at unknown characters in an unknown place fighting against a villain we had no idea about before this expansion.

[Cosmic Janitor]

I’d say Shadowlands’ problem was that it wasn’t alien enough. All of the zones could easily have been on Azeroth in a prior expansion and I wouldn’t have questioned it.

Agreed: I certainly don't see them as particularily out there..

Revedreth could have been at the heart of a bunch of gilneas styled zones, it's just a gothic castle with vampires. They could have added this right next to gilneas and made it a story about the big bad evil vampire lord terrorizing the peasants and it wouldn't have looked out of place.
Maldraxxus is just a Plaguelands/Scourge themed zone. Would fit into the EK or NR.
Ardenweald is just a magic filled version of Ashenvale. You could stich it onto Kalimdor or the broken shore and no one would notice.
Bastion is probably the most out there, as it's pastel colors and feathery flora and fauna don't have much relation to stuff on Azeroth. It would easily fit on Outland/Draenor though, let alone Mc'aree.
The maw looks like a Deadwind Pass with some extra ruins.
Oribos is is a mixture of Titan themes with a bunch of nordic themes that could also fit the dwarves.

The story of visiting the afterlife is over the top for a setting like WoW, but the actual zones aren't that alien at all.

[Nyel]

I used to think that the final questline would need to show up on the PTR before we could safely assume that the PTR would be close to done, but on reflection I wonder if Blizzard are intentioanlly keeping that last one hidden because there are potentially important plot revelations there, for instance whether Sylvanas survived or not, or in that case where she is and what she is doing.

So really all we are waiting for now is confirmation of the end of season, which could be today or tomorrow at a slight stretch. Otherwise I do genuinely believe we are closing in on a 9.1 launch this month.

Why though? Has this happened before? I'm not sure. Some hidden Mythic phases of final bosses I guess have been kept a secret, but something like an entire story campaign?

Maybe the PTR isn't just there yet and we're not looking for a release in June. I guess we'll get the release date tomorrow. If they're announcing 9.2 as well... that's what I question.