Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[FossilFree]

I'm thinking the Algarian Stormrider will be a recolor of the Alabaster Stormtalon. The same stone texture, but with a stone color that matches the Khaz Algar stone. They are both two word names, have the same initials, and have storm at the beginning of the second word.

[Catastrophy349]

Just for comparison, I checked SL thread (comparing this leak season to online DF reveal is pretty pointless I think), I believe it's first post with true leak:



It was Saturday 6 days before Blizzcon.

Yep, so it goes. As was previously said, next week may be something, or a complete dud. Should have the BlizzCon schedule, nevertheless. It's something!

[Murlocos]

Listening to the Mists of Pandaria sountrack, currently on one of the best bits in the "August Celestials" track.

God damn. While I fully expect 11.0 to be about the Void, elements, dragons, world revamps, etc., I almost wish it were a Mists of Pandaria type of expansion.

I so, so, so miss Pandaria and how alive that place felt. There was mystery. Everything felt natural and real, as in the Pandaren culture, the local flora and fauna, etc. The music encapsulates that mystery and sense of wonder so well.

It's almost like in the movie Avatar, when Jake Sully first steps into the jungles of Pandora. That's more or less what it felt like to explore the Jade Forest for the first time. To ascend the mighty peaks of Kun-Lai, or to delve into the Krasarang Wilds with its hidden temples and tropical beach hideouts.

Dragonflight is supposed to be them trying something like Mists of Pandaria again, so this is probably as close as you're going to get for a while. I don't have any firm beliefs on what will come next, though absent the Metzen X factor, I feel like it somehow wouldn't be surprising if Avaloren is essentially just them trying Dragonflight again. I'm hoping that's not the case.

[Thomir]

Just for comparison, I checked SL thread (comparing this leak season to online DF reveal is pretty pointless I think), I believe it's first post with true leak:



It was Saturday 6 days before Blizzcon.

What discord was this posted in?

[Catastrophy349]

I'll never forget everyone saying "it's fake! Look at the eyes!" I will say this, that was an example of a "leak" that got A LOT of people excited (mostly due to the Lich King).

[Murlocos]

Kinda disagree. Dragonflight is them doing half of Cataclysm again, and the Dragon Isles are better described as trying to recreate the spread out elemental zones of the revamped Azeroth (Uldum etc) moreso than echoing the mysterious island of Pandaria.

I think 12.0 has the best chance of paying tributes to MoP, because it represents a fresh start after the Void, Death, and the Burning Legion have been dealt with.

For example, we might get the true voyage to the other side of Azeroth in 12.0. A real adventure. Khaz Algar might still be more of an underworld kind of thing, perhaps off the coast of western Kalimdor. It might serve as a bridge to the "real" west, and perhaps we encounter people here that tell us even more about what's on the other side of the planet.

I'm not talking about expansion cycle theories that people make up and then try to insist are rules, I'm talking about multiple interviews with the developers flat out telling you that this is meant to be evocative of MoP.

Ion likens it to Mists of Pandaria in ‘vibes’, though of course, with dragons instead of pandarens. “Some of our other expansions have been clearly set up as ‘There is this villain that’s going to destroy the world and we need to stop them’. This isn’t one of those.”

One of the expansions World of Warcraft is drawing from most heavily in Dragonflight is Mists of Pandaria, described by Feasel as “our last great exploration-based expansion.” Those parallels were not lost on many Warcraft fans — traveling to a storied island hidden from the world until recently to uncover its mysteries is a premise that shares much in common with the eastern-themed expansion.

I think Pandaria feels like a much more cohesive and thought out place than the Dragon Isles, but regardless, that is their intention per their own words.

[Jastall]

I'd say it has less to do with the stone body or the horns or face but more to do with the sillhouette; a very strong torso, wide shoulders, prominent jawline.

Dunno, in that case most male designs in WoW are (something)-bait. Almost every dude is build like a brickhouse, even mages like Dadgar or cripples like Gul'dan visibly have impressive guns. It's part of the artstyle.

Personally I really like Iridikron's design. Certainly quite a bounce back after the Jailer's. Fyrakk and Vyranoth are notably inferior to his as well.

[Chickat]

Im feeling good about this week for a big leak. Thinking Friday.

[Palapop]

I'm thinking the Algarian Stormrider will be a recolor of the Alabaster Stormtalon. The same stone texture, but with a stone color that matches the Khaz Algar stone. They are both two word names, have the same initials, and have storm at the beginning of the second word.

I want ALLLLLLLL Gryphons to use THAT model (wings, head, beak, claws... everythings so damn perfect about that mount!)

[FossilFree]

I want ALLLLLLLL Gryphons to use THAT model (wings, head, beak, claws... everythings so damn perfect about that mount!)

Agreed, it's a great mount! I use it on my dwarf monk, it fits well imo with the monk's emphasis on stone statues.

[Palapop]

I think Pandaria feels like a much more cohesive and thought out place than the Dragon Isles, but regardless, that is their intention per their own words.

I remember people crying how MOP was childish... But man.... they made Chen look like a FERAL BEAST compared to ANY "ancient badass dragon" we're having in Wokeflight.

It brings me to tears :'(

Such a HUUUUUUUUGE potential expansion and theme.... thrown away to disneyland.

[GhostFish]

There is simply too much in-game lore pointing at Avaloren.
There's an entire quest line where you just collect books and scolls, and a huge chunk of all of them point towards a forgotten or hidden land. Beyond that there are all the ancient volumes throughout Uldaman : Legacy of Tyr that mention the same things.

It's Avaloren, Khaz Algar, and Azshara. It's pretty much without question in my mind. It's happening now in 11.0 with the 20th anniversary. They can't put it off for another expansion. They need something that will pull in new players more than anything. New continents with new history are less alienating than abstract fights on different planes of existence.

You have to think about it as a business decision. Avaloren and the other side of the world is happening now.

[Murlocos]

I think their statements has more to do with marketing and trying to bring back lapsed players than anything else.

Sure, there are similarities as we explore a mysterious new continent which previously wasn't accessible to us. But other places, such as Zandalar, pretty much fits that description as well.

If you look at the actual content of DF, as in write it down in a list, you'll see it matches Caraclysm almost 1:1.

I think that you're conflating content (i.e. who and where and so on) with the intended vibes and atmosphere. So while yes, dragons are important, and dragons were important in Cataclysm, they are straight up saying that they wanted the Dragon Isles to feel like an adventure in an unknown land, like Pandaria. I'm more inclined to take the developers at their word rather than believing that they're engaging in marketing subterfuge while discreetly carrying out the will of a forum post theory.

[Catastrophy349]

Would love to see the new cinematic open with Silithus. Then, someone/something pulls the sword out. From there, who knows?

My personal prediction has been Avaloren/other side of Azeroth for a while now, so I'm going to stick to it regardless of the actual outcome. However, I am an easy guy. I'll be happy with whatever happens!

[Palapop]

There is simply too much in-game lore pointing at Avaloren.
There's an entire quest line where you just collect books and scolls, and a huge chunk of all of them point towards a forgotten or hidden land. Beyond that there are all the ancient volumes throughout Uldaman : Legacy of Tyr that mention the same things.

It's Avaloren, Khaz Algar, and Azshara. It's pretty much without question in my mind. It's happening now in 11.0 with the 20th anniversary. They can't put it off for another expansion. They need something that will pull in new players more than anything. New continents with new history are less alienating than abstract fights on different planes of existence.

You have to think about it as a business decision. Avaloren and the other side of the world is happening now.

Sadly, I believe its Avaloren too.
I say sadly because I'm a little bit anxious that the current blizz dev team will f*ck up new continent completely

Usually, upcoming expansions are "teased" in X.0 patches.

In WOD we had Gul'Dan and his Legion meddling.
In Legion we had stranded Kul Tiran marines and Zandalari sailors.
in BFA we had Jaina "shadowlands" storyline and we also had "Into the Shadowlands" table mission.
in SL we did have couple of dragon hints in Ardenweald and also "time-skip" hints in the Maw....

And now in DF we have many mentions of Avaloren. even more in 10.2 books.

[Murlocos]

Your last sentence is pretty dismissive. When have I suggested that they're secretly carrying out my will?

All I've done is point out an obvious pattern in terms of where the story is going. Devs can frame things any way they like in interviews or on stage. In that context, they are marketers representing a corporation.

I don't think it's an obvious pattern at all, which is why I'm trying to caution you from thinking it's ironclad. I don't have any reasons to think the developers are trying to mislead the interpretation of their own product based on what I've seen myself in-game. If you do, that's fine, but I think you're going to find yourself stretching at times to make square pegs fit into round holes.

[huth]

I don't think it's an obvious pattern at all, which is why I'm trying to caution you from thinking it's ironclad. I don't have any reasons to think the developers are trying to mislead the interpretation of their own product based on what I've seen myself in-game. If you do, that's fine, but I think you're going to find yourself stretching at times to make square pegs fit into round holes.

Even if it is obvious, that doesn't mean it has any predictive capabilities. The pattern could simply be happenstance, not intent.

[Gigantique]

"IF", big "IF" here, Blizzard has a "legitimate leak" prior to BlizzCon, I pray that it is something "non-divisive." If, for example, the "legitimate leak" is obviously another planet/dimension, that would probably enflame the community. "IF" a "legitimate leak" happens, I hope it is something that isn't obvious, so that we can still speculate, have fun, enjoy the ride, and THEN be excited/disappointed during the announcement (opposed to being excited/disappointed before the event even happens).

Idk I'd personally probably take a leak letting me down easy instead of the faceslap the SL cinematic was

[Woke it Up]

Would love to see the new cinematic open with Silithus. Then, someone/something pulls the sword out. From there, who knows?

My personal prediction has been Avaloren/other side of Azeroth for a while now, so I'm going to stick to it regardless of the actual outcome. However, I am an easy guy. I'll be happy with whatever happens!

I'd like the cinematic cutting to the sword just falling over, but then never being addressed

[Baraden]

If a genuine world revamp and a revamp of all classic dungeons for M+ came at the cost of that expansion having one less raid; I would be completely fine with that

Let's not forget - a world revamp expansion would not need new zones on top of a revamp; cataclysm it was necessary because the map had gaps - now it doesn't

WoW has been a post cata world longer than it was the vanilla world; it's been over 10 years now - they NEED to update it for the longevity of the game

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Would love to see the new cinematic open with Silithus. Then, someone/something pulls the sword out. From there, who knows?

My personal prediction has been Avaloren/other side of Azeroth for a while now, so I'm going to stick to it regardless of the actual outcome. However, I am an easy guy. I'll be happy with whatever happens!

If we do get an underground expansion; removing the sword and entering the mantle of azeroth via the wound seems the most plausible way - plus it would finally wrap up the sword plot

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I haven't been hyped for an expansion theme since BFA; if it really is Avaloren - that'll be three disappointing announcements in a row