Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Joszef Kiprich]

Reminds me of SWTOR where Dromund Kaas was the very spooky capital of the Sith Empire. But it was silly for the Dutch.

There's more in SW that's kinda weird in Dutch. Vader is father. Factually correct but still.

Back on topic, wouldn't be completely opposed to another elemental expansion but it all depends on how, since DF was already a very elemental heavy expac.

[Sondrelk]

I'll be honest, as excited as I am for BlizzCon, the buildup prior to the event/news is so exhilarating! Once the news is out, that's that. However, we do get to speculate more with actual information, then.

The week after Blizzcon tends to be the worst. So much interesting new stuff, and so long until it's actually there.
I suppose this year we will have 10.2 come out the next week, and the raid the week after that, so not quite as bad as previous expansions.

[Catastrophy349]

The week after Blizzcon tends to be the worst. So much interesting new stuff, and so long until it's actually there.
I suppose this year we will have 10.2 come out the next week, and the raid the week after that, so not quite as bad as previous expansions.

Very true. We'll be riding the HYPE of whatever gets announced (e.g. speculation), as well as playing through 10.2 content for a week before the new season the following week. Additionally, I'll probably watch, and re-watch, any/all videos that come out related to "new announcements" for the weeks/months post-BlizzCon as I usually do.

[Dracullus]

Just do what most of us do; forget Shadowlands even happened - Blizzard will trust me

Or just don't take stories that goes forever so serious. Works too. And this way I don't have to forget about parts I enjoyed.

[Makorus]

It's gonna be nice having the cinematic at Blizzcon again (hopefully!).

The live reactions of the cinematics are always so cool.

[Sauredfangs]

We might get Thrall leading the expedition, but we never get Rexxar to do anything. He's the champion of the Horde, he should be leading the expedition.

[Woggmer]

Here's a question

Does anyone actually WANT an elemental themed expansion after Dragonflight? Which is just as much an elemental expansion as it as a dragon one - I would be genuinely disappointed personally

Do people consider the Cataclysm a dragon expansion? Even though 2/3rds of the expansion was focused heavily on the elementals and didn't focus on the dragon aspect of it until the Twilight Highlands, the Hour of Twilight, and the Fangs of the Father/Dragonswrath Staff questlines.

Dragonflight barely scratched the surface of the elemental aspect at the start and it just focused on the Sundered Flame, The Infinite Dragonflight, and the Emerald Dream/Druids of the Flame. We barely know anything about what the other Elemental Lords are doing, if the Primalists are connected to the Twilight Cult (which is only ever mentioned in one supposed pre-launch interview), and how any of this is connecting to Elementals all seem to be acting as fodder material to focus on dragons who are just as boring as the elementals.

In that regard, Yes. Yes, I would like an elemental theme'd expansion if they are open to explaining the unanswered questions about what's going with the Primalists and so on.

[Catastrophy349]

Serious question to everyone: If @Teriz is right about his "speculation/predictions," are you willing to apologize? If he is completely wrong, will you remain civil or react with a "nice" I told you so!?

[ChairmanKaga]

I'm glad speculation swung back towards revamp. Avaloren has been a dud for me so far.

[Sondrelk]

Serious question to everyone: If @Teriz is right about his "speculation/predictions," are you willing to apologize? If he is completely wrong, will you remain civil or react with a "nice" I told you so!?

If Teriz is right about the entire expansion being underground I will be shocked. I would admit I was wrong, though I will likely be too shocked to actually get far.

[NikolaiShade]

Serious question to everyone: If @Teriz is right about his "speculation/predictions," are you willing to apologize? If he is completely wrong, will you remain civil or react with a "nice" I told you so!?

It will be partially underground because of the fissure in khaz algar, entirely underground would be unlikely, even more so considering there is an algarian stormrider mount and it's difficult to picture that many storms underground

[Marlamin]

Serious question to everyone: If @Teriz is right about his "speculation/predictions," are you willing to apologize? If he is completely wrong, will you remain civil or react with a "nice" I told you so!?

This is why defending speculation always feels like a useless endeavour, if it gets to the point where you have to apologize for speculating wrongly or attacking someone over their speculation it's gone way too far. Don't speak in definitives when speculating, that gets rid of 'having to apologize' entirely.

[Sondrelk]

Do people consider the Cataclysm a dragon expansion? Even though 2/3rds of the expansion was focused heavily on the elementals and didn't focus on the dragon aspect of it until the Twilight Highlands, the Hour of Twilight, and the Fangs of the Father/Dragonswrath Staff questlines.

Dragonflight barely scratched the surface of the elemental aspect at the start and it just focused on the Sundered Flame, The Infinite Dragonflight, and the Emerald Dream/Druids of the Flame. We barely know anything about what the other Elemental Lords are doing, if the Primalists are connected to the Twilight Cult (which is only ever mentioned in one supposed pre-launch interview), and how any of this is connecting to Elementals all seem to be acting as fodder material to focus on dragons who are just as boring as the elementals.

In that regard, Yes. Yes, I would like an elemental theme'd expansion if they are open to explaining the unanswered questions about what's going with the Primalists and so on.

Cataclysm might have been overall more of an elemental expansion compared to a Dragon expansion, just like how the reverse is true for Dragonflight. But that doesnt change how every raid in Cataclysm bar Tol Barad and Firelands had dragons. Or inversely how every raid in Dragonflight has had elementals.

[Catastrophy349]

I think speculation is fun until someone refuses to acknowledge that "their speculation" could be wrong. Multiple perspectives is important in life. Being single-minded won't get you far (never has/never will).

[ImTheMizAwesome]

We might get Thrall leading the expedition, but we never get Rexxar to do anything. He's the champion of the Horde, he should be leading the expedition.

I hope we get some rexxar and mok'nathals action in next expansion.

Rexxar in CGI cinematic would be crazy, even if only for a moment.

[Teriz]

Because plenty of expansions have shifted themes throughout expansion

Also more importantly; none of what you've listed proves anything - we won't know until Blizzcon, and this is a speculation thread

But that's the thing; We have key pieces of information already, and if we're actually zipping off to fight void lords, the current clues don't support it at all. The key art and the expansion mount almost always align with the thematic of the expansion. Let's look at recent WoW history;


WoD: Garrosh and Dread Raven
Legion: Gul'dan and Illidari Felstalker
Battle for Azeroth: Jaina and Gilded Ravasaur (H)/ Seabraid Stallion (A)
Shadowlands: Sylvanas and Ensorcelled Everwyrm
Dragonflight: (no key art via COVID) Tangled Dreamweaver

And now we have Thrall and the Algarian Stormrider. If we look at those past examples, they all related to the themes of the upcoming expansion, so it stands to reason that the those two items are related to the next expansion in a significant way.

Those aren't AI art or some crazy leaker supposedly spilling the beans, those are legitimate items from blizzard themselves.

Here's a question

Does anyone actually WANT an elemental themed expansion after Dragonflight? Which is just as much an elemental expansion as it as a dragon one - I would be genuinely disappointed personally

It doesn't really matter what people want, it's about what's headed this way. People can certainly speculate, but we should speculate based on what the evidence is showing us, not what we wish the next expansion should be.

[PotHockets]

.
It doesn't really matter what people want, it's about what's headed this way. People can certainly speculate, but we should speculate based on what the evidence is showing us, not what we wish the next expansion should be.

The absolute irony

[Teriz]

The absolute irony

You honestly believe that an elemental expansion featuring a bunch of earthen that think they're dwarves is what I want in a WoW expansion?

[Teriz]

Y'all were grasping straws in assuming we'll get a Lightbound expac next, I don't want to hear it.

Only reason I'm not saying anything is because I made some weird speculations myself lol

TBF, I was basing the Lightbound expansion on hints from Shadowlands. However that began to erode after the key art and especially the Algarian Stormrider datamine. The mount, pet and the achievements attached are very hard pieces of evidence backed by precedence that can't be hand waved away.

[blaatschaap]

If we look at lore developments related to the elements in Dragonflight, there is the new(ish) decay stuff that was heavily featured in the Azure span questing. I wonder if that is gonna be one of the main story beats of the next expansion, the element of decay getting out of control somehow. It would explain why thrall might be heavily featured. It would also tie into the "expansions echoing" theory (DF echoes cataclysm with its dragon theme, shadowlands echoes wrath with its death and domination magic themes, Legion echoes BC with its Legion theme) since MOPs dark shamans also used decay iirc. Wasn't it also hinted that decay played a role in galakronds hunger?